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close up of apple pie slice
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5 from 1 vote

Cardamom Apple Pie

Just a dash of cardamom elevates this traditional apple pie to new heights. Though cardamom is nota a southern spice, it plays well with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and adds a cozy southern charm to this dessert. This recipe was originally published in my cookbook, Sweet Potato Soul.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time55 minutes
Resting Time for Pie Dough1 hour
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Jenné Claiborne

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 8 baking apples, such as Granny Smith peeled, cored, and thinly sliced about 1/8 inch thick
  • 1 1/2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup cane sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/4 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp potato starch
  • 1/4 cup apple cider or water
  • 1 recipe Flaky Double Pie Crust or 2 store-bought vegan pie crusts
  • 2 tbsp solid coconut oil or vegan butter

Apple Peel Caramel

  • 2  cups apple peels & cores leftover from prepping apples for pie
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup water

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
  • Place the sliced apples in a large bowl, add the lemon juice, and toss to coat. Transfer them to a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Add the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cardamom, ginger, and salt. Stir well. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, or until the apples soften.
  • In a small bowl, stir together the potato starch and cider or water until the starch dissolves. Pour it into the apples and stir as it thickens. Remove from the heat.
  • Pour the apples evenly into the bottom pie crust. Top the apples with small pieces of coconut oil or vegan butter. Top with the other pie crust and crimp the edges. Make slits in the top crust to release steam as it bakes. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top of the pie crust turns golden and the edges are slightly browned. If the edges are browning too quickly, wrap them in aluminum foil.
  • Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for 1 hour before serving with vegan vanilla ice cream.

Apple Peel Caramel

  • While the pie bakes, make the caramel.
  • Add the apple scraps and sugar to a small pot, and stir well. Let it sit for 5 minutes.
  • Over medium heat, bring the apple scraps and sugar to a simmer. The sugar should melt completely within a couple of minutes.
  • Pour in 1/4 cup of water. Bring the syrup to a simmer, then reduce it to low heat to very gently simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Strain the syrup and toss the solids. Allow the syrup at least 15 minutes to cool before using. It will thicken as it cools.
  • Keep the syrup fresh in a jar in the fridge.

Video

Notes

Recipe Notes & Tips: 

  • Potato starch is better than cornstarch for fruit pies. Cornstarch and arrowroot powder tend to produce a bit of chalkiness in fruit pies, while potato starch makes a smoother thickener. If you don't have it use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch instead.
  • Decide on your pie topping before you get started. It's easiest to cover the apple pie with a whole pie crust, crimping the edges and making slits on top to release steam. However, lattice work looks beautiful too, but will take more time. Plan ahead so you can get your pie into the oven quickly––you don't want the filling sitting in the bottom crust for too long.
  • Vegan egg wash it. You can create a vegan egg wash to give the top crust a nice golden brown sheen by brushing on a mixture of one part maple syrup and one part soy milk (about 2 tbsp of each) before baking. I did not do this for the photos.
  • You can make it gluten-free. Use a gluten-free pie crust or use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend to make your own crust using my recipe.

Storage Directions

  • Keep your apple pie in the pie pan as long as you'd like. Just cover it with plastic wrap or a silicone stretch lid and store it in the fridge. It should stay fresh for up to 5 days. I like to reheat slices in the toaster oven before enjoying.
  • Apple caramel will keep in the fridge for up to one month. 

Nutrition

Calories: 427kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 185mg | Potassium: 302mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 64g | Vitamin A: 109IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1mg