Apple Cheddar Thyme Pie
DISCLAIMER: This post may contain affiliate links, which means that I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you. Please read my policy page!
Apple Cheddar Thyme Pie
This homemade Apple Cheddar Thyme Pie recipe is absolutely everything! What makes this one truly so special is the bursting of cheesy cheddar + herby flavors that pops through the buttery crust which all ties together well with the great balance of tartness from the granny smith apples. Just like with your other favorite pies, a generous scoop of ice cream (or not) is optional for more goodness. A true family staple on any given day or during the Fall season + Holidays. Gluten-free option!
Apple + Cheddar + Thyme = PERFECT COMBO!
Apple Cheddar Thyme Pie-- What more is there to say? These four words give such great meaning to one slice of pie as it should. This thickly sliced pie that you see is just TOO GOOD not to make on your own. If I'm honest, pies are MY THING. I mean I honestly love pies over cake. I know----don't throw all of the tomatoes at me. Haha. MY all-time favorites (besides this one of course) are, Peach Crumble Pie, Vegan Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie, Best Vegan Sweet Potato Pie, and Vegan Southern Bourbon Pecan Pie.
I can't even find the words to describe the feelings that you feel once you take that first bite. Personally, when I bake cakes and cupcakes, I tend to eat the first slice and then leftovers mostly get eaten by my husband. I just don't indulge that much in cakes. However, when it comes to pastries like pies, pop-tarts, galettes, etc.----I'm all game! ---I don't know. Maybe it's the balance of the crunchy, buttery crust that gets me every time. Haha. What is it for you?
If you're a fan of a crisp, buttery crust and seeking the perfect fall dessert, look no further! This delightful treat is a superb addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas spread, and it's equally suited for a cozy weeknight indulgence. Get ready for a mouthwatering blend of apples, rich cheddar, and the aromatic goodness of thyme!
Jump to:
- Apple + Cheddar + Thyme = PERFECT COMBO!
- How To Make Apple Cheddar Thyme Pie
- Ingredients
- What You’ll Love Most About This Homemade Apple Pie
- Is Cheese In Apple Pie Strange?
- TIPS FOR A FLAKY, BUTTERY CRUST EVERY SINGLE TIME
- Best Types of Apples for Pie
- To Peel or To Not Peel Apples?
- Can I Use Another Plant-Based Milk?
- Common Q + A’s About This Apple Pie Recipe
- How To Serve Apple Cheddar Thyme Pie
- More Delicious Homemade Apple Recipes
- MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
- Apple Cheddar Thyme Pie
How To Make Apple Cheddar Thyme Pie
Now, let's break it down into two main steps. First, you'll tackle that mouthwatering, buttery thyme crust. And then, it's all about whipping up the delicious apple filling. The only patience required is a bit of chill time for the dough, but beyond that, it's a straightforward and fuss-free process!
Ingredients
Cheddar + Thyme Crust:
- Organic all-purpose flour + pastry flour. The base for your delicious crust.
- Unsalted butter. Cold + cubed--Provides that rich, buttery flavor and flaky texture.
- Almond milk. Keeps the dough moist and workable. Try my homemade almond milk.
- Sea salt + a pinch of ground cinnamon. Enhances the flavor with a touch of saltiness and warmth.
- Dried thyme. Infuses the crust with a delightful herby aroma.
- Organic Mild Cheddar Cheese. Adds a cheesy, savory element to the crust. Shoutout to Organic Valley for truly being my staple brand when it comes to this cheese!
Filling:
- Large Granny Smith Apples. Peeled + sliced-- The star of the show, bringing a tart and crisp texture.
- Organic pure cane sugar. Sweetens the filling, balancing the apples' tartness.
- Arrowroot starch. Acts as a thickening agent to create a luscious, cohesive filling.
- Spices. Ground cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves + allspice-- Provide the classic warm and spicy flavors of fall.
- Organic Mild Cheddar Cheese: A surprise twist that adds a savory note to the sweet filling.
- A large egg, lightly beaten + Almond milk: Use as an egg wash to give your crust a beautiful, golden finish.
SHOP MY FAVORITE TOOLS FOR BAKING, ESPECIALLY FOR THIS PIE!
Here, I’ve curated a list of baking essentials that I use to achieve my favorite baked goods, especially with this Apple Cheddar Thyme Pie. Everything from my fave loaf pan, wooden spoons, parchment paper, and more. SEE THEM HERE!
What You’ll Love Most About This Homemade Apple Pie
- Bursting with incredible warming flavors.
- Crispy in all the right places
- Comfort food at its finest.
- A guaranteed crowd-pleaser
- A perfect blend of flavors with sweet apples, savory cheddar, and thyme--So delicious!!
Is Cheese In Apple Pie Strange?
Not at all! The combo is seriously delicious--The Southern girl in me says, "Yassssssss!". Haha. If you're Southern or have ever been around someone who is Southern, then you know CHEESE IS LIFE! While, I've done a tremendous job in minimizing dairy in my diet for the past year or year and half, I do enjoy some good ole' cheese whenever I make recipes like these.
TIPS FOR A FLAKY, BUTTERY CRUST EVERY SINGLE TIME
TIP #1: The butter is SUPER important. When it comes to the vegan buttery sticks, ensuring that they are COLD and of course from a great brand is key! For Vegan pastry crusts, I generally go for Earth’s Best Buttery Sticks which will have you believing that you’ve used actual unsalted butter.
TIP #2: Adding Shortening works too! Although, I tend to use buttery sticks alone, adding shortening or lard adds great wonders as well. All you need is half shortening and half butter.
TIP #3: Fridge time is Important time! Chilling your dough for an hour at minimum is so imperative to a flaky crust. Even slightly longer makes for a great advantage.
TIP #4: Your Flours matter big time! While different brands of flour actually hydrate different (causing for a slightly different result), ensuring that you mix in all-purpose flour with pastry flour is also just as important. Believe it or not, pastry flour actually makes a difference and serves a greater purpose!
TIP #5: SLOWLY pour in water, don’t dump it! Ensuring that you lightly pour water-acv mixture while creating dough is so imperative. I generally slightly pour ¼ at a time and work the dough with my hands to eyeball how wet or dry everything is.
TIP #6: Dough can be made in advance, too. If making your crust ahead, you can always store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. No longer!
TIP #7: Not too Thick or Thin. Ensuring that you roll out a good enough crust is of course a must. Most go by the rule of thumb being ⅛ of an inch thickness or even slightly thicker. This helps your crust to the perfect thickness to carry the weight of your filling without compromising flakiness.
Best Types of Apples for Pie
Even though this homemade apple pie uses granny smith apples, you can also switch things up and add a slightly new flare to it's flavor profile by adding any of the following apples for a bit more sweetness or tart:
- Gala
- Honeycrisp
- Fuji
- Pink Lady
- Golden Delicious
- Braeburn
- and more!
To Peel or To Not Peel Apples?
It is entirely up to you! I've made this recipe both ways and enjoy them both. I usually make this apple cheddar pie recipe for my family, and my kids sometimes won't eat it with the skins on, so I peel them most of the time. I'm sure it goes without saying, but if you choose to leave the skins on, make sure to wash the apples thoroughly!
Can I Use Another Plant-Based Milk?
Yes, you can use any dairy-free milk you like to make this homemade apple pie recipe. Here are some easy recipes to make your own milk that’s cheaper and so easy!
- Quinoa Milk
- Coconut Milk
- Easy Homemade Creamy Cashew Milk
- How to Make Potato Milk
- Ultra Creamy Homemade Oat Milk
- Cauliflower Milk
Common Q + A’s About This Apple Pie Recipe
Absolutely! When it comes to make most pies, you can make the crust a day or two in advance and refrigerate it until you're ready to use it. For longer chill times, you might need to let your crust sit at room temp for a few minutes before you begin rolling it out. For the filling, you can simply add all of the ingredients together and stir them in a bowl, wrap the top of bowl tightly, and store in the refrigerator overnight.
When it comes to the filling, you can spruce things up a bit by using various types of apples----a mix of Granny Smith, Gala, HoneyCrisp, Fuji, etc. for extra flavor. In addition, you can always add a bit of smokiness to the filling by adding Gouda cheese or bacon. I mean---why not? Haha.
Honestly, when it comes to my pies, I am pretty traditional with the design. While there are many types of designs for your crust, including braids, lattice, cutouts, etc., I chose to keep it simple with a wheel decorator cutter tool.
Of course, there are so many other tools which help you to create a great looking crust such as dough blender, pastry wheel, pastry tamper, and if you're really technical----a dough rolling bag which has measurements.
Rolling out my dough was once a challenge that took practice to master for true evenness. Honestly, it wasn't until I began using this french rolling pin, that I started to feel the ease of rolling out my dough evenly. Of course, ensuring that you cute your dough in half since you'll be needing a top + bottom with pie along with having a bit of flour readily available to add to the surface to avoid sticking are other things that help too!
Of course! To make the crust entirely gluten-free, simply substitute the flour with a great Gluten-Free flour option like Bob's Red Mill's GF 1-to-1 baking flour or All-purpose flour. If using any other flour, ensure that it has Xanthan Gum included or add 1 teaspoon in with any flour that doesn't. For the remaining ingredients, just make sure that you use arrowroot starch which is very GF-friendly.
How To Serve Apple Cheddar Thyme Pie
While this homemade apple pie recipe stands tall and proud all on its own, it would almost be a bit rude not to enjoy it with a generous scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream or my family's favorite is No-Churn Butter Pecan Ice Cream. Feel free to use your favorite creamy topping AND to make it a truly heartwarming fall dessert, cozy up with a cup of homemade hot apple cider or caramel hot chocolate!
More Delicious Homemade Apple Recipes
If this homemade apple pie won your heart, and you're as smitten with apples as I am, try these recipes next-- Guaranteed to make your taste buds dance with delight!
- Best Apple Hand Pies
- Vegan Apple Bread
- Fluffy Overnight Apple Butter Eggnog Cinnamon Rolls
- Warm Vegan Apple Cinnamon Pancakes
- Vegan Apple Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread
- Apple Cider Vinegar Detox Lemonade
- Apple Spice Cornmeal Waffles
- Vegan Apple Spice Muffins
- Easy Warm Apple Chai Latte
MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
If you tried my homemade Apple Cheddar Thyme Pie recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you.
Apple Cheddar Thyme Pie
Ingredients
FOR CHEDDAR + THYME CRUST:
- 1 ½ cups organic all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups organic pastry flour
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold + cubed (That’s 2 sticks!)
- 1 cup Almond milk, cold (See Notes!)
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 cup Shredded Organic Mild Cheddar Cheese
FOR FILLING:
- 6-7 large Granny Smith Apples, peeled + sliced
- ½ cup organic pure cane sugar
- ¼ cup Arrowroot starch (See Notes/FAQ!)
- 1 ½ Tbsps ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ½ cup Shredded Organic Mild Cheddar Cheese
OTHER:
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten + 1 tablespoon Almond milk (This will be your egg wash)
Instructions
TO MAKE THE CRUST:
- In a large bowl, add the all-purpose flour, pastry flour, sea salt, pinch of cinnamon, dried thyme and shredded cheddar, whisking them all together.
- Add the cubed butter and using a pastry blender, blend butter into dry ingredients until the mixture becomes “peas-like” and crumbly.
- Pour the cold milk (slowly) and stir (working it together with one hand) until the dry ingredients are moistened. **NOTE: If the ingredients feels a little too dry, add 1 tablespoon of cold milk at a time, until it’s moistened BUT not too wet!**
CHILL THE DOUGH:
- Once you’re able to form it into a ball, cut in half into 2 separate balls and wrap them in plastic wrap (individually) and refrigerate for 1 hour (minimum), up to 1 and a half hours or of course overnight.
- In the meantime, make the Pie Filling.
TO MAKE PIE FILLING:
- In a large bowl, add the sliced apples, sugar, starch, spices, and cheese, stirring everything together until well combined. Set aside.
ASSMEBLY:
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove dough balls from the refrigerator and place them on a lightly floured surface. Roll out first dough ball (not making it too thin), about ½-inch thick and gently placing it in your pre-greased (with butter) pie crust baking pan; working it around evenly. Next roll out 2nd dough ball (about the same thickness as first one) and leave it there until ready to use.
- Add the apples and minimal amount of juices from the bowl to the center of the crust, evenly spreading it out until evenly spread.
- Now go back to your set aside flattened 2nd pie crust dough and using a sharp knife or wheel pastry cutter, cut dough (longways) into eight to ten 1⁄2-inch-wide strips. To make the strips easier to transfer, gently fold them over, then place them on top of the pie and unfold them, being sure to place the longer strips in the middle and working the shorter ones toward either side of the pie.
- To create a lattice pattern, place one long strip of dough perpendicular to the parallel strip, then unfold the folded strips over the perpendicular strip. Lay a second perpendicular strip of dough next to the first one with some space between them and unfold the folded parallel strip over the second one. Continue with each strip until a complete weave is made over the top of the pie.
- Make sure to pinch each end together with bottom crust to ensure that both top and bottom crust stay in tact. Be sure to do any folding or tucking for any excess pie crust. Then using the last two strips from the dough, twist and add it around the edges of the pie until fully all around.
BAKE THE PIE:
- Once done, lightly brush the top of pie crust with egg wash and place in the oven to bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until top is golden brown and apples are bubbling through.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool COMPLETELY----about 2 or so hours.
- Slice pie and serve with a few scoops of ice cream, if desired.
- Bon Appetit!
Tips & Tricks
- STORAGE: Keep leftover pie tightly wrapped with heavy duty plastic wrap or foil and refrigerated for 3-4 days. Re-heat each slice when serving.
- FLOUR: If you don’t have Pastry Flour available, simply substitute for All-Purpose Flour.
- TIPS FOR THE PERFECT PIE CRUST: Be sure to check out my article on How to Make the Perfect Pie Crust!
- MILK: You can substitute Almond milk with your favorite plant-based milk, regular whole milk, or water.
- FOOD PROCESSOR FOR CRUST: If using a food processor to incorporate water to flour/butter mixture, ONLY ADD ¼ cup of water AT A TIME to your dough, keeping it on “pulse” to avoid the dough from breaking down too much and it becoming “watery”. With this method, you may not need the entire 1 cup of water.
- APPLES: Best apples to use for this bread are: Granny Smith, Gala, Honeycrisp, Fuji, etc.
- STARCH: If you don't have arrowroot starch (which is a great GF starch), you can substitute with regular starch, tapioca flour, or regular all-purpose flour.
Nutrition
DID YOU MAKE THIS recipe?
Tag @orchidsnsweettea_ on Instagram and hashtag it #orchidsandsweettea
LOVE THIS RECIPE?
LET US KNOW!