Vegan Apple Pie
Flakey homemade pie crust and delicious apple pie filling made from fresh apples and cozy warming spices!
Equipment
- 1 10.5" pie dish (10.5" Dia. x 2.36" H)
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 2 cookie sheets
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 2.5 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp kosher salt I use Morton's Kosher Salt
- 2 tsp cane sugar
- 2 sticks cold vegan butter 1 cup, sticks not tub
- 6-7 tbsp cold water
Filling
- 5 lbs firm apples I use a mix of Fuji, Honey Crisp, and Granny Smith
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ⅛ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ cup cane sugar
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2½ tbsp flour
Toppings
- 1-2 tbsp unsweetened soy milk
- 2 tbsp turbinado sugar optional but so yum!
Instructions
Make the Pie Dough
- Start by cutting the vegan butter sticks into small cubes. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Next, combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Whisk to combine and then add the cold butter cubes.
- Use a fork to mash the butter into the flour. You can also use clean hands to gently squish the butter and flour together to incorporate.
- Stop mixing when a shaggy dough appears with some chunky pieces of butter in pea and almond sized shapes.Tip: If the pieces are too small/uniform the crust won't be as flakey.
- Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the cold water. Start with 6 tbsp and add another if needed. Mix for just long enough to bring the dough together into a crumbly mixture (it doesn't need to stick together yet) and then turn it out on to a lightly floured countertop.
- Gently knead the dough for just long enough to bring it together and then stop. 👩🏻🍳 You don't want to over-work the dough at this point or the crust won't be tender and flakey. Next, shape the dough into a ball, working quickly so that the butter doesn't get too soft. Then cut it in half and shape into two disks. Then wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigeratefor at least 1-2 hours.
- 👩🏻🍳 Tip: If at any point the butter starts to get soft, melty or shiny, place the whole bowl in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to prevent the butter from softening too much.
Roll Out the Dough
- Place a cookie sheet on the center rack of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
- Unwrap the pie dough disks and allow them to come to just under room temperature so it's easy to roll out without cracking. 👩🏻🍳 This means it should be soft enough to roll out without cracking, but still cool to the touch so that the butter doesn't melt inside the dough.
- Lightly flour the the countertop and a rolling pin, and then roll the first disk of pie dough into a 14 inch circle. I start with the rolling pin in the middle of the disk and roll forward, backward, to the side and then to the other side. Then rotate the dough 90 degrees and repeat. 👩🏻🍳 For a perfectly flakey crust, roll out the dough then fold it in half. Fold in half one more time to create a little stack, and then roll it out into a 13-14in circle. This stacking and rolling process will create more layers!Tip: Flip the dough over every fourth rotation to prevent sticking and a light dusting of flour to the counter as needed. This helps a lot!
- To transport the pie crust, roll it around the rolling pin to help lift it off of the counter. Then unroll it into a pie dish (10.5" Dia. x 2.36" H) and let it drape down into the bottom edges of the pan.
- Gently press the dough into the walls of the pie dish and make sure there are no gaps and make sure there's some overhang to prevent the pie crust from shrinking while baking. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place the pie crust in the fridge while you roll out the second disk. Repeat the same process with the second disk pie of dough, rolling it out into a 14 inch circle. This time, transfer to a cookie sheet, cover, and place in the fridge to chill while you make the pie filling.
Make the Apple Pie Filling
- Recipe update: in the video above from 2022, I reduced the apple juices into a thick caramel sauce and added it back to the pie but since then, I prefer to skip this step, because it improves the texture of the apple filling! Plus, this new method is WAY easier! Love that :) Here's what I recommend now: Simply peel the apples and slice in to 1/4 in slices. Place in a bowl and add 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice on top. Toss to coat. Then add the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, cane sugar, brown sugar, and flour. Gently mix.
Assemble
- Use a slotted to transfer the apple filling into the pie crust. Using a slotted spoon to keep as much of the apple juices in the bowl as possible, and that prevents a soggy pie. Discard any remaining juice. 👩🏻🍳 Optional: dice 1 tbsp of cold vegan butter into small cubes and place on top of the apples for a little extra flavor and richness.
- Then remove the pie dough from the cookie sheet in the fridge, and place it on top of the apples. Trim off the excess dough if it's more than 1 inch of overhang, and then tuck the pie crust under itself on the top lip of the pie plate to create a thick rim.
- Then use your fingers to crimp the edge of the pie crust to create a pretty design. Lightly brush the top and crust with soy milk, sprinkle with turbinado sugar for sparkle and crunch!
Bake
- Place the pie dish on top of the preheated cookie sheet in the oven. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes then, while leaving the pie in the oven, reduce the heat to 375 and bake for 1 hour or until deeply golden brown. The kitchen should smell amazing at the point 🤗
Chill to Set
- The filling needs to set or it will seep out all over the place when you try to slice the pie, so allow the pie to cool completely, at least 2 hours.
Serve
- Serve with vegan vanilla ice cream and enjoy!