You baked an apple pie yesterday, covered it with foil and left it on the counter overnight. Does it need to go in the refrigerator today? The answer depends on the filling, the recipe and how warm your kitchen is. Here is what food safety guidance says about apple pie, when the counter is fine, and when it isn’t.
Does apple pie need to be refrigerated?
The Short Answer
Not always. A traditional baked apple pie with a sugar-sweetened fruit filling can be kept loosely covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, then refrigerated for up to 2 more, according to extension guidance. If your kitchen is unusually warm, refrigerate the pie instead. University of Maine Extension says a fruit pie refrigerated from the start can keep for up to 7 days. Refrigerate pies with custard, cream or cream cheese fillings or perishable toppings, and pies made with sugar substitutes. Follow the package for store-bought pies.
For a complete pantry and fridge reference, see our Food Storage Guide. Apple pie’s holiday cousins have their own answers in whether pumpkin pie needs to be refrigerated and whether pecan pie needs to be refrigerated.
Apple Pie Refrigeration: At a Glance
Traditional apple pie (sugar-sweetened fruit filling)
Up to 2 days covered at room temperature, then up to 2 more days in the refrigerator
Refrigerated from the start
Up to 7 days per University of Maine Extension. Do not add this to days already spent on the counter
Apple pie with a custard, cream or cream cheese filling, or a perishable topping
Refrigerate. Limit time out to 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F
Sugar-free apple pie
Iowa State: eat within 1 to 2 days and refrigerate in an airtight container
In the freezer
Up to 4 months for best quality, per Iowa State and University of Maine Extension
Warm kitchen or climate
LSU AgCenter: always store fruit pies in the refrigerator in warm climates
Store-bought pie
Follow the package, including after opening
Signs to toss
Visible mold, or a pie past the storage times above
Key Takeaways
Extension sources give the same rule for a traditional baked apple pie with a sugar-sweetened fruit filling: up to 2 days at room temperature, covered, then about 2 more days in the refrigerator.
Sugar and the fruit’s acidity help slow bacterial growth in traditional fruit pies, per NC State and Iowa State. That supports the limited 2-day window. It doesn’t make the pie spoil-proof, and it doesn’t extend to custard, cream or sugar-substitute pies.
The rule is about the filling and perishable toppings. If the pie has a custard, cream or cream cheese filling, or a whipped cream topping, refrigerate it.
There are two schedules, not one. It is 2 days on the counter plus 2 in the refrigerator, or up to 7 days if the pie is refrigerated from the start, per University of Maine Extension. Don’t add the 7 days to days already spent on the counter.
In an unusually warm kitchen, refrigerate the pie. LSU AgCenter says experts recommend alway
