Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie (vegan)
This cinnamon roll apple pie is an easy yet elegant twist on the classic! A juicy vegan apple pie packed with perfectly spiced apples and topped with four-ingredient pastry cinnamon rolls.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The full list of ingredient quantities and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Apples. I used a mixture of sweet snacking apples (like Royal Gala and Pink Lady) for sweetness and Granny Smiths for texture. You can use a mixture of apples like I did, or use just red apples for a sweeter and softer filling or just green apples if you prefer a tart and sturdier filling.
Shortcrust pastry for the pastry base and cinnamon rolls on top. The pastry is the star of this recipe, so make sure you use a quality brand – I used Borg’s shortcrust! I don’t recommend using puff pastry because the crowded rolls trap excess moisture, which prevents them from fully baking through.
Cornstarch to thicken the filling.
Ground cinnamon for the filling and rolls on top. And I added a touch of nutmeg to the filling too.
Vegan butter and brown sugar for the cinnamon roll filling.
Prepare the Apples
I recommend slightly parcooking the apples as it makes the filling juicier and more melt in your mouth, but still intact!
I also tested this recipe using raw apples (skipping the pre-cooking) and it resulted in a slightly crunchy filling – still a great option if you prefer that texture in your pie.
Prepare the Pie Crust
This recipe works well with store-bought pastry, which some of you may call pie dough.
If your pastry isn’t big enough to cover the base of your pie dish, you may need 1 1/2 sheets of pastry, like I did (Image 3).
Optional: If you want a fluted crust or a decorative pattern around the edges, leave a little extra pastry overhanging. Tuck the pastry underneath itself and use your fingertips and knuckles to crimp the edge (Image 4). For the easiest crust, you can seal the edge by pressing it down with the end of a fork.
When your pie crust has been shaped, let it firm up in the fridge while you prepare the cinnamon rolls.
Prepare the Pastry Cinnamon Rolls
The filling for the cinnamon rolls is almost identical to my vegan apple cinnamon rolls! To make it, mix the softened vegan butter, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl until smooth. It should be soft and spreadable, almost the consistency of spreadable butter or processed nut butter. If it’s too firm, let the mixture soften further at room temperature or warm it up for a few seconds (no longer) in the microwave.
Spread a thin, even layer of the mixture over the pastry. Then, using your fingertips, roll it up tightly into a log.
Tip: Ensure your pastry is fully thawed but still cool to the touch. It should be pliable enough to bend without cracking, but firm enough to hold its shape.
Finally, use a very sharp knife to cut the log into rolls. Unlike yeasted cinnamon rolls, unflavored dental floss will not work well for this – I tried it and don’t recommend.
Gently rotate the log a few times to keep the rolls nice and round. If your kitchen is warm and the dough gets too soft to cut, wrap it up and chill it in the fridge or freezer until it’s firmer.
Then arrange the cinnamon rolls on your apple pie in an overlapping concentric pattern, scattered randomly or as desired! Keep in mind that the cinnamon rolls shrink when they bake, so I suggest overlapping them as much as possible.
Baking the Apple Pie
For the best results, start baking this pie at a high heat of 200°C (390°F), then lower the oven to 180°C (355°F) for the rest. The initial blast of heat quickly sets and browns the crust, while the lower temperature ensures the center bakes well without burning the pastry. I also suggest baking the pie in the lower third of the oven to ensure the bottom pie crust bakes. This also means we don’t have to blind bake the pie crust!
Keep in mind that all ovens are different. Some ovens run hot and some blast heat from the top or bottom – you know your oven the best so adjust accordingly! But a universal tip is if your crust is browning quickly but the filling hasn’t quite set, loosely cover your pie with aluminum foil to protect the top while the middle finishes baking.
Serving Apple Pie
The hardest part about baking this cinnamon roll apple pie is letting it cool after baking! Like any pie, cutting it while hot will be messy… though deliciously messy.
For the neatest slices, let the pie cool overnight and cut in between the cinnamon rolls. But if you want to dig in immediately, I can’t stop you! It’s delicious with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle of custard or caramel sauce.
More Vegan Apple Recipes
Follow Rainbow Nourishments on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and Pinterest, and subscribe via email to receive all of our latest recipes!
Cinnamon Roll Apple Pie (vegan)
Ingredients
Pie Filling
- ~8 x medium-size apples, cored and peeled (~720g, note 1)
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 2 ½ tablespoons (20g) cornstarch / corn flour
- 1 tablespoon (15g) lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pastry and Cinnamon Roll Top
- 3 x sheets shortcrust pastry, thawed but chilled
- ⅓ cup (65g) packed brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons (45g) vegan butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
To Decorate
- 1 tablespoon (20g) maple syrup
- demerara sugar
Instructions
Par-cook the apples:
- Cut apples into ½ cm (¼ inch) slices. In a large saucepan, stir the apple slices, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg until well combined. Cook over medium-high heat for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples soften slightly. Set aside in the fridge to cool.
Prepare the pie shell:
- Place one sheet of pastry in a 23cm / 9-inch pie dish (around 4cm / 1.5-inch deep). If needed, use up to another ½ sheet of pastry to ensure the whole dish is covered. For a decorative pie crust, leave some pastry overhanging, trim off any edges, tuck the dough underneath and crimp as desired. Place the pie shell in the fridge until needed.
Prepare the cinnamon roll top:
- In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, butter and cinnamon until smooth and spreadable (note 2). Spread the mixture over the remaining 1 ½ sheets of pastry. Roll the pastry into a tight log and cut into ~½ cm (¼ inch) thick rolls. If the log is too soft to cut, wrap it tightly and chill in the fridge or freezer until it's firmer.
Assemble and bake:
- Fill the pie crust with the apples, trying to make sure they're packed closely together. Pour over any excess juice.
- Top the pie with the cinnamon rolls in a concentric pattern or as desired. Set the pie aside in the fridge to firm up until you're ready to bake (note 3).
- Preheat oven to 200°C (390°F).
- Lightly brush the cinnamon rolls with maple syrup and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in the lower third of the oven for 20 mins. If your pie dish is very full, place a baking sheet on the bottom rack to catch any excess juices. Keeping the pie in the oven, reduce the oven to 180°C and bake for another 40-50 minutes or until the filling is bubbling. If the top is browning too quickly but the filling hasn't fully softened, carefully tent the pie with aluminum foil.
- Remove the pie and place on a cooling rack. Allow the pie to cool for at least 3 hours to allow the filling to set before serving.
Notes
- Apples were weighed after they were peeled and cored. You can leave your apples unpeeled if you prefer.
- The cinnamon butter should be soft and spreadable, almost the consistency of spreadable butter or processed nut butter. If it’s too firm, let the mixture soften further at room temperature or warm it up for a few seconds (no longer) in the microwave.
- If you have time or would like to make the pie in advance, chill the assembled pie with the cinnamon swirl top in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This will help firm and set the shape of the swirls. Right before baking, brush the swirls with maple syrup and sugar. Your pie will still bake beautifully without chilling it (I didn’t chill the pie in the pictures).
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
