A deliciously easy recipe for homemade apple pie filling that doesn’t rely on refined sugar! This filling is grain-free and comes together quickly!
We love fall! But who doesn’t? It’s nice to see a break from the hot temps we normally get in Phoenix. Who doesn’t love crisp, cool nights and opportunities to be outside a little more than we would at other times of the year.
Fall is also that time where we enjoy the smell of apples. The smell of apples combined with cinnamon is a scent that we always correlate with fall.
Apple pie tastes incredible when you use a homemade apple pie filling, and this one can be made in less than 20 minutes. When I think about fall, I think back to school, sports events, and extra curricular activities – it’s great to have something that comes together relatively quickly.
Agree?
Homemade Apple Pie Filling
Forget the canned stuff – it’s no match for making it from scratch yourself. This recipe is not only super easy, it doesn’t require the traditional refined sugar that you would normally get in most pie filling recipes.
We had an abundance of apples on hand from a recent visit to our farmers market. So we’re sharing one of our favorite ways to use them up in this naturally sweetened apple pie filling recipe.
Use this recipe to make apple pie or a myriad of other ways:
- On top of your ice cream
- Over the top of your apple crisp
- As a topping to your oatmeal, waffles or pancakes
- As is – as a side to your next dinner meal
Instead of relying on traditional granulated white sugar, we used maple syrup, which provides just the right amount of sweetness. We thickened this filling with a little arrowroot flour. The end result is homemade apple pie filling that is grain-free, and gluten-free.
The recipe makes more than ample filling. We used 7 large apples and whipped up a whopping five cups of apple pie filling.
One word: delicious!
Have lots of apples this fall? Try any of these!
Onto the recipe!
Homemade Apple Pie Filling - this pie filling is naturally sweetened without refined sugar, is incredibly easy to make and is wonderful for fall deserts and pies.
Ingredients
- 7 C. peeled and sliced apples (Granny smith are our favorite)
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
- 1/2 C. maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 3 Tbsp arrowroot powder (or organic cornstarch)
- 2 C. water
Instructions
- Peel and core your apples - for 6-7 C. apples, we used 7 large apples (each large apple yielded one full cup of apples). Place in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice.
- In your large stockpot, combine the water, maple syrup, spices, and arrowroot powder until combined. Ensure that you stir in the arrowroot powder as much as possible before heating up the mixture to avoid clumps.
- Place the stove on medium heat and allow the mixture to thicken (3-4 minutes). Add the apples, and allow the mixture to simmer on low/medium for anywhere from 7-9 minutes.
- Avoid simmering too long as the apples will become too soft. Remove from the heat and allow the pan to cool - as it cools the filling will thicken even more. Ladle into jars and refrigerate for up to one week.
Notes
To preserve for a longer period of time, use the hot water bath method of canning.
