This Raw Vegan Apple Pie with Cinnamon-Pecan Streusel will please all apple pie lovers, vegan or otherwise. A rich, sticky mulberry crust is filled with a saucy, date-sweetened apple layer. The finishing touch? Sweet cinnamon-pecan streusel (and a dollop of coconut whipped cream, if you're feeling fancy).
Sometimes, there is nothing better than a slice of pie. To be exact: there is nothing better than a crumbly, cinnamon-spiced, sweet, layered, streusel-sprinkled piece of apple pie. Why? Because it tastes like heaven and looks like this...
And who doesn't want to sink their fork into that slab of deliciousness?
I've mentioned it before, but sometimes recipe ideas pop into my mind at the strangest of times. Sometimes while in yoga poses, other times while drying my hair in the morning, but most of these random "idea zaps" rouse me from a sleepy slumber in the middle of the night.
This raw apple pie idea was no exception to that trend, and I was awake enough to jot down a groggy note on my phone before falling back asleep. The note read: apple pie, raw cubes, saucy, crumble dates/mulberries. My sleepy note-taker self is concise, albeit a bit nonsensical. If you were to look through my other mid-slumber recipe notes, you might suspect I was writing cryptic messages. It's like a less-sophisticated, inadvertent Da Vinci Code up in there.
Okay, back to PIE.
Although this pie is raw and vegan, it's not only for the health-food seekers. This dessert will impress any apple pie lover because it is so incredibly flavorful and full of amazing texture. And the cinnamon-pecan streusel? There are no words for that goodness. The part about it being packed superfoods and other vitamin-rich goodies? Well, that will be our little secret.
The crust in this pie is made by pulsing together dried mulberries, medjool dates, raw walnuts, fresh vanilla bean, and cinnamon until you have a crumbly, sticky mixture. Then, you'll add the mixture to a tart pan and form it into a crust.
The apple layer is created in two steps. For the first step, you'll add two peeled and cored honeycrisp (or other firm, sweet apple) to your food processor along with dates + cinnamon and process the combination into a smooth mixture. Then, you'll stir in chia seeds, which will help thicken and lend a texture that is more comparable to cooked apple pie filling. For the second step, you'll cube three more apples and toss them with the apple-date mixture to create your apple pie filling.
The last layer is ridiculously tasty. A sweet streusel is created by pulsing together raw pecans, coconut sugar, a dab of coconut oil, and cinnamon. To assemble your pie, you'll fill your crust with the apple mixture and sprinkle the streusel on top. After an hour of set-time in your freezer, it's time to sink your fork into the most delicious raw apple pie ever.
Raw Vegan Apple Pie with Cinnamon-Pecan Streusel
Ingredients
For the Crust
- 2 cups dried mulberries
- 1 cup pitted and packed medjool dates
- ¾ cup raw walnuts
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the Apple Filling
- 5 large honey crisp apples, peeled and cored, divided
- ½ cup pitted and packed medjool dates
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons white or black chia seeds
For the Cinnamon-Pecan Streusel
- ¼ cup raw pecans
- ¼ cup raw coconut sugar
- 1 teaspoon virgin coconut oil
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
To Make the Crust
- Add the mulberries, dates, walnuts, vanilla bean seeds, and cinnamon to a food processor. Pulse the mixture a few times and then process until you have a crumbly, sticky mixture (about 1-2 minutes).
- Line the bottom of a 10" round tart pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with coconut oil.
- Pour the crust mixture into the tart pan, and use your hands to press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides to form a crust (tip: if the mixture is sticking to your hands, dampen them with water).
- Transfer the tart pan to the freezer for at least 30 minutes to set.
To Make the Apple Filling
- After you've peeled and cored the apples, roughly chop two of them. Add them to a food processor along with the medjool dates, cinnamon, and pinch of nutmeg. Pulse the mixture a few times and then process for 3-4 minutes or until a smooth apple-sauce-like texture is reached. You'll need to stop frequently to scrape the mixture down the sides of your food processor.
- Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the chia seeds.
- Dice your other three peeled and cored apples into small cubes, and add the cubes to the bowl with the apple-date mixture. Toss to coat.
To Make the Cinnamon-Pecan Streusel
- Add the pecans, coconut sugar, coconut oil, and cinnamon to a food processor. Pulse 20-25 times or until you have a coarse crumble.
To Assemble the Pie
- Remove your crust from the freezer. Pour in the apple mixture, and use a spatula to spread it evenly into the crust. Sprinkle the cinnamon-pecan streusel over the apple layer and return the pie to the freezer for one hour to set.
- Remove from freezer, slice, and serve.
- Store leftovers in your refrigerator.
I keep meaning to eat more raw meals but I never get around to it. This looks divine, Ashley! Since I'm not crazy about pecans, can you think of a good substitute, or do you not really taste them?
Thanks, Meredith! You can hardly taste the pecans in the crumble -- it's more of a cinnamon-sugar flavor, but you can always try substituting raw walnuts!
You never cease to amaze me! This looks delicious..... I'll have to try to decrypt your midnight notes sometime
Well, thank you! Haha, I'd love for you to decrypt my midnight notes for me; half the time I don't even understand what I wrote by the time morning rolls around!
Hi there, this recipe does look amazing and I can't wait to try it! I have a question though, do you have to freeze it or can you stick it in a dehydrator to warm it up nicely? There is something about a nice WARM piece of apple pie that seems like it would be just heavenly!
Hi Jenell! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I don't have a dehydrator, but I think that sounds like a great idea. If you give it a try, I'd love to hear how it works out! It might not be quite as "slice-able" if you skip the freezer, but I think it might even be more delicious that way. Enjoy :)
This is the best looking raw apple pie I have ever seen. It's getting into the hot Summer season here in Australia and I really have been looking for light, healthy and delicious desserts to make, so you can definitely consider I will be recreating the recipe. Pinned!
Really?! That's an awesome compliment, Thalia! This would be a perfect summer apple pie; warm spices but cool temperatures. Thanks for commenting and pinning :)
Wow this is one great looking recipe girl!!
Well thanks, Ami! :)
I went ahead and tried the dehydrating way and it was pretty good - and it made the house smell amazing! :) I will have to try the freezer version though too to see if I like the way it slices better; the warm way was okay, just probably not as hard. My husband absolutely adores this recipe; thank you so much for a healthy recipe I can happily serve my family that they will not too quickly get tired of!! :)
This looks amazing! I can't wait to try it. Getting into the raw food, vegan thing in a big way was dubious at first but who could resist this? Question though? Is there something else I could use rather than the mulberries, they are quite difficult to find round my area. Would another berry type work or are these added for a particular reason?
Hi, Gemma! Thanks so much! Dried Turkish figs or even dried black figs should work well as a substitute for mulberries. I hope this helps! Enjoy :)
Hey Ashley! This cake tastes seriously like the German "Apfelstrudel" (after adding some lemon juice and raisins). How do I know? Well, I just recreated it, that's how :) Great post, thank you!
I just finished making this delight, and I'm going to give it a go selling it at the markets! I'll let you know
This apple pie looks delicious! What an inspired idea.
Thanks so much, José!
Finally got around to making this as I've been craving apple pie with the weather starting to turn to cooler temps. This pie is AMAZING!! Great flavor and the crust layer is to die for! Will definitely be making this more over the next couple months, can't wait to get the family feedback over the holidays! They will never know its good for them! ????
I couldn't stop eating from the crust :-) Does it thaw well after taking it out of the freezer? I made it today and the filling seemed very soft, so I'm a bit worried as to how it will hold until tomorrow.
Hi, Nancy! I'm so glad you're enjoying it. As long as you store it in the refrigerator once it's been set in the freezer, it will hold together just fine for multiple days (I've stored it for up to 4). The chia seeds will help thicken up the filling as will keeping in chilled in the refrigerator. I hope this helps!
Ok, I can stop worrying now :-) Thanks so much for the quick response!
Came back to say that it turned out perfect. It was delicious and will definitely make it again!
This was delicious!!! I substituted some super sweet opal apples topped it off with some homemade raw vegan ice cream and WOW is all I can say!!! Thank you for the recipe!!!
I think I just simply leave the sugar out and see how it goes. Judging by the ammount of dates I doubt it needs any sugar
This was a wonderful dessert! I have little experience with raw recipes and this really surprised me. I made a raw caramel sauce to top. Very rice and satisfying. This has piqued my interest for other raw recipes. (Also, I did not have mulberry's s so I substituted dried cherries, only I didn't add as many.) Great recipe to work with!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kimberly! Raw recipes (especially desserts) can be so wonderfully surprising. Sometimes requires a little more coordination with ingredients and such but is usually a very worthwhile endeavor. Happy to know that was your experience here. Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback. :)