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This mini apple galette has a buttery, flaky crust and tender, cinnamon-spiced apples. Made from scratch with a single apple, it bakes in 20 minutes and is built for one, so nothing goes to waste.
Featured Comment
“Best apple galette I’ve ever made.”
– Chris
Quick Look
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Equipment: rimmed baking sheet, rolling pin
- Cook Method: Oven
- Servings: 1 to 2
- Difficulty: Easy
- Flavor Profile: A buttery, flaky crust topped with lightly sweet, cinnamon-spiced apples.
One apple and about ten minutes of hands-on work give you a galette that looks far fancier than it is to make.
Why You’ll Love This Apple Galette For One
Cut into this galette and the crust flakes apart over soft apples spiced with cinnamon and honey. A galette is a free-form pie, so you shape it by hand and skip the pie dish and the top crust altogether.
This whole galette is built around a single apple. The dough rolls into a 6-inch round, and one medium apple fills the center with room at the edges to fold. I chill the dough first. Twenty cold minutes keep the butter firm so the crust bakes up flaky and crisp. Then comes a drizzle of honey and a little sugar over the apples, a pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg, a few dots of butter, and a brush of beaten egg to turn the crust gold. Twenty minutes in the oven and it’s done, finished the same day with nothing to wrap up and save.
If you’ve never made a galette, start here. The crust is forgiving and it’s supposed to look rustic, so it comes out looking good even the first time. Make it on a quiet afternoon when you want something that tastes like you fussed over it and didn’t.
If you’re looking for more single serving apple recipes, try our apple crisp for one, mini Dutch apple pie, and mini apple cake.
Ingredients
Here’s what each ingredient does in this mini apple galette, with a few easy swaps. If you have any ingredients left over, our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder will show you what to make with them.
For the crust
All-purpose flour: Gives the crust its structure and keeps it tender.
Sugar: Lightly sweetens the dough and helps the edges brown in the oven.
Salt: Brings out the flavor in the crust.
Cold salted butter: Makes the crust flaky as long as it stays cold. Salted butter adds flavor too.
Ice water: Brings the dough together. Keep it cold so the butter stays firm as you mix.
For the filling
Apple: One medium apple is all you need. I use Gala for its sweetness, but any apple works. Chop it into small pieces, or slice it thin, so it bakes soft in the short bake time. Extra apples? Use them in a single apple muffin or small batch apple cinnamon scones.
Honey and sugar: Add sweetness. Honey also gives the apples a light sheen as they bake.
Cinnamon and nutmeg: Bring warm apple pie flavor. A pinch of each is right for one apple.
Butter: Salted butter, dotted over the apples, melts as they bake, adding richness and helping the apples brown at the edges.
Egg: Brushed over the crust for a shiny, golden finish.
Recipe Variations
This small apple galette is easy to make your own, and here are a few of my favorite ways.
Salted Caramel Apple Galette
Drizzle a teaspoon or two of salted caramel over the apples in the last few minutes of baking so it sets into the fruit, or over the top once it’s out of the oven. A pinch of flaky salt on top balances the sweet caramel.
Apple Galette With Puff Pastry
Swap the homemade crust for puff pastry when you want it even faster. Cut a 6-inch round from a thawed sheet, add the apples, and fold the edges the same way. It bakes up lighter and flakier than pie dough.
Apple Galette With Vanilla Custard
Serve the warm galette with a spoonful of chilled vanilla custard on the side. The cool, creamy custard against the warm spiced apples works like ice cream does, with a little more richness. Make the custard ahead so it’s ready to spoon.
Sugar-Topped Crust
Brush the crust edges with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with turbinado or another coarse sugar before baking. It bakes into a crunchy, sparkly finish.
How To Make A Mini Apple Galette
These step-by-step photos show you how to make an individual apple galette. See the recipe card below for exact amounts and the full instructions.
Make the Dough
- Mix the dough: In a small bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the cold butter with a fork until the mixture looks like wet sand, then add the ice water and stir just until a dough forms.
- Chill: Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for 20 minutes so the butter firms up.
Roll and Prep the Pan
- Heat the Oven: Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) so it’s hot by the time the galette is assembled.
- Roll the Dough: Place the chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it into a 6-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick.
- Transfer the Dough: Move the dough, still on the bottom sheet of parchment, to a baking sheet and peel off the top sheet.
Fill and Fold
- Add the Apples: Peel, core, and chop the apple into small pieces, then spread it over the center, leaving a 1-inch border.
- Sweeten and Spice: Drizzle honey over the apples, then sprinkle with the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Add Butter: Dot the apples with the small pieces of butter.
- Fold the Edges: Gently fold the dough border up and over the outer apples, leaving the center open.
- Brush with Egg: Brush the folded crust with the beaten egg for a golden finish.
Bake
- Bake: Bake for 20 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apples are tender.
Expert Tips
Keep the butter cold: Cold butter is what makes the crust flaky. Work quickly so the butter doesn’t soften, and get the dough into the fridge to chill as soon as it comes together.
Cut the apple small: Small chopped pieces, or thin slices, cook all the way through in the 20-minute bake. Big or uneven pieces stay firm because the crust browns before they soften.
Don’t overfill. Too much fruit leaves no room to fold and crowds the crust so it won’t bake through.
Roll to an even thickness. Uniform dough bakes evenly and folds without cracking.
Make the dough ahead: The dough keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. Shape it into a disc first so it’s ready to roll.
Troubleshooting
This galette is hard to get wrong. The crust is forgiving, the shape is meant to look rustic, and most first tries come out great. If something does come up, here’s how to fix it.
Why is my galette dough cracking when I roll it out?
The dough is too cold. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, then roll again and it will give without cracking. If a crack still opens, pinch it back together or press on a small scrap of dough. A galette is meant to look rustic, so a patch won’t show.
Why are my apples still hard after baking?
The pieces were too big. Chop the apple into small pieces, or slice it thin, so it cooks through in the 20-minute bake. Large or uneven pieces stay firm because the crust browns before they soften.
Why isn’t my galette crust browning?
It needs an egg wash. Brush the folded crust with beaten egg before baking, since that’s what turns it golden. Make sure the oven is fully heated to 400°F before the galette goes in, because a cool oven leaves the crust pale.
How do I keep the bottom of my galette from getting soggy?
Bake at a full 400°F and serve it the day you make it. A galette is open on top, so steam escapes as it bakes instead of soaking the crust. Keeping the filling to one apple leaves the crust room to crisp, and the crust stays crispest the day it’s baked, since it softens the longer it sits.
How To Serve An Apple Galette
This small apple galette is best served warm, with a simple topping that balances the spiced apples.
- Vanilla Ice Cream For One: A scoop of cold vanilla ice cream melting into the warm galette is the classic pairing.
- Small Batch Whipped Cream: A dollop of homemade whipped cream, plain or with a little cinnamon or vanilla stirred in.
- Small Batch Caramel: Drizzle warm caramel over the top just before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
An apple galette is a free-form French pastry made by folding a single round of dough around a sweetened apple filling, leaving the center open. It’s like an apple pie but easier, since it needs no pie dish and no top crust.
A galette is baked flat on a sheet pan with one crust folded over the filling, while a pie is baked in a dish with a shaped crust and often a top. A galette is free-form, so it’s faster and simpler to make.
Peeling is optional. Peeled apples give a smoother, more tender filling, while leaving the skin on adds color and saves a step. For this galette I peel the apple so it bakes soft in the short bake time.
Yes, baked or unbaked. To freeze it unbaked, assemble the galette, freeze it solid on a sheet pan, then wrap and store it, and bake from frozen with about 5 extra minutes. To freeze it baked, cool it completely, freeze it solid, then wrap it, and warm it in a 300°F oven for about 10 minutes to serve.
Store leftover galette covered at room temperature for up to a day, or in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s best the day it’s baked, since the crust softens as it sits, so warm it in the oven to crisp the crust back up.
Yes. Make the dough up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it, or freeze it for up to 3 months. You can also assemble the whole galette and refrigerate it for a few hours before baking. Bake it the day you serve it, since it’s best fresh.
Yes. A galette takes well to other fruit. I like plums, peaches, or mango in place of the apple, adjusting the sugar to how sweet the fruit is.
This individual apple galette serves one, or two if you’re sharing. It’s made from a single apple and one 6-inch round of dough, so it’s sized for one without leftovers. To serve more, double the recipe and make two galettes or one larger one.
Galette is a French word for a flat, round, free-form cake or pastry. The name describes the hand-shaped style rather than a set recipe, which is why both sweet and savory versions exist.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this recipe, check out our Leftover Ingredients Recipe Finder or you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
RELATED: Easy Dessert Recipes For One
If you’ve tried single serving apple galette or any recipe on One Dish Kitchen please let me know how you liked it by rating the recipe and telling me about it in the comment section below.
Mini Apple Galette For One
Equipment
Ingredients
For the crust
- 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons cold salted butter
- 2 teaspoons ice water
For the filling
- 1 medium apple
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar , plus ¼ teaspoon for topping
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch ground nutmeg
- ½ tablespoon cold salted butter – cut into small pieces
- 1 egg – beaten
Instructions
Make the crust
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon sugar, and the salt.
- Cut in the 2 tablespoons cold butter with a fork until the mixture looks like wet sand.
- Add the ice water and stir until a dough forms.
- Shape the dough into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Near the end of the chill, heat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Place the chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it into a 6-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick.
- Lift both sheets of parchment together with the dough between them, set them on a baking sheet, then peel off the top sheet, leaving the dough on the parchment.
Make the filling
- Peel and core the apple, then chop it into small pieces or slice it thin.
- Spread the apple over the center of the dough, leaving a 1-inch border.
- Drizzle the honey over the apple.
- In a small bowl, mix the 1½ teaspoons sugar, the cinnamon, and the nutmeg, then sprinkle over the apple.
- Dot the apple with the ½ tablespoon cold butter.
- Fold the dough border up and over the outer edge of the apple, leaving the center open.
- Brush the folded crust with the beaten egg, then sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon sugar.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the crust is golden and the apple is tender.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I’d like to make this but don’t want to overfill the galette. How many cups should I use of the medium apple?
One medium apple is the full amount for this galette, and it’s sized so it won’t overfill. Chopped, that comes to about a cup. What really keeps it from spilling over is leaving a 1-inch border of dough bare and keeping the apples in the center, then folding the edge up from there.
If I made 2 intending to freeze one for later, should it be put in the freezer baked or not? How should it be prepared on another day?
You can freeze it either way. Unbaked: freeze the assembled galette on a sheet pan until solid, then move it to an airtight container. Bake straight from frozen, just add about 5 extra minutes to the bake time.
Already baked: let it cool completely, freeze on a sheet pan until solid, then wrap in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container. When you’re ready to eat, thaw to room temperature and warm it in a 300F oven for about 10 minutes.
Excellent, perfect, just what I was hungry for. Very easy and little mess. I love all the recipes for one I’ve tried, so far.
This recipe turned out great! Will definitely make again. Although, I found it needed a tiny bit more cold water to make the crust workable into the ball to refrigerate. I added a bit more water and it was awesome. Nice easy recipe. Thank you!
This was so fun to make. Thank you for your tiny portion dessert recipes!
Best apple galette I’ve ever made. Thanks for such an easily scalable recipe!
Thank you – I’m so happy you enjoyed it.
This is a delicious dessert that takes very little time to prepare. The crust is excellent and has enough structure to hold the filling, but is tender at the same time. I added a bit more salt to the crust, as well as a pinch of baking powder. I also sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar. The only change I made to the filling was to add a spritz of lemon juice to the apple slices. I also found it easier to toss the apples with the sugar and spices before arranging on the dough. Both the crust and apples were perfectly baked in 20 minutes.
I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed the galette and made it your own with those tweaks! Thanks for sharing your experience and adjustments.
What other fruits can be used?
So many options! Try plums, peaches, or mangos.
This is delightful!! The pastry is perfection–light, crispy, and buttery. I didn’t need a whole apple for this–just sauteed the rest. Fabulous–will definitely make this again.
This is so delicious and very easy to make!
Mine just came out of the oven…I doubled the recipe and made two, one with cream cheese and apples and the other one with just the apples. I had to make a gluten free crust, but it looks delicious and appears to look almost like yours.
Thanks for the fun recipe!
Made this last night and it was easy and delicious! In fact, I was surprised how good it tasted because of the ease of preparation!
I hope you are staying warm and safe because I used to live in Houston and know you are having dangerous weather!
This recipe is delicious! I just made it with my high school Culinary Arts students and they loved it! It was simple enough that they could do all the steps by themselves and complete it in the class time. The crust is very light and doesn’t get rock hard like some other pie crusts do. Perfect!
Emily, your comment just made my day! I’m so happy that you used one of our recipes in your Culinary Arts class. Thank you so much for reaching out to let me know, I’m thrilled to know that it was a recipe your students enjoyed making.
Love apple desert
Made this when I was having a late night sweet craving, so good and the crust is so soft and flakey. 100% will be making again.
I’m so happy that you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you!
Can you use pre-made pie crust?
Yes, pre-made crusts are fine.
Hi definitely going to try this. Love this site. So helpful. Good recipes for 1 . If you were to make a blueberry or strawberry one would use pie filling like blueberry or apple wonder how much you would put in?
Hi Sharon, I’m so glad you’re finding the recipes helpful. If you were to use canned pie filling, I would suggest using about 3/4 of a cup.
Can you use coconut flour
This recipe does not work with coconut flour.
this looks very good and easy to make will definitely be trying this out
Just made this following the recipe exactly. Delicious! Fills that apple dessert craving with a fresh buttery crisp crust. Thanks
My daughter makes a peach gallete & recipe calls for a cornmeal crust. Would that work for this also?
Yes, it should work just fine.