Best Ever Apple Pie (and it’s vegan)

Looking for the best ever apple pie recipe? You’ve found it! I’m going to share all of my secrets. And, of course, it’s vegan.
Back in my 20s I had a pie baking business. Whoever came up with the expression “easy as pie” is some kind of masochist. It took me a while to get the hang of it, but with a little art and a little science, I’ve got pie sorted now.

Get our your kitchen scale, and bake with me! It’s fun and I promise we are going to end up with some delicious pie.

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Best Ever Apple Pie (vegan)

Ready for delicious apple pie, with a perfectly flaky crust filled with tender, sweet and fragrant apples? This recipe will make pie as easy as 3.14

Prep Time

40 mins

Cook Time

40 mins

Servings

slices

Ingredients

double crust pastry

• 250 grams flour (2 cups)
• 125 grams fat I use (2/3 cup) 50/50 earth balance baking sticks and shortening
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp white sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8 tbsp ice-cold water

apple pie filling

• 6 cups sliced apples This is about 3 lbs (1. kg) Tart and firm apples work well, like granny smith
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown or coconut sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp allspice
• 4 tsp vegan butter
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

Prep Time 40 mins Cook Time 40 mins Servings slices Ingredients double crust pastry 250 grams flour (2 cups) 125 grams fat I use (2/3 cup) 50/50 earth balance baking sticks and shortening 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp white sugar 1/2 tsp salt 8 tbsp ice-cold water apple pie filling 6 cups sliced apples This is about 3 lbs (1. kg) Tart and firm apples work well, like granny smith 1/3 cup white sugar 1/4 cup brown or coconut sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp allspice 4 tsp vegan butter 1 tbsp cornstarch

Instructions

Pastry

1. Mix dry ingredients together well in a large bowl. I prefer to use my food processor or mix master, but you can use a bowl just fine.
2. All of your ingredients should be cold. Your fat and water should come directly from the fridge.
3. Pulse your fat into your flour, do not over mix. The mixture should resemble peas and their should be no chunks of fat larger than a kernel of corn visible. If you are doing this by hand, use two knives or a pastry blender or your bare (cold water washed) hands.
4. Pulse in the water a couple tbsps at a time until the mixture just holds together.
5. Shape your pastry into two disks and leave to rest in the fridge while you prepare your filling.

Apple pie filling

1. Preheat your oven to 425F
2. Peel, core and slice your apples. Mix the sugar, spices and corn starch into the apples.

Rolling the pastry and baking the pie

1. Lightly dust your counter top with flour. If you have a marble, granite or stainless steel surface, use it! Otherwise whatever you have will work. You just want things to stay as cold as possible so the fat does not melt leaving you will mealy pastry (boo!).
2. Using your rolling pin, roll your disks of pastry from the centre, outwards. Turn a quarter turn and roll again. Don't run your rolling pin back and forth over the pastry. Handle the pastry as little as possible. If it breaks apart and you need to re-shape into a disk, don't worry. It will be ok, but try to minimize this. If you need a little extra flour to prevent sticking, go ahead.
3. Place your bottom crust over your 9 inch pie plate. You might want to roll both crusts out and select your smoothest one for the top.
4. Spoon your apples mixture into the bottom crust-filled pie plate. Top with the 4 tsp of vegan butter, scattered around the pie.
5. Lift your top crust over the pie. I find it is easiest to do this by partially rolling the pastry on to the rolling pin and using the rolling pin to lift and place the crust on the pie. If doing a lattice crust, slice your top crust into 1 inch wide ribbons and wave together into a lattice.
6. Seal the edges by crimping or using a fork. Be sure to poke some steam holes into your pie using a knife or fork.
7. You can brush the top of the pie with a little aquafaba (the water from a can of chick peas) and dust with a bit of sugar to give your pie a pretty golden glow.
8. Bake at 425F for 10 mins, and then at 350 for 30 mins or until apples are tender. You can test the pie with a knife. A knife should slide through the apples easily.
9. Allow to cool for 10-15 mins before slicing. Enjoy!!

Recipe Notes

Although this recipe is for apple pie, the pastry recipe will work for all dessert pies, and for savory pies too (just omit the sugar).

Please do use a kitchen scale for the flour and the fat measurements if you can. Baking is a science and the more precise you can be, the better. If you don't have a kitchen scale, don't worry. The cup measurements will work out too.

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