Apple Crumb Pie with Olive Oil Crust (and Crumble!)

No, peeps, I did not set out to develop a vegan apple pie recipe, but yes, peeps, that is EXACTLY what I have done. The crust calls for olive oil rather than butter – and yes, I used Coalvita Olive Oil (and I’d love it if you did, too) and yet it is still incredibly flaky and perfectly crisp (no need to worry about any soggy bottoms here . . . ). And flavorful, to boot – not flavorful like butter, obvs, but flavorful never the less. Also, this pie dough is of the press-in variety (my fave, as you might have guessed, because it is the easiest kind).

A press-in crust (in case you did not pick up on this) means that you literally PRESS the crust into the pie plate immediately after assembling the dough – no resting of dough in the fridge necessary and rolling pins need not apply. In other words, this means the dough is not-only easy to make, but will not require that you cover your work space in flour, that you then conveniently get all over your floor, etc., and that you then spend an annoyingly long time cleaning up. Oh, and in case it is not obvious, the crust is vegan, on the off chance you are into things like that.

You do not need to pre-bake the crust (you’re welcome) instead you merely generously fill it with thinly sliced apples coated in cinnamon and sugar. The crumble topping is – you guessed it – made from olive oil, as well, and so is (again, I know you’ve got this) vegan! The crumble recipe comes from my  Colavita mixed berry crisp recipe and is easy to assemble and wildly delicious (so delicious in fact that few can tell the crumble is not made with butter . . . ). In short, this wonderfully (and unintentionally!) vegan pie is perfect for the fall, when perhaps you are turning to apples kind of on the regular to satisfy your sweet cravings and of course it’d be perf for that November holiday, which at this point, is kind of just right around the corner. If you’d like to watch me assemble the pie (and take a bite) you can do so here. 

Print Pin

4.50 from 2 votes

Apple Crumb Pie with Olive Oil Crust (and Crumble!)

Recipe Author Jessie Sheehan

Ingredients

• Olive Oil Pie Crust
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup Colavita olive oil
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar cold
• Apple Filling
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
• Pinch of table salt
• 3 teaspoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
• 1 1/2 pounds baking apples about three large ones
• Olive Oil Crumb Topping
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup Colavita Olive Oil

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400°F.
• To make the crust, whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, water and vinegar and whisk again.
• Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate and using your fingers, evenly press it over the bottom of the plate and up the sides.
• To make the crumble, whisk the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the oil and stir to combine with a wooden spoon or flexible spatula – or better yet, use your fingers, pinching the crumble together to form clumps. Place in the freezer while you prepare the apples.
• To make the filling, place the sugar, cinnamon, salt, and arrowroot powder in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Peel and core the apples and slice them quite thin, about 1/4 inch thick. Place them in the large bowl, tossing them in the sugar mixture to cover.
• Transfer the filling to the prepared crust. The apples should be piled in a heap so that they just stick out over the edge of the crust – they will shrink as they bake. Crumble the topping over the apples – you may not end up using all of it – in which case freeze it for a rainy day (ie: the next time you’re craving a berry crisp for one . . .). It’s helpful if you leave a little space between crumbles, so the apples peak through and you can check that they are bubbling when it is time to pull the pie.
• Place the pie in the preheated oven and bake for about 75 minutes, rotating the pie at the halfway point and checking on the pie after about an hour. A paring knife should easily slide into an apple and ideally you will see the juices bubbling through the crumb. If the crumb takes on too much color while the pie bakes, cover it in aluminum foil at the halfway point.
• Let the pie cool until only the center bottom of the plate is warm, two to four hours. Slice and serve with ice cream or whipped cream.