Apple Galette
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An apple galette is a classic fall treat. A crisp, flaky buttery crust is filled with juicy tart apples tossed in sweet brown sugar and warm cinnamon. It boasts all the flavors and textures of an apple pie, but takes minimal effort to make.
A rustic apple tart is an easy dessert for lazy days. For this simple recipe you can use a homemade tart crust or a store-bought refrigerated pie crust. Make the apple pie filling at home, or buy it in a jar (or can) from the market.
Roll out the dough. Spoon apple pie filling onto the center. With your fingers, fold the edges of the dough inward, over the apples. Brush the edges with egg wash. For sparkle and texture, sprinkle the apple galette with white sparkling sugar then bake. Your whole kitchen will smell like autumn.
It’s super quick and fun to make a free-form apple pie. With a presentation that’s perfectly imperfect, it’s filled with so much rustic beauty. Not even a French bakery can make a better one!
Like peach galette, this no-hassle recipe is ridiculously simple. You can’t mess it up. For an easy recipe variation, use half apples and half Bosc pears for the filling. If desired, brush the warm fruit filling with apricot jam.
Make 1 large galette to slice like pie, or several mini apple tarts for individual servings. Enjoy this classic dessert warm or at room temperature.
To jazz things up, drizzle salted caramel sauce over the top. Garnish the dessert with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. On hot afternoons, serve apple galette with rounded scoops of vanilla ice cream.
🛒 INGREDIENTS
Rustic Tart Crust
- All-purpose Flour: This ingredient is the base of the rustic tart crust. It provides strength and structure, and helps create the pastry.
- Ground cinnamon: This warming spice has an earthy, savory flavor with a hint of sweet. It’s aromatic and comforting.
- Sea Salt: This seasoning enhances the flavor of the crust.
- Butter: Contributes delicious flavor to the homemade tart crust. But it must be very cold in order to create light lofty layers. I use unsalted butter for this recipe. But if you only have salted butter on hand, use that instead. Just reduce the amount of sea salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
- Ice-cold Water: Adds the perfect amount of liquid needed to bring the pastry together. The water used must be super cold to help keep the butter chilled for a beautiful, flaky crust. (We’re using the very cold water – not any ice.)
🍏 Apple Filling
- Apples: I prefer Granny Smith apples because they’re firm, tart, and hold up well during baking. Instead of falling apart, they hold their shape. But you can use whatever apples you have on hand, or pair Granny Smith apples with a sweeter, more flavorful type.
- Light Brown Sugar: Sweetens the apple galette filling and off-sets the tartness of the apples. If you don’t have this ingredient on hand, use dark brown sugar or granulated sugar instead.
- Ground Cinnamon: This warm spice is traditional for apple pie filling. For a fabulous flavor combination, pair cinnamon with 2 pinches of nutmeg and a small pinch of allspice. Or use store-bought apple pie spice instead. Find it at the market near the pumpkin pie spice.
- Cornstarch: Absorbs excess juices from the apples to keep the filling from being too wet. We don’t want extra moisture pooling up in the pastry dough. Because no one likes a soggy crust!
- Vanilla Extract: Is an aromatic flavoring that enhances the flavor of the other ingredients. I prefer Mexican vanilla extract for its rich buttery taste and bakery aroma.
- Lemon Juice: Adds freshness and acidity to the filling. I have several lemon trees out back, so I alway use freshly-squeezed lemon juice. But to save time and money, feel free to use bottled lemon juice if desired.
- Sea Salt: This seasoning enhances the flavor of the other ingredients.
- Butter: Adds delicious richness to the filling. It contributes a buttery, savory taste for our apple galette. And when the pastry is warm, it gives the apples a yummy glistening glimmer and shine.
For Brushing & Sprinkling
- Egg with Water: Beaten together they create an “egg wash.” We brush it on the edges of the pastry before baking. It helps the crust develop a beautiful golden-blonde color in the oven.
- White Sparkling Sugar: These coarse sugar crystals add sparkle and texture to the edges of the apple galette.
📖 RECIPE STEPS
Homemade Tart Dough
Food processor
Buy Now → - STEP 1: Add flour and cinnamon to the bowl of a food processor. Briefly pulse to combine. Add diced (cold) butter to the bowl. The temperature of the butter is important for a flaky apple galette.
- STEP 2: Pulse just until the mixture resembles coarse meal. There may be some pieces of butter in the mix that are the size of small peas.
- STEP 3: With the food processor running on low speed, slowly drizzle in the ice-cold water. Pulse just until the water is incorporated. The tart dough will be shaggy and will not come together to form a ball.
- STEP 4: Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured board. Gather the dough together. Knead it 1 to 2 times with the heel of your hands. For 1 large apple galette, shape it into a round disk and wrap tightly in plastic. (For mini apple tarts, divide dough into 4 pieces.) Chill dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. In the meantime, make the apple filling.
Apple Filling & Apple Galette Assembly
RECIPE PREP: Preheat oven to 350ºF. For 1 large apple galette, pull out a round 12-inch nonstick pan. For mini apple tarts, line 2 baking trays with parchment paper or reusable silicone baking mats.
ROUND 12-inch NONSTICK PAN
Buy Now → - STEP 1: Add apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla, lemon juice and sea salt to a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine. If the apples are extra juicy, add a touch more cornstarch and toss again. Taste the mixture. See if it could use another pinch of salt.
- STEP 2: For 1 large apple galette, on a lightly-floured board, roll out the dough into a large circle that’s 1/4-inch thick. For mini apple tarts, roll out each disk into a 1/4-inch thick circle about 8-inches in diameter.
- STEP 3: Arrange apple mixture in the center of the dough. Leave a large empty border all the way around the filling. Place thin pats of butter over the apples for richness, moisture and shine.
- STEP 4: Fold the edges of the tart up and over the filling leaving a circle of apples visible in the center. Pinch the seams together so they don’t open while baking. Brush the edges of the apple galette with egg wash. Sprinkle the tart with white sparkling sugar. Transfer to a baking pan.
- STEP 5: Bake apple galette(s) for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden and crisp. If a luxurious shine is desired, drizzle melted butter over exposed apple filling, or brush apples with 1/4 cup apricot jam (microwaved for 30 seconds) mixed with 2 tablespoons water.
👩🏻🍳 RECIPE FAQ
These are the most commonly-asked questions for making the BEST apple galette, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.
Granny Smith apples are a great choice because they’re usually available year-round, and hold up well during baking. But for the tastiest apple tart, use a combination of 3 types of apples, like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Braeburn or Jonagold.
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar to the fruit filling, plus a tiny pinch of salt. These simple additions will help balance the flavors.
Yes. You can make the tart dough up to 3 days in advance. Just wrap in a double layer of plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
Use a store-bought refrigerated pie crust, and a can or jar of apple pie filling. Another option for the crust: (thawed) store-bought puff pastry.
Drizzle melted butter over the warm apple filling in the center of the tart for a luxurious glow. Serve the apple galette with a generous dollop of whipped cream on top, or with a rounded scoop of vanilla ice cream. This dessert can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.
Yes. You can freeze an unbaked apple tart. Do not brush with egg wash, or sprinkle with sugar. Instead, place the unbaked tart on a lined baking tray and freeze until solid. Wrap the frozen tart in parchment paper and slip it into a zip-top freezer bag and press out the air. Freeze up to 1 month. When ready to enjoy, brush the edges with egg wash and sprinkle with white sparkling sugar. Bake from frozen.
👉🏻 More easy TARTS TO MAKE ASAP
If you love easy recipes like galettes and tarts, these are the recipes for you! Make each dessert with a homemade pie crust or a store-bought pie crust, or in some instances with a sheet of puff pastry.
Save your favorites for later. Pin them to Pinterest.
- Peach Galette
- Caramel Apple Tartlets
- Lemon Pop Tarts
- Blueberry Pop Tarts
- Chocolate Pop Tarts
- Strawberry Pop Tarts
- Pumpkin Pop Tarts
- Mini Lemon Tarts
RATE THIS RECIPE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Taste testers rated this the BEST apple galette recipe. They compared it to 1 similar online recipe and 2 mini apple tarts purchased at a local bakery. They preferred the taste and texture of our delicious crust and apple filling.
If you too love this yummy apple galette recipe, don’t keep it a secret. Pin it to Pinterest to share. Then give it a 5-star rating in the comments.
Apple Galette
- Total Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Description
Delicious apple galettes are the perfect fall dessert. These rustic apple tarts feature a flaky buttery crust and a sweet fruit filling. After chilling the dough, they’re quick and easy to assemble.
Ingredients
Rustic Tart Crust
- 1 1/4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into tiny cubes
- 1/2 cup ice-cold water
Apple Filling
- 4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored & thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup (firmly-packed) light brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, thinly sliced
For Brushing & Sprinkling
- 1 large egg, whisked with 1 tablespoon water, for brushing
- White sparkling sugar, for sprinkling
- OPTIONAL: Melted butter or apricot jam, for a luxurious shine
Instructions
Rustic Tart Crust
- Add flour and cinnamon to the bowl of a food processor. Briefly pulse to combine. Add diced (cold) butter to the bowl. Pulse just until the mixture resembles coarse meal. There may be some pieces of butter in the mix that are the size of small peas.
- With the food processor running on low speed, slowly drizzle in cold water. Pulse just until it’s incorporated. The tart dough will be shaggy and will not come together into a ball.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly-floured board. Gather the dough together. Knead it 1 to 2 times with the heel of your hands. For 1 large apple galette, shape it into a round disk and wrap tightly in plastic. (For mini apple tarts, divide dough into 4 pieces.) Chill dough in the fridge for 30 minutes. In the meantime, make the apple filling.
Apple Filling
- Add apples, brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla, lemon juice and sea salt to a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine.
- If the apples are extra juicy, add a touch more cornstarch and toss again. Taste the mixture. See if it needs another pinch of salt.
Assemble Apple Galette
RECIPE PREP: Preheat oven to 350ºF. For 1 large apple galette, pull out a round 12-inch nonstick pan. For mini apple tarts, line 2 baking trays with parchment paper or reusable silicone baking mats.
- For 1 large apple galette: on a lightly-floured board, roll out the dough into a large circle that’s 1/4-inch thick. For mini apple tarts: roll out each disk into a circle that’s 1/4-inch thick, and 8-inches in diameter.
- Arrange apple mixture in the center of the dough. Leave a large empty border all the way around the filling. Place thin pats of butter over the apples for richness, moisture and shine.
- Fold the edges of the tart up and over the filling leaving a circle of apples visible in the center. Pinch the seams together so they don’t open while baking. Brush the edges of the apple galette with egg wash. Sprinkle the tart with white sparkling sugar. Transfer to a baking pan.
- Bake apple galette(s) for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the crust is golden and crisp. If a luxurious shine is desired, drizzle melted butter over exposed apple filling, or brush the apples with 1/4 cup apricot jam (microwaved for 30 seconds) mixed with 2 tablespoons water.
Notes
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE FASTER: Use a store-bought refrigerated pie crust, and a can or jar of apple pie filling.
IF APPLES ARE TOO TART: Add 2 to 3 tablespoons granulated sugar to the fruit filling, plus a tiny pinch of salt. These simple additions will help balance the flavors.
HOW TO SERVE APPLE GALETTE: Serve with a generous dollop of whipped cream on top, or with a rounded scoop of vanilla ice cream. This dessert can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature.
- Prep Time: 25 Minutes
- Chill Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 20 Minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: French
🍎 APPLE GALETTE > JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Do you prefer making 1 large apple galette, or a few mini apple tarts? Share your thoughts on this easy recipe in the comments below.
Y’all, this recipe is so good. Fast, easy and delicious. They taste just like the rustic galettes my grandmother would make when I was a child. I’ll definitely make these again and again.