Incredible low carb gluten free apple pie with a lattice pie top

Wow your guests with a gluten free apple pie, complete with a perfectly woven lattice pie top. Served with vanilla ice cream, it's a heavenly low carb dessert that hits all the senses.

This post is a partnership with the Washington Apple Commission. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible; I am proud to only work with companies that I truly believe in.

Jump to:

• Wow your guests with a gluten free apple pie, complete with a perfectly woven lattice pie top. Served with vanilla ice cream, it's a heavenly low carb dessert that hits all the senses.
• As North American as... Gluten free apple pie?
• Ingredient spotlight: Organic Washington Granny Smith Apples
• My top tips for making gluten free apple pie
• Can I Make a Dairy Free Apple Pie?
• What is Apple Pie A la Mode?
• Adaptations and Substitutions for gluten-free apple pie
• Ingredients for gluten free apple pie
• Directions for making a gluten free apple cake
• Storage
• Making in Advance
• Dominant flavors and ingredients
• When to Serve
• Pin for Later!
• Recipe

As North American as... Gluten free apple pie?

As a child growing up in Israel, I was raised on a steady diet of American sitcoms.

Family Matters, Full House, Degrassi Junior High, even Friends... all seemed to feature appearances of the ultimate apple pie.

Then growing up, I fell in love with quirky shows like Waitress or Pushing Daisies, which took apple pies to even greater heights.

After a while of watching these shows, apple pie really cemented itself as the ultimate North American dessert in my eyes.

But coming up with my own gluten free apple pie recipe, especially one that can withstand weaving into the perfect lattice pie top, was no easy feat. Trying to make this dough-heavy, apple laden pie low carb by using low natural sweeteners was an extra twist I didn't really know how to solve.

Turns out, the key to unlocking the ultimate gluten free apple pie recipe was a mix of several factors: good dough mix, lots of chilling, and using the perfect apples: organic Washington Granny Smith apples.

To see a step-by-step guide and my top tips for making gluten free double crust pie, read on below.

Ingredient spotlight: Organic Washington Granny Smith Apples

Organic Washington Granny Smith apples are a favourite of pie bakers all over the world, thanks to their crisp crunch and tart flavor. They play well with other spices and seasonings, and don't end up too sweet when baked into a dessert. It makes them the perfect apple to use in our low carb dessert!

Washington State is known as one of the premier apple-growing areas in the world and the growing conditions make Washington the finest place to grow organic apples.

What I truly love about Organic Washington Apples is the quality, which results from the meticulous care taken by all the Association's growers. The nutrient-rich soil, arid climate, plentiful water and advanced growing practices provide the right ingredients for producing top-quality fruit. And at the end of the day, each organic Washington apple is picked by hand.

What does organic apple farming look like?

If you're not sure what "organic" means, it means that all Organic Washington apples are grown and packed only with materials and methods approved by the National Organic Program (NOP), which rely on natural materials and processes.

• Organic orchards receive nutrition and fertilizers consisting of compost, animal manure, fishmeal, plant residues and other natural nutrients.
• Natural pest control methods are derived from plant extracts, the fermentations of yeast, beneficial insects, mating disruption pheromones and systems that bait and trap pests.
• Weeds may be controlled by mulching, cover plantings and mechanical methods.

As a result, Organic Washington Apples are nutritional power bombs. One medium apple (180 g) has only 72 calories, 19 carbohydrates, is a source of fibre and is a source of Vitamin C.

So can you eat your gluten free apple pie and feel good about it, too? Heck yeah!

For more apple desserts:

My top tips for making gluten free apple pie

• a mix of equal quantities almond flour and arrowroot powder yields the best low carb pie crust - Mixing equal quantities (in weight, not volume) of almond flour and arrowroot powder yields a soft, pliable gluten free pie crust that gets firm but flaky when baked. The fact that it's mostly low carb is an added bonus!
• use the right apples - Organic Washington Granny Smith apples are perfect for pie. They keep their shape while baking, and stay pleasantly tart and crunchy even after a while in the oven.
• chill the dough repeatedly after each shaping - if you scroll below to the the actual gluten free apple pie recipe, you'll notice that I remind you to cool the dough after each time you shape or manipulate it in any way. This is crucial, and really is what makes this gluten free apple pie crust unlike any other. It helps it stay flaky, and it keeps its shape without falling apart. In short, do not skip this.
• take time to make, chill and cool the pie before serving - I suggest that you do not attempt to bake this gluten free pie the same day you're going to serve it. Or rather, do not attempt to make the dough, shape the pie, bake it and serve it all in the span of one afternoon. Gluten free dough is fragile, and it needs at least 2 hours in the fridge upon first chilling, and overnight is best - so give this pie at least two days of prep time.

Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating and let me know in the comments! You can also leave a photo/comment on this pin for others to see.

Can I Make a Dairy Free Apple Pie?

Yes. To make dairy free apple pie that is also low carb, you need to substitute the butter for non-dairy margarine, or vegan butter. Do not use coconut oil as you really need the effect that the cold butter gives the dough - it helps it stay firm while cold.

What is Apple Pie A la Mode?

I recommend serving this gluten free apple pie recipe a la mode - which means, with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Serving pie a la mode means serving it in style - which over years of culinary arts has come to mean "topped with ice cream".

The ice cream highlights the flaky texture of the gluten free apple pie, and contrasts nicely with the warm temperature and the sweet filling. It provides a cooling sensation that really accentuates the flavor of the tart Granny Smith apples.

But if you're concerned of carbs, feel free to skip the ice cream and stick to a more low carb apple pie version.

Adaptations and Substitutions for gluten-free apple pie

Dairy-free and vegan

To make dairy-free apple pie, use vegan butter or non-dairy margarine. I have not tried to substitute the eggs, but I believe it would work with chia or flax seeds.

Keto, paleo and Whole 30

This is a Whole 30 apple pie.

Unfortunately, these recipes cannot be easily made keto (as apples aren't keto).

Gluten free apple pie is low carb, ie it's almost a paleo apple pie. It is sweetened only with coconut sugar and maple syrup, and you can sub the maple syrup for a liquidb keto sweetener if you like. However, the butter or even vegan butter is absolutely crucial to attaining the texture of this pie.

Ingredients for gluten free apple pie

To make the ultimate gluten free apple pie, you need the following ingredients:

For double pie crust:

• 2 cups almond flour
• 2 cups arrowroot flour / tapioca starch
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter or vegan butter replacement, cold, cut into cubes
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

For filling:

• 6 sliced, peeled Washington State organic Granny Smith apples
• 1 cup firmly packed coconut sugar or brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons arrowroot flour / tapioca starch
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons butter or vegan butter replacement, melted
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• a pinch of salt

For egg wash:

• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar or brown sugar

Directions for making a gluten free apple cake

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Make the gluten free pie crust

To the bowl of a food processor, add flours, salt and butter. Process in pulses until the butter and flour combine into pea-sized crumbs.

Gradually add eggs and maple syrup and process until dough starts to come together into a ball.

Remove dough from the food processor and shape into two round discs. Wrap dough discs in plastic wrap and cool in the fridge until ready to use, at least 2 hours or  overnight for best results.

Preheat the oven and prep pie dish

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F. Grease a pie dish with butter.

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Prepare the apple pie filling

Prepare the filling: Combine apples, coconut or brown sugar, starch, cinnamon and nutmeg in large bowl. Toss to combine. Add in butter, lemon juice, vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine.

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Prepare bottom layer of pie

Remove one of the dough discs from the fridge. Cover a flat working area with a large piece of parchment paper. Place the disc on it and cover with another large piece of parchment paper. Roll the dough between the two sheets of parchment paper into a thin circle that will fit inside a 9-inch pie pan, about 12 inches in diameter.

Remove the top sheet of parchment paper and, transferring the dough using the second sheet of parchment paper, invert the pie dough into your pan. Nestle it inside gently, with the extras hanging over the sides. Fill crust with filling.

Transfer the pie into the fridge to cool while working on the top.

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Prepare lattice pie top:

Remove the second dough disc from the fridge. Roll disc between two pieces of parchment paper into a circle of about 11 inches.

If using as-is, simply make a nice star shaped cut or a cross slit in the middle of the pie for steam to escape.

If making a lattice pie top, cut into strips (thicker is easier to work with), about 8 or 10 in total. Weave the lattice top on a separate sheet of parchment. You can also cut the top into a webwork of whatever shapes you want to cover the top of the pie - just make sure you have enough to really cover the pie.

If at any point your dough gets too soft and warm, return pie or affected dough piece to the fridge to cool for 10 minutes. This will make it easier to shape. I did this once while making the lattice top, right after making the separate strands and before weaving them. I then chilled the woven top.

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Cover gluten free apple pie with lattice pie top

Remove the chilled pie from the fridge. Invert the lattice pie top onto the top of the filled pie pan. Seal the pastry together along the edges - you can also crimp the crust with your fingers.

Make egg wash

In a small bowl, whisk egg and milk together. Brush the top crust with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar.

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Bake gluten free apple pie at 350F for 1 hour

Transfer pie dish onto a baking sheet to catch any drippings. Transfer to 350F oven for 1 hour, until the pie crust has become golden-brown, the apples have fully cooked and the filling bubbles. If your crust begins to burn or brown too quickly, cover loosely with aluminum foil.Let pie rest for at least 1 hour before cutting.

Serve gluten-free apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Gluten-free apple pie can remain in room temperature for 1 day, or in refrigerator for 5 days.

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Storage

Gluten-free apple pie can remain in room temperature for 1 day, or in refrigerator for 5 days.

Making in Advance

Gluten free pie crust is very fragile, and needs even more chilling than regular crust. I suggest that you do not attempt to bake this gluten free pie the same day you're going to serve it.

Instead, give the dough a few hours, or ideally overnight, to cool in the fridge. Then give yourself a few more hours before serving to make, shape, bake and chill the pie slightly before serving.

Two days of prep time are ideal for gluten free apple pie. If you'd like, you can even serve it on the third day, after it's had time to cool and then be reheated, and it'll taste great.

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Dominant flavors and ingredients

You need good, firm, fresh Organic Granny Smith Washington Apples to make the best gluten free apple pie.

The dominant flavors in our apple pie filling are cinnamon and nutmeg. You can skip or sub them for any other seasonings; feel free to use apple pie mix, Chinese five spice, or even garam masala for a special flavor.

Check out my web story to see the step-by-step lattice top apple pie making process.

When to Serve

The apples used in this cake are organic Washington Granny Smith apples, which are available year-round in most grocery stores. So you can enjoy gluten free apple pie any time of the year!

Because this pie does take time to prepare, shape and bake, I love saving it for special occassions. It's perfect during apple season, in the fall, for Thanksgiving, or even Rosh Hashanah or Sukkot.

If you're looking for more easy apple recipes:

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