Vegan Apple Pie with Cinnamon

Name: Vegan Apple Pie with Cinnamon
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 85 min
Ingredients: 400 g Plain flour (all-purpose); 1/2 tsp Salt; 4 tbsp Caster sugar (golden is best); 200 g Vegan block butter (chilled); 6-8 tbsp water (iced); 1 tbsp Vegan milk; 1 tsp Caster sugar (for sprinkling); 1 kg Cooking apples (e.g Bramleys); 125 g Light brown soft sugar; 1 tsp Ground cinnamon; 1/2 tsp Ground nutmeg; 2 tbsp Cornflour (cornstarch)

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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.

Vegan apple pie in a tin with several slices removed

Contents hide

1 What makes this pie special

2 Ingredients

3 How to make vegan shortcrust pastry

4 How to make vegan apple pie

5 Expert tips

6 Frequently asked questions

7 Ways to serve vegan apple pie

8 More vegan desserts to try

9 Recipe

10 Vegan Apple Pie with Cinnamon

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.

A slice of vegan apple pie with dairy free ice cream on top

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

Step by Step collage for making pastry by hand

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)

Collage for making a fruit filling - mixing fruit with sugar and flour

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

Collage of images for assembling and decorating a fruit dessert

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

Can I use spreadable vegan butter?

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.

Can I use coconut oil to glaze this pie instead of non-dairy milk?

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.

Can I leave out the cornflour in the filling?

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.

How should I store this pie?

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.