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This apple crumble pie is filled with soft, spiced apples, and topped with a buttery oat topping. It’s easy to make vegan and/or gluten-free. 

Apple crumble pie is served with vegan ice cream. This beautiful vegan apple pie has a crumb topping made with oats, coconut sugar, and almond flour. It's gluten-free and delicious for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

I asked over on Instagram if I should post a vegan apple pie, or truffled mashed potatoes next, given that Thanksgiving is in just two weeks. The responses were pretty split, so we decided to go with the apple pie and hope we have time to share our favorited mashed potatoes too. After all, my Vegan Pumpkin Pie, has been my most popular holiday recipe since posting it last year. And my Mini Vegan Pecan Pies the year before that! 

Rather than a 2-crust pie, which always feels too heavy for me, we tried to replicate one of our favorite apple pies from the Santa Barbara Farmers Market. This apple crumble pie is filled with soft, spiced apples, and topped with a buttery oat topping. It’s part pie, part apple crumble. The best of both worlds, I think. The only conundrum: what to name this delicious apple pie. Is this what you’d call a Dutch Apple Pie, or is Apple Crumble Pie correct? 

Let’s look at how to make a delicious apple crumble pie for your Thanksgiving or Christmas table, or just for weekend baking. 

Green Granny Smith apples on a cutting board ready to get peeled for apple crumble pie.

The Best Apples for Apple Pie

There are many varieties of apples that are great for apple pie, and there’s nothing like making one with apples from your backyard tree. Braeburn, Honeycrip, and Golden Delicious work, but I like to use Granny Smith, which are classic for apple pie. You’ll need three pounds of apples for this deep dish crumble apple pie recipe. 

Make the Apple Filling

Thinly sliced granny smith apples in a bowl for making vegan apple pie.

When I make homemade applesauce in the slow cooker, I love to leave a lot of skin on the apples. For pie though, we want soft apple slices without the skin. I cut the peeled apples into four pieces off the core, and then thinly slice. 

Coconut sugar, spices, and arrowroot are added to sliced apples to make apple crumble pie filling.

Fresh lemon juice, spices, coconut sugar, and arrowroot starch get mixed into the apples. I find using my hands works best for tossing the ingredients together. I love using coconut sugar in place of traditional white sugar in this apple pie recipe. It creates a richer, almost caramel flavor and is less processed than white sugar. Arrowroot is a natural starch that works as a gluten-free thickener and is used here in place of flour. I also use arrowroot in gluten free cookies like biscotti. 

Crumb Topping for Apple Pie 

The ingredients for this apple pie crumb topping include oats, coconut sugar, almond flour, nuts, and butter.

This apple pie has the same crumble I use on my Baked Peaches and is very similar to the one I used on my Grain Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp. I made the crumble topping by blending the ingredients together in a food processor and by mixing them together by hand. If you like to see whole oats, do this part by hand (like in the video). 

The layers for apple crumble pie are apple filling, pie crust, and oatmeal crumble topping.

Choosing a Pie Crust

I used a store-bought pie crust for this recipe, because honestly I just didn’t have time to test this recipe several times with a homemade crust. My Gluten Free Vegan Pie Crust made with almond flour is a favorite, and readers have mentioned it’s worked well with everything from pumpkin pie to quiche. I haven’t tested this particular recipe with that crust though, so I can’t say for certain how well it holds up to the apple juices.

This particular recipe is all about the apple filling and crumble topping, so I’m good with a store-bought crust. The one I used is from Wholly Wholesome and is vegan. They also make gluten free, allergen friendly pie crusts. 

Assembling the Apple Crumble Pie

Apple pie filling piled into a pie shell

Now is the fun part. The apple filling gets piled high in the prepared pie crust. The apples will cook down, so it’s okay if it seems like a big mound. 

Oatmeal crumble on top of an apple crumble pie before baking.

Add the crumble topping and we are ready to roll. Most crumble pie recipes are baked uncovered, but I’ve had so many crumble pies burn this way that I bake mine covered in foil until the last 15 minutes. Nuts tend to burn easily, so this may be the issue here, as this crumble is made with almond flour and walnuts. 

Bowls of apple crumble pie served with ice cream. This easy apple crumble pie is topped with an oatmeal topping and is easy to make vegan and gluten free.

Tips and Tricks to the Perfect Apple Crumble Pie

  • Apples may take longer than you think to soften and the crumble can burn quickly. Keep covered loosely with foil. If you like very soft apples, saute in a tablespoon of butter before baking. 
  • Make ahead: this pie reheats very well. It’s delicious reheated a day or two later. Just store in the refrigerator until ready to reheat. 

The filling for this pie was adapted from Barefoot Contessa’s Deep Dish Apple Pie

An easy apple crumble pie recipe with an oat topping. Apple crumble pie is easy to make vegan or gluten-free, and is perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Yield: 1 pie

Apple Crumble Pie

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Additional Time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

An easy apple crumble pie recipe with an oat crumb topping. This apple crumb pie is easy to make vegan or gluten-free, and is perfect for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any fall baking!

Apple Crumble Pie

Ingredients

Filling

  • 3 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, quartered, and cored
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 cup arrowroot starch
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Crumble Topping

  • 1/2 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats (certified gluten free)
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
  • 1/4 cup coconut sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 4 tablespoons cold cubed vegan butter such as Miyoko’s
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup

Crust

  • 1 prepared, uncooked pie crust

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Roll a pie crust and press it into your pie dish. Crimp the edges.
  2. To make the apple pie filling, cut the apple pieces into thin slices, no more than 1/8" thick. Place in a large bowl and add the lemon juice, orange juice, coconut sugar, arrowroot, salt, and spices. Set aside.
  3. To make the crumble topping, in a medium bowl, whisk together the almond flour, oats, walnuts, coconut sugar, and salt. Use a pastry blender or your fingers to combine the butter. If the mixture isn't holding together well or you would like it sweeter you can add one tablespoon of maple syrup.
  4. Transfer the apple filling mixture to the prepared pie crust and arrange so that they are as compact as possible. Spoon the crumble topping over the top of the apples. Cover with foil and bake for about an hour and 15 minutes, until the apples are tender and the crust is done. Remove the foil to brown the crumble for the last few minutes.
  5. Let the pie rest at room temperature for about an hour while the filling sets.

Notes

  1. Gluten Free: Be sure to use gf oats and a gf pie crust such as one from Wholly Wholesome.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 321
© Marina Delio
Cuisine: Western / Category: Recipes