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This Almond Flour Pie Crust has a buttery texture that turns out perfectly every time. All you need is 5 simple ingredients to make it!
This Paleo recipe is the perfect option when you need a dairy-free and grain-free pie crust. It pairs well with any pie filling you love and is an excellent addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu.
Use it unbaked with your favorite pumpkin pie, or bake it first, so you can use it with your favorite no-bake option, like French Silk Pie.
Unlike working with wheat flour, this gluten-free pie crust recipe is relatively forgiving and easy to work with. The ingredients don’t have to be chilled, so mixing together the pie dough is a breeze! There’s no stand mixer or pastry cutter required.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Since almond flour is naturally gluten-free, it needs a binder to help hold it together. The classic choice is to use eggs as the binder, but that could create an “eggy” flavor that can sometimes compete with the flavor of your pie filling.
Instead, this almond flour crust uses tapioca starch (or tapioca flour) as the binder. It adds a crisp, flaky texture similar to a classic pie crust! Arrowroot or cornstarch should work similarly if you need an alternative.
How to Make Almond Flour Pie Crust
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca starch, and salt. Whisk well to combine the dry ingredients.
Next, add the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and water. Stir well until the dough sticks together with a uniform texture. (This works best if the maple syrup and water are not chilled, so they won’t cause the coconut oil to firm up as you work with it.)
Use your hands to scoop the dough up into a ball, then transfer it to the center of a large piece of parchment paper. Flatten the ball out slightly with your hands, then place another large piece of parchment paper on top of that.
Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a large circle, about 11 to 12 inches in diameter. You want it to fill the bottom of a pie dish, with room for it to go up the sides.
Remove the top piece of parchment paper, and then use the other piece of parchment paper to lift up the crust and flip it into the pie plate. It’s okay if it breaks!
In fact, expect it to break.
Just push any broken parts of the crust back together with your fingers, and smooth out the edges, until it looks good enough to bake. Then use it with your favorite pie recipe, as directed.
Tips for Baking this Pie Crust
If you need to bake this almond flour pie crust for a no-bake pie recipe, preheat the oven to 350ºF. Bake the crust for 18 to 20 minutes, until it looks lightly golden. Let the crust cool completely before adding in a no-bake pie filling.
Using this crust for a baked pie? If your pie needs to bake for longer than 40 minutes, you will want to cover the edges with a pie shield or aluminum foil. Covering the crust for the last 15 to 20 minutes of baking will prevent the edges from burning, just like a traditional pie crust.
This crust may feel fragile while it’s hot, straight from the oven, but it will firm and crisp up as it cools.
Frequently Asked Questions
For a low-carb pie crust, you can replace the starch and maple syrup with 1 large egg. In this case, I recommend increasing the salt to a 1/2 teaspoon, for more of a savory option.
Yes, for a savory pie crust, replace the maple syrup with water, adding just enough for the dough to stick together. Increase the salt to a 1/2 teaspoon to boost the flavor. Quiche usually requires that you pre-bake the crust for at least 15 to 20 minutes before adding the filling, so follow the directions for your favorite recipe.
You can use almond meal (which includes the brown almond skins) in this recipe, but it won’t have the exact same buttery texture.
Looking for an easy pie filling? Try my Vegan Pecan Pie, Chocolate Pie, or Pumpkin Pie.
Ingredients
- 2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup tapioca starch
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup , at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and have an ungreased 9-inch pie plate ready. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca starch, and salt, and whisk well to combine. Add in the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, and water, and mix until the dough sticks together, with a uniform texture.
- Use your hands to scoop the dough into a ball, then transfer it to a large piece of parchment paper on the counter. Top the dough with another large piece of parchment paper, and flatten the ball slightly with your hands.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a large circle, roughly 11- to 12-inches in diameter.
- Remove the top piece of parchment paper, then use the bottom piece of parchment paper to carefully lift up the pie crust, and flip it into the pie plate, so the parchment paper will now be on top. It's okay if the crust breaks during the flipping process! Just press any broken pieces back together, and smooth out the sides of the crust with your fingers.
- Once the crust is evenly pressed into the plate, bake it at 350ºF for 18 to 20 minutes, until it looks lightly golden. Let the crust cool, then fill it with your favorite no-bake pie filling. If you plan to use this crust in a baked pie, add the filling before you bake it. Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil or a silicone crust cover (see equipment) to protect them from burning, if you plan on baking this crust for longer than 35-40 minutes. You can uncover the crust for the last 20 minutes of baking so it can get golden.
- Let the pie cool completely, then slice and serve. This crust should last as long as the pie filling does, up to a week, when stored in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this almond flour pie crust recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
This looks so good. I would like to make it as miniature tarts for a buffet. Will either of the crust recipes lend themselves
to shaping in small tart pans?
What kind of coconut oil do u use? Refined or unrefined?
Thank you
Either will work here, but if you don’t want any coconut flavor in your crust use refined coconut oil.
What is the recipe for your chocolate meringue filling? Thanks
It’s my vegan french silk pie! Recipe here: https://detoxinista.com/vegan-french-silk-pie-soy-free/
This crust came together so easily and with minimal cracking (though I appreciated the warning!). Loved that I didn’t have to worry about keeping everything super chilled as with a typical pie crust. Thank you!
This worked fantastically and it was so easy! I’m going to teach my 10-year-old how to do it and bring pies back big time. The kids foraged about 4 cups of mullberries, strawberries and raspberries from a nearby park, so we combined them with 4 cups of blueberries and made a pie that we can all enjoy, even with gluten and egg allergies. I over-baked it on accident once the filling was added, and we all STILL loved it, and I have four opinionated children to please. Thank you!
This recipe is a keeper. I did make some modifications because I’m moving and my tapioca flour/starch is packed. Instead, i used ground flax seed as my binder. Also, I wanted somewhat of a graham cracker flavor, so I added some cinnamon (I’m one of those dump cooks, so I don’t know how much I used). The pie met with rave reviews at the church potluck.
Another great recipe! Blind baked in a shallow 10″ fluted tart pan. It worked beautifully with a tart curd filling, topped with fresh mango. Lovely shortbready texture. Thank you!