We turned our classic Apple Pie recipe into a gluten-free treat, loaded with delicious spiced apples and sweetened naturally with date and maple sugar. --Jump to Recipe
It should come as no surprise that Joe and I have a mutual love for pie. When the autumn crisp hits the air, apple pie with a scoop of dairy-free ice cream is what I start to crave.
I’ve wanted to paleo-ify our apple pie recipe for a while now. I set a goal for myself to get it done before Thanksgiving. Thankfully, it came together beautifully after a couple of recipe tests.
Now, we've got ourselves a sweet and tender apple pie with a flaky dairy-free-gluten-free crust just in time for the holidays!
FAQ
Why change your original apple pie recipe?
Even though I absolutely love that recipe, I needed to create a second one that didn't use so much cane sugar. After I got diagnosed with Intestinal Candidiasis, one of the things I learned during the process of healing my gut is working with alternative, more natural sweeteners, and sugars. Already being a person who doesn't have a strong sweet tooth, I discovered that I did enjoy more desserts when made with these natural sugars, like date sugar and maple sugar/syrup.
Learning from this, I figured I could apply these ingredients to my apple pie recipe, which helps keep the balance on holidays when there is going to be so much food and a chance of overwhelming my gut.
For our Ol' Fashion Apple Pie recipe, click here!
Why not use coconut sugar?
I get this question a lot. The answer is very simple: I am highly allergic to coconuts. (I even have a whole section dedicated to being coconut-free on the blog.) That being said, doesn't mean you cannot use coconut sugar when making this recipe. Just replace the date and/or maple sugar one-for-one with coconut sugar.
How much does this recipe make?
This recipe fills my 9.5-inch Pyrex pie pan. If you have a similar size pie pan, I also recommend doubling the pie crust, if you are using our gluten-free-dairy-free pie crust recipe. This will ensure you cover the entire pan, with extra to make a decorative edge and even shapes on the top, as you will see in the pictures we have on this recipe page.
What if I want to use a different pie crust?
That is totally fine! I know there are plenty of store-bought ones to make your life easier. You can use those, or make a recipe you feel most comfortable using. However, if you need a recipe, feel free to try our gluten-free-dairy-free pie crust recipe we have mentioned quite a few times already, or our original Homemade Pie Crust recipe that uses gluten flour and butter.
For both of our recipes, I still recommend doubling the recipe if you are using a 9.5-inch pie pan or bigger.
Don't mind if PIE do
Now that we have gone through some of our frequently asked questions about this pie recipe, let's get baking!
Paleo Apple Pie
Equipment
Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
5-6 Gala apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
3 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
⅓ cup date sugar**
¼ cup maple sugar**
2 tablespoons maple syrup
⅓ cup flour (we used oat flour to keep it gluten-free and sweet)
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons oil
Recipe Notes:
You can make an extra pie crust to top the pie with. We leave ours open.*
You can use coconut sugar if you prefer.**
Directions
Preheat oven to 425° F.
Carefully roll out the pie crust. Using about 2 tablespoons of the oil, grease the pie pan, then gently place in your pie crust, allowing the excess to hang over the edge. Don't worry if it breaks at all! You can press the crust back together.
Decorate the edges how you would like - we typically crimp our edges. Once you finish your pie crust edge design, cover the top lightly with plastic wrap and stick the pie pan in the fridge to chill.
Toss the apple slices with lemon or lime juice in a large bowl.
Add the sugars, syrup, flour, and cinnamon to the bowl and toss to coat. Allow apples to sit for about 5 to 10 minutes in the sugar and spice mixture to release more juices.
Remove your pie crust-lined dish from the fridge and disregard the plastic wrap. Spoon the apple filling into the chilled pie crust.
Decorate the top of the pie with the remaining pie crust as desired.
Brush the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil lightly around the edge of the pie.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbling.
Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing into it. If you are pre-baking ahead for a holiday, let the pan cool completely before covering the top with foil and storing it in the fridge. When ready to reheat, remove from the fridge about 30 minutes to an hour beforehand to let the pie come to room temperature first. This will allow the reheating process to go quicker. Reheat in the oven to 350° F for about 15 to 20 minutes.
