Why Did McDonald's (Mostly) Stop Making Fried Apple Pies?

McDonald's has sold handheld apple pies for dessert since 1968, but today's version is a far cry from the original recipe. In fact, the internet is brimming with articles and social media posts about how the apple pies of yore were far superior to those the chain sells now. The biggest difference? They used to be fried, but starting in 1992, McDonald's switched to the oven and debuted baked apple pies that year. This drastic change was due to that decade's major shift toward diet culture, with many claiming dietary fat was the big bad wolf of nutrition, so to speak. McDonald's followed the trend and, for the most part, still bakes its apple pies today.

With the exception of two states, apple pies from most Mickey D's locations lack the bubbly, crispy crust and piping-hot filling they had back in the day — elements that fans agree made them much better than the current iteration. One Instagram user proclaimed, "Sure it may be liquid radiation, but it was DELICIOUS liquid radiation!" Another chimed in, "Best one's ever! Bring them back!! Crispy!!"

The early '90s weren't the last time McDonald's modified its apple pies, either. In 2016, the crust changed from a solid-dough top to a lattice crust, and in 2018, the company began using more "real" ingredients in the recipe, like butter and cinnamon. However, according to the McDonald's website, butter no longer appears among the item's listed ingredients.

If you're hankering for the taste of McDonald's fried apple pies, they do still exist, but you might have to travel quite a ways to get one. You can still get the original apple pies in two states: California and Hawaii. Before Golden State residents get too excited, however, just be aware that only a singular location in Downey still fries the dessert. This also happens to be the world's oldest McDonald's, which opened in 1953 in the suburb south of Los Angeles. One Reddit user noted that if you visit, you must specify that you want a fried pie as opposed to the baked version.

Hawaiian McDonald's did switch to baked apple pies in 1992 with the rest of the country, but customers were unimpressed. Fortunately, because restaurants in the Aloha State sold more apple pies than anywhere else in America, they were allowed to keep the original cooking method.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the fried-versus-baked conundrum is that the fried pie appears to have slightly better overall nutrition than its descendant. According to McDonalds, the fried pie contains 220 calories, 9 grams of fat (3 grams of saturated fat), and 10 grams of sugar. Meanwhile, the baked pie contains 230 calories, 11 grams of fat (6 grams of saturated fat), and 14 grams of sugar. Of course, the 1990s got a lot of things wrong in the name of health, including the now-discontinued SnackWell's treats and atrocious non-fat potato chips.