Try this Vegan Apple Pie for your next holiday dessert, and I guarantee your family will ask for it every year. It’s sweet, cozy, and loaded with those December flavors we all crave. Plus, if you make the filling ahead of time, this dairy-free apple pie becomes one of the easiest holiday desserts you can pull together—perfect for busy weeknights, family gatherings, or any moment you want something warm and nostalgic.
All month long I've been bringing you my favorite Thanksgiving recipes. We had some Classic Cornbread, my Holiday Whole Roasted Cauliflower, and of course (keeping things healthy) a Thanksgiving Massaged Kale Salad.
Now it's time to talk about the MOST important component of our holiday meal – dessert! You'll find some classic holiday desserts already on this blog. There is, of course, my classic and well-loved Vegan Pumpkin Pie and these 3-Ingredient Mini Pecan Pies but somehow, the most classic dessert of all has, until this point, eluded me.
Yes, I'm talking about Vegan Apple Pie, y'all! This apple pie is sweet and tart with a delicate buttery and flaky crust for the perfect holiday dessert.
Recommended Ingredients & Equipment
Ingredients and Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour - For a gluten-free option, use a 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Baking Blend. (<<affiliate link) You can also use 50% whole wheat flour without compromising on the taste and texture.
- White and Brown Sugar - Check out my guide to vegan sugars and healthy sugar alternatives.
- Salt
- Non-Dairy Butter - You should use a high-quality vegan butter. I recommend either Earth Balance or Miyoko’s.
- Coconut Oil - Make sure your coconut oil is cold and solid. This is used in place of shortening to make your pie crust perfectly flaky.
- Apples - I highly recommend a tart apple like Granny Smith but if you have apples to use, feel free to use what you have on hand.
- Lemon Juice
- Spices - You will need ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves.
Recommended Equipment
For this recipe, you’ll need a chef's knife and cutting board, mixing bowl, basic kitchen utensils, and a pie pan. It is also nice to have a pastry cutter if you are making the crust by hand. (<<affiliate links)
Check out the full list of my recommended kitchen tools and gadgets.
How To Make Vegan Apple Pie
Step One – Make the Crust
First of all, let me say, there is NO shame in buying pie crust. Most well-stocked grocery stores carry vegan frozen pie crust and most of the time that is what I opt for. If you go the pre-made pie crust route, the rest of this pie comes together in about 10 minutes!
For those of you making your own pie crusts, there are a few tricks I’ve learned.
- Have an even mix of vegan butter and coconut oil. By combining the two, you will get the perfect combination of buttery flavor and flaky texture. Do remember: both your butter and coconut oil should be chilled before using!
- Add just enough water to allow your pie crust to come together. We don’t want overly moist crusts. Wetter pie crusts are easier to work with, but the drier it is, the flakier (aka, more delicious) your pie crust will be.
- Chill your pie crust twice. The first chill allows for the dough to harden just enough to be rolled out. If you chill it for too long, you may need to warm the dough up by kneading it between your hands. The second chill allows the fats to re-firm up. This prevents the butter and coconut oil from melting too quickly in the oven so that your pie crust keeps its beautiful structure.
If you are struggling with making your pie crust pretty. Don’t worry. Rustic is always a lovely look and tastes exactly the same.
Step Two – Make the Filling
To make the filling, peel and thinly slice the apples. You are aiming for about 7-8 cups of apples. Place them in a large bowl and toss them with lemon juice. In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, and spices. Add the sugar/spice mixture to the apples and mix to coat.
Step Three - Assemble and Bake
Add your apple pie filling to your chilled pie crust, mounding the top. Dot with butter and top with the 2nd pie crust and seal around the edges with your fingers. Brush the top crust with soy milk or a chickpea flour egg to give the pie crust a nice golden shine.
Score the pie on the top. This allowing the steam to be released without bursting through the crust. Bake the apple pie for 50-60 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling over.
Serving and Storing
Serving - This apple pie should be served warm with coconut whipped cream or non-dairy ice cream.
Storing - Leftover pie can be wrapped in plastic wrap and kept at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze leftover pie to be enjoyed for up to 2 months. When ready to serve, let the pie thaw completely in the refrigerator by placing it in there the night before. When ready to bake, cover the pie in tin foil and reheat in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re looking to make-ahead some apple pie, maybe for a holiday party or get-together, there are couple ways you can do it.
1. Complete the recipe and bake the pie as normal. Let it cool completely and store in the fridge, covered, up to 72 hours. Reheat at 350F for 10-15 minutes before serving. This will work and taste amazing.
2. Alternatively, you can store the crust and pie filling separately overnight. Then assemble right before baking for that fresh baked apple pie taste. Just avoid storing the pie crust with the filling, as it releases too much liquid and will end up softening the crust.
Whichever you choose, feel free to drop a comment to let us know. 🥧😋
Our favorite baking apple have to be Granny Smith or honey crisp. Pink lady or Braeburn also work great as well. Tart apples are very tasty when baked and keep their structure well to prevent sogginess. Plus they’re readily available at most grocery stores. Choose one, or 2-3 for a rustic look and deep flavor profile.
If you’re looking for a flaky apple pie crust, these tips might help you out.
You can toss your apples in cornstarch to help thicken the juices.
1. Bake at a high temp, 425F, for the first 15 minutes to help set the crust and prevent sogginess.
2. Chill the ready-to-bake vegan apple pie for 10 minutes while your oven pre-heats for extra flakiness.
3. Brush the bottom crust with a thin cornstarch slurry before filling.
Do one or do all. Just remember that controlling moisture and heat is what ensures a crispy, flaky crust!
More Vegan Pie Recipes
- Classic Pumpkin Pie
- Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Pie
- Creamy Chocolate Silk Pie
- Banana Cream Pie
- Vegan Lemon Tart
- 3-Ingredient Mini Pecan Pies
Classic Vegan Apple Pie
Ingredients
Pie Crust
- 2 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 10 tbsp. non-dairy butter
- ½ cup coconut oil, solid
- 3-5 tablespoon ice water
Apple Pie Filling
- 7 cups Granny Smith apple slices, about 5 large apples
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. ground cloves
- 2 tbsp. vegan butter
Instructions
- Start by making your pie crust. Spray a 9" pie pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter and coconut oil in small pieces - about 1 tablespoon in size - and add to the dry ingredients. Using your hands or a pastry cutter, press the butter and coconut oil into the flour until the fats are evenly distributed and the dough resembles small pea-size pieces.
- Dribble 1 tablespoon of ice water over the flour mixer and kneed together with your hands. Add water as necessary. You want a fairly dry dough (this creates the flakiness) but that has enough moisture to roll out and shape.
- When you have the right consistency, wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. When the dough is firm, divide into half and roll out each half onto a piece of floured parchment paper until your dough is about ⅛" thick and you have two circles about 12" across. Place the top crust in the refrigerator to chill.
- Placing your hand underneath the parchment paper, gently flip one of the pie crusts into the pie pan. Peel off the parchment paper and press the crust evenly into the pie pan, trimming any edges that hang over. Place in the refrigerator and let chill for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Peel and thinly slice your apples. Place them in a large bowl and toss them with lemon juice. In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, and spices. Transfer to bottom crust, mounding the top. Top with the remaining crust, pressing down the sides to seal the top and bottom. Brush with soy milk and make slits in the top for ventilation.
- Loosely cover in tin foil and bake 25 minutes. Remove the tin foil and bake an additional 25 minutes until the crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling up.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely at room temperature before serving. Serve with coconut whipped cream or non-dairy ice cream.
- Serve with coconut whipped cream.
Notes
- Canned and stored for up to 12 months in a cool dark place
- Frozen in an airtight container for up to two months in the freezer
- Refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days before assembling
Hi, we’re Shayne and Kristina! I’m the chef and editor here at My Darling Vegan, and Kristina is the photographer and writer. Together we’re carrying on this space with the same focus on easy, flavorful vegan recipes that anyone can enjoy at home. Check out our
Dawa says
Great
Eva says
Made my first apple pie ever using this recipe!! Absolutely perfect!! So delicious. This was the best part of my Thanksgiving this year. Thank you!!
Shauna says
This recipe was incredible, i couldnt quite get the dough to roll so i ended up pressing it into a came pan and whisking ip the dough for the top to make it look like crumble topping and poured it over. I also left out the spices so not sure how they taste in it but definitely the actul tart recipe is fantastic better than any tart ive bought. Be super careful when taking it out of the pan tho a bit of apple leaked on my hand and rlly hurt cause it hadnt cooled enough. Also check out some other of her recipes ive tried this and her fruit tart and love both ?
joe says
Can I have this in metric pl. Cannot measure butter with tbs.
Druh says
This was my first attempt at making an apple pie and it came out well. So thank you. I did find a difficulty in one of the last steps: you do not say mix the apple and lemon with the sugar and flour mix. For first timers every tiny step helps. Best regards