QUICK SUMMARY
This Gluten-Free Apple Pie is Mama Z's from-scratch take on classic apple pie, made with organic apples, a flaky gluten-free crust, Christmas Cookie Blend, warming spices, and your choice of grass-fed butter or coconut oil.
One important clarification: we've traditionally called this our “Gluten and Sugar-Free Apple Pie” because it replaces refined white sugar with our Christmas Cookie Blend. Technically, though, the pie is not sugar-free. Coconut sugar, date sugar, and maple sugar are all sugars. The more accurate description is gluten-free apple pie made without refined white sugar. (10)
Whole apples provide fiber, pectin, polyphenols, and other plant compounds. Human research supports several potential benefits from eating whole apples, but this is still dessert. The nourishing ingredients make it a more intentional homemade treat, not a blood-sugar treatment or an unlimited “health food.” (1, 2)
The original recipes, ingredient amounts, vegan option, and step-by-step instructions are preserved exactly below.
There’s just something special about the scent of gluten-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, natural-living lifestyle without losing the nostalgic flavor.
This Gluten-Free Apple Pie has all the comfort of the classic version, but with ingredients I feel better about serving my family. In this post, I’ll walk you through my step-by-step baking method, how to make a flaky gluten-free crust, and why I choose each ingredient for this healthier twist on a time-honored dessert.
And 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 Gluten-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 replaces refined white sugar with my Christmas Cookie Blend and uses a completely gluten-free crust. The published recipe also gives you the option of using coconut oil instead of butter when you need the vegan variation.
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.
Is This Apple Pie Really Sugar-Free?
This is an important clarification.
We've traditionally called this our Gluten and Sugar-Free Apple Pie because it does not use conventional refined white sugar.
But our Christmas Cookie Blend contains:
- Organic coconut sugar
- Organic date sugar
- Organic maple sugar
Those are all real sugars.
FDA defines a food labeled “sugar free” as containing less than 0.5 gram of sugars per serving, with additional requirements regarding sugar-containing ingredients. This pie does not meet that definition. (10)
So when you see the older “sugar-free” wording in one of our preserved recipe cards, understand what we mean in our kitchen: we are replacing conventional refined white sugar with less-refined sweeteners that fit our recipes and family preferences.
That does not make the carbohydrates disappear.
If you are managing diabetes, insulin resistance, or another condition requiring careful carbohydrate control, count the sweeteners appropriately rather than assuming this dessert will not affect blood glucose.
The Nutritional Benefits
This is still apple pie, and I think it is healthier to say that plainly.
Dessert does not have to become medicine to belong in a healthy lifestyle.
What we can do is choose better-quality ingredients, make our treats from scratch, and understand what each ingredient actually contributes.
Organic Apples: Apples provide fiber and an assortment of polyphenols. They also naturally contain pectin, a soluble fiber that has been studied in human trials for gut health, post-meal glucose regulation, cholesterol, and other outcomes. (2)
Whole-apple research is encouraging as well. In one randomized controlled trial, adults with overweight or obesity who consumed three whole Gala apples daily for six weeks experienced reductions in several inflammatory biomarkers compared with a control group. That was a study of whole apples, though, not apple pie, so I would not tell you a slice of dessert is going to “treat inflammation.” (1)
What I love from a cooking perspective is that apples bring their own sweetness, moisture, fiber, color, and flavor to the filling. Using a mixture of apple varieties also creates that tart-sweet flavor that makes homemade pie so good.
Christmas Cookie Blend: This is our go-to festive “not-sugar” mix, made from organic coconut sugar, date sugar, and maple sugar.
Coconut sugar is less refined than conventional white sugar and contains small amounts of minerals and plant compounds. Research reviews have also discussed its glycemic index as potentially lower than conventional sucrose, although values can vary substantially by product and testing method. (3)
The practical point is this: coconut sugar, date sugar, and maple sugar are still sugars.
Our Christmas Cookie Blend does not “balance blood sugar” simply because the ingredients are less refined. I use it because I prefer these sweeteners, I love the flavor, and they work beautifully in our baked goods.
Gluten-Free Flour: Gluten-free flour blends make it possible to create a tender crust without wheat, barley, or rye.
This is essential for someone with celiac disease and can also be useful for people with other medically appropriate reasons to avoid gluten. NIDDK notes that people with celiac disease need a lifelong gluten-free diet, and gluten-free foods also need protection from cross-contact. (4)
But gluten-free does not automatically mean healthier for every person. Some packaged gluten-free foods are highly refined and may contain less fiber or more sugar and fat than their conventional counterparts.
That is why I look at the whole ingredient list and make things from scratch whenever possible.
For more on this topic, see our research-informed guide to why gluten can be a problem for some people.
Organic Pumpkin Pie Spice: Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves give this pie that unmistakable warm, cozy flavor.
These spices also contain fascinating plant compounds.
Cinnamon has some of the strongest human metabolic research. A 2024 meta-analysis of 24 randomized trials in people with type 2 diabetes reported improvements in fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, and insulin resistance with cinnamon supplementation. (5)
But supplementation trials are very different from sprinkling pumpkin pie spice into dessert.
The amount in this recipe is there primarily for flavor. I would not promise that the spice in one slice of pie will stabilize blood sugar or work as an antimicrobial treatment.
If you want to explore the research in more detail, read our guide to the health benefits of cinnamon.
God really did think of everything when He created such flavorful plants!
Grass-Fed Organic Sea-Salted Butter or Coconut Oil: Grass-fed organic butter gives pie crust an incredible flavor and texture, and it is still my favorite when dairy works for the people I am serving.
Pasture feeding can change the nutritional composition of dairy. Reviews have found higher concentrations of certain omega-3 fatty acids, vaccenic acid, and conjugated linoleic acid in milk from pasture-fed cows compared with more concentrate-heavy feeding systems. (6)
Extra-virgin and unrefined coconut oil is the option I use when I need the vegan variation. Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid and works beautifully as a baking fat.
I do not, however, rely on coconut oil as a metabolic treatment. A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials found no clinically meaningful improvement in body composition or overall lipid profile compared with other fats and oils. (7)
That does not mean you cannot cook with coconut oil. It simply means we should appreciate it for what it does well without turning every ingredient into a cure.
Pink Himalayan Salt or Sea Salt: A small pinch of salt balances sweetness and makes all of the other flavors pop.
Natural salts can contain trace minerals, but the amount used in normal cooking is generally too small to make salt a major source of magnesium, potassium, or other micronutrients. Nutritionally, salt's primary contribution is sodium and chloride. (8)
I still prefer a high-quality minimally processed sea salt for our kitchen because of sourcing, flavor, and our family's natural-living philosophy.
Gluten-Free Apple Pie Recipe With No Refined Sugar
The recipe cards below are preserved exactly as published. That includes the original recipe naming.
Remember that Christmas Cookie Blend contains coconut sugar, date sugar, and maple sugar, so this is not literally a sugar-free dessert. It is our gluten-free apple pie made without conventional refined white sugar.
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 Apple 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.
That storage approach is appropriately conservative. USDA food-safety guidance allows conventional fruit pies such as apple pie to remain at room temperature for one to two days and reports that they can be refrigerated for up to seven days. (9)
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
- Liddle DM, Lin X, Cox LC, et al. “Daily apple consumption reduces plasma and peripheral blood mononuclear cell-secreted inflammatory biomarkers in adults with overweight and obesity: a 6-week randomized, controlled, parallel-arm trial.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2021;114(2):752-763. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqab094.
- Weber AM, Pascale N, Gu F, Ryan EP, Respondek F. “Nutrition and health effects of pectin: A systematic scoping review of human intervention studies.” Nutrition Research Reviews. 2025;38(1):306-323. doi:10.1017/S0954422424000180.
- Saraiva A, Carrascosa C, Ramos F, et al. “Coconut Sugar: Chemical Analysis and Nutritional Profile; Health Impacts; Safety and Quality Control; Food Industry Applications.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023;20(4):3671. doi:10.3390/ijerph20043671.
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. “Eating, Diet, & Nutrition for Celiac Disease.” NIDDK.
- Moridpour AH, Kavyani Z, Khosravi S, et al. “The effect of cinnamon supplementation on glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: An updated systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.” Phytotherapy Research. 2024;38(1):117-130. doi:10.1002/ptr.8026.
- Alothman M, Hogan SA, Hennessy D, et al. “The ‘Grass-Fed' Milk Story: Understanding the Impact of Pasture Feeding on the Composition and Quality of Bovine Milk.” Foods. 2019;8(8):350. doi:10.3390/foods8080350.
- Duarte AC, Spiazzi BF, Zingano CP, et al. “The effects of coconut oil on the cardiometabolic profile: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.” Lipids in Health and Disease. 2022;21(1):83. doi:10.1186/s12944-022-01685-z.
- “Sodium Chloride in Food.” Review of dietary salt composition and nutritional contribution. PubMed Central.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service. “What is safe storage for pecan pie?” Includes USDA storage guidance for fruit pies such as apple and cherry. Updated July 3, 2024. USDA-FSIS.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Guidance for Industry and FDA: Dear Manufacturer Letter Regarding Sugar Free Claims.” FDA.
