The Ultimate Gluten-Free & Vegan French Apple Tart: Ina Garten Inspired & Top 8 Allergen-Free

Discover the easiest, most beautiful apple tart recipe that caters to all! This incredible French Apple Tart, inspired by Ina Garten, is expertly adapted to be completely gluten-free, vegan, and free from the top 8 common allergens. Perfect for Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, or any time you crave a comforting, fuss-free apple dessert, it comes together with minimal ingredients and maximum flavor. Prepare to amaze your guests and satisfy every apple lover with this show-stopping, allergy-friendly delight.

As a devoted fan of apple desserts, especially classic apple pie, my husband often laments my infrequent attempts at baking one. The truth is, traditional apple pies can be quite intimidating. Between perfecting a potentially soggy filling and meticulously crimping crust edges, the effort often feels overwhelming. That’s precisely why I adore this French Apple Tart. It offers all the comforting flavors of a homemade apple pie without the usual fuss, making it a regular request in our home.

Beyond its incredible taste, just look at how stunning this tart is! It’s an absolute showstopper, guaranteed to impress at any gathering. Unlike traditional pies where a top crust hides the beautiful fruit, this tart allows the perfectly fanned apple slices to truly shine. The artful arrangement of the apples creates an elegant presentation that elevates this simple dessert into something truly special. Each slice reveals a vibrant display of caramelized apples, inviting everyone to indulge.

One of the biggest advantages of this recipe is its reliance on simple, everyday pantry staples. Apart from fresh apples, you’ll likely have everything else on hand: gluten-free flour, sugar, vegan butter, salt, and a touch of xanthan gum for that perfect gluten-free crust texture. This means you can whip up this delightful dessert on a whim, without needing a last-minute trip to a chaotic grocery store – a true blessing, especially around busy holiday seasons like Thanksgiving! Avoid those pre-holiday crowds and enjoy a stress-free baking experience from the comfort of your kitchen.

Another aspect I particularly appreciate about this tart is its simplified crust. Many apple pie recipes demand both a bottom and a top crust, doubling the rolling and shaping effort. This French Apple Tart keeps it beautifully simple with just a single, flat crust. There’s no need to meticulously roll out a second crust, nor struggle to perfectly cover your pie. This open-faced design not only reduces preparation time but also highlights the gorgeous apple topping, letting its natural beauty take center stage. It’s a testament to the idea that sometimes, less is truly more, especially when it comes to elegant desserts.

Frequently Asked Questions About Making This Allergy-Friendly French Apple Tart

Whether you’re new to baking tarts or a seasoned pro adapting to allergy-friendly recipes, you might have a few questions. Here are some common queries and helpful tips to ensure your French Apple Tart turns out perfectly every time.

Which Apples Are Best for an Apple Tart? You can certainly use any type of apple you prefer or have on hand. However, for a balanced flavor that beautifully complements the sweet glaze, I highly recommend a more tart apple variety like Granny Smith. Their firm texture holds up well during baking, and their bright acidity provides a lovely contrast. Ensure you have 5-6 medium-sized apples to cover the entire surface of the tart for that iconic fanned look.
Sugar Choices for the Topping: While Ina Garten’s original recipe often calls for pure white sugar, I’ve found that a blend of half white sugar and half brown sugar creates a richer, deeper caramelized flavor. The molasses in brown sugar adds a wonderful warmth. If you don’t have brown sugar, using all white sugar will still yield a delicious result, so feel free to adapt based on what’s in your pantry.
Apricot Preserves vs. Jelly/Jam: The recipe calls for apricot preserves, which provide a beautiful shine and a subtle fruity note to the glaze. If apricot preserves are difficult to find, apricot jelly or jam will work perfectly as a substitute. Just ensure it’s a smooth consistency or lightly warm it to make it easily spreadable.
Is Apple Juice Essential for the Glaze? Absolutely! I cannot stress enough how much apple juice enhances the “apple-y” flavor profile of this tart. It truly makes the apples sing and elevates the overall taste. As a household with small children, we always have apple juice readily available in gallons, making this an easy addition. If you don’t typically keep it on hand, I highly recommend picking some up for this recipe – it makes a noticeable difference.
Vegan Butter Options: When it comes to vegan butter, choose what works best for your dietary needs and taste preferences. There are many excellent brands available that perform beautifully in baking. Ensure it’s cold and diced for the crust, just like traditional butter, to achieve that flaky texture.
Making the Crust Effortless with a Food Processor: Using a food processor is my secret weapon for creating a perfect, stress-free tart crust. It combines the ingredients quickly and efficiently, ensuring the butter remains cold for flakiness without overworking the dough. As you might notice in the video (and yes, that funny moment where I put the lid on wrong – we’re all home cooks, it happens!), I primarily use mine for pie crusts, scalloped potatoes, or shredding large quantities of zucchini for recipes like my zucchini muffins or zucchini chocolate cake. My food processor is an old, reliable hand-me-down, proving that you don’t need a fancy new model to get fantastic results. However, if you’re in the market, keep an eye out for Black Friday deals!
Adjusting for Non-Gluten-Free Needs: If your primary dietary need is dairy-free and/or vegan, but you don’t require the tart to be gluten-free, you can easily use regular all-purpose flour in the crust and simply omit the xanthan gum. The rest of the recipe instructions will remain the same, ensuring a delicious and inclusive dessert for all.

Embracing Pure Apple Flavor: A No-Cinnamon Delight (with an option for spice lovers!)

For this rendition of the French Apple Tart, I chose to keep the spice profile beautifully simple, focusing entirely on the pure, crisp flavor of the apples. While cinnamon is a traditional companion to apples, I find myself a little “cinnamon-ed out” lately, as it seems to be in every fall dessert. This tart celebrates the natural sweetness and tang of apples, enhanced only by the rich notes of vegan butter, a delicate sugar blend, and that irresistible apricot glaze. It’s a true tribute to apple lovers who appreciate the fruit’s natural brilliance.

However, if you’re a devout cinnamon enthusiast and simply can’t imagine an apple dessert without it, feel free to add a sprinkle! You can mix a half teaspoon or so of ground cinnamon with the sugar mixture before sprinkling it over the fanned apples for a spiced twist on this classic. The beauty of this recipe is its versatility, allowing you to tailor it to your own taste preferences while still achieving a stunning result.

During baking, you might notice the edges of the crust becoming beautifully browned, almost caramelized. This is perfectly normal and actually desirable! It’s a natural result of the sugar and apple juice caramelizing around the perimeter, creating a delightful crispness and depth of flavor. The key is to ensure the tart bakes long enough for the apple slices themselves to become wonderfully soft and tender. If you find the edges are browning too quickly for your liking before the apples are fully cooked, a simple trick is to loosely cover the edges with strips of aluminum foil to shield them from direct heat while the rest of the tart finishes baking.

Essential Tips for a Flawless French Apple Tart

Even though this recipe is designed for simplicity, a few expert tips can make your baking experience even smoother and ensure a picture-perfect tart:

Rolling the Dough: In the accompanying video, I demonstrated rolling the dough on a floured surface before transferring it to a parchment-lined sheet pan. While this works, I’ve discovered an even more efficient method: roll the dough directly onto a piece of parchment paper cut to fit your baking sheet. Once shaped, you can simply lift the parchment paper with the dough onto the sheet pan. This eliminates an extra step and minimizes handling, making the process cleaner and less stressful.
Shaping and Trimming: Don’t be afraid to trim the edges of your rolled-out dough to create a neat, uniform rectangle. This small step significantly contributes to the professional and elegant appearance of the finished tart. A sharp knife or a pizza cutter works wonders for clean edges.
Serving Suggestions: This French Apple Tart is absolutely divine served warm, perhaps with a scoop of your favorite vegan vanilla ice cream or a drizzle of homemade caramel sauce. For an extra indulgent treat, I highly recommend my vegan 1-ingredient caramel sauce – it truly takes this dessert to the next level.
Storage: While this tart is best enjoyed the same day it’s baked for peak freshness and texture, any leftovers can be stored covered with plastic wrap at room temperature for up to two days, or refrigerated for a bit longer. Gently rewarm slices in the oven for a freshly baked taste.

Looking for another fantastic way to use up any leftover apricot preserves? My apricot pork chops are a crowd-pleasing, allergy-friendly dish that balances sweet and savory flavors beautifully. It’s a wonderful option for a delicious weeknight meal!

Whether you’re planning a festive holiday feast for Thanksgiving or Memorial Day, hosting a Fourth of July barbecue, or simply craving a taste of apple goodness on an ordinary Tuesday, this French Apple Tart is your go-to recipe. It’s designed to bring the joy of a classic dessert back to everyone, especially those with Celiac disease, food sensitivities, or multiple food allergies. May your tables be filled with deliciousness and inclusivity!

Happy Thanksgiving from my allergic family to yours!

Ina Garten’s French Apple Tart Made Gluten-free & Vegan (Top 8 free too!)

Yield:
10-12 servings

Prep Time:
25 minutes

Cook Time:
50 minutes

Additional Time:
1 hour

Total Time:
2 hours 15 minutes

If you need a last minute pie, with few ingredients for Thanksgiving (or the 4th of July, or really anytime you have a hankering for apple pie!) THIS IS IT. Basically flour, sugar, apples and butter–this doesn’t fiddle with a filling or having to crimp any kinds of edges. Flat and oh-so-holdable you’ll be cutting off big wedges for yourself. Topped with a glaze that REALLY makes the apples sing, this no-cinnamon, simply ALL APPLE tart is for apple lovers. Tweaked from Ina Garten’s famous apple tart, to make it gluten-free, vegan and top-8-free so all can enjoy no matter their food allergies or dietary restrictions.

Ingredients

CRUST:
2 cups gluten-free flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon xanthan
1 tablespoon sugar
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) cold vegan butter, diced
1/2 cup ice water
APPLE TOPPING:
4-5 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup sugar (1/4 cup white + 1/4 up brown)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold vegan butter, diced
GLAZE:
1/2 cup apricot jelly
2 tablespoons apple juice

Instructions

In your food processor with the steel blade, place the gluten-free flour, salt, xanthan and sugar. Pulse several times to combine.
Add the cold, diced vegan butter and pulse until the butter is about the size of peas (don’t over do!)
With the food processor on, slowly pour the ice water until the dough starts to come together (it’s OK if you don’t’ use it all.)
Dump the dough onto a floured surface and form into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least one hour.
Cut a piece of parchment paper that will fit in your cookie sheet.
Once the dough has chilled, set it on the parchment paper. Flour your hands, the top of the dough and your rolling pin.
Preheat your oven 400 degrees F while you work the dough.
Roll the dough into a rectangle that fits on the parchment paper. Once shaped, lift the parchment paper onto the cookie sheet. Trim the edges if necessary to have it look uniform.
Refrigerate the dough while you peel and slice the apples. Slice the apples evenly in crosswise sections, removing the core and stem beforehand. (I used an ice cream scooper to remove the cores.)
Take the dough back out and fan the apples on top. Pour the entire 1/2 cup sugar evenly over the tops of the apples. Dot with the remaining butter.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, until apples are soft enough to your liking. It’s OK if the edges brown–this will happen with the apple juice and sugar caramelizing.
In a small saucepan, heat the apricot preserves and apple juice until it’s liquid enough to spread.
Using a pastry brush, smooth an even layer of the glaze on top of the cooked tart.
Cut with a pizza cutter into large squares. Serve warm, best if eaten the same day. Keep covered with plastic wrap when not eating.
EXCELLENT with a little bit of my vegan 1-ingredient caramel sauce on top.

Notes

Adapted from Ina Garten

Don’t forget to pin this recipe so you can easily find it later! Be sure to also explore my other Allergy-Friendly Pinterest Boards for more delicious and inclusive meal and dessert ideas. Happy baking!