This easy Gluten-Free Pie Crust is the key to making all your favorite pies from scratch! Tender and flaky with a buttery flavor and simple ingredients, it's an all-rounder that works in savory and sweet recipes alike. Vegan and gluten-free.
Real ingredients, great flavor.
When baking for the holidays, pie crust is a must! While many gluten-free pie crust recipes use pre-mixed flour blends which contain added gums, this recipe skips and uses whole-food ingredients like almond flour, gluten-free oats and tapioca starch. You can add a little sugar to the dough if using in sweet recipes, or leave it out for any savory bakes.
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Ingredients and Substitutions
Almond flour - Provides a rich, buttery texture to the pie dough. Don't use ground almonds here as their texture is too coarse. You can always make your own almond flour if you don't have any to hand.
Oat flour - Brings a toasty flavor and wholesome texture. Make sure the flour you're using is certified gluten-free or make your own out of gluten-free oats.
Tapioca starch - This fine, white starch helps to bind the dough together, preventing it from crumbling apart after baking.
Cane sugar - If making a sweet pie, a touch of sugar in the pie dough gives it a gentle sweetness. You can use coconut sugar, if preferred. Omit if using the pie crust for a savory recipe.
Coconut oil - Enriches the pie crust to give it that light, crisp texture. You can use a vegan butter substitute for a more neutral taste.
Water - You want ice-cold water here as it prevents the pie crust becoming gummy. Add a few ice cubes to a small glass of water before you start and it'll be chilled down by the time you need it.
Apple cider vinegar - Adding a small amount of vinegar to the pie crust keeps it tender and slightly flaky. Omit if you don't have any, or substitute for lemon juice.
Salt
How to Make Gluten-Free Pie Crust
Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, oat flour, tapioca starch, sugar, and salt until evenly combined.
Step 2: Add the solid coconut oil (or vegan butter). Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized bits.
Step 3: Stir in 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water and the vinegar. Mix gently with a fork until the dough starts to come together. If the dough seems dry or crumbly, add 1 more tablespoon of water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Step 4: Gather the dough into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in parchment or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 5: Place the chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll into a 10- to 11-inch circle (about ⅛ inch thick). Peel off the top parchment and carefully invert into a pie dish.
Step 6: Trim and crimp edges as desired. For no-bake fillings: prick the bottom with a fork and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden. For baked fillings: skip pre-bake and fill directly.
Variations
The neutral, buttery flavor of this pie crust works as a great base for different additions:
- Add ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients for a warming aroma that works great with pumpkin pie.
- For savoury galettes, add 1 teaspoon dried thyme to the dry ingredients.
- Bring a bit of crunch by stirring 2 tablespoon poppy or sesame seeds into the dry ingredients.
- Swap 2 tablespoons of the oat flour for unsweetened cocoa powder to make a chocolate pie crust.
Recipe tips
- Keep your ingredients cold to guarantee a flaky crust. If you notice your flour-coconut oil mixture is getting a bit warm, pop it into the freezer for 5-10 minutes to quickly chill it back down.
- Rolling out the dough between two sheets of parchment paper stops it from sticking, making clean up easy!
- This dough is forgiving as we don't have to worry about overworking it since there's no gluten.
- Hydrating the dough adequately is essential to guarantee that the tapioca starch will hold everything together. When you squeeze a handful of pie crust mixture, it should come together without feeling crumbly. If needed, mix in a little extra water to get the right texture.
Filling suggestions
You can use this pie crust as a base for all sorts of different pies! For example:
FAQs
Yes! Simply wrap the disk of pie crust in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
More Gluten-Free Basics
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📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 cup oat flour certified gluten-free
- ¼ cup tapioca starch
- 1 tablespoon organic cane sugar optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons solid coconut oil or vegan butter substitute
- 2-3 tablespoons ice-cold water
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar optional, for tenderness
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together almond flour, oat flour, tapioca starch, sugar, and salt until evenly combined.
- Add the solid coconut oil (or vegan butter). Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized bits.
- Stir in 2 tablespoons of ice-cold water and the vinegar. Mix gently with a fork until the dough starts to come together. If the dough seems dry or crumbly, add 1 more tablespoon of water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
- Gather the dough into a ball, then flatten into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Grease a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.
- Place the chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll into a 10 -inch circle (about ⅛ inch thick). Peel off the top parchment and carefully invert into a pie dish. Trim and crimp edges as desired.
- For no-bake fillings: prick the bottom with a fork and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 12-15 minutes, until lightly golden.
- For baked fillings: Skip pre-bake and fill directly.
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