Vegan apple pie with cinnamon is a cinch to make and tastes fantastic. The combination of crisp and golden vegan shortcrust pastry and a generous saucy apple filling is a cosy knockout.
First published in 2020 and updated in September 2021 with additional tips, frequently asked questions and serving suggestions. The recipe remains unchanged.

Nothing says warm hugs like a slice of pie. This vegan apple pie recipe, delicately spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, is a great way to ramp up the cosiness factor as the cooler weather and darker evenings set in.
My favourite way to serve this pie is slightly warm with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream. Absolute bliss.
In this post you will learn how to make vegan shortcrust pastry and how to make this dairy-free and egg-free apple pie. The pastry for this pie is just as easy to make as traditional shortcrust pastry and the ingredients are all easy to obtain in a well-stocked supermarket.
What makes this pie special
- The filling inside of this vegan apple pie is a sheer delight. Cooking apple are tossed in a mixture of brown sugar, flour and spices before baking and the result is a generous pie filling that is sweet, saucy and wholly comforting
- Paired with an easy to make crisp vegan shortcrust pastry, this is a knockout dessert whatever the weather
- It takes around 40 minutes of hands on time to make but there are no fancy new skills to learn
- This recipe is particularly easy for such an impressive dessert
Ingredients
There are two noteworthy ingredients in this vegan apple pie recipe.
First of all the butter. It is vital to use a vegan block butter alternative that is hard in the fridge in the same way that dairy butter is. Firm vegan butter (such as Tomar) is required to produce a pastry that is easy to roll and bakes up light and crispy.
Spreadable style butter alternatives are not an appropriate choice for this recipe.
Secondly, this recipe has been developed using cooking apples (Bramleys are best). For this reason, the pie filling mix includes cornflour to soak up the juices that these apples emit during cooking. Swapping in eating apples is therefore not recommended as they do not produce the same amount of liquid during cooking and the filling may end up stodgy.
How to make vegan shortcrust pastry
At the heart of this fruit pie is some vegan shortcrust pastry. Short pastry is one of the easiest things to adapt for a vegan diet as it’s simply a case of swapping the dairy butter for a suitable dairy-free alternative and adding a little salt to boost the overall flavour. Here’s how to make it
1. Put the flour, salt, and caster sugar into a medium mixing bowl, stir briefly then cube the butter and add to the bowl
2. Use your fingers to rub the butter into the other ingredients until it resembles fine breadcrumbs
3. Add enough iced water to form a soft dough that just binds together – use a blunt knife to mix it in. Avoid adding too much water as the dough will become sticky
4. Knead the dough very briefly on a lightly floured worktop, shape into a disc and flatten before covering and chilling in the fridge for 30 minutes
How to make vegan apple pie
Once the vegan pastry is made and chilled, we can get on with making this apple pie:
5. Mix the sugar, cornflour and spices together in a large mixing bowl
6. Just before the pastry is ready to roll, peel, core and roughly chop the apples, then, when you are ready to roll out the pastry, tip the chopped apples into the bowl and toss – don’t do this too far in advance as the mix will get sticky (it is still usable though)
7. Unwrap the pastry and divide roughly in half. Roll out one piece on a floured worktop to a depth of 2-3mm and use to line your pie tin, then pile the fruit into the tin, scraping any sugary liquid on top of the fruit once the bowl is empty. Brush the edge of the pastry base with milk
8. Roll out the remaining piece of pastry until large enough to cover your pie and use to cover the pie. Press down firmly with your thumbs all the way around the edge of the pastry to seal firmly. Trim away the overhanging pastry and slit a small hole into the centre to allow steam to escape. Use any scraps of pastry to add embellishments as desired
9. When ready to bake, brush the top with more milk and scatter with the remaining caster sugar. Bake for 30 minutes then cover loosely with foil and bake for a further 15 minutes
Expert tips
Though this vegan apple pie recipe is particularly simple, do keep the following points in mind to ensure tip-top results:
- As with all pastry making, aim to keep the ingredients as cold as possible whilst making the dough and chill it before rolling out. Any pastry that is allowed to get too warm will be difficult to handle and will likely bake-up denser than intended
- It is essential to slit the pie to allow steam to escape as the apples give off a great deal of moisture during cooking
- Don’t be tempted to assume that the pie is fully baked even though it looks nicely golden after 30 minutes. It needs the full 45 minutes in the oven to ensure the filling cooks through and the sauce is thickening as it should
- vegan shortcrust pastry can brown more quickly that regular pastry, so I recommend covering the pie loosely with foil after 30 minutes so it can bake for the full time without burning
- Apple skin can occasionally be tough to chew, so remember to peel the apples to guarantee a deliciously soft filling
- Vary the spice level by adding more or less. Alternatively, switch out the listed spices for pumpkin or chai spice instead
- Raisins make a great addition too – try adding a handful for a change
Frequently asked questions
I’m afraid not. This recipe does require a block style of butter to achieve firm pastry that holds together well and is not too sticky. I use Tomar as when used straight from the fridge, it has a firm consistency similar to regular butter.
I tested this recipe first time around using a coconut oil glaze, but I found the pastry browned far too quickly. If you do not have non-dairy milk to hand, I’d suggest using water instead.
As this recipe uses cooking apples, flour is an essential ingredient for the filling. Cooking apples release alot of liquid when they are cooked and the flour helps to thicken this liquid, creating a wonderful sauce that surrounds the apple. Do not leave it out.
This pie is best eaten fresh, when the pastry will be at its crispest. However, ity can be made in advance, cooled and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. The pastry won’t be as crisp, but reheating in a warm oven for 20 minutes will help freshen it up.
Leftovers can be treated in the same way.
This pie can also be frozen. Again, make as instructed, cook and allow to cool, then wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost fully, then reheat before serving to enjoy at it’s best.
Ways to serve vegan apple pie
There are plenty of vegan friendly options to go with this apple pie when it comes to serving time. Here are a few ideas:
- Dairy-free vanilla ice cream (I like Swedish Glace)
- Homemade vegan custard
- Vegan cream alternative (such as Elmlea Plant Double)
- Homemade vegan whipped cream
- Vegan caramel sauce
I really enjoy this pie served warm, when it’s been out of the oven for around 40 minutes, but it’s fine served cold too.
More vegan desserts to try
I’ve got a growing collection of vegan recipes, but if you’re just here for the sweet stuff, try these:
Have you made my vegan apple pie? How did you get along – feel free to leave a rating and/or below to let me know.
๐ Recipe
Vegan Apple Pie with Cinnamon
Equipment
- A deep pie tin
Ingredients
For the Pastry
- 400 g Plain flour all-purpose
- ยฝ teaspoon Salt
- 4 tablespoon Caster sugar golden is best
- 200 g Vegan block butter chilled
- 6-8 tablespoon water iced
- 1 tablespoon Vegan milk
- 1 teaspoon Caster sugar for sprinkling
For the Filling
- 1 kg Cooking apples e.g Bramleys
- 125 g Light brown soft sugar
- 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ยฝ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoon Cornflour cornstarch
Instructions
Make the Pastry
- Put the flour, salt, and caster sugar into a medium mixing bowl, stir briefly then cube the butter and add to the bowl
- Use your fingers to rub the butter into the other ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs
- Add 4 tablespoon of the iced water and stir with a blunt knife to form a soft dough that just binds together. Add a little more water if necessary but take care not to add too much to avoid the dough becoming sticky
- Knead the dough very briefly on a lightly floured worktop, shape into a disc and flatten, before covering and chilling in the fridge for 30 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ GM 4 whilst the pastry is chilling
Prepare the Filling
- Mix the sugar cornflour and spices together in a large mixing bowl
- Just before the pastry is ready to roll, peel, core and roughly chop the apples, then, when you are ready to roll out the pastry, tip the chopped apples into the bowl and toss – don't do this too far in advance as the mix will get sticky (it is still usable though)
Assemble the Pie
- Unwrap the pastry and divide roughly in half
- On a floured worktop, roll out one piece of pastry to 2-3mm depth and use to line your pie tin
- Pile the fruit into the tin, scraping any sugary liquid on top of the fruit once the bowl is empty and brush the edge of the pastry base with milk
- Roll out the remaining piece of pastry until large enough to cover your pie (again 2-3mm in depth) and use to cover the pie. Press down firmly with your thumbs all the way around the edge of the pastry to seal firmly, then trim away the overhanging pastry. Use a sharp knife to slit a small hole into the centre to allow steam to escape
- Use any scraps of pastry to add embellishments as desired, using more of the milk to secure them. When ready to bake, brush the top with more milk and scatter with the remaining caster sugar
- Bake for 30 minutes, then cover loosely with foil and bake for a further 15 minutes. Serve either warm or cold
Notes
- Use block style vegan butter, not the soft spreadable variety
- Use cooking apple, not eating apples in this recipe
- As with all pastry making, the aim is to keep the ingredients as cold as possible whilst making the dough and to chill it before rolling out. Pastry that is allowed to get too warm will be difficult to handle and will likely bake-up denser than intended
- It is essential to slit the pie to allow steam to escape as the apples give off a great deal of moisture during cooking
- I tested this recipe first time around using a coconut oil glaze, but I found the pastry browned far too quickly. If you do not have non-dairy milk to hand, I’d suggest using water instead.
- Don’t be tempted to assume that the pie is fully baked even though it looks nicely golden after 30 minutes. It needs the full 45 minutes in the oven to ensure the filling cooks through and thicken as it should. After 30 minutes cover the pie loosely with foil and bake for 15 more minutes
- Apple skin can occasionally be tough to chew, so remember to peel the apples to guarantee a deliciously soft filling
- Vary the spice level by adding more or less. Alternatively, switch out the listed spices for pumpkin or chai spice instead
- Raisins make a great addition too – try adding a handful for a change
Caroline
I agree, apple pie is so incredibly comforting and this looks and sounds wonderful – love the thick layer of filling and the warm spices.
Jean Rogers
Loved this apple pie but the pastry wasn’t quite right for me. I added more plant butter, used icing sugar instead of caster sugar and soya milk instead of water. Put together with your stunning apple recipe this pie was phenomenal.
Jane Saunders
Glad you enjoyed the pie Jean and that you were able to adapt the pastry for your needs. Thanks for your review.
Jeannette
This is just the right recipe for parties, celebrations and dinners with the loved ones! Love how there’s both cinnamon and nutmeg mixed in for that extra flavour. Thanks for sharing!
Alice | SkinnySpatula
These were absolutely lush. Thet pastry is absolutely incredible, I’m going to use it for other pies, too.
Maria
Looks delish! Perfect dessert for the season!
Michelle
This was simply delicious! Thanks for all the tips too, they were really helpful.
Ashley
This was so good. My entire family loved it!
Nellie Tracy
Delicious recipe! Perfect for the holidays!