Healthy Apple Pie Oatmeal
By Dannii · Published 16th January 2019 · Updated 14th September 2021 · 68 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links and generates income via ads · This site uses cookies · Post contains 738 words. · About 4 minutes to read this article.
How do you like the sound of starting your morning with the warming taste of apple pie, without all the calories and fat? It sounds good to me! This Apple Pie Oatmeal is a delicious vegan breakfast made with almond milk, shredded apple, cinnamon and some maple syrup for extra sweetness. It makes getting out of bed on a cold morning that little bit easier!
Can you think of a tastier food combination than apple and cinnamon? They are the perfect match, especially at this time of year. If you are looking to add more fruit to your diet, then this is a good recipe to start with as the apple is shredded and cooked with the porridge, making it nice and soft. It’s a great recipe for toddlers too!
What you will need
- 60g Oats
- 350ml Unsweetened almond milk
- 1 apple, shredded
- 2 tablespoon maple syrup
- 0.5 teaspoon cinnamon Apple slices and pecans for serving (optional)
Step by step
One: Grate the apple using a coarse grater.
Two: Put the oats, Blue Diamond Almond Milk, shredded apple, maple syrup and cinnamon in to a pan and gently head for 4-5 minutes until thickened. Serve in bowls with apple slices and pecans on top.
Vegan porridge
We can sometime get in a bit of a rut with always having eggs for breakfast, but we are trying to eat more vegan meals, so we are having less eggs in the morning and more porridge. It’s super easy to make porridge vegan — just use a dairy free milk and swap any honey for maple syrup and skip the yoghurt.
Dessert for breakfast
You know when you wake up craving dessert? No, just me? Well if and when you do, you need to make yourself some of this. All the delicious flavour you get from an apple pie, but vegan and lower in calories.
Now, it’s not just the apples and almond milk that make this breakfast worthy of getting out of bed, but the cinnamon too. Just a little bit adds so much flavour, without adding lots of extra calories and it’s also seen as a superfood.
A whole tablespoon (not that you would want to eat that much in one go) has under 20 calories in it and it is also high in calcium, fibre and magnesium. It is also anti inflammatory and helps to lower cholesterol too. Win!
Extra tips
- Add some pecans on top when serving for some extra crunch.
- Want more spice in it? Add some nutmeg and ginger too.
- You could swap the apple for pear, or use a mixture of them both.
- Want this on a warm day? Make it as overnight oats. Just mix everything together the night before and put in the fridge overnight. Top with extra apple and pecans before serving.
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Healthy Apple Pie
By Dannii · Published 22nd July 2021 · Updated 15th August 2021 · 160 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links and generates income via ads · This site uses cookies · Post contains 1802 words. · About 10 minutes to read this article.
Homemade apple pie with a healthy twist. Flaky pastry loaded with sweet apples and cinnamon and a lattice pastry top. At just 200 calories a slice, this Healthy Apple Pie has all the comforting flavour you know and love, but a little bit lighter.
An apple pie is perfect for any occasion. This healthy apple pie still has all that sweet apple pie flavour, but lightened up a little. A traditional slice of apple pie has between 300-400 calories, so this is a lighter option. The world healthy is of course subjective, but when compared to a more traditional store bought pie, this is much lighter. But it doesn’t compromise on flavour.
Why should you try it?
- All the same flavour — This pie does not sacrifice on taste. It still has the delicious flaky pasty and sweet cinnamon apples, but with a few lighter changes. Lightened up — We haven’t used any crazy ingredients to lighten this up. Just a little maple syrup instead of granulated sugar, and a pastry top swap. Delicious comfort food — When it comes to dessert, apple pie has to be the most comforting. It’s the perfect summer dessert and delicious with ice cream. Can be adapted to use other fruit — Why stop at apples! You could use an apple and pear combo, or even use berries instead.
What you will need
- Shortcrust pastry — Yes, we cheated. We honestly can’t taste the difference with store bought pasty compared to making our own. So, we save ourselves a lot of time and buy it ready made. Feel free to make your own! Apples — You want to use a firm, drier apple to make apple pie because whilst they will soften up when cooking, they won’t turn mushy like a softer juicier apple would. We use Granny Smith apples because they are the right firmness and a perfect balance of sweet and tart too. If you love really sweet apple pie, then use Braeburn or Golden Delicious apples. Cinnamon — Apples and cinnamon are just the perfect combination. You could swap it for nutmeg or ground ginger, or use a mixture of the three. Maple syrup — This is how we have sweetened our apple pie. We have used just a little, as it is very sweet and has a strong flavour. You could swap it for honey or another liquid sweetener if you prefer. Vanilla — This adds some warmth to the healthy apple pie. Use vanilla extract, rather than essence, as you will get a more natural flavour. Cornflour — This is used as a thickener in the pie. You mix it with the apples before they go in to the pastry and it thickens up the pie filling juices. Egg — This is brushed on at the end to give the pie that beautiful golden glaze.
Step by step
One: Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6. In a bowl, mix the sliced apples, maple syrup, vanilla, cornflour and cinnamon until all the apples are coated.
Two: Roll out the dough and put into a greased pie dish. Cut around the edges and save the leftover pastry. Prick the base of the pastry with a fork. Lay the apple slices on the bottom of the pastry and build up in layers.
Three: Roll out the remaining pastry and cut into thin strips. Lay the strips in a lattice pattern over the top of the apples. Cover in foil and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven, brush the egg over the pasty and return to the oven, Cook for a further 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.
Four: Cool for at least 30 minutes before serving
Health benefits
Let’s us start off by saying that this is still a sugary pie. There is pastry and there is maple syrup coating the apples, but we have tried to make a couple of little lighter changes.
Firstly, apples are super nutritious. They are a good source of fibre, potassium and vitamin C and K. Apples have also been linked to a lower risk of heart disease. One reason for this may be that apples contain soluble fibre, and this can help lower your blood cholesterol levels.
Apples also contain polyphenols, which have antioxidant effects. However, many of these are in the peel, so if you peel the apples they they won’t have the same benefits.
As you can see on the pictures of the pie, we have used a lattice effect on top. We could have covered it in pastry to make a lid, however we went with strips of pastry because it means using less pastry and also we think it looks prettier.
Apple pie needs to be sweet. Whilst the apples are naturally sweet, especially when baked, we added a little bit of maple syrup to add extra sweetness. Apple pie would usually be loaded with granulated sweetener, so by using a little maple syrup with have saved a few calories in this pie.
Variation
This is a really good basic fruit pie recipe that you can adapt. You could use half apples and pears for a nice autumnal mix. You could also do a berry mix of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries and blackberries. Or a stone fruit pie with peaches and nectarines.
Instead of using cinnamon, you could swap it for ground ginger or mixed spice, or even use a mixture of the three.
What to serve with it
Now, this is a source of great debate — especially in our house. Whilst you could just eat it by itself, straight out of the pan, it is delicious with vanilla ice cream or custard. Custard for a warming and comforting winter dessert and ice cream in the summer. Let us know in the comments what you like to serve apple pie with.
If you are looking for a hot drink to have this with as a bit of an afternoon pick-me-up, then why not they our Chai Tea Latte, Cinnamon Coffee or Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate.
You can keep apple pie at room temperature for up to 2 days. You can then keep it in the fridge for an additional 2 days. Keep it covered with foil loosely. You can also freeze apple pie. Wrap it tightly with foil and place in a large freezer bag — it will keep in the freezer for about 3 months. Defrost it in the fridge and then warm it in the oven for about 30 minutes.
If you want to make this even lighter, then you can leave out the maple syrup and you will just have the natural sweetness from the apples.
You don’t have to add the egg wash to the pastry, but it does make it nice and golden.
No, there is no need to cook the apples in a pan first. They are cooked in the pastry in the oven for 45 minutes, and if they are sliced thin enough this is plenty of time.
Yes, the foil is an important part of this recipe. Because we have added a lattice top, rather than a full pastry cover, the foil seals in the steam that the apples release while baking. This softens the apples and also keeps the top layer of apples from burning.
It is actually far easier than it looks. You lay half of the pastry strips down on top of the apples one way and then weave the remaining strips under and over in the other direction.
Extra tips
- Why not make this healthy apple pie extra fancy by cutting out some tiny pastry flowers with cookie cutters to put on top.
- Fancy something a little different? Swap half the apples for pear, or even make a peach version of this.
- Make sure the apples are sliced really thin. If they are on the thicker side, then they won’t cook fully in the oven and you will have hard apple slices. You want them to be really soft and sweet.
- Although you will be super eager to cut right in to the pie to eat it, you should try to leave it to settle and cool for 2 hours just so that you can cut it and pull out a full slice without it falling apart.
More apple recipes
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If you’ve tried this healthy apple pie recipe, or any other recipe on the blog, then let us know how you got on in the comments below, we love hearing from you!
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The Ultimate Healthy Apple Pie
During my senior year of college, a friend and I decided to bake a homemade apple pie for fun one Friday afternoon. Since he rarely baked anything (and definitely had never baked apple pie from scratch!), I loaded the back seat of my car with apples, spices, my flour bin, plastic wrap, and a disposable pie plate before driving to his apartment.
When I arrived, my friend ran out to the street to help me carry everything upstairs, and at the sight of the ingredients on their kitchen table, his roommate decided he also wanted to learn how to bake apple pie. As I pulled out the recipe, they both looked at me expectantly…
And I realized they thought I was going to bake the entire pie for them! I laughed and shook my head, declaring that the best way to learn was by doing. I stood alongside them, showing them what to do and supervising as they worked.
They started by mixing together the dough for the pie crust, carefully cutting cold butter into the flour and stirring in teaspoons of ice water until the mixture came together. After shaping it into a circle and sealing it inside plastic wrap to chill in the refrigerator, they turned to the filling, slowing slicing the apples into uniform pieces and tossing those with lots of sugar and spices.
As they pulled the chilled dough out of the refrigerator, I realized I had completely forgotten to pack my rolling pin. “You wouldn’t happen to have one, would you?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
“Wait! Will this work??” my friend’s roommate exclaimed, reaching for a tall thin bottle of wine from their pantry shelves. With nothing to lose, we decided to give it a try (but firmly pressed the cork in a little farther first!)… And ended up with a perfectly flat and even disc of dough.
They gently nestled it into the pie plate, adding the apple filling on top, and popped the pie plate in the oven. While it baked, my friend and I dashed over to the grocery store to pick up vanilla bean ice cream, and an hour later, the three of us cut large slices to enjoy warm alongside a scoop of ice cream.
They both declared it was the best apple pie they had ever eaten… And not just because of the work they put into making it!
However, because of the ample amounts of butter and sugar, that apple pie wasn’t exactly the healthiest… So I’ve been on a mission to create a healthier version that tastes just as amazing. After months of testing and tweaking, I’ve finally perfected it with this Ultimate Healthy Apple Pie recipe!
Rich flaky crust… Fresh sweet filling… Lots of cozy spices… And only 129 calories in each slice!
I shared four slices with one of my neighbors, and about 15 minutes after I dropped it off, my neighbor texted me a picture of the empty plate. Her spouse had eaten all four pieces—she said it was that good!
That’s the best kind of compliment in my book! 😉
Let’s go over how to make this ultimate healthy apple pie! I learned a lot about the science of apple pie while developing this recipe, so I’m sharing that information and lots of tips with you to ensure your pie turns out perfectly, too!
Nerd Alert #1: Flour
To make the crust, you’ll start with white whole wheat flour (like this!). White whole wheat flour is made by finely grinding a special type of soft white wheat (hence the name!), whereas regular whole wheat flour comes from a heartier variety of red wheat. This gives white whole wheat flour the same health benefits as regular whole wheat flour along with a lighter taste and texture, closer to that of all-purpose flour, which lets the flaky texture of the pie crust truly shine!
Tip: Whole wheat pastry flour (like this!) is a great substitute! And if you live outside of the US (like in the UK or Australia), your regular “wholemeal” flour should be the equivalent of our white whole wheat flour. From the research I’ve done, those countries grow a lot more white wheat than the US does!
Nerd Alert #2: Butter
Although I grew up making pie crusts with many different ingredients—shortening, olive oil, butter, and sometimes a combination of those!—I’ve found my family and I truly love the flavor of an all-butter crust. It tastes deliciously rich!
So for this ultimate healthy apple pie, that’s what you’re going to do! You’ll work the butter into the flour, and I highly recommend using a pastry cutter (like this!) to do that. It makes the process a lot easier than two knives or the back of a fork!
It’s important to use very cold butter , straight from the fridge. When the butter melts in the oven, it creates flaky and tender pockets in the pie crust, so you don’t want it to soften or melt ahead of time.
Nerd Alert #3: Vanilla Extract
Vanilla isn’t usually an ingredient in pie crusts, but it’s a key ingredient in our healthier pie crust! There are two reasons for this. The first is that the alcohol helps create a more flaky texture in the pie crust by preventing the gluten from forming really long (aka tough!) strands. The second is that vanilla extract enhances butter’s rich flavor, so it makes our healthier pie crust taste just as rich and decadent as traditional extremely butter-laden ones!
Nerd Alert #4: Preparing the Crust
There are two key steps to preparing the crust in your ultimate healthy apple pie. The first part is chilling the dough. Since the butter warms up a bit while you work it into the flour mixture, chilling the dough re-solidifies the butter, which ensures you get that lovely flaky texture when you bake your pie.
Before chilling, shape the dough into a 1”-tall circle, and place that in between two very large sheets of plastic wrap. That’s because…
You’ll leave the dough between the plastic wrap when you roll it out! With this secret trick of mine, you won’t have to flour your work surface or your rolling pin, which makes clean-up so much easier.
Tip: This is the rolling pin I use! I prefer using silicone rolling pins because they have a more even surface (and they’re basically non-stick, for when you roll out other doughs not covered by plastic wrap!).
Nerd Alert #5: Apples
Time to start making the filling for your ultimate healthy apple pie! And of course, that begins with… The apples ! There are a lot of debates circling around apple pie regarding which apples are the best ones to use, and here’s what my taste testers and I discovered.
We preferred a combination of Fuji, Gala, and Granny Smith apples.
Using pure Granny Smith apples resulted in a pie that tasted way too tart, and using all Fuji apples (my favorite variety for baking and eating!) produce a pie that tasted good—yet a little too “one dimensional.”
While we really enjoyed the Fuji + Granny Smith combination, my taste testers and I thought that adding Gala apples to the mix made the filling even better! They still provided a sweet flavor, similar to the Fuji apples, but they softened a tiny bit more. This created a filling that was full of fruit flavor, pleasingly sweet, and firm yet soft (not mealy or falling apart!).
You’ll cut your apples into thin ⅛”-thick slices, then cut each of those slices in half. Thin slices bake faster (and soften more!), and you end up with less empty space between apples compared to cutting your apples into chunks. Yes, it takes more time to cut your apple slices that thin—but I promise it’s worth the effort!
I also added a touch of water to the filling. I know—not exactly a traditional ingredient in apple pie! However, the water helped the apples soften a bit more. Then you’ll also mix in some cornstarch (like this!) to thicken the juice that the apples release while baking.
Nerd Alert #6: Spices and Sweetener
Of course, we can’t make the ultimate healthy apple pie without spices! Cinnamon (this kind is my favorite!) is the most important one, but I also added nutmeg (like this!) and allspice (like this!). Those other two spices create a richer, fuller, deeper flavor that really adds to the coziness. I highly recommend them!
As for the sweetener, you’ll skip the refined granulated sugar and use a bit of pure maple syrup (like this!) instead. You want the kind that comes directly from maple trees and only includes one ingredient: maple syrup. It’s generally sold in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).
Because we’re using mostly really sweet red apples, I only add a teensy tiny bit… I find the filling is sweet enough without too much maple syrup! But if you prefer your pie on the sweeter side, you can definitely add more.
Nerd Alert #7: Assembling
You’ve now rolled out your dough to be at least 1” bigger than the pie plate’s top, so it’s time to carefully transfer it into the pie plate. I usually mist the pie plate with a little cooking spray first to help the bottom turn a bit more golden and flaky. There should be some overhang around the rim, so gently trim that off. (You can bake it as is or re-roll it and cut it into cute shapes with miniature cookie cutters! Although the exact ones I used are no longer sold in stores, these are really similar!)
Tip: This recipe was designed for a standard 9” pie plate—not a deep dish pie plate! The pie plate should only be 1 ⅜” tall. Although most stores seem to only carry deep dish pie plates these days, I found my standard 9” pie plates at Walmart (these ones!)
Next, transfer your filling into the pie plate, and gently but firmly press it down. I use my hands to do this. Much more efficient than a spoon or spatula! The apples shrink a bit as they bake, so it’s okay if it looks like there’s a small mound that extends above the pie plate’s rim!
Nerd Alert #8: Foil
Because we aren’t using a top crust, you must cover your entire ultimate healthy apple pie with foil . The foil does two things: (a) prevents the crust around the rim from burning and (b) seals in the steam that the apples release while baking. This softens the apples and also keeps the top layer of apples from drying out and turning crispy.
Nerd Alert #9: Baking
We’re getting close to the end! To bake your ultimate healthy apple pie, you’ll preheat the oven to 425°F and place a dark metal baking sheet on the middle rack of your oven while it preheats. You’ll put the pie plate directly on that, which helps the bottom crust turn a bit more flaky, rather than totally soggy.
After 15 minutes, you’ll reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue to bake your pie. (Don’t open the oven door!) For the final 10-15 minutes, you’ll remove the foil from the top to allow the crust to turn a beautiful golden brown.
I know it’s SO hard, but you must wait until your ultimate healthy apple pie cools completely to room temperature before slicing and serving . The apple filling is still setting while it cools, and the cornstarch continues to thicken the juice that the apples released while baking. It feels nearly impossible, but I promise it’s worth it!
Whew! Did you make it through all of those tips and tricks? Are you ready to start baking?? And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! 🙂 ) I’d love to see your ultimate healthy apple pie!
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