Easy Cinnamon Apple Galette (No Pie Pan Needed)

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This cinnamon apple galette has a flaky Greek yogurt crust and a gooey brown sugar filling. Easy, rustic, and tested at 7,053 ft for high altitude.

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This cinnamon apple galette is what happens when you want all the coziness of apple pie without babysitting a pie pan or fussing over a lattice. It’s a free-form, rustic apple tart — you roll the dough into a rough circle, pile on a cinnamon-brown-sugar apple filling, and fold the edges up by hand. No pretty crimping required, and honestly, the more rustic it looks, the better. If you’ve been searching for an easy apple galette recipe that doesn’t require pastry experience, this is the one to start with.

I make a version of this every fall, and it’s become one of our go-to desserts for anything from a Tuesday night to Thanksgiving dinner. The crust starts the same way my sourdough pie crust does — cold butter, grated right into the flour — but this one uses Greek yogurt instead of ice water, which makes it nearly foolproof even if you’ve never made a homemade crust before.

Why This Recipe Works

• The Greek yogurt crust is genuinely beginner-friendly. No ice water measuring, no worrying about overworking it — the yogurt keeps the dough workable and forgiving.
• Grated butter = flaky layers without rolling out cold butter chunks by hand. This is the same trick I use in my Taco Galette and Loaded Breakfast Galette, and it works just as well in a sweet version.
• A galette is more forgiving than a pie. There’s no perfect crimp to nail — a slightly wonky fold just adds to the rustic look.
• Real ingredients, no shortcuts. Butter, flour, apples, and cinnamon — no boxed pie crust, no canned filling.

High Altitude Tips

Baking at 7,053 ft changes two things in this recipe:

1. The crust needs more flour, not more yogurt. At altitude, flour dries out faster and dough can feel wetter than it should. If your dough feels sticky, add extra flour a tablespoon at a time — don’t be tempted to add more Greek yogurt to “fix” it, since that just makes the problem worse. I’ve built the extra flour into the ingredient list below.
2. Bump your oven temperature 15–25°F. At altitude, lower air pressure makes dough rise faster and moisture evaporate faster, which can leave the crust under-set or dry before it’s done. A higher oven temperature helps the crust set faster, before that happens. Bake at 415–425°F instead of 400°F, and since the hotter oven also cooks the galette faster, start checking at the 30-minute mark instead of 35.

A smaller, altitude-specific note: your apples may take a few extra minutes to soften in the skillet, since water (and the juices apples release) boils at a lower temperature up here. Just give them a little longer over the heat if they’re not yet tender.

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 2 cups all-purpose flour (+2 Tbsp for high altitude)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup cold butter, grated
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

For the Cinnamon Apple Filling

• 4 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (Honeycrisp or Granny Smith both work well — see Variations)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice

For the Egg Wash & Topping

• 1 egg, beaten
• Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

For the Optional Vanilla Glaze

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1–2 Tbsp heavy cream

Directions

Make the Crust

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour (plus the extra 2 Tbsp if you’re at altitude), granulated sugar, and salt. Grate the cold butter directly into the bowl using a box grater, then gently work it in with your hands until it’s evenly distributed — you still want to see little flecks of butter, that’s what makes the crust flaky. Add the Greek yogurt and use a pastry cutter, your hands, or both to bring the dough together into a shaggy ball. It doesn’t need to be perfectly smooth. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate while you make the filling.

Make the Apple Filling

Add the sliced apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice to a skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and have released most of their juices, about 10–12 minutes (a few minutes longer at high altitude). If you love this cinnamon-apple flavor combo, it’s the same filling base I use in my Apple Crisp — just in galette form here. Let the filling cool slightly while you preheat the oven.

Assemble the Galette

Preheat your oven to 400°F (415–425°F for high altitude). On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough out into a rough 12–15 inch circle — it doesn’t need to be perfect, this is a rustic apple tart, not a competition pie. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pile the apple filling into the center, leaving a 2–3 inch border. Fold the edges of the crust up and over the filling, pleating as you go, leaving the center open. See my YouTube video in the recipe card below for a video tutorial on how to do this.

Bake

Brush the folded crust with the beaten egg and sprinkle generously with turbinado sugar. Bake for 35–40 minutes, or until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling. At high altitude, start checking at the 30-minute mark since the higher oven temperature speeds up browning.

Glaze (Optional)

While the galette cools slightly, whisk together the powdered sugar and heavy cream until smooth and pourable. Drizzle over the warm galette right before serving. Want to switch it up? A splash of homemade vanilla extract in the glaze adds a nice depth of flavor.

Equipment

A few things that make this recipe easier — you can find all of my favorite kitchen tools on my Amazon storefront:

• A box grater (for the cold butter)
• A pastry cutter
• A rimmed baking sheet
• Parchment paper

Tips

• Keep your butter and dough cold. If the dough gets too warm while you’re working with it, pop it back in the fridge for 10 minutes before rolling.
• Don’t skip the lemon juice in the filling — it balances the brown sugar and keeps the apples from tasting flat.
• If your galette is browning too fast on the edges before the center is done, loosely tent it with foil for the last 10 minutes.

Variations

• Apple choice: Honeycrisp holds its shape and adds natural sweetness; Granny Smith stays tart and firmer. A mix of both gives you the best of both worlds.
• Add a crunch layer: Sprinkle a thin layer of chopped pecans or oats mixed with a little brown sugar under the apples before folding the crust.
• Swap the spice: Add a pinch of nutmeg or cardamom alongside the cinnamon for a warmer, more complex flavor.
• Make it savory-adjacent: If you love the galette format, try my Sweet Potato Sage Galette or Loaded Breakfast Galette for a dinner or brunch version of the same technique.
• Switch the fruit: This same crust and folding method works beautifully with stone fruit too — if you’re craving something different, my Berry Peach Galette uses a similar approach.

Storage & Serving

This galette is best the day it’s made, but it holds up well for a few days after. Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat individual slices in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes to bring back the crisp crust — the microwave will work in a pinch, but it softens the crust. Serve warm, on its own or with a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.

Final Thoughts

This cinnamon apple galette is proof that a from-scratch dessert doesn’t need to be complicated to feel special. Give it a try this week, and let me know in the comments how yours turned out — and if you make it, don’t forget to tag @my.colorado.kitchen on Instagram so I can see it! You can also find more recipes like this one over on Facebook and watch the full step-by-step video on YouTube.