You can make a delicious and sugar-free apple pie. This recipe has no added sugar and is perfect for folks who want to cut back on sugar.
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Homemade Apple Pie Without Sugar
Americans love our sugar. The average, yes, average, American consumes over 150 pounds of it each year, according to the US government. If you are like millions of others who are trying to cut down on the amount of sugar that you eat, you probably take it for granted that apple pies are off the menu. Well, they don’t have to be!
This sugar-free apple pie recipe comes directly from my own Grandma’s kitchen! She developed this recipe after years of struggling to find a sugar free apple pie her diabetic husband would actually love! I think she did it.
This recipe makes pies that are not only delicious, it also contains no added sugar at all. Bake this homemade sugar-free apple pie recipe the next time you have a sweet craving, and I am pretty sure that you won’t even miss the sugar.
The Secret to an Amazing Sugar-Free Apple Pie
There are two equally critical components to any apple pie: the crust and the filling. Get one of those wrong, and even if the other is really, really good, the pie will turn out mediocre at best.
This recipe calls for two prepared pie crusts. Sure, when you are short on time, you can use a store-bought crust (make sure that it does not contain any sugar). But you really ought to do yourself a favor and make some homemade pie shells.
With the pie crust out of the way, it is time to move on to the filling. The challenge with making a tasty sugar-free apple pie filling is two-fold. Not only does the filling have to be delicious, but it needs to be thick enough not to ooze out of a slice and run all over the plate.
This recipe uses one and a half tablespoons of cornstarch as a thickener. Cornstarch works well, but you need to make sure you cook the filling long enough to let cornstarch do its magic. Make sure the liquid in your filling is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon before removing it from the heat.
Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Pie crusts – here is my favorite recipe for
- Delicious apples you can use granny smith apples if you desire
- Frozen apple juice
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Cinnamon
- Butter
How to Make Sugar Free Apple Pie
- Place apples and apple juice into a large pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Dissolve cornstarch in water. Gently stir cornstarch into the apple mixture.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until apples begin to soften.
- Stir in cinnamon and allow filling to cool to room temperature.
- Place a pie crust on a pie dish.
- Pour the apple filling into the pie crust, spread evenly, and cover with the top crust.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
- Brush the top with melted butter after baking.
Tips on How to Make and Serve Sugar Free Apple Pie
- Keep your pie crust ingredients cold. Never allow your pie crust ingredients to heat up, that especially is true for the butter. Overmixing can add unwanted heat to the crust.
- Make sure the filling is completely cool before filling the bottom crust. Not only is it better for the crust as discussed above, but allowing the sugar-free apple pie filling to cool will enable it to thicken entirely.
- Add a sprinkling of cheese before baking. Cheddar cheese goes great with apple pie. Try it out by spreading a handful of shredded cheddar to the top of the crust for the last five minutes of baking.
How to store no-sugar added apple pie
You can store your homemade apple pie on the countertop at room temperature. Your pie will last for about three days at optimal quality. There is no need to refrigerate this fruit pie.
Notes about this recipe
This recipe adds no additional sugar in the recipe, yes, apples do naturally contain sugar. This is not a keto recipe or a low-carb recipe. This recipe simply removes the added sugar, and let’s the sugars in the apples shine through.
More Sugar-free Dessert Recipes
Can’t get enough apples? Try these recipes!
- Large Batch Oatmeal with apples
- Apple Cider Pork Loin
- Apple Pie Tacos
- Baked Apples
- Fried Apples
- Dutch Apple Pie
- Homemade Apple Crisp
- Caramel Apple Bread Pudding
- Wendy’s Salads – Apple Pecan with Chicken
Be sure to try more homemade pie recipes and check out these savory pie recipes.
Sugarless Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 2 pie crusts
Sugar Free Apple Pie Filling
- 6 apples Delicious apples, peeled and sliced
- 6 ounces frozen apple juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/3 cup water
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sugar Free Filling
- Place apples and undiluted apple juice into a large pan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for about 5 minutes.
- Dissolve cornstarch in water. Gently stir cornstarch into apple mixture.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 10 to 15 minutes or until apples begin to soften. Stir in cinnamon.
Pie Directions
- Fill pastry shell with apples and cover with top crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Baste with melted margarine or butter after baking.
Liz
Thank you so much for this recipe, I made it today. It turned out great and the whole family loved it. The entire pie was eaten, hubby has already asked me to make it again soon. I made it with Granny Smith apples & increased the cinnamon to 1.5 teaspoon.
M Hast
This apple pie is so good! I love the taste and the texture is perfect. I didn’t have any problems with the recipe.
Melissa
My sister can’t eat sugar (migraines) and I made this for her bday a year ago. It brought her so much joy. And my kids and I thought it was amazing. Like, just as good if not better than normal apple pie! I just made it for her again yesterday for her bday. Which means that’s probably the only dessert she’s had since her last bday! 🙂 And again, she was just so happy to be able to enjoy it. I LOVE that this doesn’t have any fake sugar or anything weird. It’s just totally simple and yummy. THANK YOU!!!!
Stephanie Manley
I am so glad you like the recipe, I am really not excited about using a lot of artificial sugars either!
Maria Gregorio
This is my go to recipe for no sugar apple pie. My Mom is diabetic and I am pre. Delicious, easy to make and does not spike our sugar levels. Highly recommended indeed. Thank you!
Stephanie
I am glad this works for you!
Gene Wedoff
I wonder if the recipe would work without apple juice—using parboiled apple slices mixed with water and cornstarch. I’ve made cherry/blueberry pie this way with good results.
Stephanie
That seems like it could work.
Jane
What if I don’t have apple juice concentrate? Can I use Apple Juice? Thanks!!
Stephanie
It will work.
Melissa Nolan
I had to come back here to say thank you! You made my sister’s bday! 🙂 She gave up added sugar to help her migraines. I used a pre-made gluten-free crust (I have to be gluten-free) and this turned out incredible. My entire family loved it, and I have two kids who love their sugar. My only advice is to cut the apple chunks fairly thick. The first time making the filling I cut the apples very thin … and then by the time they boiled and simmered with the apple juice concentrate, I had … applesauce. Had to peel a bunch of apples all over again. So maybe 3/4 of an inch thick. You’ll love it! This might be the only apple pie I ever make!
Stephanie
I am glad this worked for you!
Carol
Can I use Gala apples?
Karen
It’s been a while since I have made a sugar-free pie, and it will be on its way to my newly-diabetic friend. I just substituted apple cider for the juice concentrate and possibly let it cook a little too long on the stove, but that’s ok. I may try hardly cooking the filling at all on the next one. But I’m sure it will be great. I teach pie making workshops, with emphasis on getting people comfortable making a homemade crust. It makes all the difference. Thanks for sharing!
Mary
Frozen apple juice is loaded with sugar so I don’t see how this could possibly be called a no added sugar recipe.
Stephanie
Well, you don’t actually add any white granulated sugar to the pie.
Melissa
There’s no added sugar! I was happily surprised that the apple juice concentrate I bought (cheap kind) had no added sugar!
BonJon
I’m also diabetic, and looked at this recipe. But confusion! This calls for frozen apple juice, so I’m thinking I can take 6 oz. or a tad more (it will lose moisture as it freezes a tad bit) and freeze it. But then it says undiluted. Is it 6 oz. of frozen apple juice, or is it 6oz of frozen apple juice concentrate?
Thanks for clarifying!
Stephanie
You are going use the undiluted/frozen concentrate for this recipe. Use the concentrated version that comes out of the can of frozen apple juice.
Arpita Patel
he best Apple pie my husband and I ever ate. And we are old lol. I used a mix of apples from our trees and peeled and cut them with the slicer and peeler attachment for my KitchenAid mixer. The slices were thin but they did not get mushy at all and we loved the crisp texture. We did make just a few changes. Used 1/2 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup brown, and added 1/4 tsp salt and increased the cinnamon to 1/2 tsp. We did cheat big time on the crust and used Pillsbury refrigerated crust. Cooked the filling according to directions as given. It is the last 2 minutes of the reduction of juices where all the business is done. This pie was not runny at all. I think the cooling helps. Can’t recommend it enough and we will be making it for thanksgiving. Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
Angelina
Is the frozen apple juice sugar free? Which brand do you use?
Stephanie
Apple juice is not sugar-free. There is no sugar added to the recipe. I have used Treetop and Kroger brand for this recipe.
Burdette casey
I have made this pie using granny smith apples it truns out great im diabetic so this a great treat my family likes it to i made it for thanksgiving my son is making right now for mothers day for me
Alison
Do you have a recipe for the pie shell
Stephanie
I have a video for a pie shell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V8e69DMEGo
Liz
This pie is so good! I’m diabetic so it was so good to find this recipe.