Apple Galette {Quick and Easy!}

While it might look and sound fancy, an apple galette is really just an easier, more rustic version of an apple pie! You don’t need to make your own crust from scratch, and you don’t even need a pie plate. Top each slice of the free-form tart with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the perfect fall dessert!

Love easy apple desserts as much as we do? Be sure to try my mom’s easy apple pie, this “apple dapple” bundt cake, a decadent Dutch apple pie, these shortcut puff pastry apple turnovers, and our favorite one-bowl applesauce cake recipe, too!

An apple galette is basically just the lazy gal’s rendition of an apple pie. You get all of the flavor and all of the ingredients that you love in a classic pie…with half of the work! There’s no better way to take advantage of fresh apple season.

The Difference Between a Pie and a Galette

A pie is a sweet (or savory) dish with a crust and a filling. The sides of a pie dish are sloped, and the pie can have a bottom and a top crust, just a bottom crust, or just a top crust. The flaky pastry is usually made with flour, salt, cold water, and lard or butter, and the pie is served directly from its baking dish.

While a galette also includes a flaky pastry crust filled with fruit, it differs from a pie mainly in the way that it’s baked. The galette is a French pastry similar to a tart or pie; however, instead of baking a galette in a pie plate, the galette is “free form,” meaning that it’s just baked on a flat sheet pan. It only has a bottom crust. This gives the galette a more rustic look and feel — and it’s virtually impossible to “mess up.” You don’t have to worry about crimping the edges, creating a lattice top, or blind-baking with pie weights!

The Best Apples for a Galette

I use Granny Smith apples and/or Honey Crisp apples for my apple pies and apple galettes. These are the best apples for baking for a couple of reasons:

• they offer a nice balance of sweet-and-tart flavors; and
• they have a firm flesh that doesn’t break down and turn to mush as they bake.

You can use another type of apple for baking, such as:

• Gala apples
• Braeburn
• Winesap
• Pink Lady
• Jonagold

How to Cut an Apple for a Galette

First, you’ll need to peel and core the apples. Yes, you could leave the skin on the fruit; however, we think the texture is best when there aren’t any tough bits of peel to work through.

Then cut the apples into ¼-inch thick slices. You don’t want them paper-thin, or they’ll totally fall apart in the oven, and you don’t want them too thick, or they won’t be soft and tender by the time the crust is done.

How to Keep the Bottom of a Galette from Getting Soggy

Adding cornstarch to the filling helps to absorb some of the juices that the apples release in the baking process. It’s a great way to prevent a soggy crust on the bottom, keeping the pastry flaky and crisp!

I haven’t noticed that this particular recipe yields a soggy crust (berries tend to cause that issue more than apples), but if you want to take even greater measures to avoid the problem, try dusting the dough with semolina flour or breadcrumbs before adding the filling.

How to Serve

The galette slices most easily if you allow it too cool for about an hour before serving. Cut into triangles and top each wedge with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A drizzle of caramel sauce would also be delicious.

Recipe Variations

• Instead of a store-bought pie crust, make your own pastry from scratch to use in this recipe. Here’s an easy homemade crust recipe that works well.
• If you don’t have lemon juice, substitute with vanilla extract for added flavor.
• Swap out the apples and use pears instead.

Tips for the Best Apple Galette Recipe

• Slice the apples about ¼-inch thick, so that they’re thin enough to cook through and become tender by the time the crust is brown.
• It will look like you have a lot of apples piled high in the center of the galette before baking, but don’t worry! The apples cook down quite a bit in the oven.
• Cornstarch helps to thicken the filling (so that you don’t have a soggy, wet mess in the middle), so don’t omit this important ingredient.
• Start checking the galette after about 28 minutes in the oven (to make sure that the crust doesn’t burn), but it will likely require closer to 40 minutes to really achieve a rich brown crust and tender apples.

More Apple Dessert Recipes to Try

Apple Walnut Cake with Caramel Glaze

4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Apple Cranberry Crisp

1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Virginia Apple Cobbler

1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Looking for more inspiration? Check out this collection of more than 40 apple recipes!

Apple Galette

5 from 3 votes

Prep: 25 minutes minutes

Cook: 35 minutes minutes

Resting Time 2 hours hours

Total: 3 hours hours

Servings 8 slices

Calories 208 kcal

While it might look and sound fancy, an apple galette is really just an easier, more rustic version of an apple pie!

Rate RecipePin RecipePrint Recipe

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 refrigerated pie crust dough (half of a 14.1 ounce package) (I prefer Pillsbury brand)
• 1 ½ – 2 lbs. apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch slices (I use 4 medium Granny Smith or Honey Crisp apples)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Coarse sugar (or additional granulated sugar), for sprinkling
• ¼ cup apricot jam
• For serving: vanilla ice cream or whipped cream

Instructions

• Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat and spray with cooking spray. Set aside.
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator and let stand for 15 minutes. Place the dough between 2 sheets of lightly floured waxed paper and roll out into an 11-inch circle. Brush off the excess flour. Transfer the dough to the prepared baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.
  
• Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400°F.
• In a large bowl, stir together the apples, sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cornstarch.
  
• Arrange the apple filling in the center of the dough, mounding the fruit slightly and leaving a 2-inch border. Gently fold the edges of the dough over the apples, pleating loosely. Brush the dough with the beaten egg (you won’t need all of the egg). Lightly sprinkle sugar over the apples and on the crust.
  
• Bake the galette on the middle rack in the 400 degree F oven until the crust is golden and the apples are tender, about 30-40 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the galette cool completely, about 1 hour.
• Warm the jam in a small saucepan over low heat until it’s a nice, thin consistency. Brush the apples with the jam. Cut the galette into 6-8 slices. Top each slice with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.
  

Notes

• Slice the apples about ¼-inch thick, so that they’re thin enough to cook through and become tender by the time the crust is brown.
• It will look like you have a lot of apples piled high in the center of the galette before baking, but don’t worry! The apples cook down quite a bit in the oven.
• Cornstarch helps to thicken the filling (so that you don’t have a soggy, wet mess in the middle), so don’t omit this important ingredient.
• Start checking the galette after about 28 minutes in the oven (to make sure that the crust doesn’t burn), but it will likely require closer to 40 minutes to really achieve a rich brown crust and tender apples.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/8 of the galetteCalories: 208kcalCarbohydrates: 38gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 166mgPotassium: 112mgFiber: 3gSugar: 23gVitamin A: 68IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mg

Keyword: apple dessert, apple galette, apple galette recipe, easy apple dessert

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, French

Author: Blair Lonergan

Don’t Forget to Share a Pic of What You Made!

Tag me on Instagram at @theseasonedmom

This recipe was originally published in August, 2020. The photos were updated in September, 2022.