The best vegan apple pie recipe ever. Apple Pie for the soul, vegan too! Who doesn’t love pie? Okay, so I was never a fan of pastry growing up, but who doesn’t love pie filling? I remember eating apple pie filling straight from the pan when I craved something sweet.
In my late teens, pie became a common midnight treat; something to eat with coffee while discussing pretentious literature and ideology with pretentious friends. We didn’t really ever manage to change anything but that’s half the fun. I remember sitting on cafes, we would try all the pies: banana cream, coconut cream, cherry, but apple pie always held a special place in my heart.
These days pie has a completely different meaning to me. It heralds in the autumn months when this kind of food is appreciated and, more importantly, a lot of the ingredients become available free of charge.
Around October time, my adult pretentious friends and I would go looking for apples or blackberries to steal (scrump, ahem, not steal), dotted throughout the countryside. We would generally walk, pick, and eat while discussing pretentious business theory, politics and bourgeois television programmes. The times haven’t actually changed. We’re just as ineffectual as any 17 year old kid with lots of ideas.
Sadly, due to lockdown, this year’s apple pie making craze was accomplished completely legally with donated apples from a friend with an orchard. However, not to worry, the pie itself still tastes completely illicit! I also love to visit my local farm shop to see what apples are in season.
I love apple pie warm and I love it cold. I love it with cream or with custard. I do not like apple pie with vanilla ice cream. This may be heresy, but to make it Apple Pie for the soul, it must be warm, and it must be custard. Read on to learn how to make a vegan apple pie.
TIP: make the filling two hours in advance to allow mixture to form a light syrup.
Contents
The Best Vegan Apple Pie recipe
Equipment
- 9" Pie Dish
- Mixing Bowls
- Measuring Cups, Spoons or Scales
- Wooden Spoon and Chopping Knife
- Rolling Pin
- Clingfilm
Ingredients
Crust
- 260 g Plain Flour you can replace with Gluten Free
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Sugar
- 150 g Vegetable Shortening Like Trex or Crisco
- 5-7 tbsp Ice Water
Pie Filling
- 8 Cooking Apples, peeled, cored, sliced or use a mixture of apples for texture and flavour
- 2 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 40 g Plain Flour
- 110 g soft Brown Sugar
- 110g g White Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 tsp Sugar for sprinkling on the crust (optional)
Instructions
To make the filling
- In a large bowl, place the sliced apples and lemon juice
- Sprinkle over the sugars, flour and spices and toss through with your hands. Leave for a good hour or so for the sugars to make a light syrup
To make the crust
- A flaky crust depends entirely on two things: keep it cold and don't overwork it. My dough almost resembles crumbs when it goes into the fridge.
- Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add cubes of very cold shortening to dry ingredients. Cut in with a pastry cutter or knife until a uniform crumbly mixture forms. Don't let it get warm!
- Add about 3 tbsp water and quickly mix in with a knife or pastry cutter. Add 2-3 more tbsp as required. Dough should be crumbly and loose. Wrap tightly in clingfilm and place in freezer for 20 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 200c.
To prepare the Pie
- Divide dough roughly in half, it will still be a bit crumbly. Place dough ball between two sheets of clingfilm. Roll out thinly to suit your pie dish. If your dish is smaller than 9", you may have a few scraps left for decoration.
- Remove top layer of clingfilm and line pie dish with dough, removing remaining clingfilm after lining. Repeat procedure for the pie cover.
- Add filling to desired depth, pressing down gently to remove air gaps and provide a level surface.
- Cover with remaining pastry, crimping the top and bottom edges. Sprinkle top with sugar and add a few vent holes.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30mins. Remove foil and bake for an additional 30mins until crust is golden brown.
- Remove foil and bake for an additional 30mins until crust is golden brown.
- Enjoy with custard, cream or vanilla ice cream!
All the stars. Everything you like in a recipe: handful of ingredients, simple quick prep, and really delicious. Well done – now bookmarked as my go to!
Apple pie is a classic. But his one was something else! Thank you for this recipe! Everyone loved it!
I love this vegan version of my favorite pie. I will definitely give this a try. Lovey crust. Perfectly baked.
This apple pie was so delicious! I loved all the flavors and I served it to some family who couldn’t even tell it was vegan!
This apple pie is really the best recipe for dessert or breakfast. It’s super filling, full of flavor, and incredibly tasty! Love apple-inspired vegan recipes.
I loved this apple pie! Delicious, my mom is a fan of apple pie, so I ‘m always on the look to make her another great version. She loved everything about it.
This classic apple pie is so delicious, and I love that it’s vegan, not that anyone could tell! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Yum! I always eat my apple pie warm with a big scoop of ice cream. This apple pie was delicious and I’m so happy it’s made using plant based ingredients. It’s a sweet treat the whole family can enjoy.
Love homemade apple pie! Your vegan recipe was a huge a hit and I doubt anyone could tell the difference. Thank you.