I make it with my vegan pie crust and a mix of tart and sweet baking apples. Rather than precooking the fruit, I macerate the sliced apples first, then reduce the juices they release into a thick sauce before adding it back to the filling.
That extra step is what makes this deep-dish pie work for me: you get plenty of concentrated apple flavor without leaving excess liquid sitting at the bottom of the crust. If you want something simpler, my vegan apple crumble gives you the same cozy apple-and-cinnamon flavors without making pastry.
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Why this recipe works
- The apples stay tender, not mushy. I don't precook them. Instead, they soften gradually as the assembled pie bakes, so the slices keep some structure.
- The filling doesn't rely on excess juice. Macerating the apples draws out their liquid before baking. I reduce that juice separately with cornstarch, then stir the thickened sauce back through the fruit.
- A mix of apples gives better flavor and texture. Tart, firm Granny Smith apples balance sweeter varieties such as Pink Lady or Braeburn.
- The crust starts hot. Baking the pie on a preheated baking sheet at a higher temperature first helps the bottom crust crisp before the oven temperature is reduced to finish cooking the apples.
Key ingredients
Here's everything you need to make the perfect vegan apple pie. Find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post.
Apples: I use a roughly equal mix of Granny Smith and Pink Lady or Braeburn. Granny Smith brings acidity and holds its shape particularly well, while the sweeter apples soften more and give the filling a rounder flavor.
Whatever varieties you choose, use crisp baking apples rather than soft or mealy ones. This is especially important in a deep-dish pie where the fruit spends quite a long time in the oven.
For a more delicate apple dessert, my French apple tart uses thinly sliced apples over almond frangipane instead.
Vegan block butter: Use firm block-style vegan butter for the pastry rather than a soft spread from a tub. The colder, firmer fat is important for creating flaky layers in the crust.
Cornstarch: Rather than simply tossing it through all the raw apples, most of the cornstarch goes into the liquid released during macerating. Cooking that liquid separately gives you a thick, glossy sauce before the pie even reaches the oven.
Vanilla and lemon: I rub fresh vanilla bean and lemon zest into the sugar before adding the spices. The sugar helps draw the aromatic oils from both, giving the filling more depth than cinnamon alone.
How to make it
Here's a visual overview of this recipe. Please refer to the detailed card at the end of this page for full written instructions.
Prepare the apples
Slice the peeled apples around ¼ inch (½ cm) thick. You want them thin enough to soften evenly, but not so thin that they collapse into applesauce.
Toss them with the flavored sugar, apple cider vinegar, and cornstarch, then leave them to macerate for an hour. The sugar will draw quite a lot of liquid from the fruit - this is exactly what you want.
Strain that juice into a saucepan and cook it with the remaining cornstarch until it becomes a thick, glossy sauce rather than thin apple juice. Whisk in the vegan butter, then coat the apples in the sauce.
Assemble the pie
Ease the pastry into the pie pan rather than stretching it, as stretched dough is more likely to shrink during baking.
Pack the apple slices in fairly tightly. A deep-dish pie should look generously filled at this stage because the apples will settle as they cook.
Add the top crust or lattice and make sure there are openings for steam to escape. If the pastry has become very soft while you're working, chill the assembled pie briefly before baking.
Bake and cool
Bake the pie on a fully preheated baking sheet. The initial high temperature helps set and crisp the bottom crust before the oven is lowered to cook the apples through.
Don't rely on the color of the pastry alone to tell you when it's ready. Insert a thin knife or fork through one of the openings in the crust - the apples should feel tender with just a little resistance, not hard or crunchy.
Let the pie cool completely before slicing. The filling continues to thicken as it cools, so cutting into it while it's still hot will give you a much looser filling.
Christina's recipe tips
Preheat the oven and baking sheet properly. I give mine at least 30 minutes. Putting the pie onto a thoroughly hot surface gives the bottom crust a much better start and helps prevent sogginess.
Don't rush the macerating step. That hour is doing useful work by removing excess juice from the apples before they go into the crust.
Pack in the apples. Arrange the slices fairly tightly rather than tipping them loosely into the pan. This gives you those distinct layers of apple and reduces empty gaps after baking.
For the cleanest slices, cool the pie completely. I like to chill it for a few hours once it reaches room temperature if neat slices are important, then bring individual portions back toward room temperature or warm them before serving.
Serve it with vegan vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and a little caramel sauce if you want the full warm-apple-pie situation.
Frequently asked questions
No. I deliberately use raw apples in this recipe because precooking a deep-dish quantity of sliced apples can make them too soft by the time the pastry is fully baked.
Instead, the apples are macerated first. I cook only the liquid they release, turning it into a thick sauce before mixing it back through the raw fruit. That gives the filling concentrated flavor while still allowing the apple slices themselves to cook slowly in the oven.
Yes. The pie crust can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept wrapped in the refrigerator. You can also bake the finished pie the day before serving. In fact, allowing it to cool completely gives the filling plenty of time to set, so you'll get cleaner slices the next day.
If you're planning a holiday menu, you'll find more make-ahead ideas in my vegan Thanksgiving desserts collection.
Once completely cool, cover the pie or transfer individual slices to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Serve it cold, let it come to room temperature, or gently warm individual slices before serving.
🍎 More Vegan Apple Desserts
📖 Recipe
Vegan Apple Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 batch vegan pie crust prepared at least 1 hour ahead
- 1.8 kg (4 lb) apples around 8-9 large apples, *note 1
- 200 g (1 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 vanilla pod sliced lengthwise
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest freshly zested
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 30 g (2 tablespoons) vegan butter
Vegan Eggwash
- 2 tablespoons non-dairy milk
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave syrup
- 1 tablespoon Demerara or turbinado sugar
Instructions
- Crust: Prepare the crust recipe to step 6 and chill for at least an hour while you prepare the filling.
- Apples: Wash, peel, and remove the cores from the apples. Slice them into approximately ½ cm slices - do not cut them too thinly or they will turn mushy when cooked.
- Flavor the sugar: Add the sugar to a large mixing bowl with the sliced vanilla pod and lemon zest. Rub the vanilla and zest into the sugar with your fingertips, getting as much of the beans from inside the pod as possible, then remove the pod. Stir in the ground cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
- Coat the apples: To the large bowl of sugar, add the apple slices, apple cider vinegar, and 10g (1 tablespoon) of the cornstarch. Toss them using your hands until evenly coated.
- Macerate the apples: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a plate, and let them macerate for an hour. Then, separate the apple slices and the juices by passing them through a colander or a fine-mesh strainer.
- Cook the apple sauce: Add the juices from the apples to a saucepan with the remaining 30g (3 tablespoons) of cornstarch and whisk well. Bring to a simmer and cook gently for around 3 minutes while whisking, until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter.
- Coat the apples in sauce: Pour the sauce over the apple slices and stir with a spatula or large spoon until evenly coated. Let the mixture cool to room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven with a large baking sheet inside to 410°F (210°C) conventional or 390°F (200°C) convection.
- Assemble: Remove the dough discs from the fridge and allow them to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before rolling out. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the dough discs to a circumference wider than your pie pan. Carefully lift the pastry into a deep 9-inch pie pan using your rolling pin.
- Bottom pastry: Gently press the dough into the base and sides of the tin. Use scissors to trim off the excess pastry around the edges of the pan. Pinch the edges of the dough with your fingers, or crimp the edges using a fork. Pierce several holes into the base of the pastry using a fork.
- Top pastry: Roll out the second pastry disc and either leave it in one whole piece or slice it into strips to create a lattice design.
- Filling: Layer the apple slices inside the pie dish, stacking them on top of one another as evenly as possible. Pour any remaining juices over the apples.
- Add the top piece(s) of pastry, trim away any excess pastry that hangs over the edge, and crimp the edges of the pastry with a fork to secure it. If leaving the top pastry whole, use a knife to create slits in the pastry to prevent steam from building up underneath it.
- "Egg wash": Mix the non-dairy milk and maple syrup and lightly brush it over the surface of the pie. Sprinkle demerara sugar on top.
- Bake: Bake for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven to 350°F (175°C) conventional or 320°F (160°C) convection and bake for another 40-50 minutes.The pie is ready when the crust is deeply golden and a thin knife or fork inserted through an opening meets tender apples with just a little resistance. If the apples still feel hard, bake for another 5-10 minutes.
- Storage and serving: Once baked, allow the pie to cool completely to room temperature. I recommend chilling it for a few hours before slicing if you want clean cuts, but you can also serve it warm if you prefer. Store it in the fridge covered or in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Apples: I use half Granny Smith and Pink Lady or Braeburn.
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I just made this pie and it was very tasty but when I was rolling out my pastry it cracked and some bits fell off when I was assembling .. is this because my dough is too cold?
Well my husband said this was the best apple pie he'd ever had! Lots of steps (I would say preparation takes more than an hour, especially given that the apples must macerate for an hour) but they are all well worth it! Reducing the juices is a stroke of genius and really brings forward the flavour.
I made it again today for tomorrow's Thanksgiving celebration, and I'm really proud of how i turned out! It's out cooling now as I type this 🙂
Hi Camille,
That’s amazing to hear, I’m so glad you both loved it! You’re absolutely right, the extra steps (especially reducing the juices) make such a difference, and thanks for your feedback on timings I will review this too. I hope your Thanksgiving pie was just as perfect, thank you so much for sharing!
I’m not clear on the amount of pastry- should we follow the linked recipe and then split the dough in two or double it to make the two discs? Thanks!
Hi Kiara,
Sorry for the confusion! Yes, you just need to follow the linked pastry recipe as it is, and split it into 2 discs, so no doubling required.
Thank you, very helpful. One last question. Can the apples be left to macerate for longer, say a whole day or overnight? Thanks again - fantastic website.
Hi Kiara,
Thank you so much for the kind words! I'd lean towards keeping the macerating time shorter than a few hours becauce if the apples sit too long, they'll release more liquid and risk becoming mushy.
you didn't include how much lemon juice to use!
Hi Jessica,
My apologies, thank you for picking this up. It's 2 tablespoons, I've added it in now.
Your recipes are delicious and cruelty free. I am trying to avoid oil and sugar though, so I would like more of these wonderful desserts or main dishes using only dates and a tiny amount of oil or vegan butter. What have you got up your sleeve for autumn?
Thank you so much Beth!
My goal is to make these recipes as close as possible to their non-vegan counterparts, so that means using vegan butter and sugar. But I do have an entire post that rounds up all the date-sweetened recipes currently on the blog, hope you find something you like: https://addictedtodates.com/20-desserts-with-dates/
You can also visit the "no added oil" page located in the main recipes page.
I'm always open to specific requests as well 🙂