Sugar-Free Apple Pie

If you’re serving a crowd that needs to watch their sugar intake, this sugar-free apple pie recipe uses warmly spiced apples and your preferred artificial sweetener to make a traditional pie filling. You can use either a homemade or store-bought pie crust, as long as you have enough for both a top and bottom crust.

Seal the crusts together with a traditional fluted edge or attempt fancy braided or scalloped edges and decorate with pie crust cutouts. You’ll have the prettiest low-sugar pie on the table.

Ingredients for Sugar-Free Apple Pie

• Sugar substitute: Use a powdered or crystallized sugar substitute like Equal, Splenda or stevia.
• Cornstarch: The apple slices are tossed in cornstarch so that as the filling bakes and the fruit releases its juice, it will turn into a thick syrup.
• Ground cinnamon: Cinnamon is a classic apple pie spice, but for a personal twist, add a pinch of cardamom, nutmeg, cloves or allspice.
• Tart apples: Thinly sliced apples fill the pie. We prefer our apples peeled, but some enjoy the color and texture of leaving them on.
• Butter: Dot the filling with bits of butter before adding the top crust. It will add richness to the apples.
• Pie crust: You need a double pie crust, enough for a top and bottom crust.

Directions

Step 1: Make the apple filling

JoJo Baccam for Taste Recipes

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Whisk together the sugar substitute, cornstarch and cinnamon. Add the apples and stir to coat.

Step 2: Roll out the dough and assemble the pie

JoJo Baccam for Taste Recipes

Roll out half of the dough to about 1/8 inch and carefully transfer it to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim even with the rim, leaving enough overhang to flute the edges. Add filling and dot with butter.

Roll out the remaining dough to 1/8 inch thick and drape it over the filling. Trim, seal and flute the edge. Cut slits in the top of the pie to let steam escape.

Step 3: Bake the pie

JoJo Baccam for Taste Recipes

Bake for 35 minutes, then increase the oven temperature to 400° and bake until apples are tender, an additional 15 to 20 minutes. The finished pie should have a golden brown top and a bubbly filling.

JoJo Baccam for Taste Recipes

Sugar-Free Apple Pie Variations

• Drizzle with caramel: When serving, add some sugar-free caramel syrup over the top.
• Add a slice of cheese: They say an apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze, so add some! Cheddar is a classic, and there are several ways to enjoy it with apple pie. You can simply melt cheese on top of a warm slice, or incorporate 1/4 cup of shredded cheddar directly into the pie dough.
• Pair the apple with other fruit: Stir a cup of sugar-free dried cranberries into the filling.

How to Store Sugar-Free Apple Pie

Store sugar-free apple pie in the refrigerator. To keep it fresh, wrap the pie in its original pie pan with either aluminum foil or plastic wrap. It will keep for four to five days.

Can you freeze sugar-free apple pie?

Freezing an unbaked apple pie is a great way to get a head start on Thanksgiving or to have a pie ready for guests. Place the pie on a sheet tray and slide into the freezer for a few hours to let the crust get nice and hard. Then, slide it into a heavy-duty freezer bag and squeeze out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months.

How do you bake a frozen sugar-free apple pie?

Preheat oven to 400°, but then drop to 375° when you put the pie in. Bake for an hour, rotate, then bake for an additional 30 minutes until the juices look thick and bubbly through the pie crust vents. Cover the edges or the entire pie with aluminum foil if it’s getting too dark.

Sugar-Free Apple Pie Tips

JoJo Baccam for Taste Recipes

What sugar substitutes work best in this recipe?

There are plenty of sugar alternatives you can use for this sugar-free apple pie. We recommend using a powdered or crystallized sugar substitute like Equal, Splenda or stevia. That way, it has a similar consistency and texture as traditional sugar. Read the package instructions and use whatever amount is necessary to equal a cup of granulated sugar. (Some alternatives are sweeter than sugar.)

How do you make pie crust?

It’s not hard to make the perfect flaky pie crust. You need 1-1/4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 cup of cold cubed butter and 3 to 4 tablespoons of ice water. Combine the flour and salt, then cut the butter in until crumbly. Gradually add ice water while tossing with a fork until the dough holds together when pressed. Next, divide the dough into two and shape one piece slightly larger than the other. Shape into two disks and refrigerate for an hour or overnight, then follow recipe instructions for rolling out the dough.

What types of apples should you use in sugar-free apple pie?

If you prefer a tarter apple, Granny Smith and Macintosh are the reigning queens of apple pie. But if you want to go sweeter (but still use a firm apple), try Roma, Fuji or gala.