Homemade Apple Galette is an easy apple pie with half the effort and all the flavor! This rustic dessert has a buttery, flaky crust and a perfectly spiced apple filling — perfect for Thanksgiving and the holidays. Serve with vanilla ice cream for the ultimate cozy treat!
Easy Apple Galette Recipe
If the idea of baking a traditional apple pie feels intimidating, an apple galette is the perfect solution. It’s simple, much easier than a pie, and essentially a free-form apple pie!
My galette recipe uses a flaky, buttery homemade butter pie crust that creates a cozy bed for tender apple slices coated in brown sugar and cinnamon-spiced goodness.
Galettes are a wonderful alternative to pie. Have you tried one before? Another fall favorite is my persimmon galette or the mini apple hand pies, which a portable form. You don’t need a pie pan, no fluting or crimping and no pre-cooking the filling. Just fold the pie dough edges around the apples for a rustic, informal look.
Similar to my chocolate mousse tart, it’s the perfect impressive yet easy treat for Thanksgiving, also affectionately called a “lazy apple pie.” You'll also love the portable apple cranberry hand pies.
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Notes on the key ingredients
- Apples: Gala, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Fuji, and Golden Delicious all bake beautifully and have a great balance of sweetness and tartness, and you can use a single variety or a mix for more depth of flavor.
- Lemon juice: Adding lemon juice brightens the filling and prevents it from tasting flat, giving the apples a fresh, lively flavor.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps thicken the juices as the galette bakes, keeping the filling from being too runny.
- Spices: The filling combines fall’s favorite spices—cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla—to give the galette a warm, comforting flavor.
- Brown sugar: Light brown sugar adds sweetness along with subtle caramel notes that white sugar cannot provide, so be sure to use light brown, not dark.
- Pie crust: I use my favorite all-butter pie crust recipe, but you can also use your homemade dough or a store-bought crust like Pillsbury for convenience.
How to make apple galette
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
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How to serve an apple galette?
Apple galette is delicious warm, at room temperature, or even chilled. On its own, it’s a simple, rustic treat, but a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of caramel sauce takes it to the next level. A dollop of whipped cream is also wonderful. This cozy dessert is perfect for Thanksgiving, the holidays, a weekend treat, or even a sweet fall brunch.
Tips for Success
- Storage: Keep any leftover apple galette in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day, or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: While the galette is delicious chilled, you can refresh it in a 300°F oven for 5–10 minutes to warm it up before serving.
- Apple types: Use Gala, Fuji, Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, or Granny Smith apples. You can also mix two varieties for a more flavorful and textured filling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Peeling apples for an apple galette is optional and depends on the texture and appearance you want. I recommend peeling for a tender, smooth filling without any tough or chewy bits from the skins. Leaving the skins on adds color, retains nutrients, and saves a step, but it can make the slices less even and cause the spiced apples to shift slightly during slicing.
Use a rimmed half-sheet pan, ideally light-colored and uncoated, for even baking and perfect browning. I always line mine with parchment paper to prevent sticking and make cleanup a breeze. Avoid dark-colored pans—they can over-brown the bottom before the galette is fully baked.
There are two ways to freeze a galette.
Freeze unbaked Apple Galette - Assemble the galette but do not brush with egg wash. Freeze on a sheet pan until solid, then move to an airtight container. Bake from frozen, adding about 5 to 10 minutes of extra minutes to the baking time.
Freeze baked Apple Galette - Let cool completely, then freeze on a sheet pan until solid. Wrap in plastic wrap and store inside an airtight container. Let thaw to room temperature then refresh in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.
More easy desserts with apples
Apple Galette
Ingredients
- 1 (single crust) butter pie crust (click link for the recipe or use store-bought)
- 1 ½ pounds apples (680 gms) about 3 large
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar (64 grams)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 egg (for egg wash)
- 1 tablespoon coarse or white granulated sugar
- vanilla icecream for serving
Instructions
- Prep. Take the pie crust out of the refrigerator and let it soften slightly so it’s easier to roll. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prep apples. Peel the apples, remove the cores, and slice them into ¼-inch thick pieces.
- Make filling. Place the sliced apples in a large bowl and add the brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg. Toss well until everything is evenly coated and the brown sugar starts to dissolve. Set aside for 5–10 minutes while you roll out the pie crust and prepare the egg wash.
- Make egg wash. Beat the egg with a teaspoon of water in a small bowl.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Roll the crust. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough into a 13-inch circle and gently transfer it to the prepared baking sheet. Check the crust for any small tears — if you find any, gently pinch or press them together to seal. This helps prevent the juices from leaking out while the galette bakes.
- Fill. Toss the apples to mix them. Use a slotted spoon to lift the apples from the bowl, leaving the excess juices behind. Arrange the apples in the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border around the edges. Reserve the remaining juice for later.
- Shape. Carefully lift one edge of the dough and fold about 2 inches over the apples. Continue folding around the galette, overlapping the dough every couple of inches. Gently pinch the pleats to hold them in place, but avoid pressing the dough into the fruit.
- Brush and Bake. Brush the unbaked crust with the egg wash, then sprinkle it with coarse sugar. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the crust is a deep golden brown in color.
- Finish. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and brush the remaining apple juices over the baked crust, dabbing some over the apples as well.
- Serve. Serve the galette warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream, or enjoy the leftovers chilled straight from the fridge—it’s delicious either way.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
Watch how to make it
