Embark on a delightful baking journey with this simple apple pie recipe. This recipe combines the charm of fresh apples with a flaky homemade pie crust, creating a delightful experience in every bite. It’s the perfect choice for both first-time bakers and seasoned pie enthusiasts.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple and Classic: An easy recipe that results in a classic, delicious pie.
- Flavorful Apples: Honeycrisp apples are perfect for pie making. They have a subtle tart flavor surrounded by sweetness.
- Homemade Touch: The vegan butter pie crust adds an extra touch. It’s the perfect flaky crust for this easy apple pie recipe.
- Versatile: This is a great recipe for experimenting with different sweet apple varieties.
Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients for the best apple pie recipe!
- Pie Crust: The base of your pie provides a buttery, flaky texture that complements the sweet filling. This pie recipe uses a vegan homemade crust.
- Apples: Honeycrisp Apples are the heart of this pie, offering a delightful blend of texture and natural sweetness.
- Cinnamon: This aromatic spice adds a warm, comforting flavor that is quintessential in apple pies. It pairs beautifully with the sweetness of the apples and dates.
- Ginger: Adding a slightly spicy and piquant note enhances the pie’s overall flavor profile. Ginger complements the cinnamon and nutmeg, creating a complex and inviting aroma.
- Nutmeg: Nutmeg provides a sweet, nutty warmth to the pie. It’s a subtle but essential spice that rounds out the spice blend in the filling.
- Salt: Just a pinch, but it’s crucial for balancing the sweet flavors and highlighting the individual characteristics of each ingredient.
- Dates: These offer natural sweetness and a caramel-like flavor. Dates are a healthier alternative to refined sugars and contribute to the pie’s rich, full-bodied texture.
- Lemon Juice: A splash of lemon juice brightens the filling, adding a light, citrusy accent. It helps to cut through the sweetness and brings a refreshing tang to each bite.
Step-by-step Instructions: Simple Homemade Apple Pie
Here are step-by-step instructions for my favorite apple pie recipe.
- Preheat oven to 425 °F/218 °C and prepare your pie crust according to package instructions or recipe. Grease bottom of 9″ pie dish and par-bake the bottom crust.
- Add apple slices to a large bowl.
- Sprinkle spices, salt, and dates on top and combine thoroughly.
- Pour lemon juice into the bowl and stir once more.
- Scoop apple pie filling into the pie pan and lay the remaining dough over the top. Cut the design or slits into the top of the pie dough.
- Bake for 45 minutes. (Add a pie shield or aluminum foil to the edges if the top crust begins to brown too much.) Pro tip! Place a baking sheet underneath the pie dish just in case the filling boils over.
- Serve with vegan whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Recipe Variations
This apple pie is packed with flavor. However, here are some ingredient alternatives if you need them.
- Apple Varieties: Mix and match with Pink Lady, Gala, or Granny Smith apples for varied tart and sweet flavors. Keep in mind that if you use granny smith apples, you will need to use actual sweetener, or your pie will be very tart.
- Crust Options: You can use a store-bought crust or the perfect homemade pie crust. Choose a lattice crust or a full-top pie crust, depending on your preference.
- Sweetener Adjustments: This classic apple pie recipe uses Honeycrisp apples to reduce the need for added sugar. In lieu of traditional added sugar such as brown sugar or cane sugar, this recipe calls for dates. You could add maple syrup, agave nectar, or stevia to the apple pie filling mix for an even sweeter pie or in place of the dates.
Serving Ideas
Serve your perfect apple pie with a generous scoop of vegan ice cream or a dollop of homemade whipped cream for an extra special treat.
For more serving ideas, I would recommend sipping on some cranberry lemonade or pomegranate limeade while enjoying this easy vegan apple pie!
Storage Tips
Store any leftovers in an airtight container. This helps maintain the freshness and texture of the entire pie. Keep in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Apple Pie Tools
FAQ
No. There is no need to precook the apples ahead of time.
Most use tart apples such as Granny Smith in their fruit pies. However, using sweet apples such as Honey Crisp or Gala apples cuts down on the amount of sugar needed to sweeten the pie. (The average classic apple pie recipe calls for an entire cup of sugar!)
To make an apple pie less juicy, add a thickener like cornstarch or arrowroot powder to the filling, and choose firmer, less juicy apple varieties.
Cornstarch is commonly considered the best thickener for apple pie filling due to its effectiveness and minimal alteration to the filling’s flavor and color.
Recipe
Simple Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 1 coconut oil pie crust
- 6 medium Honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 6 Medjool dates, minced
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice, (juice from 1 lemon)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 °F/218 °C and prepare your pie crust according to package instructions or recipe. Grease bottom of 9" pie pan and par-bake the bottom crust.
- Add thinly sliced apples to a large bowl.
- Sprinkle spices, salt, and dates on top and combine thoroughly.
- Pour lemon juice into the bowl and stir once more.
- Scoop apple pie filling into the pie pan and lay the remaining dough over the top.
- Bake for 45 minutes. (If the top crust begins to brown too much, add a pie shield or aluminum foil to the edges.) Pro tip! Place a baking sheet underneath the pie dish just in case the filling boils over.
- Serve with vegan whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
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This is my favorite pie!
So glad you like it!