This double-crust vegan apple pie is a classic fall dessert that can be a staple recipe in any household. It’s easy to make from scratch with a beautiful decorative crust.

Fresh apples and loads of spices keep this vegan apple pie traditional. A few essential techniques will ensure a perfectly browned crust with a filling that isn’t runny or overly sweet.

This recipe has been adapted from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook, published in 1980.

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Ingredient Notes

Two batches of vegan pie dough – This can be made in advance to save some time on baking day. Store-bought is fine as well. For a flakier crust, try my Vegan Flaky Pie Crust Recipe.

Cooking apples – Honeycrisp has a nice flavor, but feel free to substitute a different type or use a combination of different types.

Granulated sugar
Light brown sugar
Salt
Ground Cinnamon
Nutmeg – this gives a nice warm, rounded flavor to apple pie.
Lemon peel – this adds a surprising bit of brightness and tang!
Lemon juice – balances the sweetness of the filling

Vegan butter or margarine
Cornstarch – thickens the filling to keep the pie from overflowing.
All-purpose flour – also helps thicken the filling
Soymilk – brushing the top of the pie with soymilk will help it develop a beautiful color.

Unbaked apple pie with decorative leaf top

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prepare the pie shell:

1. Roll out one batch of the vegan pie dough to about 1/8 inch thick between two sheets of parchment or on a floured surface.

2. Lift the dough, place it on a 9-inch pie plate, and press into place. Trim the edges and place the pan the freeze for 1 hour or until solid.

3. Optional but recommended: Follow these steps on How To Blind Bake A Pie Crust to ensure it’s extra crispy and doesn’t get soggy, especially if you prefer a thicker crust (1/4 inch).

Make the pie filling:

1. Fill a large pot or dutch oven with sliced apples, sugars, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon peel, and lemon juice. Cook on medium-low heat, occasionally stirring for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the apples have softened and released their juices.

2. Turn off the heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the apples and place them in a large heat-safe bowl. Add the vegan butter to the pot, and gradually stir in the cornstarch with a fork or whisk.

4. Return the pot or dutch oven to medium-low heat and cook the apple juice liquid mixture while constantly stirring until it thickens. Remove the pot from the heat.

6. Pour the thickened liquid into the bowl with the apples and stir well to combine. Sprinkle the flour over the apple mixture, stir to combine, and set the fruit filling aside to cool completely.

Apple pie filling in mixing bowl with spatula

Fill and bake the pie:

1. Place an oven rack in the lower-middle position of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C.

2. Use a rolling pin on a floured surface to roll out the remaining chilled pie dough. If a decorative top crust is desired, cut holes or use a leaf-shaped cookie cutter to decorate the crust. This step is optional.

3. Pour the pie filling into the frozen pie crust, then gently lift the dough and cover the top of the pie. If there are any rips or tears in the dough, press them back together to close. Trim the edges and press together to seal or use a fork.

If you have not made cutouts, cut three or four slits through the centre of the top crust to ventilate the pie.

4. Using a pastry brush, use the soymilk to brush the top of the pie evenly to help the crust achieve a perfect golden brown.

5. If you have made cutouts to decorate the pie, place them along the edge of the top crust. Cover the edge of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent it from browning too quickly.

7. Bake the pie for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the top crust is golden brown. Remove the foil strips 15 minutes before removing the pie from the oven.

8. Allow the pie to cool for at least 1 ½ hours on a cooling rack or the stovetop before slicing and serving.

Notes & Substitutions

Use this homemade pie dough as directed in the recipe, line a pie pan with the bottom crust, and freeze. Blind-bake the crust for a more crisp base and to avoid sogginess.

Experiment with spices to create a unique pie that can become your “signature” apple pie. Ginger is a delicious and spicy addition, or try playing around with the proportions of spices.

Serving the pie can be as simple as a slice of the pie by itself or dress the pie up with vegan vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of vegan caramel sauce.

Try pears if you don’t like apples. They have a milder flavor but similar sweetness.

Key Tips

When cutting out designs into the pie dough, it can be easier to roll out the dough onto plastic wrap or parchment paper for easier transfer!

Lay the dough (on the plastic or parchment) on top of the pie, then carefully remove the paper from underneath it.

Keeping the pie dough cold is an important step for working with vegan butter. The colder it is, the flakier the crust will be when cooked.

Storage

For best results, cool the apple pie and eat on the same day. To store, wrap the pie tightly with plastic wrap or use an airtight pie storage container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

FAQs

Why do I need to blind-bake the crust?

Blind-baking the crust before adding the filling allows the crust to cook through thoroughly without burning the top of the pie and keeps the bottom crust from getting soggy while cooking.

Why does a double crust need to be vented?

If the top crust on a pie doesn’t have vents, the steam can build up inside the pie, causing it to be soggy or even to overflow or explode the juices out of the side of the pie.

Why does the pie need to cool before serving?

Fruit pies can have lingering juice that needs to solidify before cutting into the pie. If you cut into the pie while it’s still hot, the filling will be too runny. You can always reheat slices of pie before serving.