Rustic Apple Pie

A cozy, grain-free apple pie with soft cinnamon apples and a silky chickpea flour dough.

This Rustic Apple Pie is naturally sweet, comforting, and beautifully homemade. It is made with grain-free, gluten-free, refined sugar-free, clean ingredients, and the result is surprisingly light, soft, and sliceable.

The apple filling is gently cooked first, so it becomes soft, juicy, and almost jelly-like before baking. This helps the pie stay tender inside without the dough becoming too soggy.

It is a lovely recipe for a family dessert, a weekend treat, or a healthier homemade cake for guests.

Recipe Details

• Preparation time: about 45 minutes
• Baking time: 35–40 minutes
• Serves: 12 or more
• Oven temperature: 170°C

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 5 cups chickpea flour
• 1/2 cup arrowroot starch
  You may try substituting with tapioca starch, potato starch, or a small amount of psyllium husk for binding. If using psyllium husk, start with 1–2 tablespoons only, as it absorbs a lot of liquid.
• Pinch of salt
• 1–2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 200 g softened butter
  I used Kerrygold butter. For a dairy-free version, you may try a good-quality vegan butter or coconut oil, but the texture may change slightly.
• 4–5 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• Warm water, as needed

For the Apple Filling

• About 4 kg apples, peeled, chopped, and cut into small pieces
• Cinnamon, to taste
• Raisins, to taste
• Pinch of salt
• Optional: a little honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, or date sugar
  Usually the apples are naturally sweet enough, so extra sweetener may not be needed.

Optional Additions

• Chopped walnuts or pecans
• Apple slices for decoration
• Poppy seeds for sprinkling
• A few chocolate chips
• A little jam
• Extra cinnamon
• Seeds or nuts for topping, if tolerated

Instructions

1. Prepare the Apple Filling

Peel and chop the apples, then place them into a large pot.

Add cinnamon, raisins, and a pinch of salt. If your apples are not very sweet, you can add a little honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, or date sugar.

Cook the apples gently until they become soft, juicy, and almost jelly-like. This step is important because if the apples go into the pie completely raw, they may not soften enough during baking.

Once the apples are soft and smooth, set the filling aside to cool slightly.

2. Make the Dough

In a large bowl, mix together the chickpea flour, arrowroot starch, salt, honey, and cinnamon.

Add the softened butter and olive oil. Mix the flour mixture together with the fats until everything starts to come together.

Slowly add warm water, little by little, until the dough becomes smooth, soft, silky, and easy to handle. The texture should feel a little like good play-doh: smooth, light, and slightly oily.

3. Roll Out the Dough

Divide the dough into two balls.

Roll out the first ball with a rolling pin and place it into your baking dish as the bottom layer.

Because the dough is naturally smooth and oily, it should be quite easy to roll and shape.

4. Add the Filling

Spread the cooked apple filling over the first layer of dough.

If you are using walnuts or pecans, you can sprinkle some chopped nuts over the bottom layer before adding the apple filling. This gives a lovely flavor and also helps absorb a little extra moisture from the apple filling.

But the pie also works beautifully without nuts.

5. Add the Top Layer

Roll out the second ball of dough and gently place it over the apple filling.

Close the edges carefully by pressing the dough together around the sides.

If you have a little extra dough, you can make simple decorations for the top, such as hearts, leaves, stars, or rustic little shapes.

You can also decorate the top with apple slices, chopped walnuts or pecans, poppy seeds, or a few chocolate chips.

6. Bake

Bake at 170°C for about 35–40 minutes, or until the dough turns a medium golden-brown color.

Keep an eye on the top, especially if you added nuts, so they do not burn.

7. Cool and Slice

When the pie is ready, remove it from the oven and place it on a rack.

Let it cool a little before slicing. As it cools, the filling settles and the pie becomes easier to cut into beautiful slices.

Extra Tips

This same dough can also be used for other rustic pies and filled desserts. You can try it with berries, plum filling, peach filling, jam, or even a chocolate-chip apple version.

For a more festive pie, decorate the top with small dough hearts, apple slices, pecans, walnuts, or a gentle sprinkle of poppy seeds.

For a nut-free version, simply leave out the walnuts and pecans. The pie still turns out soft, rich, and delicious.

Why We Love This Recipe

This Rustic Apple Pie is:

• Grain-free
• Gluten-free
• Refined sugar-free
• Naturally sweet
• Made with clean, simple ingredients
• Soft, cozy, and family-friendly
• Perfect for sharing with guests

It is a rich and generous pie, but still feels light and wholesome. The chickpea flour gives it a rustic, nourishing base, while the cooked apple filling makes it soft, juicy, and beautifully comforting.