Grilled Apple Crostata pulls all the ingredients and tastes of an apple pie and makes it even easier. Top with cold vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for a delicious and dreamy dessert!
Baking pies (even mini apple cinnamon roll pie cups ) can intimidate people, even if there is a store bought pie crust. If you fall into that camp, start with this simple crostata to take away all the fear. It delivers a tender and crispy dessert with all the flavor and almost none of the effort.
🍽️ Why This Recipe Works
- Store-bought crust saves you loads of time and energy!
- Apples are easy to work with and make the best filling.
- It’s sweet and will be popular when fed to a crowd.
- There is only 25 minutes of prep time.
- Great for potlucks, barbecues, and parties.
- Unique and delicious dessert!
- Make this for the holidays to serve with the Smoked Sea Salt Caramel Cheesecake
🍎 Ingredients
Store Bought Pie Crust – Using a store bought pie crust (you’ll only use one, even though two will come in a package) will make this recipe go off without a hitch.
Apples – Use firmer apples like Fuji, Braeburn, Honeycrisp, Jonagold or Granny Smiths. You want a harder apple that will withstand baking temperatures. If you get a softer apple like a Red Delicious, it may just turn to mush.
🔥 Instructions
Step One: Take the pie crust out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. Wash, cut and core the apples. We didn’t peel the apples as they become so tender that there really isn’t a need. If you want to, you certainly can, though.
Step Two: Add the butter to a pan and melt on the stove top on medium heat. Add the sugars, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir and allow sugar to dissolve for about 2-3 minutes. Add the apples, stir well, cover and reduce for 15 minutes. You are looking for a nice tender apple. Check on apples every 5-7 minutes and stir. Allow it to cool.
Step Three: Roll out the pie crust onto the 10” cast iron skillet and then pile the apples onto the center leaving about two inches around the outer edge free.
Step Four: Fold the edge of the crust up and slightly over the apples. Pull the next section of the crust up and pinch it to the previous section. Continue this process all around the crostata.
Step Five: Brush the edges of the crust with water and sprinkle with white sugar. You could substitute an egg wash in place of the water and sprinkle with the white sugar.
Step Six: Grill at 400 degrees over indirect heat for 30-40 minutes until golden brown.
Tip: Set up your grill for indirect heat. Gas Grills: Turn off the center burners, but leave the side burners on. Kamado Grills: Add a plate setter to divert the flames around the skillet.
🍲 Tools
Use a 10” Lodge Cast Iron Skillet for this recipe. We love how the cast iron retains an even heat. You can use an aluminum pan or our favorite non stick Copper Mats we talk about all the time. They will allow you to put the crostata on the grill flat and it will come off without sticking, even if some of the sugary apples drizzle out. If you haven’t used a Copper Mat before, we give you all the juicy details here.
🍽️ Substitutions
You can easily make this crostata with other fruits:
- Peaches
- Peaches and Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Plums
- Cherries
- Add in Craisins or raisins to the apples
- Grilled Apples with Cardamon
While we used the store bought pie dough, you can substitute that for homemade dough or even Phyllo. The flexibility is great!
👨🍳 Recipe FAQs
Most of the time, a scoop or two of ice cream is our go-to topping, but there are plenty of other things that would work. Some whipped cream, caramel sauce, or chopped nuts are all tasty too.
You can serve this apple crostata pretty much any time you get a craving for it. It’s widely popular during the holidays, but it’s also great for after dinner any time of year. This is a dessert that is a hit year-round.
If you don’t have Fuji or prefer a different apple, you are welcome to swap them. Red Delicious, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Gala are all great options.
Related Recipes
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Grilled Apple Crostata
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 4 Fuji Apples cut into ⅛
- 2 tbsp Butter
- ¼ cup Brown Sugar
- 2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 2 tsp Lemon Juice about ½ of one lemon
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
Pie Crust
- 1 Refrigerated Pie Crust packaging will give you two, you only need one for this recipe
- 1 tbsp Water
- 1 tsp Granulated Sugar
Instructions
Apple Filling
- Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Add in brown sugar and granulated sugar and allow sugar to dissolve. Add in spices, lemon juice and apples. Stir to combine. Cover and reduce heat to low and simmer 15-20 minutes.
- While the apples are cooking, remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature.
- Lay out the pie crust on a 10" cast iron skillet or copper mat.
- When the apples are tender but not super soft (remember they will continue to cook on the grill so you don't want them mushy) allow them to cool. When cool, place in the center of the pie crust. Leave space along the edge to fold over.
- Fold the crust up and over on top of the side of apple filling. The apples will still be showing through in the center. Brush water on the edges and sprinkle with the granulated sugar.
Grilled Apple Crostata
- Heat grill up using indirect heat to 400 degrees.
- Place the apple crostata on the grill and close the lid. Grill for 30-40 minutes. Check at 30 minutes and see if the crust is getting brown and if it is ready to take off.
Notes
Nutrition
