Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (2024)

Apple pies are wonderful, but they can have a few too many calories for some diets. If you still want to enjoy this classic dessert, you can make it a little healthier by cutting out some of the sugar. It's not hard to do because after all, apples add a fair amount of sweetness themselves, so the pie really doesn't need a lot of sugar to make it delicious.

This apple pie recipe uses a combination of easily found apples at the grocery store: Gala and Granny Smith. The pie is on the tart side because of the Granny Smith apples, but there are many apple varieties you can choose from. You may notice this pie is missing a top crust; leaving it off is another way to cut back on both sugar and fat that you might otherwise get with a traditional pie crust or a crumb topped pie.

To add a healthy dose of sweetness, try serving this pie warm with a scoop of low-fat, low-sugar frozen yogurt or low-fat, low-sugar ice cream. If you are just getting used to enjoying your desserts with less sugar, you might find the transition a little challenging at first. But soon you will savor the natural flavors of the apples and find it quite satisfying; you probably won't miss the sugar at all.

Ingredients

For the Crust:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1/2 teaspoon fine salt

  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, chilled

  • 3 tablespoons water, ice cold

  • Cooking spray

For the Filling:

  • 2 cups peeled, cored, and sliced Granny Smith apples

  • 2 cups peeled, cored, and sliced Gala apples

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Steps to Make It

Note: There are multiple steps to this recipe, which are broken down into workable categories to better plan for preparation and baking.

Make the Pie Crust

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (1)

  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (2)

  3. Cut in the chilled butter, using 2 knives or a pastry blender.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (3)

  4. Sprinkle in the ice water into the mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing with a fork after each addition.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (4)

  5. Using your hands, form the dough into a ball.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (5)

  6. Roll the dough into an 11-inch circle between 2 sheets of plastic wrap coated with cooking sprayto reduce sticking.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (6)

  7. Place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes so it becomes slightly firm and uniform.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (7)

  8. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Remove the top sheet of plastic wrap from the pie dough. Turn the dough over into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray, and remove the remaining layer of plastic wrap.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (8)

  9. Using your fingers, press the dough into the pie plate and flute the edges.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (9)

Make the Apple Filling

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (10)

  2. In a large bowl, toss the apples with lemon juice.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (11)

  3. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining sugars and flour.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (12)

  4. Combine the sugar mixture with the apples and toss the mixture lightly with a fork.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (13)

  5. Pour the apples into the pie crust.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (14)

  6. Use a knife to cut the remaining butter into small pieces, and distribute the butter pieces over the top of the pie.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (15)

  7. Bake at 425 F for 10 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350 F and bake an additional 30 minutes.

    Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (16)

Tip

  • If the crust starts to become too brown while baking, gently create a foil ring around the edges of the pie and put it back into the oven.

Variations

  • If you are following a gluten-free diet, feel free to use a gluten-free pie crust recipe with this recipe. It will work.
  • Consider adding other spices to the mixture, including cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or cardamom. Or apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice.
  • Feel free to use other apples in this pie, but keep in mind you want ones that are firm and that will hold their shape when baked, and not fall apart. Consider Pink Lady, Fuji, Braeburn, or Honeycrisp.

How to Store Low Sugar Apple Pie

This pie is best kept in the refrigerator, covered, for up to four days.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
163Calories
7g Fat
23g Carbs
2g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 10
Amount per serving
Calories163
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g9%
Saturated Fat 4g22%
Cholesterol 18mg6%
Sodium 163mg7%
Total Carbohydrate 23g9%
Dietary Fiber 1g5%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg1%
Calcium 11mg1%
Iron 1mg4%
Potassium 74mg2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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Low Sugar Apple Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What kind of pie has the least sugar? ›

Pumpkin, unlike pecan, only has 15 grams of added sugar, only half of pecan's added 30! The pie with the next least amount of sugar is apple pie.

What's the healthiest pie to eat? ›

Pumpkin Pie: This one is our winner! When in doubt, choose pumpkin pie. In competition with those mentioned above, it offers the fewest calories, and least fat and added sugar. It's also loaded with vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B12, thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, phosphorous, calcium, and iron.

What does adding sugar to pie dough do? ›

In our experience, sugar can also make the pie dough so tender that it's hard to roll out and transfer to your pan without breaking. Egg: This makes the dough more pliable and easy to roll out. Eggs also make the crust more compact.

What are the three best apples for apple pie? ›

The best apples for making apple pie
  • Braeburn. This apple is a descendant of Granny Smith, but slightly sweeter. ...
  • Cortland. ...
  • Crispin (Mutsu). ...
  • Golden Delicious. ...
  • Granny Smith. ...
  • Honeycrisp. ...
  • Jonagold or Jonathan. ...
  • Northern Spy.
Oct 8, 2021

What can I substitute for sugar in a pie? ›

7 Natural Sugar Substitutes to Try in Your Cooking & Baking
  • Honey. Honey is not only sweet, but it's packed with an array of health benefits! ...
  • Maple Syrup. Maple syrup contains a fair bit of sugar, so consume it rather minimally. ...
  • Applesauce. ...
  • Molasses. ...
  • Cane Sugar. ...
  • Coconut Palm Sugar.

Can a diabetic eat a slice of apple pie? ›

Whether enjoyed as a simple homemade treat or a slice from a bakery, apple pie is a comforting and timeless dessert cherished by many. But the question arises- Can you enjoy an apple pie being a person with diabetes? The answer is, yes!

Is apple pie high in sugar? ›

It typically contains a significant amount of sugar, flour, and fat. It is advisable to control your glucose levels before and after eating an apple pie. Eating apple pie frequently can also lead to weight gain.

Can diabetics have pie? ›

Sweet treats -- like candies, pies, cakes -- were once off-limits for people with diabetes. Not anymore. In fact, research has shown that starches like potatoes and white bread affect blood glucose levels much like sugar -- causing sometimes dangerous spikes in blood sugar.

Is apple pie healthy or unhealthy? ›

While apples are healthy—they're loaded with fiber (about 4 grams in one medium apple, per the USDA), vitamin C and antioxidants—coating them with sugar and dumping them in a buttery crust does change things a bit. Plus, apple pies normally come with double crusts, which means more calories.

Why put an egg in pie crust? ›

Egg: The egg in this recipe acts as a binder that allows for a flakier, more delicate crust. It also binds all of your ingredients together so that you can roll out your pie dough without it breaking apart.

What happens if you don't add sugar to dough? ›

Thus, adding sugar to the dough mixture can speed up the action of the yeast. So, why would I want to omit the sugar? The fact is, yeast works perfectly well without sugar. In other words, the sugar turns out to be plain old unnecessary.

How do you reduce sugar in dough? ›

Add in honey or agave, but don't cut more than a third of the sugar. (Agatha Kulaga and Erin Patinkin) If a recipe runs on brown sugar [more so than white sugar], you have to keep moisture in mind, and sometimes I might add a bit of milk or so to make up for that.

Should you peel apples for apple pie? ›

Peeled apples will give you a delicately soft pie with no tough surprises, but some people argue that you lose the apple's nutritional value once the peel is removed. Making sure you are using the correct apples – peeled or unpeeled – is a more important part of crafting the perfect apple pie.

Are Paula red apples good for pies? ›

Paula Red apples are suitable for both eating fresh and cooking, although they become extremely soft when cooked, which suits them to some dishes (applesauce) and not others (pies).

Which has less sugar pumpkin or apple pie? ›

The pumpkin pie wins on calories, saturated fat, protein and calcium. But the apple pie takes the cake when it comes to fiber, sugar (both total and added) and sodium. So what's a pie aficionado to do? Well, if you're watching calories go for the pumpkin-it almost always has fewer because of the single crust.

Can a diabetic eat a piece of pie? ›

Sweet treats -- like candies, pies, cakes -- were once off-limits for people with diabetes. Not anymore. In fact, research has shown that starches like potatoes and white bread affect blood glucose levels much like sugar -- causing sometimes dangerous spikes in blood sugar.

What has less sugar cake or pie? ›

Matt: Pie has an average of 3.4 grams of sugar where as cake has an average of 15 grams of sugar according to USDA. And if you do not want a sweet pie, then make a savory one, because there are many options for the kinds of pie you can make.

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