Aimee Brabant
- Dec 31, 2023
- 6 min read

Homemade Apple Berry Crumble Pie

December 28, 2023

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.

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!

This recipe is written by Shanika at orchidsandsweeties.com

Cuisine: American

Course: Dessert

Prep Time: 30 MINS

Cook Time: 1 HOUR

Total Time: 1 HOUR 30 MINS

Serves: 8 SERVINGS

Author: Shanika at orchidsandsweeties.com

About Shanika

Shanika is the girl with a whisk in one hand and a cookie (or chicken wing depending on the day) in another---literally! She creates all of the recipes that you see on Orchids + Sweet Tea®, styles everything for the perfect shot, while her Husband, Darnell shoots it with their camera + does all edits----he's the "techy" one of the family. Shanika is the Founder + Creator of Orchids + Sweet Tea®, a cookbook author, recipe developer, food stylist, Jesus lover and Mama to a witty boy, Kam + puppy, Koffee----who both very well keeps her on her toes! She's had the pleasure of being featured in an array of publications which include but are not limited to: Respin [a wellness brand by Halle Berry], Taste of Home Magazine, Southern Living Magazine, Food Network Magazine, The FeedFeed, The Every Girl, the Kitchn, The Zoe Report, Huffington Post, SELF, Food52, VegNews, + more. While she doesn't come from a long line of chefs or restaurant owners, one of the main ways that her family often came together growing up was through food, music, and laughter which inspired Shanika to create a space that both uplifts and feeds those who choose to visit her little corner of the web!

As a child, she grew up an extreme picky eater which lead to high levels of anxiety around food and in general. As she got older, she began getting in the kitchen more and taught herself how to master simple dishes like pancakes, eggs, + bacon and cheesecake (the first dessert she nailed in High School). Literally, cooking + baking became her "therapy" as she coped with emotional + verbal abuse during her teenage years. After having her own family, she began experimenting even more with cooking since they were going through major financial troubles and couldn't afford takeout or high-quality ingredients for a period of time. However, she eventually stumbled upon a real passion for food creation and thus Orchids + Sweet Tea® was born in 2016. Shortly after the start of Orchids + Sweet Tea® (while on her Postpartum Journey), she realized that her body could no longer successfully digest or tolerate dairy + gluten in conjunction with everything else [Endo-type pain, etc]. Countless doctor visits resulted in no solution (or at least one that didn't require that she be committed to hormonal medication) until she finally decided to use her Faith in God, changes in her lifestyle, and diet as a way of healing.

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

DIRECTIONS:

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!

NOTES:

How to Bake an Apple Crumble Pie in a Pre-made Crust
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.
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.

NUTRITION: