There’s just something special about the scent of gluten and sugar-free apple pie baking in the oven. Picture the warm aroma of cinnamon, butter, and sweet apples filling the house while everyone gathers in the kitchen “just to check on it.” In our family, apple pie isn’t just dessert; it’s a fun memory in the making.
I grew up watching my Mom roll out perfect pie crusts and taste-test her fillings with the precision of a home economics teacher (which she was!). Now, my kids stand on stools beside me, slicing apples and sneaking little samples as we bake. It’s a tradition that’s been passed down with love…one I’ve adapted to fit our gluten-free, low-tox lifestyle without losing the nostalgic flavor.
This Gluten and Sugar-Free Apple Pie has all the comfort of the classic version, but it’s allergy-friendly, family-approved, and filled with wholesome ingredients that actually nourish your body. In this post, I’ll walk you through my step-by-step baking method, how to make a flaky gluten-free crust, and why each ingredient is part of a healthier twist on a time-honored dessert. Don’t forget to use the apple peeler corer! It allows you to make pies in minutes versus hours.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Sugar-Free Apple Pie
Apple pie represents everything I love about homemaking: creating something from scratch, gathering the family, and turning simple ingredients into something extraordinary. It’s not just a dessert to me, it’s a reflection of the heart behind a home that nurtures, comforts, and celebrates.
This version of our family favorite stays true to that spirit while honoring the way we live and eat. It’s naturally sweetened with my Christmas Cookie Blend instead of refined sugar, which gives it that warm holiday flavor without the crash. The crust is completely gluten-free and allergy-friendly, so everyone at the table can enjoy a slice without worry. It’s also easily made vegan by swapping in coconut oil for butter, making it as versatile as it is delicious.
But beyond the recipe, what makes this pie special is the love that goes into it. Every step from peeling apples to rolling out dough is an act of gratitude. It’s about slowing down, filling your kitchen with joy, and remembering that the best ingredient is the one you can’t measure: the care you pour into feeding your family.
When the pie comes out of the oven, golden brown and bubbling, the whole house fills with that unmistakable scent of fall. It’s comfort food in its purest form, the perfect ending to a holiday feast or a cozy Saturday spent baking with your little helpers, surrounded by laughter and the sound of spoons scraping mixing bowls.
The Nutritional Benefits
Organic Apples: Apples are rich in fiber and polyphenols that support gut health and digestion. Their natural sweetness means you can use less sweetener, and their pectin content helps gently detoxify the body. Using a mix of apple varieties creates a more complex flavor that is tart, sweet, and perfectly balanced.
Christmas Cookie Blend: This is our go-to festive “not-sugar” mix, made without refined sweeteners. Combine organic coconut sugar, date sugar, and maple sugar for a low-glycemic blend that is great for cakes, cookies, pies, and more. It balances blood sugar, adds well-rounded flavor to desserts, and makes your whole house smell like the holidays.
Gluten-Free Flour: Gluten-free flour blends create a tender crumb that rivals traditional crusts. Plus, skipping gluten helps support better digestion and reduces inflammation in your body. And, having allergy-friendly options means that everyone can enjoy dessert.
Organic Pumpkin Pie Spice: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves come together to do more than flavor your pie. They boost circulation, stabilize blood sugar, and have natural antimicrobial properties. God really thought of everything when He made these healing spices!
Grass-Fed Organic Sea-Salted Butter or Coconut Oil: Grass-fed organic sea-salted butter adds flavor and fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K), while extra-virgin and unrefined coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which supports immune and metabolic health. Both help create that melt-in-your-mouth texture every pie crust needs.
Pink Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt: A small pinch of salt balances the sweetness and adds trace minerals, such as magnesium and potassium, that the body needs for muscle and nerve function.
Gluten and Sugar-Free Apple Pie Recipe
Gluten-Free Apple Pie (With Vegan Option)
Servings
Ingredients
- 6 cups thinly sliced, pared organic apples*
- Cinnamon and “Not” Sugar
- ½ cup Christmas Cookie Blend
- ¼ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- ⅛ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- ½ teaspoon organic pumpkin pie spice powder
- 2 prepared Pastry Crust (1 baked in a 9-inch pan, 1 with the dough unbaked)
- 2 tablespoons grass-fed organic sea-salted butter OR 2 tablespoons coconut oil, extra-virgin AND unrefined and a pinch of pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
Instructions
- Pare and peel the apples, then slice thinly. I use an apple peeler corer to make this job easy. After the apples go through the corer, I slice them in half.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Lightly flour your workspace, and use a pastry cutter to evenly roll the dough onto the table. Use your favorite cookie cutter to create shapes out of the dough. I always make apples or leaves for apple pie. Sprinkle with Cinnamon and “Not” Sugar and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside. Increase the heat to 425℉.
- In a large bowl, mix the Christmas Cookie Blend, flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and apples until coated.
- Pour into the prepared pastry crust and dot with butter or coconut oil.
- Cover with the pie crust cookies and/or Crumble Topping. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 40-50 minutes, covering the pie with parchment paper for the last 10 minutes. Let cool before serving.
Christmas Cookie Blend (Vegan)
Servings
Ingredients
- 6 ounces organic coconut sugar
- 11-16 ounces organic date sugar (based on your available container sizes)
- 6 ounces organic maple sugar
Instructions
- Place the coconut sugar, date sugar, and maple sugar in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Shake to mix thoroughly.
- Place mixture in a blender and blend until powdery. I prefer milling this recipe in a Vitamix dry goods container. I start blending on one, then slowly increase until the mixture is fully blended. Then, I open the blender, stir, and repeat the process. The final color of your product will differ based on the brand of sweetener you use. Use in place of regular sugar in all your favorite baked goods. Store in a glass jar.
Cinnamon and "Not" Sugar
Servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups Christmas Cookie Blend
- ¼ cup organic ground Ceylon cinnamon
- ¼ cup organic pumpkin pie spice powder
Instructions
- Place the Christmas Cookie Blend, Ceylon cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice in a gallon-size Ziploc bag. Shake to mix thoroughly. I prefer milling this recipe in the dry goods container of a Vitamix. I start blending on one, then slowly increase until the mixture is fully blended. Then, I open the blender, stir and repeat the process. The final color of your product will differ based on the brand of sweetener you use. Use in place of processed cinnamon & sugar in all your favorite baked goods.
Pastry Crust (With Vegan Option)
Servings
Ingredients
- ¾ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour OR organic almond flour*
- ¼ cup organic coconut flour OR additional gluten-free all-purpose flour*
- ¼ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- 6 tablespoons grass-fed organic sea-salted butter OR 6 tablespoons coconut oil, extra-virgin AND unrefined and ½ teaspoon pink Himalayan salt OR sea salt, ground
- 3 tablespoons cold purified OR distilled water, PLUS more as needed
Supplies
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425℉. In a stand mixer, mix together the flours and salt. Cut in the butter until the mixture looks like pea-sized crumbs.
- Sprinkle the mixture with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until all flour is moistened and the pastry almost cleans the side of the bowl (1-2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
- Immediately press the pastry into a pie dish with a fork and smooth it with your fingers. Bake for 8-10 minutes on the center rack of the oven.
Step-by-Step Baking Instructions
There’s something so satisfying about making a pie completely from scratch… it’s part science, part art, and all heart. Follow these simple steps, and you’ll have a beautiful, golden pie that tastes just as good as it looks.
Step One: Slice the Apples
Pare and peel the apples, then slice them thinly. I use an apple peeler corer to make this job easy. After the apples go through the corer, I slice them in half.
Step Two: Prepare the Crust
Preheat the oven to 350℉. Lightly flour your workspace, and use a pastry cutter to evenly roll the dough onto the table. Use your favorite cookie cutter to create shapes out of the dough. I always make apples or leaves for apple pie. Sprinkle with Cinnamon and “Not” Sugar and bake for 10 minutes. Set aside. Increase the heat to 425℉.
Step Three: Prepare the Gluten and Sugar-Free Apple Pie Filling
In a large bowl, mix the Christmas Cookie Blend, flour, salt, pumpkin pie spice, and apples until coated.
Step Four: Add the Filling to the Pie Pan
Pour into the prepared pastry crust and dot with butter or coconut oil.
Step Five: Bake the Gluten and Sugar-Free Apple Pie
Cover with the pie crust cookies and/or Crumble Topping. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 40-50 minutes, covering the pie with parchment paper for the last 10 minutes. Let cool before serving.
How to Serve and Store Your Sugar-Free Pie
One of my favorite things about this apple pie is how it somehow tastes even better the next day. The flavors deepen, the spices settle, and the crust softens just enough to melt in your mouth. If you’re baking it for a gathering, you can easily make it the day before and simply warm it before serving.
To serve, slice the pie once it has cooled completely so the filling holds together beautifully. For that fresh-from-the-oven feel, warm individual slices in the oven at 300°F for about 5-7 minutes. If you’re serving it à la mode, try a scoop of coconut milk ice cream or a dollop of homemade Coconut Milk Whipped Cream. For a fall twist, drizzle a little maple syrup or sprinkle extra cinnamon on top.
Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to 24 hours, then transfer to the refrigerator for up to five days. To reheat, cover lightly with parchment and place in a 300°F oven until warmed through.
If you want to freeze your pie for later, bake it fully, let it cool, then wrap it tightly in parchment and foil. It will keep well for up to three months. When you’re ready to enjoy, thaw overnight in the fridge and warm in the oven before serving.
Whether it’s fresh out of the oven or enjoyed as a late-night treat with tea, this apple pie brings joy with every bite.
Mini Hand-Pie Variation
If you want to take this recipe up a notch — or make it extra fun for the kids — try turning your apple pie filling into hand pies! All you need are a few hand pie molds or even a large biscuit cutter to shape your dough.
To make mini pies, cook 5 large sliced organic apples on the stovetop with 2 tablespoons of grass-fed organic sea-salted butter, 1/3 cup Christmas Cookie Blend (or coconut sugar), 2 tablespoons organic cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon organic pumpkin pie spice for about 10 minutes. Roll out 1 gluten-free pastry crust, cut out shapes with a mold, and place one cutout in the mold. Add a scoop of the apple mixture (You can also use the apple pie filling in our Gluten and Sugar-Free Apple Pie recipe), top with another cutout, and seal. Bake at 375°F until golden, brushing the tops with butter and a sprinkle of pumpkin pie spice before baking.
A Slice of Gratitude
Baking is about more than mixing ingredients or following a recipe; it’s about creating moments that last. When the scent of apples and cinnamon fills the house, something shifts. The noise quiets, hearts slow down, and everyone seems to find their way to the kitchen. It’s in those simple moments that family memories are made.
Remember that hosting isn’t about perfection; it’s about consistency and presence. Also, this is a great way to get your kids excited about cooking. Kids love apple pies, so of course, they’d want to be involved in making them! When we cook with intention and gratitude, even the most ordinary day becomes sacred. The warmth of the oven, the laughter over spilled flour, the quiet prayer whispered before serving…these are the traditions that build a home filled with peace and purpose.
As Psalm 107:9 reminds us, “For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” God cares about the details. The meals we share, the hands that prepare them, and the hearts gathered around the table.
So whether you’re baking this Gluten-Free Apple Pie for Thanksgiving or simply to surprise your family on a cozy afternoon, take a moment to breathe in the sweetness and give thanks. Every slice is a reminder of His goodness, His provision, and the beauty of a home built on faith and love.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good.” – Psalm 34:8
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” – Psalm 107:1
References:
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5225682/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC442131/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3924990/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38690209/
- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11260118/
