12 Things You Never Knew About the McDonald’s Apple Pie (2024)

ByMarissa Laliberte

Updated: Feb. 24, 2024

    Even if you're a longtime fan of this dessert favorite, there's plenty you don't know about the McDonald's apple pie.

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    12 Things You Never Knew About the McDonald’s Apple Pie (1)

    Tiger Images/Shutterstock

    It’s gotten a makeover recently

    In September 2018, McDonald’s debuted a new apple pie with a slightly tweaked recipe. The new version has fewer ingredients, a lattice crust, and sliced (not diced) apples. It’s also healthier and is dusted with sugar on top rather than coated with brown sugar. Learn the secrets that make the McDonald’s apple pie so tasty.

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    Those changes don’t come suddenly

    Although there are naturally some complaints when people realize that their beloved apple pie has changed, McDonald’s doesn’t just release a new version on the market without any tests. The lattice-crust version had been served in North Carolina and Southern California as early as 2016. Find out which 11 failed McDonald’s menu items didn’t last long.

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    Its apples are made in the USA

    These aren’t just your typical Granny Smiths. McDonald’s apple pie contains a combo of Golden Delicious, Fuji, Jonagold, Rome, Gala, and Ida Red apples.

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    It was created in the 200th McDonald’s location

    A franchise in Knoxville, Tennessee, which was the city’s first Mickey D’s, was also where the world’s first McDonald’s apple pie was baked in 1960.

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    12 Things You Never Knew About the McDonald’s Apple Pie (5)

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    It was the first McDonald’s dessert

    Long before the McFlurry, which only hit menus 24 years ago, the hot apple pie went nationwide in 1968—the same yearthe Big Mac made its debut. Find out more facts you didn’t know about the McDonald’s Big Mac.

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    It used to be fried

    Some Mickey D’s fans might remember what the apple pies used to be like: fried. Public opinion started to lean away from fried food and more toward baked, so McDonald’s switched to a baked version in 1992. The new version was undoubtedly healthier, though many longtime fans insist that the old flaky, crispy crust was tastier. Find out where you can still find a fried version of McDonald’s apple pie.

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    The fried version made a black-market comeback

    In 2014, an Idaho food-supply distributor revealed that he had saved a stash of McDonald’s apple pies from its fried phase. The owner of Greenspan’s Grilled Cheese in Los Angeles got his hands on these supposedly extinct pies and started selling Throwback Apple Pies. He wouldn’t confirm or deny if they really were the real deal, but customers confirmed that the pies tasted just like they remembered.This is the most popular Thanksgiving pie in your state.

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    It’s not all about apples anymore

    The pie menu has expanded beyond the all-American apple. You can get a Strawberry and Crème Pie year-round, and other seasonal offerings have included Pumpkin and Cremeand Lemon.Check outhow the McDonald’s menu has changed through the years.

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    Other countries have their own takes

    The Philippines offers a banana pie, Germans can grab a blueberry-cheesecake-style option, and Thai McDonald’s sell pineapple pies and corn pies. In Hong Kong, you can get your apple pie à la mode with a chocolate or strawberry topping. Anyone else sensing a “secret menu” item for U.S. consumers to sample? Check out these other McDonald’s secret menu items you have to try.

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    It’s part of a Hong Kong wedding package

    Does McDonald’s have a special place in your heart? At Hong Kong, you can throw a wedding party at one, complete with rose-shaped balloons, an emcee, and apple pies stacked in a fancy-schmancy “cake” display.

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    12 Things You Never Knew About the McDonald’s Apple Pie (11)

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    It’s one of McDonald’s healthier desserts

    Sure, McDonald’s apple pie is an indulgence, but it’ll derail your diet less than most other McDonald’s desserts. A baked apple pie has 240 calories, 16 grams of sugar, and 11 grams of fat. Compare that with a small chocolate shake, which has 530 calories, 74 grams of sugar, and 15 grams of fat.

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    It was featured in a toy set

    The company released a McDonaldland toy set in the 1970s, with action figures of Ronald McDonald, the Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese—oh, and a toy Apple Pie Tree with a face. Awesome or creepy? You decide. Don’t miss these 75 other mind-blowing facts about McDonald’s.

    Originally Published: September 17, 2019

    Author

    Marissa Laliberte

    Marissa Laliberte-Simonian is a London-based associate editor with the global promotions team at WebMD’s Medscape.com and was previously a staff writer for Reader's Digest. Her work has also appeared in Business Insider, Parents magazine, CreakyJoints, and the Baltimore Sun. You can find her on Instagram @marissasimonian.

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    12 Things You Never Knew About the McDonald’s Apple Pie (2024)

    FAQs

    What is McDonald's apple pie made of? ›

    Ingredients: Apples (apples, Ascorbic Acid, Salt, Citric Acid), Enriched Flour (bleached Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Sugar, Palm Oil, Water, Apple Juice Concentrate, Modified Food Starch, Invert Syrup, Contains 2% Or Less: Yeast, Salt, Cinnamon, Sunflower Lecithin, ...

    Why did McDonald's get rid of apple pies? ›

    McDonald's Fried Apple Pie had a long initial run from its debut in 1968 (the same as the Big Mac) until September 1992. So what happened in September 1992? Our beloved McDonald's Fried Apple Pie was permanently removed from the regular menu for “health concerns.”

    Why is McDonald's apple pie so good? ›

    Many pie fillings are made with a processed thickening agent that keeps the filling jelly-like and in place. But McDonald's uses a dehydrated apple powder. The powder not only thickens the filling, but it also adds that extra apple taste that you love.

    What year did McDonald's stop frying their pies? ›

    There are a lot of things that McDonald's does wrong, but deep-frying isn't one of them. Then, in 1992, the unthinkable happened: Ronald replaced his beloved fried apple pies with the vastly inferior, modern baked version.

    Does McDonald's bake or fry their apple pies? ›

    Cases in point: Serbian fried chicken and Grandma Utz's potato chips, both of which are fried in delicious beef tallow. And then there's the long forgotten fried apple pie at McDonald's, which made the switch to baked in 1992 due to health reasons and has tasted inferior ever since.

    Does McDonald's apple pie have high fructose corn syrup? ›

    Ingredients: Apples (apples, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Salt), Water, Enriched Flour (bleached Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Palm Oil, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Brown Sugar, Vegetable Oil (canola Oil, Corn Oil, Soybean Oil, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil), Modified Food ...

    Why do McDonalds apple pies expire so fast? ›

    Food can be held in the temperature range for just a short amount of time before it is considered unsafe to consume. Because McDonald's apple pies are kept in a warmer, they are likely kept at temperatures considered in the "danger zone" and thus must be thrown away after a set amount of time.

    Why doesn't McDonalds fry their pies? ›

    One major change to the apple pie is that, unlike when it first came out, it's no longer fried. In 1992, McDonald's switched from frying its apple pies to baking them to quell health concerns. Today, nearly every McDonald's in America serves baked apple pies that are somewhat "healthier" than the beloved fried version.

    How do you get a free apple pie from McDonalds? ›

    Enter your Birth Date (Day and Month are only required) on the McDonald's App and get a FREE Apple Pie for your birthday.

    What is a fact about apple pie? ›

    The first recorded apple piece recipe was actually published pre-America… It was printed in England in 1381, 640 years ago! Those early English pies did not include sugar in the recipe. Sugar was incredibly expensive, so sweet fruits, like figs, were used as a sweetener instead.

    What type of apple does McDonald's use? ›

    “With the current sliced apple products sold at McDonald's, they use a lot of Gala and Empire apples, which we grow a lot of here in New York,” Gregg said. Todd Fryhover, president of the Washington Apple Commission (WAC), said the apples would have to come from U.S. growers.

    Does McDonald apple pie have egg? ›

    The Filet-o-Fish® does contain eggs as an ingredient due to the Tartare Sauce, but the Apple Pie does not. .

    Who makes McDonalds apple pies? ›

    All of the pies sold at US McDonald's are made in Tulsa. For more than 50 years, all the pies sold in US McDonald's have been made exclusively at Bama Companies in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Bama also makes biscuits and hotcakes for the fast-food chain.)

    Why did McDonalds change their apple pie? ›

    Public opinion started to lean away from fried food and more toward baked, so McDonald's switched to a baked version in 1992. The new version was undoubtedly healthier, though many longtime fans insist that the old flaky, crispy crust was tastier.

    What is the current McDonalds pie? ›

    There are 280 calories in the Strawberry & Crème Pie. Order your McDonald's strawberry cream pie today from our full menu in the app using contactless Mobile Order & Pay* with Curbside pickup. *At participating McDonald's.

    Can vegans eat McDonald's Apple Pie? ›

    So, is McDonald's apple pie vegan? This one is a slightly complex one to answer. Whilst all of the pie's ingredients are vegan-friendly (including the crispy pastry casing) the oil that is used to fry the pies can't be guaranteed vegan-friendly.

    Is McDonald's Apple Pie made with eggs? ›

    The Filet-o-Fish® does contain eggs as an ingredient due to the Tartare Sauce, but the Apple Pie does not. . You can find a full ingredient declaration for all food (including our burgers) served in the U.K. by visiting our online nutritional calculator tool here or downloading our Allergen Booklet here.

    What do they put on McDonald's apples? ›

    Packaged apples found at McDonalds or in your local produce section are usually treated with a solution of calcium ascorbate (a blend of calcium and vitamin C) or citric acid (found in citrus fruit) to maintain freshness and color. Both are very safe to use on fruit that will be consumed.

    What is McDonald's Big Mac made of? ›

    The Big Mac is a 100% beef burger with a taste like no other—the mouthwatering perfection starts with two 100% pure all beef patties and Big Mac sauce sandwiched between a sesame seed bun. It's topped off with pickles, crisp shredded lettuce, finely chopped onion and a slice of American Cheese.

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