Homemade gluten-free Dutch apple pie is perfect for your holiday dessert table. I love how easy it is to make, and with a buttery crust, cinnamon-spiced apples, and a sweet gluten-free crumb topping, friends and family eat it (all) up!
1 1/4cupall-purpose gluten-free flourI like Pillsbury gluten-free flour. Not all gluten-free flours are created equal. You may experience different baking results depending on the gluten-free flour blend you choose.
1/2teaspoonxanthan gumleave out if your flour already had it in it
2tablespoonsgranulated sugar
1/4teaspoonsalt
1/4cupunsalted buttervery cold, dairy-free use Smart Balance butter
1/4cupshorteningchilled, I used Crisco
1large egg
1/4teaspoonapple cider vinegar
3tablespoonswaterice-cold
Apple Filling
6cupsGranny Smith applesthinly sliced
1tablespoonlemon juice
2/3cupsgranulated sugar
1/4cupgluten-free all-purpose flour
2teaspoonsground cinnamon
1/4teaspoonground nutmeg
1/8salt
Crumb Topping
1cupgluten-free all-purpose flour
1/2cuplight brown sugarpacked
1/2cupunsalted butterdairy-free use Smart Balance Butter
Instructions
Chop the butter into small chunks and place in a small bowl. Put the butter, shortening, and water into the freezer for about 5 minutes or until really cold.
In a large bowl combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the butter and shortening to the flour mixture. Using the paddle attachment of your mixer, mix until fully combined.
Add the cold water and egg to the mixture and mix fully combined and the dough starts to form. If you don't have a stand-up mixer or hand mixer you can still make this crust the traditional way. The traditional way of cutting the butter into the flour mixture and then adding the wet ingredients, mixing it and forming it into a ball.
Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Remove from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Unwrap the dough ball and place onto parchment paper lightly floured with gluten-free flour. Lightly flour the pastry with gluten-free flour; top with the plastic wrap or another sheet of parchment paper.
Roll out the dough into a circle.
Carefully place the crust into a greased 9 1/2-inch pie deep dish pan (“1 1/2-2-inch deep). Press the dough into the bottom and sides (lift the pie crust up and do not try and stretch it). Seal any cracks, if necessary. Place the pie crust into the refrigerator while preparing the pie filling.
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Add apples to a large bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice and toss to coat apples.
In a small bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Sprinkle mixture over apples and toss until apple slices are evenly coated. Transfer apple mixture into pie crust.
In a medium bowl, combine the topping ingredients with a fork or pastry blender until the mixture resembles small crumbs. Sprinkle apple mixture with topping.
Place the pie pan on a baking sheet. Cover the pie crust edge with a 3" aluminum foil strip, to prevent over-browning.
Bake on the middle rack for 30 minutes. Remove the foil from the crust and then cover the top of the pie loosely with aluminum foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until pie crust and crumb topping are deep golden brown and filling begins to bubble.
Transfer to a cooling rack and allow pie to cool for 2–3 hours at room temperature before serving. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
The best way to measure gluten-free flour is the “spoon & level” method. I use a spoon to scoop the flour out of the bag and into the measuring cup. Then I use the back of a knife to level off the top of the measuring cup. *Do not scoop the flour from the bag with the measuring spoon. The flour will be compacted, and the measurement will be incorrect.
Tart, firm apples are the best for pie. You also want the tartness to balance the sweet ingredients in the filling. (Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Gala)
Once my dough comes together, I like to chill it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour before rolling it out. This helps the ingredients rest and prevents cracking when rolling the dough out.
Make your pie dough ahead of time to save some time, and refrigerate it for 2-3 days. I like to roll mine out and refrigerate or freeze it flat. You can freeze gluten-free pie crust for 2-3 months.
Stick the water, cubed butter, and shortening in the freezer for 5 minutes before mixing them into the flour mixture.
If you don't have a stand-up mixer or hand mixer, you can still make this crust the traditional way. The traditional way involves cutting the butter into the flour mixture, adding the wet ingredients, mixing them, and forming them into a ball.
If you’re using a glass pie dish, let it come to room temperature after chilling the pie dough and before putting it in a hot oven. Glass can explode when going directly from one extreme temperature to another. I usually take the pie dough out of the fridge after 15-20 minutes and let it sit while I preheat my oven.
Cover leftovers and store them at room temperature for up to 24 hours or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
To freeze baked pies, let the pie cool completely, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat if desired.
To freeze unbaked pies, assemble the pie but do not bake. Wrap securely in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, then freeze for up to 2 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding 10-15 minutes to the usual baking time.