This Gluten-Free Salted Caramel Apple Pie is the perfect paleo pie to add to your Thanksgiving table! Cassava flour crust and all dairy-free ingredients make this an allergy-friendly apple pie everyone will love.

Gluten-Free Salted Caramel Apple Pie (Paleo)

There are a lot of great pie recipes out there, but for me, if I’m having pie it NEEDS to be apple. It’s just the best pie can be, and I’ve yet to meet another variety that I love as much. Of course, if it’s Thanksgiving, Apple Pie is just a total non-negotiable. It is as essential as the turkey, and I’m so not here chocolate pie or any other nonsense like that.

Being gluten and grain-free initially became an obstacle in my apple pie life, but it’s something I’ve overcome with the help of cassava flour, tapioca starch, and some trial and error. Now when I make this version of apple pie my gluten-eating family says they can’t even tell the difference! That’s a total win in my book. (And they’re kinda picky so that tells you a lot about this pie.)

To make this just a little more festive I paired my grain-free apple pie with a vegan salted caramel sauce and it. is. heavenly! Totally worth the extra effort if you like an extra sweetness to your pie. Of course, you can always omit the salted caramel if you don’t have the ingredients or just don’t want the extra sugar. It will still make a perfectly delicious apple pie!

How to make grain-free pie crust:

Grain-free pie crust has always been especially challenging for me until I started baking with cassava flour. While it still may be somewhat challenging to roll out and flip it into a pie dish, we do have a lot of ways of working around that, such as rolling out between parchment paper (works like a charm!!) and patching the crust up. This crust is extremely resilient, so if it cracks while you roll it out or put everything in your pie plate you can just patch it up! Nice and easy.

Even if you aren’t making a grain-free pie, dealing with the top crust can be challenging. To make the top crust situation easier I used a round pastry cutter to cut out circles in my pie dough and layer it on top of the pie until it was covered. I then brushed it with an egg wash and a dusting of turbinado sugar to finish it off. It looks even prettier than a regular pie top and is even less work! Win-win.

One important thing to note is that you don’t want your oil or butter to be too soft, or your dough will be too moist to roll out. If this happens you can just chill it for about an hour or so until it’s more firm and easy to roll. Aside from that, just make this grain-free pie crust as you would any other crust.

How to make Dairy-Free Caramel

Dairy-free caramel is another aspect of this recipe that might sound intimidating, but it’s really not! You make it very much the way you make a regular caramel: by boiling down your ingredients and stirring well, then allowing it to cool. I usually make batches of caramel and keep them on hand in my fridge for about 8 days for any recipes that incorporate them, but you can also just make a smaller size batch for this pie. You just need coconut cream and coconut sugar, as well as a pinch of salt and vanilla and it turns into the most delicious caramel sauce!

Without further ado, it’s time to make some Grain-Free Salted Caramel Apple Pie! I’d love to see your beautiful creations so don’t forget to tag me on Instagram or Facebook!

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Salted Caramel Apple Pie

This Gluten-Free Salted Caramel Apple Pie is the perfect paleo pie to add to your Thanksgiving table! Cassava flour crust and all dairy-free ingredients make this an allergy-friendly apple pie everyone will love.

COURSE Dessert

Cuisine American

PREP TIME 30 minutes

COOK TIME 45 minutes

TOTAL TIME 1 hour 15 minutes

SERVINGS 8

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cup cassava flour I used Thrive Market Brand
• 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp tapioca starch
• 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp cold water

To make pie:

• 8 apples
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp nutmeg
• 1 egg for egg wash
• turbinado sugar for sprinkling

Salted Caramel:

• 1 cup coconut cream
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 tsp salt more for a saltier caramel

INSTRUCTIONS

To make caramel:

1. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the mixture begins bubbling reduce heat and simmer for about 14 minutes, stirring frequently, until mixture is reduced and thickened. Pour into a jar and place in the fridge to cool (it will thicken when cooled).

To make pie:

1. Sift together cassava, tapioca, sugar, and salt. Use a fork to cut the coconut oil into the dough until crumbly. Stir in the egg and then water 1 tbsp at a time (you want to be able to work the dough without it being soggy. Use more or less water if needed as all brands of flour are different).
2. If the batter is firm enough to roll you can roll it out now, but if you live in a warmer climate or you softened your coconut oil you’ll want to chill your dough for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 F and grease a pie pan.
3. To make the apples: peel and slice your apples into 1/4 inch slices (I used an apple peeler to make things easy.) Toss in a bowl with lemon, sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Set aside.

4. Divide the dough in half. Roll one half of the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper dusted with cassava flour. Peel off the top layer of the parchment and then flip the dough into the greased pie pan. It will probably crack, but this dough is super easy to fix so just patch it up in any cracked spots. Once the bottom crust is ready, spread a layer of caramel into the crust (about half of the caramel.)

5. Next, pour the apple filling into the prepared pan.
6. To make the top crust you can either roll out the dough like step one and place it over the top of the pie, folding  in the edges, or cut out the dough in circles like I did. I used a small pastry dough cutter and layered the circles on the pie until it was covered.
7. Lastly, brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with course sugar. Place the pie dish on a pan to catch any overflow, then place in the oven for 15 minutes.
8. After 15 minutes, lower the temp to 375 F and bake for 40 minutes, covering with foil halfway through of the top starts to burn.

9. Place the finished pie on a wire rack and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving. I find the pie holds up best when it is completely cool, so consider making this a day ahead. Serve with extra caramel!