Apple Galette Recipe

Fall is a wonderful time for a quick, easy, healthy apple galette recipe. Instead of a pie, make a no-fuss, simple apple galette in minutes and wow your guests.

What I love about this apple galette recipe is it doesn't require any skills or fancy lattice-patterned pie crust. Instead, with a few simple ingredients, this apple galette is ready in minutes. You can serve it with vegan vanilla ice cream, or it tastes fabulous on its own. I even added maple-roasted pecans for a bonus.

Jump to:

• What is a Galette?
• How to Make the Dough
• Galette Ingredients
• Galette Ingredient Substitutions
• Making the Filling
• Preparing the Dough
• How to Cook the Apple Galette
• Recipe FAQs
• Tips
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Reviews

What is a Galette?

Unlike traditional pies, galettes are sweet or savory depending on teh ingredients inside the dough. The deep, sloped edges of a pie pan help a pie crust hold its structure as it bakes and firms up. Still, a galette is baked directly on a rimmed cookie sheet with the edges and corners of the dough turned up roughly over toward the center of the ingredients to house the delicious insides.

Galettes are pies made without using a pie dish with any pastry dough.

As a result, the same dough for a sweet pie for dessert is also used for a savory entree served at dinner.

How to Make the Dough

For instance, I used the same oil-free dough for this apple galette recipe for making pizza, vegan mushroom Wellington, and vegetable strudel.

However, feel free to use any vegan pie dough recipe or vegan puff pastry recipe. I always make several oil-free pizza dough recipes and freeze them so I can make various recipes throughout the month.

Galette Ingredients

• Granny Smith Apples: There is only one word to describe the flavor of Granny Smith: acidic. It is an uncompromising crisp hard apple with a very sharp taste; when making an apple galette, it is essential to use both tart and sweet apples to balance the flavor.
• Honey Crisp Apples: Honeycrisp apples are known for their honey-sweet flavor. This apple is juicier than most apples because the cells of this apple are much larger than in other varieties. Each bite is a refreshing mouthful of apple goodness that keeps you wanting more! You do get notes of a pear flavor with this fruit.
• Cinnamon: The most common spice with apples is cinnamon, giving them a spicy edge.
• Lemon Juice: The lemon juice helps balance the acidity in the apples and keeps them from browning. I always use fresh lemon juice whenever possible.
• Maple Syrup: I chose maple syrup as a natural sweetener instead of sugar or brown sugar.
• Corn Starch: Corn starch is added while cooking the apples to help thicken the apple mixture so the bottom of the crust doesn't get soggy when cooking.
• Maple Pecans (Optional): For an added nutty crunch, I toss raw pecans in maple syrup, add a pinch of salt, and bake them on top of the galette for the last 5 minutes of cooking.

Galette Ingredient Substitutions

• Any sweet apples in season work well with this recipe. However, it is recommended to pair tart apples with sweet apples for maximum flavor. Try Fuji, Gala, and Golden Delicious apples if you can't find honey crisp.
• Nutmeg, allspice, or pumpkin pie spice is often substituted for cinnamon in recipes.
• Use bottled lemon juice if you don't have fresh.
• Agave or date syrup is an excellent substitute for maple syrup.
• Potato starch is another good substitute for thickening and baking, as it delivers similar results to cornstarch and requires an equal amount. Other ingredients you can use in place of cornstarch include rice flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, and psyllium husk.

Making the Filling

• First, peel the apples into equal slices, discarding the core and seeds. Although I peeled the apples, leaving the apple peels attached is also an option.
• Next, add all the ingredients except corn starch, heating the apples with maple syrup, lemon juice, and cinnamon.
• Once the apples break down and get saucy, add the cornstarch by sprinkling it into the apple mixture and stir.

• As a result, the apple mixture thickens.
• Next, set the apple filling aside to cool while you prepare the dough.

Preparing the Dough

I don't consider myself a baker. I love to cook, but fancy desserts are not my thing. But my husband loves dessert, so although I don't bake often, I try occasionally to please those with a sweet tooth in my family.

And for me, this apple galette is right up my alley.

As I said before, I love making an apple galette because there aren't any rules. It's easy, with no definitive requirements other than rolling out the dough in a circle and filling the inside. The rest is easy.

• One little trick I've learned over the years is to roll the dough on parchment paper to move the dough easily onto the baking pan.
• Once the dough is rolled, pour the cooled apple filling into teh center of the dough. Again, no set rules determine how much goes into the middle. If you desire, spread it out a little more.
• The goal is to bring the sides up around the apple mixture, creating a wall or moat around the apple filling.
• As a result, the filling stays inside while baking around the beautiful center.

If you wish to add the maple pecan option, I suggest baking the galette first and adding the gazed pecans to the center of the apple galette during the last five minutes of baking so they get toasted but not burned.

How to Cook the Apple Galette

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.
• Rotate the pan halfway through cooking.
• If desired, add the maple pecan mixture during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
• Allow the galette to cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting it into slices.

• Serve with vegan vanilla ice cream or no-fat vanilla Nice cream.
• Or, serve with non-dairy whipped cream.
• The galette stores well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• To reheat, return to a 325-degree oven for 10 minutes, or reheat in the microwave.

Recipe FAQs

Tips

• The dough and filling can be made and chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Freeze the dough for up to 3 months after being prepared.
• Allow the dough to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling out and filling.
• You can use any apple variety, but here are my favorites for galettes: Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, or Fuji.
• Adding cornstarch to the filling helps absorb some of the apple's juice in the baking process. It's a great way to prevent a soggy crust on the bottom, keeping the pastry flaky and crisp! 
• Roll the dough on a piece of parchment paper to make it easier to transfer to a baking sheet.
• Store the galette covered at room temperature for up to 24 hours or in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
• Place the galette on a baking sheet and warm in a 375°F oven for 10 minutes. The microwave will work for individual slices, but the crust won't stay as crisp.

Try this apple galette recipe this fall for a quick and easy dessert. It is an excellent dessert for the family or to take to a party!

If you love this apple galette recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!

📖 Recipe