Here’s the thing… I love pie. Love, love, love it! But at Passover, when leavening is not an option, making a tasty pie crust becomes much more difficult.
This recipe evolved out of my need for a Passover pie substitute (because let’s face it– it’s really, really hard to get through an entire week without pie). I did away with the crust entirely and instead relied on matzo cracker crumbs to hold the filling together.
The result is something between an apple crumble, a pan dowdy and a pie. Whatever you want to call it, it’s delicious!
Bake this Passover dessert in an old-fashioned pie dish, and nobody will complain about the missing crust… the flavor is very similar to a nutty apple pie. The candied pecans add a crunchy sweet topping to this decadent Passover treat. Serve ala mode for extra deliciousness.
Recommended Products:
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Passover Apple Pecan Pie
Ingredients
- 5 ripe granny smith apples - peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1/4 cup butter or margarine, divided
- 1/2 cup applesauce
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 5 tablespoons brown sugar, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 3 egg matzos, crushed into large crumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Nonstick cooking oil spray
- 3/4 cup finely chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium saucepan, melt 2 tbsp butter or butter substitute. Add applesauce, white sugar, 2 tbsp brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice. Stir till well combined, then bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium and add diced apples to pan. Stir apples till they are well coated with sugar mixture. Cover the pan and cook over medium heat for exactly 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not overcook. Uncover apples at the end of cooking and remove from heat; allow to cool.
- Meanwhile, place crushed matzos into a large mixing bowl and cover with water. Let matzos soak for 1 ½ minutes (no longer), then drain in a colander. Gently squeeze the matzo crumbs in the colander to remove excess moisture.
- In a small bowl, beat the eggs with the salt.
- Add eggs to the matzo and stir till well combined.
- Pour cooled apples and sugary syrup from the pan into the mixing bowl with the matzos. Stir till combined. Reserve the pan.
- Spray a deep pie dish generously with cooking oil spray. Pour the apple mixture into the pie dish.
- In the same saucepan you used to cook the apples, melt 2 tbsp butter, or butter substitute, then stir in 3 tbsp brown sugar and mix to form a thick syrup.
- Stir chopped pecans in the syrup till they are well coated. Remove pan from heat.Sprinkle candied pecans evenly over the top of the apple pie.
- Bake pie for 45-50 minutes, until the top is golden brown and pie is cooked through. Serve warm.
NOTES
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
Let us know in the comments!
Can an eight or nine inch round pyrex dish be used?
Marcia– yes. 8 inch might be a bit small for this recipe but 9 inch should work fine.
Could you use matzo farfel instead of making your own “crumbs?” It seems like it would save time and I always have leftover fafel.
Hi Merryl, yes! I think about 1 1/2 cups of matzo farfel should do it. Enjoy!
Would gluten free flour be kosher for Passover?
Thank you!
Hi Marcia, I’ve never seen a gluten free flour that is kosher for Passover. You would have to look at the kosher certification to see if it covers Passover. There are some gluten free matzo meal and matzo cake meal brands, however, which might be a better bet. Whole Foods and many other specialty retailers are selling them now, and you can also find them online. Good luck!
Make this pie for Passover this year,,was a very big hit with my family…Them made it better for the last day of passover for friends…I did a little twist added dates…Wonderful pie…2 thumps up..!
Great!
Thank you for your beautiful Apple Pecan Pie recipe.This is my first time at cooking Passover food and I really appreciate your brilliant and helpful site.
You’re welcome Nina 🙂
Big hit for our Seder! Thanks for the fab recipe.
Great Carolyn!
Hi Tori! I wanted to let you know that I made the pie in a 9 inch round cake pan and it was perfect and delicious! I can’t wait to try it with vanilla ice cream!
Great Barbara! Thanks for letting me know.
Hi Tori! What other dish can I make this in? I don’t have a deep dish pie pan and don’t want to buy one.
Hi Barbara– you might try an 8-9 inch round cake pan or an 8×8 square pan. I’ve never tried either so please know that you may have a little too much filling for either of these options, but they should be roughly the same in terms of the volume they hold.
Hi, What other topping can I use if I don’t want to use nuts. Also can the pie be made one day ahead of time?
Hi Oraneet, yes the pie can be made one day ahead. It tastes best reheated. I’ve never made it without nuts and I’m not sure what substitution to recommend. Usually I recommend sunflower seeds, but here I’m not sure if it will work in terms of the flavor, and they are also considered by many to be kitniyot (if you’re making this for Passover- if not, this wouldn’t be a concern). You could try a streusel topping without nuts, however most contain some kind of flour to help bind them. If I think of a good sub I will post back here.
This baby is in the oven right now! Planning to serve it tomorrow for our late passover meal. High hopes!
The nuts weren’t really sprinkle-able once they were coated. The coating was too thick…but, they look nice in scattered clumps too!
Enjoy flossy! You may have cooked the nuts a bit too long, they should be easy to break apart and sprinkle. The longer they sit over heat, the more “candy-like” they become, which means they’re harder to break apart.
I made this pie for a special dinner and was a tremendous success. Everybody like it, even the Kids! Truly recomended.
I only have one issue with this pie! I tasted the filling before completing the recipe so I would know if I wanted to continue and I had to make more filling because it was so very delicious. Can’t wait to serve this. Thanks.
This recipe looks great. Can the pie be frozen and reheated?
Yes, no problem!
How would you recommend reheating the pie if it has to be transported to a family’s house!
Hi Blake, from the fridge, reheat the pie at 325 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, or until heated through.
I baked this last weekend for our seder and it was fabulous!!!! I chopped the apples (by my Cuisinart) much smaller than your photos, and it came together more like a cake, than a pie. This is a recipe that will be made again next year. It was a hit!
Hi Torey,
I dont have any applesauce for Pesach in the house. Can I just leave it out. I dont feel like making any either!
Id like to try this tomorrow for the last days. I hope you have time to reply.
Happy Passover,
Denise
Hi Denise, the applesauce adds moisture and helps to bind everything together. You can try making it without it, just know that it will probably not hold as well together– it will likely have a texture that is more similar to an apple crumble than an apple pie, and may not be as clean to slice (it may fall apart a bit). It should still taste good– no promises on the texture, though. 🙂 Chag Sameach!
I made the pecan apple pie for our seder. It was a huge favorite. Everyone loved it. I will make it again for the end of the holiday. Thanks, Tori!
The apple pecan pie was a huge hit at our seder. My husband loved it so much he said I could make it anytime. I have really enjoyed the Passover Potluck. I’m sure many of the recipes will appear on our table for many years.
Made this with gluten-free matzah and wanted to let others know it still came out wonderful. This is a keeper for a Passover dessert.
Thanks for reporting back Beth! 🙂
Served pie for dessert last night. Was delicious, however, did not slice well. It totally fell apart. I’m having it for lunch with cottage cheese.
Hey Jackie! Glad you enjoyed the pie. Next time, try baking it for 5-10 minutes longer (the longer the better), and let it cool completely before slicing. That should solve the falling apart problem. If not, you could add another egg to the apple mixture, which will help to bind it.