Homemade Caramel Apple Pie
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This homemade caramel apple pie combines tart apples with cinnamon caramel underneath a flaky crust. It’s surprisingly easy and perfect for fall!
Do you love caramel apple dip and apple pie? With this easy vegetarian recipe, you can enjoy the best of both worlds!
Imagine tart apples smothered in a rich, buttery caramel, all wrapped in a flaky golden crust. And just when you think it can’t get better, there’s even more cinnamon caramel on top!
Did I also mention that both the crust and caramel are made from scratch?
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If you’re looking for a plant-based version of this incredible apple pie, let me hook you up with this vegan caramel apple pie recipe.
Don’t forget the scoops of vegan vanilla ice cream on top!
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Caramel Apple Pie Recipe
- This delicious caramel apple pie recipe only needs 6 simple ingredients. The prep work is also simple since the apples are not cooked separately.
- This vegetarian caramel apple pie is the perfect make-ahead dessert! The textures are even better the next day.
- With its flaky golden brown crust, spiced caramel, tender Granny Smith apples, and cozy cinnamon, this delicious apple pie will surely get you in the mood for fall.
Ingredients And Substitutions
Pie crust – I highly recommend making your own pie crust! Our 6-ingredient vegan pie crust recipe is foolproof and will give you the best flaky crust for this apple and caramel pie.
Unsalted butter and all-purpose flour – We’ll make our own caramel for this vegetarian caramel apple pie, and it starts with butter and flour for the perfect thickness and richness.
Granulated sugar and brown sugar – Using two kinds of sugar will give the caramel a deeper color and flavor. Feel free to stir in some salt for a salted caramel apple pie!
Ground cinnamon – Other cozy fall spices like nutmeg will also be delicious for the caramel apple pie filling.
Water – Helps dissolve the sugars.
Granny Smith apples – The sweetness and richness of the cinnamon caramel call for tart Granny Smith apples. But for a more complex flavor, try combining them with sweeter varieties like Fuji or Honeycrisp!
Tips For Making This Recipe
Make a Lattice Pie Crust
Roll out the top crust so it’s 2 inches wider than your pie dish, and cut it into strips. Arrange half of them as parallel lines over the filled pie and fold every other piece up. Lay a horizontal strip perpendicular to them, then unfold the vertical strips. Fold the other vertical strips up, add another horizontal strip, and repeat the process until the pie is covered. Leave 2 inches of excess dough at the edge, roll it up, and crimp the edge of the crust to finish.
Use a Flat Top Crust
You can also do a simple flat top crust for your homemade caramel apple pie. Roll out the top crust, place it on top of the filled pie, leave a 3/4-inch overhang, and fold the edge over and under the edge of the bottom crust, pressing them together. Don’t forget to score the top of the pie so the steam can escape as the pie bakes!
Get a Golden Crust
Brush the top with an egg wash to give your flaky pie crust a golden, shiny finish.
Caramel Apple Pie Recipe FAQs
What kind of apples are best for homemade caramel apple pie?
Granny Smith apples are the best apples for apple pie because they hold their shape well, and their tartness complements the pie’s sweetness. Skip apples like Fuji and Gala, as they tend to get mushy and grainy after baking.
Can you freeze this apple caramel pie?
Absolutely! Allow the freshly baked caramel apple pie to cool, then freeze it for up to 3 months. You can also freeze it before baking. To bake from frozen, extend the baking time by 20 minutes.
Should you cook apples before putting them in a pie?
You don’t need to cook or par-bake the apples for this caramel apple pie recipe. Just make sure the slices are uniform so they get cooked evenly.
How to prevent runny caramel apple pie?
Allow your homemade caramel apple pie to cool before slicing so the apple filling will have time to thicken up.
What to do if the top of the apple caramel pie is burning?
You can tent the top of your vegetarian apple pie with foil to keep it from browning too much.
More Delicious Vegan Dessert Recipes
- Vegan Cheesecake
- Baked Apple Cider Donuts
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Vegan Coconut Cream Pie
- Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream
I found this recipe for Vegetarian Naked Apple Tart that I HAVE to try!
Yay! You have made it this far, and I am so glad! Hey – If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Your comment and/or rating helps other readers!
Homemade Caramel Apple Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 double pie crust (you can double my homemade pie crust)
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 6 to 10 tbsp all-purpose flour (or until you form a paste)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon (plus extra for sprinkling)
- 1/2 cup water
- 6 to 7 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan.
- Stir in 6 tablespoons of flour to form a paste.
- Add the sugars, cinnamon, and water. Bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat and simmer the caramel sauce for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place the bottom crust in your baking dish. Fill it with the apple slices, mounding them slightly.
- Top the apples with half of the caramel sauce.
- Cover the filled pie with the top crust using your preferred technique.
- Slowly pour the remaining caramel over the crust so it doesn’t run off. Top with a few shakes of cinnamon.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce to 350°F and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes or until golden.
- Let the pie rest for at least 4 hours before slicing. Enjoy!
Notes
- Roll out the top crust so it’s 2 inches wider than your pie dish, and cut it into strips. Arrange half of them as parallel lines over the filled pie and fold every other piece up. Lay a horizontal strip perpendicular to them, then unfold the vertical strips. Fold the other vertical strips up, add another horizontal strip, and repeat the process until the pie is covered. Leave 2 inches of excess dough at the edge, roll it up, and crimp the edge of the crust to finish.
- You can also do a simple flat top crust for your homemade caramel apple pie. Roll out the top crust, place it on top of the filled pie, leave a 3/4-inch overhang, and fold the edge over and under the edge of the bottom crust, pressing them together. Don’t forget to score the top of the pie so the steam can escape as the pie bakes!
- Brush the top with an egg wash to give your flaky pie crust a golden, shiny finish.
I don’t usually comment on recipes I come across, but I HAVE to tell you that this is mine and my husband’s all time favorite apple pie recipe! I have made it for the last few autumn seasons and we’re obsessed every time haha! Thank you for posting it, I’ve yet to find one that tops it!
Oh my! Thanks so much Tessa. Glad to hear that this is your all time favorite apple pie recipe.
xo ~ Louisa
I love this recipe! I’ve been making it for years. It always turns out perfectly! Wondering if after it sits at room temperature if it needs to be refrigerated? I’ve always let it cool for about 4 hours and then pop it in the fridge, but this time I forgot and left it out for about 20 hours. Thanks!
Hi Camille, Thanks for coming back and letting me know you’ve made it several times. That is a great question and honestly, I always error on the side of caution and refrigerate. I am not sure if eating the pie after it being room temp for 20 hours would be safe, I am sorry I don’t have the answer to that! 🙂
hi! my butter and flour mixture never forms a paste. it just stays a liquid. am I doing something wrong?
Hi Diana 🙂 Thank you for reaching out with your question. I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t form a paste. My suggestion would be to gradually add 1 tablespoon more of flour at a time until you achieve the desired paste consistency.
If I put the pie on a baking tray to catch dripping- will I need to adjust my bake time at all?
Sorry for the delay in my response. We were out of town 🙂 Placing a pie on a baking tray to catch any potential drippings should not significantly affect the bake time. You may need to adjust it only slightly.
When I make the sauce, there’s usually a lot of liquid that separates from the sugar. Thoughts?
Give it a good whisk right before pouring over the apples, and you’ll be good to go. It happens to me too if I let it sit too long before pouring over the apples and crust.
I’ve tried to make this pie twice now but both times it turns out very liquid, is there something I am doing wrong?
When you pull it out of the oven, it will be liquidy. It always is for me as well. Letting it sit and completely cool will allow it to thicken and get nice and gooey.
I made this and it was amazing!! I like to make my pies very full, so my only recommendation is to use a deep pie dish. I used a standard size, but thankfully put my pie on a drip ring. I had to switch it out after the first 15 minutes as it was dripping over.
Is there a trick to making the caramel? Every time I’ve made it, there’s too much, and it bakes out into the oven.
Hi Joe! I’m sorry you’re having troubles with the Caramel. I sometimes use a deep dish pie pan. If you don’t have one of those available, just place the pie pan on a baking sheet to catch any escaping caramel. Enjoy!
I forgot sugar in my sauce ugh hopefully it’s still a hit tomorrow!
This recipe looks great! Thank you for sharing! If you make it the day before you want to eat it, when can you put it in the fridge? After it sits out for 4 hours? Also, what’s the best way to warm it up the next day? Thank you in advance!!
This pie had everyone who tried it in love with it. Definitely my go to recipie