Apples, cinnamon and sultanas wrapped in crisp, buttery-style shortcrust pastry — this classic vegan apple pie is a crowd-pleasing dessert served with vegan ice cream or custard.
Apple pie is a timeless treat, made even better with a crisp, sweet shortcrust pastry. This vegan version is just as satisfying as a traditional butter pastry: rich, flaky and filled with a mix of cooking and eating apples, sultanas and warming cinnamon.
If you’re new to pastry, don’t worry — shortcrust is a friendly dough to learn on. Below you’ll find clear step-by-step instructions and practical tips to help you succeed.
I love to serve this pie warm with a scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream, or in colder months a generous spoonful of homemade vegan custard. How will you serve yours?
📝 What you need
Ingredients
- Cooking apples (e.g. Bramleys)
- Eating apples (e.g. Braeburn or Granny Smith)
- Lemon
- Dairy-free block margarine (e.g. Flora Plant Block or Naturli Block)
- Dairy-free yoghurt
- Dairy-free milk
- Sultanas
- Icing sugar
- Soft light brown sugar
- Caster sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Plain flour
- Cornflour
Equipment
A loose-bottomed or springform tin makes the pie easy to remove for serving. A perforated or well-ventilated tin helps keep the base crisp, but any similar pie dish will work.
🍏 What varieties of apple to use
Great apple pie depends on the apples. Combining two types gives the best texture and flavor: cooking apples break down into a silky base, while eating apples retain some bite.
- Cooking apples (e.g. Bramleys) — tart and juicy, they soften into a saucy texture.
- Eating apples (e.g. Braeburn or Granny Smith) — crisp and firm, they hold their shape when baked.
Using a mix of both gives a balanced filling that is neither too mushy nor too firm. This recipe follows a tried-and-true ratio to keep the filling flavorful without making the pastry soggy.
❄️ Freezing
You can freeze this pie either before or after baking. For best results, freeze it unbaked in a foil or metal dish (avoid glass).
Assemble the pie, glaze and sprinkle with caster sugar, then wrap tightly and freeze. Bake from frozen, allowing extra time and covering with foil if the pastry colours too quickly.
🔪 Top Tips: Shortcrust Pastry
The balance of fat and flour determines how crumbly your pastry will be. More fat makes a shorter (crumbly) pastry but can be harder to roll and handle. This recipe aims for a pastry that’s easy to roll thin while still crisp when baked.
Key tips for successful shortcrust:
- Minimal handling: Work quickly and lightly. Rub the margarine in only until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs — the less you handle the dough, the better the texture.
- Fat temperature: Use block margarine that is cool but pliable — not oily and not frozen solid.
- Chill the dough: Resting the pastry in the fridge makes it firmer and easier to roll.
- Patch, don’t overwork: If the pastry tears, press it back together in the tin rather than repeatedly re-rolling, which can make it tough.
🍽 If you liked that…
You might also enjoy other vegan desserts and bakes from this collection.
-
Old School Cornflake Tarts
-
Vegan Apple Crumble
-
Vegan Apple Cake with sultanas
-
Vegan Biscoff Cheesecake
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Apple Pie
Kate Ford | The Veg Space
Pin Recipe
Ingredients
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 350 g plain flour
- 210 g dairy-free block margarine (e.g. Flora Plant Block or Naturli Block)
- 70 g icing sugar
- 3 tablespoon dairy-free yoghurt
- 1-2 teaspoon cold water
For the filling:
- ½ lemon
- 2 cooking apples e.g. Bramleys
- 2 eating apples
- 40 g soft light brown sugar
- pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cornflour
- 60 g sultanas
- dairy-free milk to glaze
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
For the pastry:
- Tip the flour and block margarine into a large bowl and rub together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Stir through the icing sugar, then add the dairy-free yoghurt and bring the mixture together into a soft dough. If it seems dry, add a little cold water, a teaspoon at a time.
- Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes while you prepare the filling.
For the filling:
- Squeeze the juice of half a lemon into a large bowl. Peel and core the apples. Cut the eating apples into thick slices and the cooking apples into smaller chunks. Toss the pieces in the lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Stir in the light brown sugar, cinnamon, cornflour and sultanas until evenly combined.
To assemble the pie:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan) / 350°F / Gas Mark 4.
- On a floured surface, separate about a third of the chilled pastry to one side for the lid. Roll the remaining two-thirds to roughly the thickness of a £1 coin.
- Grease a loose-bottomed tin and line it with the rolled pastry, leaving the edges overhanging.
- Fill the pastry case with the apple mixture, spreading it evenly.
- Roll out the reserved pastry for the lid. Wet the rim of the base pastry, place the lid on top and press the edges to seal. Cut a small hole in the center for steam to escape.
- Use any leftover pastry to cut decorative shapes and place them on top, rolling them as thinly as possible.
- Brush the top with dairy-free milk and sprinkle with caster sugar. Bake for 35–45 minutes until golden and crisp. Serve warm with vegan ice cream or custard.
Video
Nutrition
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