Homemade Apple Berry Crumble Pie
Homemade Apple Berry Crumble Pie
This Homemade Apple Berry Crumble Pie is a great upgrade on the classic apple pie which is a staple in many homes. What makes this one so special is the bursting of flavor from the apples and beautiful mix of berries that include strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries; which pops through the buttery, flaky vegan crust. Just like with your other favorite pies, a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream makes every bite even better and it's a recipe that your entire family will love. Completely dairy-free and vegan. Gluten-free option.
Seriously, when it comes to any form of pie, I am get so elated. Especially, when pies have a crumble topping like this one----I'm totally here for it. It's my favorite. Apple pies in general are so timeless because you can literally enjoy them during every season, which is why there's no need to wait for the Fall season when it comes to this Homemade Apple Berry Crumble Pie.
Besides, berries are at their best in the late Spring and Summer, so putting this one on your Spring baking list is a must! Plus, you can always omit the berries and make a more traditional apple pie like this Dutch Apple Pie or My Favorite Peach Crumble Pie! There's just never a time to not enjoy pie and it makes for the perfect family dessert. But if you're in the Fall mood at any point, then you'll certainly love this Vegan Apple Cranberry Crumble Pie and Vegan Southern Bourbon Pecan Pie. Either way, you won't be disappointed with good pie.
What is Apple Crumble Pie?
Basically, apple crumble pie is the fusion of both a traditional apple pie which has a crust which is then generously filled with juicy apples and an apple crumble which consists of no crust, but just cooked apple that are topped with a crumble-like breadcrumb topping. Seriously, the best invention!
Jump to:
- What is Apple Crumble Pie?
- What You'll Love Most About this Apple Berry Crumble Pie:
- Ingredients for Apple Berry Crumble Pie
- How to Make Crumble for Apple Pie
- How to Fix Pie Crumble
- How to Bake an Apple Crumble Pie in a Pre-made Crust
- Tips For Making the Flakiest Pie Crust
- Best Types of Apples for this Apple Pie
- How to Store + Reheat this Apple Pie
- Common Q + A's for this Apple Berry Crumble Pie
- More Easy Vegan Baking Recipes to Try Next!
- MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
- Homemade Apple Berry Crumble Pie
What You'll Love Most About this Apple Berry Crumble Pie:
- It has a buttery, flaky crust.
- Has a rich, perfectly packed warm-spiced filling that balances sweet + tart flavors from the tender apples + berries.
- Is completely dairy-free + vegan for everyone to enjoy!
- Comes topped with a brown-sugary buttery, oat-y crumble.
- Goes together well with a generous scoop of ice cream or coconut whipped cream.
Ingredients for Apple Berry Crumble Pie
This apple pie consists of three components: the crust, the apple-berry filling, and the crumble topping. Here's a breakdown of what you need:
PIE CRUST
Here's what you need for a flaky and buttery vegan pie crust:
- All-purpose flour. I like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur’s organic flour, which is certified vegan.
- Cane sugar. I use organic sugar. Feel free to substitute with organic brown sugar or coconut sugar.
- Cinnamon. A pinch of cinnamon adds a little flavor to the crust.
- Vegan Butter. Make sure your butter is VERY cold and cut into cubes if using buttery sticks (or grated) so your pie gets really flaky.
- Almond milk. You can use water or other dairy-free milk if you like.
- Apple cider vinegar. A little acidity really helps to create a beautiful crust. You can also sub with lemon juice.
APPLE BERRY FILLING
While the pie crust is chilling, you can make the juicy, sweet spiced apple berry filling using these ingredients:
- Apples. I love using Granny Smith, Gala and/or Honeycrisp apples for best results. However, you can only use one type of apple, if preferred.
- Berries. I love using a mix of fresh berries like strawberries, blueberries, + blackberries. You can mix and match or omit whichever you'd prefer. Raspberries are a great addition as well. If using frozen fruit, be sure to toss them in flour before adding them to the recipe. This creates a barrier to prevent excess moisture while baking.
- Cane sugar. I use organic sugar. Feel free to substitute with organic brown sugar or coconut sugar.
- Arrowroot starch. This is a great thickener for the filling since there is moisture involved during the baking process. You can also use tapioca flour, cornstarch, or more flour instead.
- Vegan butter. No need to have the butter at room temperature. You can take it right out the fridge if needed because you’ll be cutting it into small pieces to tuck in between your apples and berries in the filling.
- Vanilla. Another important flavor boost to this pie.
- Cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. For more warming flavors and it amplifies the apple + berry notes in this recipe!
PIE CRUMBLE TOPPING
Finally, make the crumbly topping for your apple berry pie. You'll need:
- Flour. I use all-purpose flour for the creation of the topping. For the gluten-free option, use a high-quality GF flour from Bob's Red Mill or King Arthur.
- Brown Sugar. Make sure it’s organic for vegan.
- Thick Cut Rolled Oats. You can use rolled oats, quick oats, or steel-cut oats if preferred. Choose gluten-free if necessary.
- Vegan butter. No need to have the butter at room temperature. You can take it right out the fridge if needed because you’ll be partially melting it.
- Cinnamon. Always amplifies the flavors in the entire pie.
How to Make Crumble for Apple Pie
The crumble topping for the apple berry pie is literally simple ingredients that include flour, brown sugar, rolled oats, cinnamon, and butter. It's such an easy process and can be easily tossed together by:
Mixing together the flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon until combined.
Add partially melted vegan butter to dry ingredients and using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir together until the mixture resembles "wet sand" with medium-sized crumbles visible. Wallah!
How to Fix Pie Crumble
If for any reason you feel like your apple pie crumble is a bit too dry or crumbly, just add additional melted butter (about 1 tablespoon at a time) until moist. If it's too wet by any chance, just add additional flour (about 1 tablespoon at a time).
How to Bake an Apple Crumble Pie in a Pre-made Crust
OK, so if you're thinking about making this apple berry pie using a store-bought pre-made crust instead of making your own from scratch---that's totally fine. Sometimes we find ourselves pressed for time, not in the mood to go through the process, or just simply make things easier and this all works! Since most store-bought crusts don't require that you bake it first, you'll simply remove the rust directly from the freezer (unless instructed otherwise on the packaging) and go straight to the steps of creating your filling and crumble and then assemble.
Once assembled fully, you'll bake your pie for around 45-50 minutes. You'll still want your filling to bubble nicely and the topping to become golden----so check on the pie after the 40 minute mark or so.
Tips For Making the Flakiest Pie Crust
- The butter is SUPER important. When it comes to the butter, ensuring that they are COLD and of course from a great brand is key! Of course, you can also use salted butter and omit the actual salt, if you'd like.
- Adding Shortening works too! Although I tend to use butter alone, adding shortening or lard adds great wonders as well. All you need is half shortening and half butter.
- Fridge time is an important time! Chilling your dough for an hour at a minimum is so imperative to a flaky crust. Even slightly longer makes for a great advantage.
- Your flours matter, big time! While different brands of flour hydrate differently (causing 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 makes a difference and serves a greater purpose!
- SLOWLY pour in water (or milk), don’t dump it! Gently pouring in the water/milk-ACV mixture is so imperative. I pour ¼ cup at a time and work the dough with my hands to eyeball how wet or dry everything is.
- The 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!
- 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 this Apple Pie
Even though this Homemade Apple Berry Crumble Pie is based on using Gala + Granny Smith apples, you can also switch things up and add a slightly new flare in their flavor profile by adding any of the following apples for a bit more sweetness or tart:
- Honeycrisp
- Fuji
- Pink Lady
- Golden Delicious
- Braeburn
- and more!
How to Store + Reheat this Apple Pie
Keep leftover pie tightly wrapped with heavy duty plastic wrap or foil and refrigerated for 3-4 days. Re-heat each slice when serving. Best to reheat pie in the oven for a nice crispiness and ensure that it warms through nicely.
Common Q + A's for this Apple Berry Crumble Pie
Yes! You can certainly make this Apple Berry Crumble Pie ahead of time. It’s even better if you make the pie the day before. Simply wrap the pie in plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge. A few hours before you plan to serve the pie, place it on the counter and serve at room temperature. Of course, you can always make the crust (and storing it in the fridge) about 2 days prior to making the actual pie.
Absolutely! 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.
This apple berry crumble pie is thickened with cornstarch, which helps prevent the filling from getting too juicy and creating a soggy crust.
While the apples in this crumble pie aren't cooked first, you still will enjoy the results. However, the secret to a great apple pie filling is to precook the apples. This will ensure perfect consistency and balanced sweetness. You'll also avoid that gap between the crust and the filling.
Not at all! A matter of fact it's said to not grease or flour your pie pans because the pie dough has enough butter to prevent sticking. Extra grease will change the texture of the crust.
The best way to prevent browning is to soak the cut fruit in a salt-water solution (half a teaspoon of salt per cup of water) for 10 minutes, then drain and store until ready to use. You can also squeeze a bit of lemon juice atop fruit to help preserve it longer!
Basically, it's all about the temperature! Too-cool of an oven will cause the crust to come out soft and dough-like, so it's important to have your oven at the correct temperature from the start.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes to start. The apple layer should be bubbling and the surface of the crumble should be an even medium golden brown. If you are using a shallower, slightly larger baking pan like a 9x9, watch it closely, the crumble may be done in 5 or 10 minutes less time.
More Easy Vegan Baking Recipes to Try Next!
Now that you're on a dairy-free baking kick with this apple berry crumble pie recipe, give these recipes that your entire family will love a try next:
- Best Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Best Vegan Sweet Potato Pie
- Vegan Southern Peach Cobbler
- Vegan Funfetti Cake + Vanilla Buttercream
- Vegan Vanilla Oreo Cake
- Vegan Sweet Cornbread
- Vegan BBQ Beef Wellington
- Vegan Strawberry Oatmeal Cake
MADE OUR RECIPE(S)?
If you tried this Homemade Apple Berry Crumble 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.
Homemade Apple Berry Crumble Pie
Ingredients
CRUST:
- 1 ½ cups organic all-purpose flour (You can sub with Pastry flour for a flakier crust; See Notes!)
- 2 Tbsps organic cane sugar
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup vegan butter, VERY COLD + cubed or grated (See Notes!)
- ⅓ cup VERY COLD Almond milk, unsweetened (You can use dairy milk, if preferred)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
FILLING:
- 5 organic apples, peeled + sliced (I like to mix Granny Smith + Gala apples together; That's about 5-6 cups; See Notes!)
- 2 cups fresh organic strawberries, halved + stems removed
- 1 cup fresh blueberries, organic (See Notes!)
- 1 cup fresh blackberries, organic
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- ¼ cup arrowroot starch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tbsps vegan butter, cut into small pieces
CRUMBLE TOPPING:
- 1 cup organic all-purpose flour
- ½ cup organic brown sugar
- ¼ cup organic rolled oats (Optional; if not using, sub with flour)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 Tbsps vegan butter, partially melted
Instructions
TO MAKE THE CRUST:
- In a measuring cup, add the milk and apple cider vinegar, stir and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. This creates a vegan "buttermilk".
- In a large bowl, add the all-purpose flour, sea salt, cinnamon, and cane sugar, whisking them all together.
- Add the cubed or grated butter and using a pastry blender, blend butter into dry ingredients until the mixture becomes “peas-like” and crumbly.
- Pour the cold apple cider vinegar-milk mixture (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 milk at a time, until it’s moistened BUT not too wet!
- Once you’re able to form it into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap 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 THE FILLING:
- In a bowl, add the sliced apples, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cane sugar, arrowroot, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla, and salt, stirring everything together until combined and the apples + berries are completely coated.
TO MAKE THE CRUMBLE:
- In a bowl, add the flour, oats, brown sugar, and cinnamon, stirring until combined. Add the partially melted butter and using a spatula, mix until combined and 'crumbly-like'.
ASSEMBLY + PRE-BAKE:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and set a standard (9") pie dish aside.
- Remove dough ball from the refrigerator and place it onto a lightly floured surface. Roll out dough ball using a rolling pin (not making it too thin), about ½-inch thick and gently placing it in your pie dish; working it around evenly. Be sure to do any folding or tucking of any excess pie crust.
- Once complete, poke tiny holes around the bottom of the crust using a fork, add parchment paper to the center of the crust and add "pie weights" atop it and pre-bake the crust for 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven.
FINAL BAKE:
- Spoon the coated apples + berries into the center of the crust and re-arrange slices to fit until completely filled to the top of the crust. Tuck the pieces of cut butter in between the apples + berries. Finally, top with crumble topping mixture until completely covered. Bake for about 40-45 minutes or until apple-berry filling begins to bubble "out", and the crust + topping are golden brown.
- Once done, remove from the the oven and let cool completely, about 1-2 hours. When cooled, place the pie in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving and slicing. NOTE: Overnight is best.
- To serve, add whipped cream or your favorite dairy-free ice cream or coconut whipped cream and enjoy!
- 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.
- FOOD PROCESSOR FOR CRUST: If using a food processor to incorporate water to flour/butter mixture, ONLY ADD ¼ cup of water (or milk) 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 ½ cup of water (or milk).
- TIPS FOR THE PERFECT PIE CRUST: Be sure to read tips within the post!
- GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: 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.
- ARROWROOT: If you don’t have arrowroot starch, feel free to substitute with regular starch, tapioca flour, or all-purpose flour, which all act as a thickening agent.
- FROZEN FRUIT: When using frozen fruit instead of fresh, always toss them in a few Tbsps of flour before using them in the recipe. This ensures that your pie bakes through and isn't 'watery' from their high water content.
Nutrition
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I was just wondering how pastry flour is involved in the recipe. I see it mentioned as being important, but then it's not in the recipe. Thanks
Hi Cait! Thanks so much for reaching out! Pastry flour can be a replacer for all-purpose flour in cases where you want better results in terms of flakiness. I hope that it helps! 🙂
Amazing! Pinning for later!
Apple and berries sound and look like a wonderful combination in a nice warm pie! I imagine how wonderful all of the flavors melt together! YUM!
Oh my goodness! This looks awesome! I want to dig in to this delicious pie.
I love the combination of berries and fruit you put in this pie! Such a vibrant looking dessert!
Such a lovely combo! We have sooo many apples this year, so I will have to try this recipe soon.
Looks delicious! Apples and berries definitely go well together - apple blackberry crumble was always a favorite as a child but love the mix of berries here.
Thanks so much for your pastry tips I always have problems with that. This sounds so delicious!
Thanks to all your tips, I too can make a buttery flaky crust! This pie is a favorite at our house!
What a delicious pie!!! I bet my kitchen will smell amazing after I bake this! Yum!
This pie is seriously drool worthy! I think I could the whole pie it looks that good. Thanks for all the tips for making the crust I always struggle with that part.
This looks absolute delicious. Blueberries and apples are in season here now, and what a great way to use in season produce. I can't wait to try this!