This French apple pie is my pie-pan version of an Alsatian apple tart, with a crisp, flaky crust, creamy vanilla custard and fresh apples. It can be made traditionally or with gluten-free flour.

It’s lighter and less sweet than a typical American apple pie, with vanilla rather than cinnamon letting the apple flavor stand out. That makes it especially nice for Thanksgiving or fall when you want something a little different from the usual heavily spiced apple desserts.

The name “French apple pie” needs a little explanation, though. What Americans often call French apple pie – usually an apple pie with a streusel topping – isn’t a traditional French dessert. This recipe is instead based on a French Alsatian apple tart, adapted to work in a standard American pie pan.

a pie slicer holding a piece of French Apple Pie from the pan

What Is an Alsatian Apple Tart?

Tarte aux pommes alsacienne, or Alsatian apple tart, comes from the Alsace region of France. It combines apples with a creamy egg-and-cream custard in a pastry crust.

Traditionally, the apples are arranged neatly in the tart and the crust is usually pâte brisée or pâte sucrée. After baking, the tart is often brushed with apricot jam for a glossy finish. That combination of fresh apples, vanilla custard and apricot glaze is what inspired this French apple pie.

Overhead shot of French Apple Pie with apples framing the scene

How Is This a French Apple Pie?

There really isn’t a traditional French dessert called “French apple pie.” This recipe is my adaptation of an Alsatian apple tart, made in a pie pan with an American-style flaky pie crust.

I originally tried making it more like the traditional tart, including arranging the apples in neat concentric circles. It tasted great, but the presentation just didn’t work nearly as well in a pie pan.

I also experimented with the traditional crust options. Against my better judgment, I tried using a pâte brisée recipe for this pie, and I couldn’t cut a single decent slice.

Pâte sucrée, the other traditional choice for an Alsatian apple tart, has a sweet, tender and cookie-like texture. It doesn’t flake but instead has a crumbly, melt-in-your-mouth quality. Incredible for tarts! But I had the same issue when cutting it in a pie pan.

a slice of French Apple Pie with a fork holding a bite-sized piece on the side

US flaky pie crusts prioritize flakiness, with visible layers that shatter and crunch, which just happens to be perfect for a custard pie.

I’ve had this recipe ready to share for over a year. I first started working on it after I finally came up with a flaky pie crust recipe I loved, this Gluten-Free Pie Crust, which can also be made with all-purpose flour.

I was very excited to use it in this pie, and it worked perfectly. It almost sounded like I was crushing a potato chips bag when I cut through it. I was even able to pick the entire pie out of the pan and hold it in my hands. It’s sturdy!

a cake slicer holding a slice of French Apple Pie from the pan

Ingredients

Please scroll down for the full recipe. These are just notes on select ingredients.

Pie crust – you can use the homemade crust in the recipe or a store-bought pie crust. If using store-bought, follow the package directions for thawing and blind-baking.
Vanilla extract – for the custard, you can replace part of the vanilla with almond extract. I’d use up to 1 teaspoon of almond extract.
Apples – use fresh, crisp, flavorful baking apples rather than older or dried-out apples. See the section below for the varieties I recommend.
Apricot jam – this gives the apples their glossy finish. You can use apple jelly instead, but I wouldn’t omit the glaze entirely because the apples look dull without it.

ingredients laid out to make French Apple Pie

Why no cinnamon?

French apple desserts often emphasize the natural flavor of the fruit, with cinnamon used sparingly or omitted in favor of vanilla, lemon zest, or Calvados (a type of apple brandy).

As someone from the US, it feels wrong not to use cinnamon in an apple dessert. So one of my trials included cinnamon.

It was weird. Skip the cinnamon!

If you want something more traditional for Thanksgiving, these Apple Tartlets have loads of cinnamon flavor and are typically American. And for something even more exciting (but time-consuming!), this Thanksgiving Piecaken is a fun choice.

This French apple pie is for when you’re looking for something lighter and a little different!

If you want a much easier apple dessert with no crust, my Swedish apple pie is always a hit and super easy to make.

What type of apples to use

The best apples for this apple pie, or any baked apple dessert, are those that strike a balance between sweetness and tartness while holding their shape during baking. Here are some excellent options:

Granny Smith – their tartness contrasts beautifully with the sweet custard, and they stay firm when baked. I personally prefer something sweeter, like one of the below choices.
Honeycrisp – slightly sweeter than Granny Smith, with a crisp texture that holds up well in the oven.
Golden Delicious – if you’re looking for a tender but not mushy apple in baked dishes, this is a solid option. They’re sweet with just a hint of tartness.
Braeburn – a mix of tart and sweet flavors with a firm structure, making them ideal for elegant presentations. You don’t want to bake with mushy apples that shrivel and become unappetizing-looking while baking.
Pink Lady – tangy with a hint of sweetness and excellent firmness.

You can also experiment by mixing apple varieties for a more complex flavor profile. For instance, pairing a tart apple like Granny Smith with a sweeter one, such as Honeycrisp, can elevate the overall taste of the tart.

Using up old apples for baking works just fine in recipes like Apple Crumble or Healthy Cinnamon Apple Muffins, but not this one.

Since this pie doesn’t rely on heavy spices like cinnamon or nutmeg or a lot of brown sugar, as many US apple recipes do, the quality of the apples is really important. Be sure to use fresh, flavorful apples that are crisp and juicy.

Avoid older, dried-out apples or ones that lack flavor. The apples are the star of the show here, so their taste and texture will directly impact the success of your pie.

How to make it

Here’s an overview of how to make it.

steps in preparing the crust to make French Apple Pie

Prepare and chill the pie dough, then roll it out and fit it into a standard 9″ (23 cm) pie pan.
Freeze the shaped crust, then blind-bake until the bottom is dry and starting to brown. Let it cool completely.
Mix the custard, prepare and score the apples, then arrange them in the cooled crust.
Pour the custard around the apples and bake until the center is set.
Brush the apples with the apricot glaze, cool completely, then chill before slicing.

mixing together all custard ingredients on a white bowl until well combined, cutting apples in halves or quarters

arranging sliced apples over the bottom of the cooled crust and pouring over the custard over the apples

mixing together the topping ingredients in a sauce pan and straining if lumpy over a bowl

finished French Apple Pie and a brush brushing the topping mixture over the apples

What pie pan to use?

You need a standard 9″ (23 cm) pie pan and NOT a deep dish. I tried that, and it wasn’t enough filling or crust for a deep dish.

How to prepare the apples

Making neat concentric circles of apple slices didn’t work for me. Neither did coring and slicing the apples and then reassembling them neatly in the pan.

If that doesn’t make sense, look at how the apples look in the pie. That’s what I mean.

What you’re going to do is score the apples by making shallow cuts into the apples without slicing all the way through.

This technique is often used to add a decorative element to desserts, but more importantly, to help apples cook more evenly by allowing steam to escape.

Do I have to blind-bake the crust?

Yup. If you want the crust to be baked through and not soggy.

This recipe works great in certain recipes, like this Cocoa Pecan Pie, without blind-baking. It somehow magically gets crisp.

In this apple pie recipe, however, the non-blind-baked crust came out pale, wet and flavorless.

a slice of French Apple Pie on a white plate

How to make ahead and storage

This isn’t the best make-ahead dessert for Thanksgiving, but you can prepare the crust in advance. However, I recommend baking the pie on the day of serving to ensure the crust is at its best.

You can make the dough 2 days in advance and keep it refrigerated until ready to use. If you’d like to bake the pie crust and then fill it the day of serving, this is what to do.

Let the prebaked pie crust cool completely at room temperature to reduce the risk of condensation forming inside the storage container.
Wrap the crust tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then place it in a Ziploc bag. Ensure it’s well-sealed to protect it from air and moisture.
Store the crust at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 2 months.
To use the frozen pie crust, thaw it in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. Thawing at room temperature can cause condensation to form as the crust warms, especially if it was frozen. This moisture can seep into the crust, making it soggy, particularly at the base. Thawing in the fridge allows the crust to warm slowly, reducing condensation and keeping it crisp.

You don’t want to cut up the apples in advance, but you can mix up the custard a day before baking the pie. It has raw eggs in it, so you don’t want to prepare it too far ahead of time.

Once the baked pie has cooled completely, cover and refrigerate it for up to 3 days.

Troubleshooting

If things don’t go as planned, these tips can help for next time. Or you can read them now to avoid issues. :)

Soggy crust – ensure the crust is blind-baked thoroughly and cooled before adding the filling.
Custard not setting – bake the pie until the custard no longer jiggles in the center.
Apples sinking – score the apples thinly and arrange them tightly in the pie pan to keep them from shifting during baking.

French Apple Pie captured from above, styled with apples around

Don’t Live in the US?

If you’re outside the US, I recommend using a pie crust recipe developed for the flour available in your country rather than substituting your local flour directly into my crust recipe.

I’ve tested both Swedish and German flour in this pie crust, and neither worked as a direct replacement for US all-purpose flour. Even when the protein percentage looks similar, the flour can absorb liquid and behave differently.

So for this French apple pie, use a local flaky pie crust recipe that you know works well with your flour, then follow the filling and baking directions here.

Gluten-free version

You’ll need to use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour. The resulting crust is the flakiest and best I’ve ever had!

If you use another brand, please know you probably won’t have the same results.

I hope you’ll enjoy this French apple pie! If you try it out, I’d love to hear your thoughts below in the comments. Thanks! :)

Categories:

4th of July, Desserts, Fall Recipes, Fruit Desserts, Gluten-free, Gluten-free Desserts, Gluten-free Pie Recipes, Holiday Recipes, Pies and Tarts, Seasonal Recipes, Special Diets, Summer Recipes, Thanksgiving Recipes,

5 from 3 votes

7 Comments

Ashley says:

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Your posts are always so long but helpful. Thank you for taking the time to write all the details out. I was scared to make a pie but you made it not as scary. 😄 We made this on an apple baking day and just loved it. I’ll be making it again for company next week!

1. Erin says:
  
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  Haha. I know this post got kind of long but there was so much to say. ;) I’m happy it didn’t turn you off and that you still made the pie and liked it! Thanks a bunch for your comment.
  
Céleste says:

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Hello from an actual French person! Thank you for doing your research and not creating nonsense and calling it French. You’re right that there’s no French apple pie, but my neighbor made this, and I had to come and praise you for it. I’m going to make it myself for Thanksgiving to bring a little French flare to the table. I have had enough of heavy cinnamon apple pies. 😆 The crust was wonderful. Really amazing recipe. Again, thank you.

1. Erin says:
  
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  Oh, wow. Thanks so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to comment. Seeing a bunch of Americanized “French” recipes must drive you crazy. 🙃 I’m really happy you liked the pie enough to make it yourself! Thanks again for your kind words. 😁
  
Laurie Hoffman says:

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How could I incorporate some brandy or bourbon into this?

Matt says:

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I made this and your crustless pumpkin pie and loved them both. I don’t normally eat crust but this was incredible. I used regular flour. I loved how buttery and crunchy it was. And the custard filling was perfect. I love your made-up pie. ????

1. Erin says:
  
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  Oh, yay! So glad that the crust was a hit. I didn’t like crust before that recipe, either! Thanks for the kind words about my made-up pie. ;) Happy Thanksgiving!