One thing I have yet to do in life is visit an apple orchard. I know.
I feel as though my childhood was somehow robbed of this experience and I’m set on redeeming it. Perhaps this month! But in the meantime, a friend of mine whose family grows their own graciously gifted me a giant bag of organic apples, so this will have to do for now.
Aren’t they beautiful?
I immediately knew what I wanted to do with them – make John’s all time favorite dessert: Apple pie! But with a twist.
To give the crust and filling a touch of pumpkin flavor, I added both pumpkin butter and pumpkin pie spice.
The result was an 8-ingredient apple pie with subtle pumpkin flavor and the perfect amount of sweetness and warmth. Mmm, this one is a winner, and a lovely pie to kick off fall baking.
For the crust – which is kept vegan with vegan butter – I attempted a lattice top! It was my first time trying my hand at this method and it certainly wasn’t the most beautiful thing to look at, but at least I tried!
You could also do a traditional top crust, or even a crumble! The filling is where it’s really at anyway.
This pie is a fall dream. It’s:
Warm
Sweet
Perfectly spiced
Loaded with apples
Pumpkin-infused
Perfect with coconut whip (or dairy-free ice cream)
& Seriously simple
If you’ve never made a pie before, this would be a great one for first timers! The apple filling is a no-brainer – just peel, cut, and toss with sugar + spices – and the crust is very basic.
Despite minimal effort, the result is super impressive. As in, make this pie and impress all your friends with your pie skills. Do it!
If you decide to usher in fall with this gorgeous pie, be sure to tell us! Leave a comment or take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram. We love seeing our recipes in your kitchens. Cheers!
Pumpkin-Spiced Apple Pie
8-ingredient vegan apple pie with subtle pumpkin flavor from both pumpkin pie spice and pumpkin butter (or purée). The perfect simple fall dessert. Print SAVE SAVED
from votes Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes Servings 8 (slices)Course DessertCuisine American, VeganFreezer Friendly 1 Month (see notes)Does it keep? 2-3 Days
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Ingredients
US Customary – Metric
CRUST:
2 cups flour (I used 1/2 unbleached all-purpose, 1/2 whole-wheat pastry)1 tsp sea salt1/4 tsp ground cinnamon1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice3/4 cup cold vegan butter (divided)2-6 Tbsp ice water
FILLING:
4 1/2 – 5 cups sliced, peeled apples (I like a mix of tart and sweet)1/4 tsp sea salt1/2 tsp ground cinnamon1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice1/3 cup sugar (I used part brown sugar, part cane sugar)2 Tbsp pumpkin butter* (or sub pumpkin puree and add a bit more sugar + cinnamon)1 1/2 Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and place a rack in the bottom 1/3 of your oven for optimal baking.Prepare filling by peeling and slicing apples into bite sized pieces or slices and tossing with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, salt, sugar, pumpkin butter, and unbleached flour. Set aside.To prepare crust, whisk flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice and cinnamon in a large bowl. Then add cold butter and use a pastry cutter or fork to combine until crumbly.Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time until a loose dough forms.Transfer to a floured surface and gently mold together with hands, handling as little as possible. Divide in two, making one (the bottom crust) slightly larger.Gently roll out the larger crust using only as much flour as needed, and carefully drape over a standard pie pan (mine is 9.5 inches) using a rolling pin to help transfer. Leave the edges hanging over and only trim areas of great excess and add those back to the other crust.Add the apple filling, reserving most of the excess liquid that’s formed, and then roll out the other crust.You can cut the crust into strips and do a lattice top (tutorial here), or just lay the whole crust over the apples for a traditional top, in which case you’ll need to poke several little holes with a knife to let steam escape.Use your fingers to crimp edges and then brush the pie lightly with water or dairy-free milk and dust generously with sugar.Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Cover the edges with foil at the 30-minute mark so they don’t get too brown.Let cool completely before slicing or the filling will run – at least 3-4 hours. Best when fresh, but will keep for up to a few days. Serve with coconut whipped cream or your favorite non-dairy ice cream!
Notes
*You can either make your own pumpkin butter – I love this recipe from Oh She Glows – or buy it at the store. Just be sure to check the ingredients, as some are sweetened with honey.
*Find some helpful pie crust tips here!
*For a crumble top pie, halve the pie recipe to just make a bottom crust and then top with this crumble recipe.
*For freezing, place pie in freezer right after assembling. Bake directly from frozen, but increase cook time by about 10 minutes.
*Nutritional information is a rough estimate.
Nutrition (1 of 8 servings)
Serving: 1 slices Calories: 353 Carbohydrates: 44.4 g Protein: 3.4 g Fat: 17.9 g Saturated Fat: 7.2 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 486 mg Fiber: 2.7 g Sugar: 16.8 g