This is an easy vegan apple crumb pie with a flaky gluten-free pie crust, sweet-tart apple filling, and the perfect crumb topping. It's a delicious dessert to make for Thanksgiving or the holidays. Serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream, and enjoy!
I've always been a pumpkin pie girl. But, let's be honest, I can't say no to any fall dessert. Today's vegan apple crumb pie is perfection. It's like a cross between a cozy homemade apple pie and apple crisp. On the bottom is a perfect gluten-free and vegan pie crust, loaded with soft, cinnamon-spiced apples, finished with the ultimate crunchy crumb topping. Top it with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream? Pure deliciousness!
What Makes This Vegan Apple Crumb Pie So Perfect
- Best of both worlds. Never choose between a freshly baked apple pie and apple crisp again! Now, you can have two favorite fall desserts in one.
- Juicy homemade apple filling. This apple crumb pie is the best way to turn fresh fall apples into a tasty, festive, and easy Thanksgiving dessert.
- It keeps well. This pie lasts for days in the fridge and makes delicious leftovers. It's a great dessert to make ahead during the busy holiday season and reheat quickly before serving.
- It's also gluten-free. Not only is this crumb pie vegan, but the crust, filling, and topping are gluten-free, too!
What You'll Need to Make This Recipe
These are the ingredients in this gluten-free and vegan apple crumb pie recipe. I've included notes here, and you'll find the full printable recipe in the recipe card below the post.
- Pie crust – I'll show you how to make my easy gluten-free and vegan flaky pie crust from scratch with gluten-free flour and vegan butter. Make sure to use vegan butter sticks and make them as cold as possible (freezer is best!). To save time, you could also use your preferred refrigerated or ready-made pie crust from the store.
- Apples – The best baking apples are crispy, sweet-tart apples like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Gala, and Cortland apples. Braeburn and Janagold also work nicely in pies and crisps.
- Lemon – Tossing the apples with fresh or bottled lemon juice helps to keep the apples from browning and brightens the flavor of the filling.
- Cinnamon – You could also use apple pie spice (or pumpkin pie spice, which is very similar). Otherwise, swap in your favorite fall spices like nutmeg and ginger.
- Coconut sugar – I love the Bob's Red Mill coconut sugar. Substitute brown sugar if needed.
- Arrowroot starch – Arrowroot starch/powder helps thicken the filling. You can substitute arrowroot powder with an equal amount of tapioca starch or 1/2 the amount of cornstarch if needed.
For the Crumb Topping
- Oats – I recommend old-fashioned rolled oats for the crumb topping. Make sure that the oats you're using are certified gluten-free, as needed. My favorite is the gluten-free rolled oats from Bob's Red Mill. You'll combine the oats with gluten-free baking flour and almond flour (or oat flour if you prefer).
- Coconut oil – My first choice as a butter substitute in vegan and dairy-free crumb toppings. You could also use vegan butter.
- Maple syrup – Be sure to use real, pure maple syrup and not artificial pancake syrup.
- Vanilla and cinnamon – To boost the flavors. You can replace cinnamon with nutmeg or another spice if you'd like.
How to Make Apple Crumb Pie (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
Ready to put together this spectacular apple crumb pie? Let's get into it!
First, Prepare the Crumb Topping
I've used this crumb “formula” many, many times before. It's in my peach crisp and apple crumb bars, and it works great for our vegan apple crumb pie, too. I like to make the crumb topping first because that can wait the longest. To make it, simply add all the ingredients to a bowl and mix until it's combined and crumbly.
Make the Apple Pie Filling
- Prepare the apples. Peel, core, and slice your apples before you begin. I like to keep them on the thick(ish) side so they hold their texture as they bake.
- Combine. Add the sliced apples to a bowl with cinnamon, lemon juice, coconut sugar, and starch. Toss to coat.
How to Make a Gluten-Free Pie Crust
Next up, the key to any good pie starts with the crust. My goal with this recipe was a buttery, flaky pie crust that was easy to make, vegan, and dairy-free. I use my favorite Bob's Red Mill gluten-free 1-to-1 baking flour, which works perfectly. It has an amazing texture, it's really light, and it can be used as a 1:1 substitute for traditional all-purpose flour in most recipes.
I opted to follow the proportions in their gluten-free pie crust recipe, with a few tweaks to the other ingredients (see above). To make the pie crust:
- Blend the crust ingredients. Add everything to a blender or food processor (minus the water) and blitz it up. Once the butter is almost at a sandy texture, pulse in the water a bit at a time until a dough forms.
- Roll out the crust. Next, form the pie dough into a ball. Place it between two sheets of parchment, and roll it out to about 1/8″ thick.
- Put it all together. Now, flip the crust into your 9″ pie dish and push it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Crimp the edges with your fingers and trim off any excess dough.
Assemble the pie
- Fill the crust. Spread the apple filling evenly into your prepared pie crust. Sprinkle the crumb topping generously on top of the apples.
- Bake it up! Bake your pie at 350ºF for about 1 hour. The crust and topping should both be a crisp, golden brown, and you should hear the apples bubbling. If the pie begins to brown too quickly, cover it loosely with foil to prevent it from burning.
- Serve it up. Lastly, you're ready to serve! Allow the pie to cool and set up for about 20 minutes before slicing.
Tips for the Best Homemade Pie
- Keep crust ingredients cold. Just like with traditional pastry, make sure your vegan pie crust ingredients are chilled from the fridge or freezer.
- Prevent a burnt crumble. If you notice that the top and crust of the pie are browning faster than the rest of the pie is cooking, cover the pie with foil while it finishes baking.
- Rest before slicing. I recommend waiting at least 20 minutes before slicing into the freshly baked pie. This gives the filling a chance to set up, so you won't have soupy slices.
What to Serve with Apple Crumb Pie
I like to keep things classic and serve my pie with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream or banana ice cream. It's also amazing with a dollop of vegan whip (try homemade coconut whipped cream), vegan yogurt, a drizzle of maple syrup, or even just plain. It's a pie that can stand up to toppings as well as it can stand on its own.
Storage and Freezing
- Store airtight. This pie can stay covered at room temperature for 1-2 days. For longer storage, move the pie to the fridge.
- Reheat. Warm the whole pie in the oven, or you can reheat individual slices in the microwave.
- Freeze. To keep leftovers longer, I like to cut the pie into slices and then place the slices in a freezer-safe container. From there, just pop it in the freezer and reheat as desired.
This truly is my favorite apple pie out there! I can't wait to hear what you think and if you end up making it, be sure to share photos with us on Instagram ❤️
More Easy Apple Desserts
Apple Crumb Pie (Gluten-Free & Vegan)
Ingredients
for the pie crust:
- 1-1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup vegan butter , cold
- 4 – 6 tablespoons cold water
for the filling:
- 8 cups sliced apples , about 10 medium apples
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ cup Bob's Red Mill Coconut Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Bob's Red Mill Arrowroot Starch
for the crumb topping:
- 1 cup oats
- 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour
- 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill Almond Flour
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9″ pie dish and set it aside.
- Start by making the topping. Add all ingredients into a small bowl and mix together. Set aside.
- Move onto the apples. If you haven't yet, peel and slice your apples into thin strips (about 1/8″ thick). Add the apples into a large mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, cinnamon, coconut sugar, and arrowroot starch. Mix together and set aside.
- And finally, let's make the crust. Add the gluten-free flour, salt, and cold butter into a food processor. Blitz together until the butter is combined with the flour. Add 1/4 cup of cold water and process until combined. Pulse in the next tablespoon of water and then if needed the final one. At this point, the dough should have come together and will be pliable.
- Transfer the dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Form into a ball and top with another piece of parchment. Roll out the crust into a circle to about 1/8″ thick.
- Remove the top piece of parchment paper from the dough and flip it into the pie dish. Press the crust into the dish so that it's even throughout. Fold the top of the crust over slightly and then crimp the edges with your fingertips.
- Transfer the apples into the crust and spread evenly throughout. Sprinkle the topping on top.
- Bake on the center rack for 50 – 60 minutes until the crust and topping are golden brown and you can hear the apple filling bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing and serving.
- To serve, top with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream!
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