Best Vegan Apple Pie (Easy Recipe with Flaky Dairy-free Crust)

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This classic vegan apple pie is hands-down one of my family’s all-time favorite desserts. With its gooey spiced filling, golden flaky crust, and buttery flavor (without the butter), you’d never guess it’s vegan. Honestly? I think it’s better than the classic.

And, if you’re looking for cozy fall bakes, you’ll probably love my vegan pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie too.

vegan apple pie in a deep dish white ceramic pan. — just baked vegan apple pie with a still warm filling!

Why You’ll Love This Vegan Apple Pie

This VEGAN apple pie fooled my non-vegan family 😳. I made it for Thanksgiving last year and everyone thought it was the real deal. Just like my cherry apple crisp, this pie captures everything I love about both fall and summer.

We crave it on cozy fall afternoons, for Thanksgiving or on warm 4th of July evenings. Always served up with a scoop of ice cream, of course. Here’s what makes this version so good…

Emily’s Recipe Notes:

Texture: A gooey filling with tender (not mushy) apples and a flaky pastry.
Flavor: Sweet, spiced, buttery, with lots of apple flavor.
Pros: An easy pie with simple ingredients. The filling can be mixed in one bowl!
Customizable: Add your favorite spices. Use your favorite apples. If you love a super gooey soft filling you can even cook the apples on the stovetop (like I do with these caramelized apples) before filling the crust.
Best Homemade Dairy-Free Pie Crust: The crust in this recipe is way better than any non-vegan pie I’ve had before (or any store-bought crust).

Ingredients

Apples

I recommend using 3-4 Granny Smith apples and 4-5 Honeycrisp or Gala apples. You can also use a mixture of Pink Lady, Fuji or other varieties.

Lemon Juice

This adds acid and helps prevent the apple slices from browning.

Sugar

A mixture of light brown sugar and regular granulated sugar adds sweetness and a caramel flavor to the filling. You can use all regular sugar or all brown sugar.

Cornstarch

Also called cornflour. Like my other fruit pies and cobblers, cornstarch thickens the filling. It gels when baked and remains glossy and clear.

Apple Pie Spice

Or sub in pumpkin pie spice. You can also use a mix of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove for the pre-made apple pie spice.

Salted Vegan Butter

My favorites are Violife and Trader Joe’s Vegan Butter. This adds some moisture, flavor and fat to the filling. You can learn more about which vegan butter brands are the best for baking here!

Vegan Egg Wash

To help achieve a nice golden color, apply the vegan egg wash on top and sprinkle some granulated (or turbinado) sugar on the top.

For most pies, I love using a trick I learned from my mom. Brush apricot preserves onto the crust instead of egg wash for the perfect golden color! If you don’t have apricot preserves you can use a mixture of maple syrup and soy milk…or one of these substitutes.

Graphic comparing 3 vegan egg washes for pie crust: Just Egg + soy milk, apricot preserves, and maple syrup + soy milk, each shown baked at 375°F for 12 and 18 minutes with visual color and texture results. — three of the best vegan egg wash options for pies

the pie crust

Before we start, let’s talk about the vegan apple pie crust. This recipe uses my Flaky Vegan Pie Crust. Buttery (without the butter), super flaky, and definitely not soggy. It holds up beautifully under all those juicy apples.

store-bought vegan pie crust

Don’t have time to make the crust, no problem! What store-bought pie crust is vegan, you may ask?

Simple Truth (Kroger brand); accidentally vegan and easy to find
Marie Callender’s Deep Dish Pie Crust; also accidentally vegan
Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry; a fun option for a top crust!

📝 Watch out for non-vegan ingredients like lard (common in Pillsbury crusts).

Tip: Peta also has this article with a handy list of accidentally vegan pie crusts you can check out, too!

How to Make the Best Vegan Apple Pie

Full ingredient quantities are in the recipe card below!

Prep the vegan pie crust according to this recipe’s instructions. Store covered in plastic wrap in the fridge while prepping the filling.

A peeled Grannysmith apple on a dark wood board.

Wash and peel the apples. I recommend 3 Granny Smith and 4-5 Honeycrisp, Gala, Pink Lady and/or Fuji.

TIP: I recommend making the crust prior to starting on the filling. That way your crust can chill out in the fridge while you prep your apples (this will make it extra flaky!).

a hand holding two apple slices, one thick and one the correct thinness.

Thinly slice the apples.

Large white mixing bowl filled with thinly sliced apples topped with brown sugar, white sugar, salt, cornstarch, and apple pie spice blend, ready to be stirred for apple pie filling.

Add the sliced apples, sugars, spices, cornstarch and salt to a large bowl.

TIP: The thinner the slices, the more tender they’ll be after baking. If you prefer thicker slices, you may want to add 10 minutes to the bake time (with the crust covered up with aluminum foil).

Make the Apple Filling

Overhead view of a mixing bowl with evenly coated spiced apple slices stirred together with sugar, spice, and thickener for vegan apple pie.

Pour the lemon juice and melted butter on top. Mix until well combined and all slices are coated. Set aside for 10 minutes while prepping the crust.

Action shot of spiced apple slices being spooned from a mixing bowl into a crimped vegan pie crust.

Roll out the bottom crust and place in the pie dish. Crimp the edges and fill with the apples.

A tip for a crisp bottom crust: Be sure to poke holes into the bottom crust in a radial pattern to help it stay crisp. And try to not let the filling sit on the crust for too long prior to popping the pie in the oven. If the crust looks soft or warm, pop back in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before filling.

Hands folding back a strip of pie dough while weaving lattice top crust for apple pie, showing fluted-edge pastry strips.

Roll out the second crust and cut into strips 1.5-2″ wide. Weave them into a lattice on top of the apple filling.

Close-up of hands brushing a lattice pie crust with vegan egg wash using a silicone pastry brush, next to a bowl of wash.

Cut away the excess crust. Brush all exposed crust with vegan egg wash.

baking the vegan apple pie

Overhead shot of an unbaked vegan apple pie with a wide, decorative lattice crust made with fluted pastry strips.

Then, sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cover the pie with foil and bake at 375F for 40 minutes.

Golden brown baked vegan apple pie with a lattice crust, showing fluted edges and glistening sugar topping.

Uncover and bake for another 20 minutes. Increase the temperature to 425F for 5 minutes to brown the crust.

Serving the Vegan Apple Pie

This pie is best when cooled completely…trust me, I know how hard it is to wait! But letting it cool gives the filling time to set properly, which means cleaner slices and that perfect gooey-but-structured texture.

For best results, let the pie rest at room temp for at least 1 hour, or pop it in the fridge to chill for a few hours before serving.

Serve each slice with a generous dollop of coconut whipped cream or a scoop of your favorite non-dairy vanilla ice cream for the ultimate treat.

If you’re feeling ambitious, you can also try some of these variations:

Drizzle it with my homemade vegan caramel sauce to make a vegan caramel apple pie.
Swap the top crust for a crumble topping (like the one I use on my pear crumble recipe).

This pie is amazing any time of year. Serve it in the summer at a 4th of July cookout or as a cozy fall dessert at Thanksgiving.

Storage

This pie can be stored, covered in an airtight container or with some plastic wrap on top, in the fridge for up to 5 days. The pie slices can be frozen for up to 3 months.

a macro shot of the golden vegan pie crust on the apple pie. — perfectly golden pie crust

Tips for the Best Vegan Apple Pie

Make the crust ahead of time: Make the crust the day before making this pie. This will make prepping the pie from start to finish faster and easier.
Thinly slice the apples: Thinner slices will result in a more tender filling.
Use a pie shield if the crust is browning too much: Keep the pie covered or add a pie crust shield if the crust looks like it is burning.
Let the pie cool: The pie should cool completely (at room temperature or in the fridge) before slicing. Slicing while the pie is hot may result in a slightly runny filling!

Some Common Questions

What’s the best type of apple for vegan apple pie?

The best apples are a mixture of Granny Smith and another sweeter variety. since the texture holds up after baking and they have a tart flavor that helps balance the sweetness of the filling. I also prefer Honeycrisp apples since they have a very crunchy, crispy texture that helps add texture and depth to the filling. You could also try Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, or McIntosh apples!

How many cups of apples do I need for a standard pie pan?

For a standard 9-inch pie pan (about 1 to 1.25 inches deep), you’ll need 7 to 8 cups of thinly sliced apples, which is roughly 700–800g. This equals about 4 large apples or 7–8 small apples depending on size.

Note: For a deep dish pie pan (1.5–2 inches deep), use up to 9–10 cups of sliced apples (900–1000g) to ensure the filling mounds nicely and bakes down without leaving gaps.

So if your pie pan is 1.5 inches deep or more, you’re in deep-dish territory. Ceramic pans often fall into this category.

Can I use store-bought crust?

Yes, you can absolutely use a store-bought crust. I prefer homemade since it tends to be flakier than pre-made crusts but there are many vegan crusts you can buy. Watch out for sneaky ingredients like lard that are in crusts by brands like Pillsbury.