Vegan Apple Pie
By Ashley Cote of Spoonful of Flavor
Apple Pie is a classic dessert that tastes great any time of the year. Make it for a summer backyard barbecue or with fresh apples in the fall for a holiday gathering. This classic apple pie is a hit with everyone and comes together relatively easily.
This pie is made with a vegan pie crust and the filling is naturally vegan. You can use a premade pie crust. A recipe for homemade pie crust from scratch is included too.
Serve a slice of this homemade apple pie with a scoop of vegan ice cream for a delectable treat.
Why You’ll Love This Pie
It’s dairy-free and egg-free.
It can be made gluten-free by using a 1:1 gluten-free flour.
This pie is easy to make and even faster when you use a premade piecrust.
The pie is crisp and flaky.
How do you make a vegan pie crust from scratch?
Vegan piecrust comes together easily with a few basic ingredients. Use cold unsalted vegan butter plus flour, sugar, salt and water. Use whatever brand of vegan butter that you enjoy. If you used a certain brand in the past for baked goods with good results, then use the same brand of butter for this piecrust.
The key to a good vegan piecrust is to make sure you use cold butter and ice water. Cut the butter up into small cubes and refrigerate or freeze it until you’re ready to use.
To make the crust, place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Add the cold cubed butter to the flour and pulse until the mixture is coarse crumbs. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and roll into a ball. Cut the ball in half, form each into a disc and then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
Apple Cinnamon Filling
The filling is made with fresh sliced apples and classic apple pie spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s sweetened with a moderate amount of sugar to give it the classic apple pie flavor.
Lattice Pie Crust
You can cover the pie filling with the entire piece of dough or you can create a lattice design. Using a lattice piecrust allows the steam to escape through the holes.
Roll each half of the dough into a 12-inch circle.
Use a pizza cutter or large knife to cut one piece of the dough into twelve 1-inch strips.
Lay six of the strips vertically and evenly spaced over the top of the pie filling, using the longer strips in the center and the shorter strips on the end.
Fold every other strip all the way back so that they are almost falling off the pie (3 strips total). Place one of the six remaining strips horizontally on top. Fold the three vertical strips back over so they lay over the horizontal strip.
Fold the other strips back. Place one of the remaining unused strips horizontal on top. Fold the remaining vertical strips back over.
Repeat with the remaining strips until you have a complete lattice pattern.
Fold the excess dough over the edges and cut off any excess. Pinch the edge into a piecrust border.
Tips to Make Vegan Apple Pie
Use a store-bought pie crust to save time! Many of the piecrust brands that are sold at the grocery store are vegan. Check the ingredient list to be sure, but you can save time by using a premade piecrust.
Keep the dough cold.
Cut slits for ventilation. If you are using a lattice piecrust, the holes allow steam to escape. But if you simply layer the top piece of dough over the pie, then use your knife to cut slits for ventilation.
Make it ahead. The best thing about pie is that you can bake it in advance. Prep the dough up to 3 days in advance, fill and then bake.
Storage
You can store the pie at room temperature for up to one day, or in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 5 days.
Vegan Apple Pie
8 servings | Total time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients
Vegan Pie Crust:
1 cup unsalted vegan butter, very cold
½ cup ice water, plus more as needed
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
½ tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Apple Filling:
6-7 cups apples, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
Other:
Melted coconut oil (optional)
Turbinado sugar (optional)
Directions:
To make the pie crust:
Cut the butter into small cubes and refrigerate until ready to use.
Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
Add the cold butter to the flour and pulse until the mixture is coarse crumbs.
Add in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and form into a ball. Cut the ball in half, form each into a disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until ready to use.
To make the filling:
Peel and slice apples and place them in a large mixing bowl. Add remaining filling ingredients and toss well. Set aside.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one round of dough to a 12-inch circle. Transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate with dough, then fill with apple filling.
Roll out the second pie dough round to a 12-inch round. Using a pizza cutter, cut the second dough round into ½-inch strips. Place the longest strip down the center of the pie. Reserving every other dough strip to go in the other direction on the pie, lay strips across the pie with just a little bit of space between. Then weave in strips going the opposite direction on the pie. This creates a lattice crust.
(Optional) Brush the piecrust with a bit of melted coconut oil, then sprinkle with turbinado sugar, if desired.
Refrigerate pie for 30 minutes before baking.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit with a rack in the lower third of the oven. Place a baking sheet on the rack and allow it to heat up while the oven preheats.
Place the pie on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Continue baking the pie for 40 to 45 more minutes, until the filling is bubbly. Check on the pie partway through the baking time and tent it with foil as needed to prevent the crust from over-browning
Allow the pie to cool at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before serving with your favorite ice cream or whipped coconut cream.
Store pie at room temperature for up to one day, or in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, for up to 5 days. Pie can also be frozen, wrapped tightly, for up to 3 months.
