Gluten-Free Apple Pie (Flaky Crust, Vegan Option)

October 5, 2026

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This gluten-free apple pie has a flaky double crust packed with a thick cinnamon-spiced filling. The apples are cooked briefly before the pie is assembled, which gives you much more control over both their texture and the consistency of the filling. I’ve tested this recipe with 4 different gluten-free flour blends and found a clear winner. It’s also easy to make vegan!

Rather than putting raw apples into the crust and relying on them to soften and release the right amount of juice in the oven, they’re cooked for just 5-8 minutes first. They should start to soften but still hold their shape. Then a cornstarch slurry is added and cooked until the juices have visibly thickened.

There’s no need to blind-bake the crust! The filling is cooked and thickened before it goes into the crust, which reduces the amount of moisture the bottom crust has to deal with during baking.

A slice of gluten-free apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce, surrounded by green apple halves.

That cooked filling also makes this pie especially convenient for Thanksgiving or any time you want to divide the work between two days. You can make the pie dough and filling the day before and refrigerate them overnight. Use the filling cold, and let the dough sit at room temperature just until it’s flexible enough to roll.

For the crust, I used a double batch of my Gluten-Free Pie Crust. It gives you enough dough for a full bottom and top crust, rather than a streusel or lattice topping, so this is a classic double-crust apple pie that happens to be gluten-free.

If a full double-crust pie isn’t what you’re after, I have quite a few other apple options. My French Apple Pie uses the same flaky style of crust with fresh apples and a creamy vanilla custard, while my Swedish Apple Pie skips pastry crust entirely and has an easy oat-based topping.

Ingredients

Please scroll down for the full recipe. These are just notes on select ingredients.

Pie crust – I really recommend sticking with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour. Of the four flour blends I tested, Bob’s produced the flakiest crust. Pillsbury Best Gluten Free Flour Blend is a good second choice.
Apples – you’ll need 1,000 grams after peeling and coring, or about 8-9 cups sliced. That’s about 1,250 grams of whole apples, or approximately 6 large or 7 medium Granny Smith apples. Weighing the prepared apples is the most reliable way to get the right amount.
Granulated and light brown sugar – using both gives the filling sweetness and a little caramel flavor without overwhelming the apples.
Butter – 2 tablespoons add richness to the filling without making it overly buttery or greasy. I’ve also tested this recipe with vegan butter, and it worked great.
Lemon juice – this brightens the apple flavor and balances the sweetness. There’s only 1 tablespoon, so the filling doesn’t taste lemony.
Cornstarch – I really recommend weighing this. You need 20 grams, and cornstarch can be surprisingly inconsistent when measured by the tablespoon. Mixing it with water before adding it to the apples also prevents lumps.
Egg wash and coarse sugar – the egg wash helps the top crust turn golden, while the coarse sugar adds a little crunch. See below for the vegan alternative.

Ingredients for gluten-free apple pie, including apples, spices, sugars, and pie crust, arranged in clear containers.

Flour Options

Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour – I really recommend using this one. Even if you have to order it online, I think it’s worth it. But if you don’t have it and need to make a pie right away, I also tested the options below. They all work, but Bob’s was by far the best in this recipe.

Pillsbury Best Gluten Free Flour Blend – this is my second choice. The crust cracked a little more than the one made with Bob’s, but it wasn’t a problem. If using Pillsbury, use 385 grams.

Arrowhead Mills Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour – this one had a slightly unusual aftertaste, at least in this recipe. The texture was also more shortbread-like than flaky. That said, I somehow could not stop eating it! If using Arrowhead Mills, use 340 grams.

King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour – this version was good, but it wasn’t nearly as flaky as the crust made with Bob’s. It also tasted and felt more noticeably gluten-free. If using King Arthur, use 313 grams.

The gram amounts are different for each brand because gluten-free flour blends do not all weigh the same by volume.

A slice of gluten-free apple pie is being lifted from the whole pie, showcasing its flaky crust and apple filling.

What Apples Are Best for Gluten-Free Apple Pie?

I usually use Granny Smith apples because their tart flavor balances the sweet filling and they hold their shape well as the pie bakes. I also tested this recipe with a mix of sweeter apples we picked nearby, and the pie turned out great with those, too.

You don’t have to use Granny Smith, but I recommend choosing apples that stay fairly firm when baked rather than very soft varieties. The finished pie will naturally be sweeter with sweet apples, but even the version I made with quite sweet apples wasn’t overly sweet.

How to Make It

Prepare the pie dough first, divide it into two portions and refrigerate it while you make the filling.

Combine the sliced apples with the sugars, butter, lemon juice, vanilla and spices and cook for 5-8 minutes. The goal isn’t to fully cook the apples. They should just begin to soften while still holding their shape.

Mix the cornstarch and water until completely smooth, then stir it into the apples. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, until the juices surrounding the apples have thickened, and let the filling cool completely.

Roll out the bottom crust and fit it into an ungreased 9-inch (23-cm) metal pie plate. Freeze it for 15 minutes while you roll out the top crust.

Sliced apples mixed with cinnamon prepare for a gluten-free apple pie in a pie crust, showcasing the baking process.

Spoon the cooled filling into the bottom crust and spread the apples into an even layer. Add the top crust, trim and seal the edges, crimp as desired and cut several vents in the top.

Brush the crust with egg wash, sprinkle it with coarse sugar and refrigerate the assembled pie for 20-30 minutes.

Bake at 425 °F (220 °C) for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 °F (190 °C) and continue baking for another 35-50 minutes. The crust should be golden and the filling should be bubbling through the vents.

Golden-brown gluten-free apple pie with a flaky crust, surrounded by green apples and cinnamon.

Tips for Success

Don’t skip pre-cooking the filling – cooking the apples first releases some of their juice and allows some of that moisture to cook off before the filling goes into the crust. The cornstarch then thickens the remaining juices, which helps prevent a watery filling and gives you more control over the final consistency.
Cool the filling completely – warm filling will start softening the butter in the crust before the pie even reaches the oven.
Keep the apples in an even layer – don’t mound them heavily in the center. An even layer makes the finished pie easier to slice and gives you a more consistent amount of filling in each piece.
Don’t prick the bottom crust – this isn’t a blind-baked crust, so you don’t want holes that could allow the filling to seep underneath it.
Use a metal pie plate – I tested this recipe in a metal pan, which helps the bottom crust brown and crisp more effectively than glass or ceramic.
Use a rimmed baking sheet – placing the pie on a baking sheet keeps any filling that bubbles out from ending up on the bottom of your oven.
Shield the edges if necessary – if the crimped edge is getting dark while the center still needs more time, cover just the edge with foil or a pie shield.
There’s a gap between the apples and top crust – some settling is normal as the pie bakes, but precooking the apples helps minimize it. Make sure the apples are spread evenly rather than piled high in the center.

Troubleshooting

The crust is cracking while rolling – it may be too cold. Let it sit briefly until it’s flexible enough to roll, and press small cracks back together as needed.
The dough has become soft or sticky – refrigerate it again before continuing. Keeping the butter in the dough cold makes the crust much easier to work with.
The filling looks too loose before assembly – after adding the cornstarch slurry, keep cooking until the liquid around the apples has visibly thickened.
The filling is runny after slicing – make sure it was bubbling through the vents before taking the pie out of the oven and that the pie cooled for an hour before slicing. The filling continues to set as it cools, so cutting it too early can make an otherwise properly thickened filling look runny.

A slice of gluten-free apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream on a gray plate, with a forkful ready to serve.

Vegan and Dairy-free

I tested this with vegan butter in both the crust and filling with great results! Violife is the only plant-based butter brand that we have in Germany that’s also sold in the US, so that’s what I was able to test it with. I unfortunately have no idea how other brands would do because I haven’t tested any other brands.

If you’re vegan or egg-free, mix 1 tablespoon unsweetened plant-based milk with 1 teaspoon maple syrup and brush it lightly over the crust before adding the coarse sugar.

Make Ahead & Storage

The filling can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate it until you’re ready to assemble the pie. The apples will release some juice as they sit, so be sure to add all of the filling, including the accumulated juices, to the crust.

The pie dough can also be made ahead and refrigerated before rolling. I wouldn’t assemble the entire unbaked pie the night before. Once the pie is assembled, give it the 20-30 minute refrigerator chill in the recipe and then bake it. Don’t freeze the assembled pie before baking.

After baking, let the pie cool completely before covering and refrigerating it. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

To reheat the whole pie – cover loosely with foil and warm at 350 °F (175 °C) for about 20–25 minutes, or until heated through. Remove the foil for the last few minutes if you want to re-crisp the crust.

To reheat individual slices – warm at 350 °F (175 °C) for about 8–10 minutes. You can also microwave a slice for about 20–30 seconds, but the crust will be softer.

A slice of gluten-free apple pie topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel drizzle, surrounded by green apple halves.

More Apple Desserts

Apple Tartlets – little apple-filled tarts that can be made in tartlet pans or a regular cupcake pan.
Gluten-Free Apple Crumble – a larger oat-topped apple crumble with dairy-free and vegan options.
Apple Crumble for Two – two individual apple crumbles when you don’t need a full-size dessert.
Applesauce Coffee Cake – a soft applesauce and sour cream cake with fresh apple, a brown sugar-almond filling and cinnamon streusel.