Juicy Caramel Apple Crisp Pie

Apple Crisp Pie is the easiest of all pies. You don’t need to worry about how your top crust would look like, just load it up with delicious and juicy caramel apple pie filling and sprinkle it with a crunchy crisp topping that is gluten-free as well. It tastes and smells heavenly. Especially if you scoop some vanilla ice cream on top or drizzle it with caramel sauce. 

Let’s talk about pies in all forms! If you haven’t seen we have a  Flaky Gluten-free Vegan Pie Crust recipe as well as a from scratch, super easy Gingerbread Pie Crust recipe. You can also check out our Chocolate Peach Galette recipe where you can find a gluten-free vegan chocolate pie crust. Don’t forget about our Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp or our Plum Crisp where we use the same crisp recipe we have here. 

⇒ If you need an Easy 7-day VEGAN MEAL PLAN, click to download our free e-book with a shopping list. 

What is an Apple Crisp Pie?

To be honest it is not the only way to call an apple pie with a classic bottom pie crust and a crispy, crumble topping. There are so many other fancy names for this kind of pie, but in reality, they are all very-very similar. So if you are looking for a recipe for any of the following desserts you are in the right place: 

• Dutch Caramel Apple Pie
• Apple Crumble Pie
• Apple Crunch Pie
• Apple Streusel Pie
• Deep Dish Apple Pie

If you search for any of the above, you will see the same apple pie photo: traditional pie crust at the bottom, apple filling in the middle, crumble – I mean – crisp – I mean streusel topping on top.

Crisp or crumble or streusel?

Apparently, the only difference between crisp and crumble is how crunchy are they. Crisp means extra crunchy with oats and nuts, while crumble means somewhat less crunchy usually without oats and nuts, just the mix of flour, sugar, and butter. And streusel is a German word for crumble. There you go. A tiny difference in my book.

Best apples for any apple pie

The best is always the ones you already have in your pantry. I never think twice about it as I love apple pies no matter what apple is in there.

I usually go with Granny Smith, Jonagold or Jonathan. 

Useful tip: The only thing you need to keep in mind when choosing your apples is that tart apples tend to be harder so they need a longer baking time to soften. While sweet apples tend to get mushy sooner so if you bake them long you end up with apple sauce pie.

I found a really handy guide on Sprouts’ website called Comparing Apples to Apples. There is a list from most tart to most sweet with recommendation on how the different apples should be eaten, cooked or baked.

How to make juicy caramel apple pie filling?

Do we agree that the best part of an apple pie is the filling? 

Wash, peel, core and slice the apples. For a fast finish, I use my handy easy-to-use apple corer*. Try to make thin apple slices. I often use a mandolin* for evenly thin result.

Take a large saucepan and add the sliced apples, water, coconut sugar, cinnamon, molasses, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined and cover it with a lid. Bring it to boil and then take it back to medium and simmer until apples are cooked but not mushy yet. 

If the apples are soft and tender, take a small bowl and mix the corn starch with additional water. Add it to the cooked apples and mix rigorously. Try to scoot the apple slices over, so the starch mix hits the liquid part immediately. It will thicken within a minute!

Important tip: Don’t add the starch directly (aka without dissolving in water in advance) to the cooked apple filling as you will get lumps!

See the below photo for the result. It is so mouth-watering and gorgeous how the apple slices are swimming in a caramel sauce, don’t you think?

Making gluten-free crisp topping

I usually make it simple and easy mixing only 4 ingredients quickly in a food processor. You will get a very crispy, breadcrumb-like topping which goes perfectly with the soft apple slices. We also use this crisp recipe to make Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp or Plum Crisp. So the ingredients are:

• oats (rolled or quick)
• nuts (walnut, pecans or almonds)
• sweetener (coconut sugar or cane sugar)
• butter (dairy or dairy-free -> for oil-free version use nut or seed butter)

Take a bowl and combine all ingredients with a spatula: rolled oats, minced walnut or pecans, cane or coconut sugar, and dairy-free butter. If you have whole walnuts, then first chop them finely with a food processor before adding the other ingredients (photo #1). Pulse for a couple of times until combined (photo #2). Set aside until you make the apple pie filling.

Making gluten-free vegan pie crust

First, you need a pie crust at the bottom. You can use homemade or store-bought. If I am making any kind of pie, either I use my Flaky Gluten-free Vegan Pie Crust recipe or my from scratch, super easy Gingerbread Pie Crust recipe, which just smells cinnamon like gingerbread cookies. If you don’t need to eat gluten-free like I do, you are welcome to use your favorite homemade or store-bought pie crust.

If you use our Flaky GF Vegan Pie Crust, you need to follow the below steps. For more info and video, visit our pie crust post. 

1. Roll your pie crust and arrange it inside your 9-inch pie form. Use a knife to cut off the excess dough around the dish. 
2. Pre-heat oven to 350 Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius). 
3. Use a round-shaped* parchment paper or cut one for yourself and place it inside the pie dish on top of the pie crust. Use rice, beans or pie weights* to ensure that the sides and the bottom keeps its place.
4. Blind bake it for 15 minutes. (If you choose to use our Gingerbread Pie Crust, you don’t need to blind bake it.)

Assemble your Apple Crisp Pie

Take the blind baked pie crust (photo #1). Add the cooked apple pie filling and spread them around (photo #2). Try to arrange the apple slices that they are more or less cover the whole crust evenly. Sprinkle the top with the crisp topping you just made (photo #3). Bake in a pre-heated oven (350 Fahrenheit or 180 degrees Celsius) for 15 minutes until you have a crispy topping and a little bubbling around the edges (photo #4). 

Wait for it to cool down completely before slicing!

FAQs and Substitutions

Can you make it oil-free?

Yes, you can use nut butter or seed butter to make the crispy topping.

Can you make it nut-free?

Yes, you can use shredded coconut or finely chopped sunflower seeds instead of walnuts/pecans. Or even add more rolled oats instead of the supposed amount of the nuts. 

How long does it last?

Keep it in the fridge not more than 4-5 days. It is the best tasting the next day when the Apple Crisp Pie is chilled and all the ingredients are bound and come together.

What to serve with it?

How about a scoop of vanilla ice cream or coconut whipped cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce? Let us know in the comments what is your favorite combination!

This Apple Crisp Pie recipe is vegan, so dairy-free and egg-free. It is also suitable for vegetarian, and gluten-free diets. It can also be WFPB-friendly (whole foods plant-based) if you use nut or seed butter instead of coconut oil.

⇒ If you need an Easy 7-day VEGAN MEAL PLAN, click to download our free e-book with a shopping list. 

More vegan gluten-free dessert recipes

You can browse through our Vegan and Gluten-free Dessert Recipes or check out

• Vegan Gluten-free Chocolate Cake
• Vegan Gluten-free Fudge Brownies
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
• Vegan Gluten-free Sweet Potato Brownies
• Vegan Tapioca Pudding

UPDATED: This recipe was originally posted in Oct 2019, but it was re-developed, re-tested and republished as an even more delicious apple pie then before in Oct 2020.