Easy Dairy Free Apple Pie is a delicious, simple-to-make, homemade apple pie. It is made with tart Granny Smith apples, but without milk or butter.
One would think that it is difficult to make an apple pie. I mean, it looks like it would be, right??. However, Really Apple Pie is just that – really easy.
The two lengthiest parts of this recipe are peeling the apples and making the lattice. For the apples, I use an apple peeler, so that part takes no time and all!
Don’t want to bother with lattice? No problem, just lay a sheet of pie dough over the top of the filling, cut around the edges, pinch, and cut a few evenly placed small cuts on the top for air to escape, and you’re done!
Want to add a little more design? Get some pie crust cookie cutters or molds and decorate the edges of the pie.
The edges of pie crust tend to bake quicker than the middle, so it is preferable to protect the edges with aluminum foil or pie crust protector shields.
The photo shows a pie before it went into the oven. Notice the mound in the middle? No worries. That will go flat while baking.
Prefer to give everyone their own individual, single serve apple pie? Try Easy Dairy Free Mini Apple Pies
Love apples? Try Easy Dairy Free Apple Fritters!
Don’t particularly like cooked apple, but love the taste of the spice? Easy Mock Apple Pie tastes very similar to apple pie but contains no apples! Try it!
How about that apple pie spice flavor? Want to have it in other baked goods or even your coffee? Here you go! Easy Apple Pie Spice. Yum!
And apples have nutritional value and health benefits!
If I can bake, anyone can
I am the type who hates paying more for something than I feel it’s worth and and loathe paying a lot for something I can bake at home.
So, paying a lot of money for a cake similar to one I can bake on my own just doesn’t work for me.
My problem was that I couldn’t really make a layer cake. I could make one in a 9″ x 13″ pan, but not one that could be used for a birthday or celebration.
For years, I tried, failed, and gave up. Then again, tried, failed and gave up.
It normally wasn’t the taste that was the problem, it was other things such as density or lopsidedness.
One day, I decided that no matter what, I would learn to make a decent looking cake (I wasn’t even aiming for good-looking, just decent).
One day, my daughter Elissa came into the kitchen during one of my “I will learn to do this” phases and stopped.
“You are NOT really measuring oil in the palm of your hand!”
I wasn’t sure what the problem was. I couldn’t be bothered to stop what I was doing to get the measuring spoons and I certainly know what a tablespoon of oil should look like…
“You can’t bake the way you cook,” she informed me (I often cook by “it looks right” or “it tastes right”, not by directions – which I often find people make unnecessarily complicated).
Finally, I decided OK, I am going to follow directions. I will measure properly and that will be it. So, I did.
The cake came out tasting really good, but it was really heavy.
I complained to Elissa.
“I followed the directions and even measured and look at it!”
We decided that she would try the recipe to see what was wrong (she is great at following exact measurements and was tired of my complaining).
I read the instructions to her (off a very highly reviewed recipe) and was very gratified when it came out heavy for her too. Ha!
She insisted we go over the instructions again and she also wanted to see the original recipe. I gladly showed her.
“You doubled the recipe,” she accused me. “Why?”
“Because I wanted a higher cake.”
“That is NOT considered following directions. The recipe is for two pans and you put double in each pan, so it couldn’t rise.”
Oh. I took back my “ha” and never did that again.
After a while, I finally gave in. Now, I follow directions, measure properly, and use the proper tools.
Not surprising, everything I bake comes out as it should (of course…as long as I don’t forget to remove from the oven…!).
Even while trying to master some level of decent cake, I shied away from attempting baking any kind of pie.
However, after we bought an apple pie from a local bakery that cost around $25, I decided that I would learn to make one.
Although I honestly didn’t have much faith in my abilities, I figured what was the harm in trying? If I failed, it would at least justify the $25 I would have to pay for one.
Much to my surprise (and probably my family’s as well), it turned out to be very simple and utterly delicious (so I am told – I don’t like cooked fruit 🙂 ).
A litte bit about Apples
There are many different types of apples. There are sweet red apples, such as Delicious, Fuji, and Gala and you have the tangy green ones, like Granny Smith.
Apples are the most widely consumed fruit worldwide and are commonly used in everything from cakes to pies to muffins. They are sliced into cold cereal and oatmeals, made into jellies, jams, and juices, and pureed into smoothies.
Apples are relatively low in calories and contain some anti-oxidants.
A little bit about Apple Pie
Apple pie is a pie with the main ingredient being…you guessed it…apples! Any apple can be used, but it seems that the most popular are the tart Granny Smith apples, which are used intros Easy Apple Pie recipe.
Apple pie is considered by Americans to be synonymous with patriotism, thus the term “as American as apple pie” and the saying by American soldiers during World War II, “fighting for Mom and apple pie”.
However, apple pie actually originated in England at least as far back as the 14th century and was only later brought to America.
Since apples were not accessible in the American west, however, settlers would make “mock apple pie” using crackers and spices. Even today, one can find recipes for mock apple pie using buttery flavored crackers and no apples at all.
One can use any apple in this Easiest Apple Pie recipe, however is seems that the most popular apple for use in apple pies is the tart Granny Smith apple (shown in the photo above with the pie), which was named after Maria Ann Smith.
Granny Smith apples were first cultivated in New South Wales, Australia. There are different versions as the discovery of Granny Smith apples, however they seem to be an accidental cross between an orchard apple and a French crabapple.
Baking Pantry Essentials
I never know when someone in my family is going to want a dessert at home, to bring to a friend’s house or need for an event, so I like to make sure I can bake anything with very short notice. To that end, I keep a variety of supplies and ingredients in the house that will allow me to do just that.
I can’t tell you how many times I was glad to have whatever I needed within reach for the last minute visitor or for when one of my kids went to a friend or had a school event without much prior notice.
I have slowly collected things over the years as I needed them (or if I found a good sale) and like to keep more than one of the smaller items, in case I don’t want to wash dishes in the middle of baking.
My basic “equipment” includes:
- a stand mixer, which I use mostly for dough and, sometimes whipping
- a hand mixer (for things that aren’t dough and I don’t want to mix manually)
- a small scale
- different sizes and shapes of baking pans, including loaf pans
- mixing bowls (or just large bowls – I have plastic, glass, and metal)
- cookie sheets
- pie dishes
- dry measuring cups
- liquid measuring cups
- whisks
- rubber spatulas (really good for when you don’t want to leave anything in the bowl)
- rolling pins
- a baking mat for rolling out dough
- baking strips
- a good supply of baking (or parchment) paper (also round for layer cakes)
I can certainly get by without a lot of the above, but it makes baking so much simpler when I just have whatever I need at my fingertips.
In addition to the equipment, there are the baking ingredients that I try to keep in the house at all times:
- flour
- white granulated sugar
- brown sugar (light/dark – I usually keep dark)
- confectioners sugar(powdered sugar)
- salt
- baking powder
- baking soda
- cocoa powder
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- ground ginger
- ground cloves
- baking chocolate
- chocolate chips
- instant dry yeast
- vanilla and/or vanilla sugar
- cooking oil/cooking spray
- margarine or butter
- eggs
- honey
- instant coffee
- various extracts (real or imitation)
I also make sure that I have the following on hand to be able to make a variety of fillings, frostings, and toppings:
- whipping cream
- powdered pudding mix
- powdered sugar
- a good chocolate spread
Then, there is the following to make last-minute quick desserts:
- packaged pie dough or ready-made pie crusts
- puff pastry dough
Lastly, it’s not a bad idea to keep fun toppings, such as chopped walnuts, raisins, and the oh-so-important container of sprinkles.
Notice how pretty much all of the ingredients to make Easy Apple Pie (with the exception of a ready-made-pie) would be at your fingertips if you had such a pantry of baking essentials.
So, enjoy making your Easiest Apple Pie ever and enjoy eating it even more!
Easy Dairy Free Apple Pie
Homemade tart apple pie, without milk or butter.
Ingredients
- 8 medium green Granny Smith (tart) apples, peeled and sliced thin
- 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup flour
- *2 teaspoons brown sugar (optional)
- *2 teaspoons vanilla extract or flavoring (optional)
- 2 deep dish pie crusts (homemade or store bought) or one crust and pie dough for the top if you are going to create a lattice top as show in photo.
Instructions
- Place sliced apple pieces in a large bowl.
- Add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, flour, and salt (and brown sugar or vanilla).
- Mix well.
- Pour mixture into one pie crust.
- Create a lattice top with pie dough or just top with second pie crust, pinch edges together, and cut off excess dough.
- Cut slits into the top.
- Cover the edges with aluminum foil or other protector, so they don't cook sooner that the middle and end up too dark.
- Bake in an oven that has been pre-heated to 425°F.
- Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until top is a golden brown.
- Let cool before slicing.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 272Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 313mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 1gSugar: 18gProtein: 2g