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Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Pie

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This Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Pie is loaded with sweet, juicy apples, subtly spiced with toasty cinnamon and undetectably vegan, gluten-free and refined sugar free!

A slice of apple pie topped with cream on a white plate sprinkled with cinnamon against a grey background

Why you’ll love this Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Pie:

  • it’s undetectably vegan and gluten-free
  • it’s refined sugar free
  • it’s relatively healthy
  • it’s crispy and flaky 
  • it’s rich and “buttery”
  • it’s not chewy, crumbly or dry
  • it’s filled with tender, juicy apples 
  • it’s salty-sweet
  • it tastes like toffee
  • it’s perfectly spiced and fragrant
  • it’s super easy to make 
  • the pastry dough doesn’t require chilling beforehand
  • you don’t need to pre-bake the crust
  • it’s the perfect dessert for autumn/fall and holidays like Thanksgiving!

How to make this Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Pie

Scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe including measurements and instructions.

  • Start by making the filling. Heat up the coconut oil in a pan and add the coconut sugar

Photo of coconut sugar being melted in a black frying pan

  • Cook for about a minute until coconut sugar has melted

Photo of coconut sugar being melted in a black frying pan

Tip: Watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn.

Photo of slices of raw apples on a blue plate against a marble background

  • Add the plant-based milk, apples, vanilla, cinnamon and salt

Photo of chopped apple pieces with cinnamon and brown sugar in a black frying pan

  • Leave to cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until slightly softened – it doesn’t matter if not completely cooked
  • Add the tapioca starch and heat for about a minute until thickened

Photo of chopped apple pieces with cinnamon and brown sugar in a black frying pan

  • Combine all the ingredients for the pastry dough in a glass mixing bowl until it forms a firm dough
Tip: Add the water a few tablespoons at a time so that you don’t add too much!
Photo of a ball of pastry dough in a white pie dish against a marble background
  • Divide the pastry into two and add one half to a greased pie dish. Use your fingers to carefully press it across the bottom and up the sides of the dish

Photo of a raw pastry crust in a pie dish

  • Lay out a sheet of baking paper on a counter and use a a rolling pin to roll out the remaining pastry dough into a circular shape large enough to cover the pie – it’s much easier doing it this way than using a floured surface

Photo of a sheet of brown baking paper topped with pastry dough with two hands and a rolling pin rolling it out

  • Transfer the apple mixture into the pie crust

Photo of a raw pastry crust in a pie dish filled with cooked apple pie filling

Tip: Don’t do this before you have the top ready, as the warm apple mixture will melt the coconut oil in the pie crust, making it harder to work with.

  • Place the top layer of pastry on top of the pie crust – you can do this easily by picking up the baking paper from the counter and flipping it over so that it’s resting paper side-up on top of the pie
  • Once the top layer of pie crust is comfortably sitting on top of the pie, carefully peel off the baking paper
  • Use your fingers to secure the top layer of crust on top of the crust, by pressing down on all the edges around the pie, making sure they are properly sealed

Photo of a raw pie topped with pie crust against a marble background

  • You can use a fork or your fingers to create a pretty pattern around the edge if you like

Photo of a raw pie topped with pie crust with crimped edges and a slit in the middle against a marble background

  • Use a knife to create a small slit in the middle of the top layer

Photo of a cooked pie topped with pie crust against a marble background

  • Bake in oven for around 30 minutes, until the pastry crust is firm to the touch and golden brown

Photo of a sliced apple pie in a white pie dish against a pink background

Substitutions you can make to this recipe:

  • I like to use cooking apples for a bit of tartness, but you can use any type of apples
  • you can add some dried fruits to the filling such as raisins, chopped dates or dried cranberries
  • you can use any type of plant-based milk: almond milk, cashew milk, oat milk, soy milk, rice milk etc
  • you can replace the gluten-free flour with rice flour
  • you can replace the gluten-free flour with plain flour if you’re not gluten-free.

How long does this Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Pie keep for?

This Apple Pie keeps well covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

Photo of a sliced apple pie in a white pie dish against a pink background

More gluten-free vegan pie recipes:

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo @rhiansrecipes #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

A slice of apple pie topped with cream on a white plate sprinkled with cinnamon against a grey background

Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Pie

Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Pie with a crispy, flaky, buttery pastry crust and refined sugar free, caramelised, cinnamon-flavoured apples.
4.5 from 20 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gluten-free apple pie, vegan apple pie, vegan gluten-free pie
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 8
Calories: 379kcal
Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

Metric - US Customary

For the apples:

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or sub coconut butter)
  • 12 tablespoons coconut sugar
  • 4 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk (or any other plant-based milk)
  • 6 cooking apples , cored, peeled finely sliced (or sub any other type of apple if you prefer)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • Pinch sea salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon tapioca starch

For the pastry:

Instructions

For the apples:

  • Heat coconut oil in a pan
  • Add coconut sugar and cook for about a minute until coconut sugar has melted - watch carefully so it doesn’t burn
  • Add the milk, apples, vanilla, cinnamon and salt
  • Leave to cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until slightly softened - doesn’t matter if not completely cooked
  • Add the tapioca starch and heat for about a minute until thickened

For the pastry:

  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit)
  • Combine all ingredients in a large bowl along with about 14 tablespoons of water, until it forms a firm dough - add the water a few tablespoons at a time so that you don’t add too much!
  • You can keep this pastry dough in the fridge for up to a day if you like, but there is no need to chill it before using
  • Divide the pastry into two and add one half to a greased pie dish. Use your fingers to carefully press it across the bottom and up the sides of the dish (I used a 9inch/22.5cm pie dish)
  • Lay out a sheet of greaseproof baking paper on a counter and use a rolling pin to roll out the remaining pastry dough into a circular shape large enough to cover the pie
  • Once you have this ready, transfer the apple mixture into the pie crust - please don’t do this before you have the top ready, as the warm apple mixture will melt the coconut oil in the pie crust, making it harder to work with
  • Now place the top layer of pastry on top of the pie crust - you can do this easily by picking up the baking paper from the counter and flipping it over so that it’s resting paper side-up on top of the pie
  • Once the top layer of pie crust is comfortably sitting on top of the pie, carefully peel off the baking paper
  • Use your fingers to secure the top layer of crust on top of the crust, by pressing down on all the edges around the pie, making sure they are properly sealed
  • You can use a fork or your fingers to create a pretty pattern around the edge if you like
  • Use a knife to create a small slit in the middle of the top layer
  • Bake in oven for around 30 minutes, until the pastry crust is firm to the touch and golden brown
  • Leave to cool a little before cutting, but it tastes best served warm from the oven!
  • Keeps covered in the fridge for up to a few days

Notes

*You can alternatively use almond flour
Nutrition Facts
Gluten-Free Vegan Apple Pie
Amount Per Serving
Calories 379 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 29%
Saturated Fat 8g 40%
Sodium 49mg 2%
Potassium 146mg 4%
Total Carbohydrates 52g 17%
Dietary Fiber 7g 28%
Sugars 27g
Protein 6g 12%
Vitamin A 1.5%
Vitamin C 7.6%
Calcium 7%
Iron 8.2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Made the recipe?Tag @rhiansrecipes on instagram and use the hashtag #rhiansrecipes!

Disclosure: This posts contains affiliate links to Amazon. If you click through and purchase any of the products, a small percentage will come to me, with no extra cost to you! This income will go towards the running of this blog – thank you.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  4. Do you think you could use that butter flavored coconut oil in the crust? Or is straight coconut oil important for consistency? The fake butter stuff does harden when cold so it may be pretty similar molecularly.

    Reply

  5. I tried this recipe tonight and the crust was rather disappointing. I make apple pie every year, but this was my first attempt at a gluten free vegan version. I used bob’s red milk gluten free flour. The crust kept falling apart and was impossible to roll. The flavor was also not great. Is there a better substitute for butter other than coconut oil? Any suggestions on the crust? The pie filling was good. I added arrowroot starch so it wasn’t as watery.

    Reply

    • Hi, thank you for your feedback and I’m so sorry that you weren’t satisfied with the recipe. Can I ask what ingredients were in your gluten-free flour blend? The ones used in mine were: rice, potato, tapioca, maize, buckwheat. So perhaps the results differed because of the ingredients in your gluten-free flour blend? I didn’t find my crust too difficult to handle when making it. Instead of coconut oil you could use coconut butter, which has a more neutral flavour, or vegan butter. I’m glad the filling was ok, and good idea to add arrowroot starch. Thanks again for your feedback!

  7. Best pie crust ever! I used Bobs Red Mill 1-1 GF baking flour and Bobs RedMill almond flour! It rolled soooooo easy! Thank you for posting this! My son has celiac disease as well as Dairy allergy so this will be a big hit at Easter dinner tonight!

    Reply

  8. This was the best vegan apple pie I’ve made – the crust was amazing and the filling delicious!

    Reply

    • Hi – I’m so sorry about that. I think adding the plant-based milk and just leaving it on a low heat and stirring regularly should help melt the coconut sugar. If it’s still not melting it’s ok to just leave it as granules as it will dissolve in the oven. Hope that helps!

  11. I am making this now, the crust seems like I am doing something very wrong, it is super wet, very very wet. I added 1cup GF blend + 1cup almond flour + 1/2cup coconut oil. What am I doing wrong? I’ve added an additional cup flour and it is still too wet

    Reply

    • Hi! Oh no I’m so sorry to hear that – I think you may be using the wrong amounts (too much coconut oil) – if you click on the ‘US Customary’ button under the ingredients list you should be able to see the conversions. Hope that helps and so sorry if it wasn’t clear!

  14. Hi there!

    I am going to be making this pie for thanksgiving!

    Do you know if I can make this in advance and freeze it, then slide into the oven the day of?

    Reply

    • Hi, thank you so much! I’ve personally never frozen it so I’m not completely sure how it would hold up being frosted and dethawed – would love to hear how you get on if you try this though. It can be made a couple of days in advance and keeps well in the fridge if that helps.

  16. Could you please be specific as to where under the ingredients list for the pie crust, it says “u s customary”? I am looking for a conversion of grams to U.S. measurements and do not see it. Thank you!

    Reply

    • I’m so sorry if it was unclear – at the very top of the ingredients list there are two buttons which you can click on to switch between the different measurements. The buttons used to be at the bottom of the ingredients list before, but I switched them to the top to make it easier to find!

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