Ginger apple pie - this delicious vegan apple pie includes ginger for an extra spicy kick of flavour! Juicy apples and firey ginger are encased in crisp vegan pastry. It is perfect served with ice cream or custard!
This vegan ginger apple pie the ultimate classic comforting pudding, with a spicy ginger twist.
Crisp vegan pastry is filled with a mountain of tangy, juicy apples mixed with a double kick of both fresh and candied ginger. It is sweet (but not too sweet), spicy, warming and very moreish!
I love it served warm with either custard or vanilla ice cream; it is the perfect pudding for cold autumnal days!
What Do I Need To Make Ginger Apple Pie?:
For The Filling:
Apples: I like to use a mix of cooking apples and eating apples as I think that gives the best flavour and texture. For the cooking apples Bramleys are the best choice, though Granny Smith will work too.
For the eating apples I like to use Braeburn, but you can use any variety that you like the flavour of.
Ginger: I've gone for a combination of grated fresh ginger and finely chopped stem or crystallised ginger for a double whammy of flavour. The ginger flavour is very strong so if you want it to be a bit less in your face you can halve the amount.
Sugar: A mix of light brown soft and granulated sugars gives the best flavour but you can use all of one or the other if you prefer (brown woud be best).
Plain flour and cornflour (cornstarch): You need to add some flour to thicken up the juices otherwise you will end up with a very soggy pie! You can swap the cornflour (cornstarch) for arrowroot if you prefer.
Lemon juice: Adding the juice of a lemon stops the apple slices from browning and adds a nice tang to the flavour.
Cinnamon: Always a classic pairing with apples. The cinnamon is optional but highly recommended.
For The Pastry:
Plain flour: I use plain (all-purpose) flour but you can also use pastry flour. I haven't tried making this pie gluten free.
Icing sugar: I find that icing (powdered) sugar makes for a better textured pastry than caster or granulated sugar does.
Salt: Pastry without salt is bland af.
Vegan block butter/margarine: When it comes to baking I always recommend using a block butter/margarine rather than the spreadable kind in a tub. This is because the spreadable stuff has a higher water content so may not give you the best results whereas the block kind has a similar fat percentage to dairy butter.
In particular when it comes to things like pastry, you really want to use a block variety for the best, crispy pastry. I like Naturli Vegan Block or Flora block.
Vodka: Vodka is my (not-so) secret trick for crispy pastry. Because it has a lower water percentage than well, water; using a bit of vodka rather than water to bind the pastry makes for crispier pastry as the alcohol burns off when it cooks.
You can't taste it at all and you can absolutely use water instead if you prefer, but if you happen to have a bottle of vodka lurking in the cupboard I urge you to give it a try!
How To Make Ginger Apple Pie:
(For ingredients and full instructions see the recipe card below)
Start by making the pastry. Place plain flour, icing sugar and salt in a large bowl and whisk to mix, or place in a food processor and pulse until combined.
Add cold diced vegan block butter and rub it in using your fingers or blend with the food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no lumps of fat remain.
Add ice cold vodka (or water) and mix; drizzle in a little ice cold water as needed to bring the pastry together into a ball.
Divide the pastry in half and shape each half into a disc. Cover the pastry discs and pop them in the fridge for half an hour or so until it has firmed up a bit.
Once the pastry has chilled prepare the filling. Peel and core a mixture of cooking and eating apples then cut them into thin slices.
Place them in a large bowl and toss with grated fresh ginger and lemon juice then add plain flour, cornflour, light brown soft sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, stem or crystallised ginger and salt. Mix until everything is well combined. Set aside.
Roll out one of the pastry discs on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick then carefully transfer it to a 23cm / 9 inch round 5 cm / 2 inch deep pie dish.
Press the pastry into the corners and up the sides and trim off the excess, leaving about 3 cm / 1 inch overhanging. Reserve the trimmings.
Transfer the apple filling to the pie dish, piling it high and discarding any juices that have collected in the bottom of the bowl as they can make the pie too wet.
How To Decorate Vegan Ginger Apple Pie:
There are a couple of ways that you can decorate this ginger apple pie; I went for a lattice top but you can also just do a plain crust, or use cutters to make a decorative crust. Pinterest is great for pie crust inspiration!
To make a lattice top, roll the other ball of pastry out as above and use a pizza wheel or sharp knife to cut it into 1-2 inch wide strips.
Using your two longest strips, lay on the tart to make a cross in the centre – don’t attach the strips to the edges. The strip that’s vertical as you look at it should be on top.
Lay two strips of pastry horizontally, either side of the horizontal strip.
Fold the middle horizontal strip back on itself to the left and put a vertical strip on the tart to the right of the folded back strip. Unfold the pastry strip back to its original position, then repeat on the other side.
Now repeat with the vertical strips: fold up the middle vertical strip, put a horizontal strip at the bottom, then fold back the middle strip. Repeat this process on all sides until the pie is covered.
You can vary the lattice pattern by slicing some of your pastry strips in half lengthwise and placing the two narrow strips next to each other, weaving them into the lattic as if they were one strip.
You can also cut three long, thin strips and braid them together, using the resulting braid in place of one of the lattice strips.
Press all the edges down to seal using a drop of water to help them stick, then trim off the excess.
Fold the overhanging pastry back over itself so that it covers the ends of the lattice strips, press it down to seal then crimp the edge, either with your fingers or the tines of a fork. Place the pie in the fridge for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven.
Brush the top of the pie with non-dairy milk and sprinkle with caster or granulated sugar. Bake for 60-75 minutes until the apples are tender (a knife pushed into the filling should go in easily) and the filling is bubbling.
You can loosely cover the pie with tin foil part way through baking if the pastry starts to get too dark before the apples are cooked.
Top Tips:
For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
For the pastry it is important to use a vegan block butter/margarine – the kind that comes in a foil wrapped block, NOT the spreadable kind in a tub which has too high a water content for baking. I use Naturli Vegan Block but Flora, Stork, Vitalite or Tormor blocks are also fine (not the tub versions).
When you are making the pastry try and keep everything as cold as possible - butter straight out of the fridge and ice cold vodka/water to bind it. If the pastry gets too warm it can end up being tough.
Using a bit of vodka instead of water to bind the pastry helps to keep it crisp, as vodka has a lower water percentage. You can use water if you don’t want to use vodka though (you can’t taste it and the alcohol burns off during baking).
To save time you can use store bought pastry if you prefer. Jus-Rol shortcrust pastry is vegan friendly, as are many other supermarket own brand versions.
If you want to be able to slice the pie neatly then it is important to allow it to cool for around three hours before slicing it. You can absolutely serve it before it has fully cooled however as long as you don't mind the filling seeping out a bit.
Can I Make A Plain Vegan Apple Pie?:
Yes absolutely! Simply omit the fresh and stem/crystallised ginger and you have yourself a delicious vegan apple pie!
How To Store Ginger Apple Pie:
This pie is best served on the day it is baked but it will keep (covered) in the fridge for up to four days. Slices can be heated through in the microwave to serve.
More Vegan Pies And Tarts:
Vegan peanut butter chocolate tart
Vegan strawberry tart with coconut pastry cream
No-bake chocolate stem ginger tart
Blueberry pie with coconut oil crust
If you tried this recipe let me know how it went! Rate it, leave a comment or tag @domestic_gothess on Instagram and hashtag it #domesticgothess
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Ginger Apple Pie (Vegan)
Ingredients
Pastry:
- 400 g (3 ¼ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
- ¾ tsp salt
- 55 g (½ cup) icing (powdered) sugar
- 230 g (1 cup) vegan block butter/margarine (NOT the spreadable kind. I use Naturli vegan block) cold and diced
- 2 Tbsp cold vodka (or water)
- ice water as needed
- non-dairy milk for glazing (I use soy)
- caster or granulated sugar for sprinkling
Filling:
- 4 large Bramley apples (or Granny Smith)
- 4 large eating apples (I use Braeburn)
- 1-2 Tbsp finely grated fresh ginger*
- juice of 1 lemon
- 40 g (⅓ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour
- 10 g (1 Tbsp) cornflour (cornstarch)
- 75 g (⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp) light brown soft sugar
- 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 heaped Tbsp finely chopped stem or crystallised ginger
- ⅛ tsp salt
Instructions
- Start by making the pastry. Place the plain flour, icing sugar and salt in a large bowl and whisk to mix or place in a food processor and pulse until combined.
- Add the cold diced vegan block butter and rub it in using your fingers or blend with the food processor until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs and no lumps of fat remain.
- Add the cold vodka (or water) and mix; drizzle in a little cold water as needed to bring the pastry together into a ball. Divide the pastry in half and shape each half into a disc.
- Cover the pastry discs and pop them in the fridge for half an hour until it has firmed up a bit.
- Once the pastry has chilled prepare the filling. Peel and core the apples then cut them into thin slices. Place them in a large bowl and toss with the grated ginger and lemon juice then add the plain flour, cornflour, light brown soft sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, stem or crystallised ginger and salt. Mix until everything is well combined. Set aside.
- Roll out one of the pastry discs on a lightly floured surface to about 3mm thick then carefully transfer it to a 23cm / 9 inch round, 5 cm / 2 inch deep pie dish. Press the pastry into the corners and up the sides and trim off the excess, leaving about 3cm / 1 inch overhanging. Reserve the trimmings.
- Transfer the apple filling to the pie dish, piling it high and discarding any juices that have collected in the bottom of the bowl.
- Roll out the other half of the pastry to about 3mm thick. If you wish to make a lattice crust, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut it into strips. They can all be the same width or you can vary the width as I did. You can also cut thin strips and braid them together.
- Using your two longest strips, lay on the tart to make a cross in the centre – don’t attach the strips to the edges. The strip that’s vertical as you look at it should be on top.
- Lay two strips of pastry horizontally, either side of the horizontal strip.
- Fold the middle horizontal strip back on itself to the left and put a vertical strip on the tart to the right of the folded back strip. Unfold the pastry strip back to its original position, then repeat on the other side.
- Now repeat with the vertical strips: fold up the middle vertical strip, put a horizontal strip at the bottom, then fold back the middle strip. Repeat this process on all sides until the pie is covered. You can re-roll the pastry trimmings to cut more strips if needed.
- Press all the edges down to seal using a drop of water to help them stick, then trim off the excess.
- Fold the overhanging pastry back over itself so that it covers the ends of the lattice strips, press it down to seal then crimp the edge. Place the pie in the fridge for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/400°F/gas mark 6.
- Brush the top of the pie with non-dairy milk and sprinkle with caster or granulated sugar. Bake for 60-75 minutes until the apples are tender (a knife pushed into the filling should go in easily) and the filling is bubbling. You can loosely cover the pie with tin foil part way through baking if the pastry starts to get too dark before the apples are cooked.
- Remove the pie from the oven and leave to cool, uncovered, for 3 hours before serving.
Notes
- For the best results make sure that you follow the recipe closely. As always, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients using the gram measurements (with a digital scale), rather than the cup conversions. Cup measurements are simply not accurate enough for baking and I cannot guarantee the best results if you use them.
- *Use 1 Tbsp ginger for a milder flavour, or 2 Tbsp for a strong kick. Or omit the ginger completely for a plain vegan apple pie.
- If you want to be able to slice the pie neatly then it is important to allow it to cool for around three hours before slicing it. You can absolutely serve it before it has fully cooled however as long as you don't mind the filling seeping out a bit.
Marcia Castiel
This recipe is ansoodelicious and I have made it a couple of times. Normally we eat it straight away but I was wondering if I could make it ahead of time and freeze it? If so would you freeze it baked or unbaked? Thank you
Hannah
Hi Marcia, thank you! I would freeze the pie before baking but you may need to make a couple of adjustments to the recipe - I would add an extra 10g of cornflour to the filling as freezing the apples may make them more juicy, and bake the pie right from the freezer rather than defrosting it first as that may make it soggy, but I would drop the temperature by 10° to 190C and bake it for a bit longer, about 90 minutes, to ensure that it is fully cooked through.
Suzanne
This pie was absolutely scrumptious . I made it for my mum who just loved it. I have one question. I was not sure if the pastry was blind baked. I got nervous and I did blind bake it before putting the filling in and it worked just fine. But maybe I should not have blind baked?
Hannah
Hi Suzanne, I don't blind bake the pastry in this case so that you can properly seal and crimp the edges once you have added the lattice top. Blind baking certainly wouldn't do the pie any harm however so if you would rather blind bake then go for it!
Emily hemler
This pie is unbelievably delicious. It didn’t last longer than 3 days between my husband and I. The ginger is such a wonderful, surprising addition and the filling was perfect without too much moisture. Will be making again!
Laura Harris
Absolutely delicious! I didn't have any fresh ginger so I added some ground ginger instead. The Stem ginger is a great addition though. Thanks for the brilliant Vegan recipe as always.
Lauren
This is so delicious! I was a bit nervous as I have never made a pie before, scared of the notorious soggy bottom, but this turned out great and went down a hit at my Dad's birthday. I used about 10 smaller cooking apples from my friends garden and swapped the vodka for rum but everything else like the recipe. Definitely give this recipe a try!