This recipe for Gluten Free Pie Crust is made with only five ingredients, and my husband says it tastes like cookies.
Better yet? It’s nut free and dairy free.
Recipe for Gluten Free Pie Crust
In 2001 I went on a grain-free diet.
Then in 2009, I wrote The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook and have been referred to as the “Queen of Almond Flour” over the years.
Still, since I know nuts aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, I figured it was critical to create a pie crust recipe without almond flour.
Home Made Pie Crust Recipes
While I don’t have any dietary need that would lead me to create a nut-free pie crust for myself, I know just how many of you have nut allergies.
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And so, this nut-free pie crust was born.
It’s really important to have a home made pie crust for everyone who needs it.
Recipe for Vegan Pie Crust
That’s why my Gluten Free Pie Crust is egg free too.
So many people suffer from egg allergies, and it’s so hard to find good recipes that are egg-free.
If you avoid eggs, check out my Egg-Free Recipes page.
Pie Crust How to Make
This recipe for Gluten Free Pie Crust couldn’t be easier to throw together.
I make it with one of my favorite kitchen tools, my food processor.
How to Make Pie Crust from Scratch
Just whiz the arrowroot, coconut flour, and salt together, then pulse in the shortening and maple syrup. That’s it for the ingredients!
After that, press the dough into the pie pan, and you’re good to go.
Gluten Free Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 cup arrowroot powder
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ⅛ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- ½ cup palm shortening or salted butter, cold
- ¼ cup maple syrup
Instructions
- In a food processor combine arrowroot, coconut flour, and salt
- Pulse in shortening and maple syrup until dough forms
- Press dough into 9 inch glass pie dish
- For no bake pies: bake at 350°F for 13-18 minutes, until goldenFor baked pies: par bake at 350°F for 8-12 minutes
- Cool
Easy No-Roll Pie Crust
The beauty of this Gluten Free Pie Crust is that it’s a press in pastry crust, also referred to as a no-roll pie crust.
Personally, I love rolling out my pie crust between two pieces of parchment paper, transferring it to the pie pan, and then patching as needed.
The photo above is of my older son making his own rolling pin when he was seven years old.
I still have it in our kitchen drawer!
But back to pie crusts –most people think a simple press in, no-roll crust is far easier to work with.
How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust
Are you wondering how to blind bake a pie crust?
Blind baking is quite simple, all it means is to bake the pie without the filling.
This technique is great if you want the crust to set and stay firm.
Pie Crust Blind Bake
If you’re using this crust to make my Paleo Pumpkin Pie blind bake it for 10 minutes, then bake it again along with the filling.
For my Vegan Pumpkin Pie and other no-bake custard fillings that firm in the refrigerator, bake this Gluten Free Pie Crust as directed above, until golden brown.
Let it cool and set for a couple of hours prior to filling it.
I often bake it the night before.
Low-Carb Pie Crust
This is not a low-carb pie crust.
It’s made with arrowroot flour which is composed entirely of carbohydrates.
My favorite low-carb pie crust is my Pie Crust with Almond Flour.
Made with almond flour and egg, it works very well for those in need of Keto Diet Healthy Recipes.
Buttery Pie Crust
My family finds this Gluten Free Pie Crust to be sweet and crunchy, while my Pie Crust with Almond Flour is a more buttery crust.
Flakey Pie Crust
My husband loves my Gluten Free Pie Crust recipe –it’s his favorite!
Flaky and sweet, it’s wonderful with both baked and refrigerated fillings. What will you fill it with?
Pie Crust Recipes Easy
Below are some of my favorite home made pie crust recipes.
Pie Crust with Almond Flour
Mentioned above, the perfect buttery four ingredient pie crust is my Pie Crust with Almond Flour.
All you need to make this incredible crust is almond flour, butter, egg, and salt. Almond flour is hands down the best low-carb flour.
Pie Crust Graham Cracker
If you’re looking for a graham cracker style crust, my Pecan Pie Crust brings a nutty flavor to the table.
Our favorite filling for this four ingredient crust is apples.
Filling for Pies Recipes
Do you love pie? We do!
Below are the best healthy pie recipes using my two favorite crusts –my Gluten Free Pie Crust above and my Almond Flour Pie Crust.
Recipe for Chocolate Pecan Pie
My Chocolate Pecan Pie isn’t just for Thanksgiving, you can find it on our table year-round.
With only five ingredients in the filling (eggs, coconut sugar, coconut oil, chocolate chips, and pecans), you’ll love how easy this pie is to throw together.
I’ve made Chocolate Pecan Pie in my Gluten Free Pie Crust and Almond Flour Pie Crust, and it works incredibly well in both.
Truth be told? My family goes gaga for it in the former, saying it tastes like pie filling nestled in cookies!
How to Make Banana Cream Pie
Didn’t think you’d ever find a recipe for Low-Carb Banana Cream Pie?
Not only is this low-carb, it’s the best banana cream pie recipe around.
My five ingredient banana cream pie filling is made with a base of low carb coconut milk and coconut oil with bananas blended in.
This is not only a dairy free banana cream pie recipe, it’s vegan as well.
Throw this filling into my Almond Flour Pie Crust, and soon you’ll be enjoying your own delicious Banana Cream Pie!
Recipe for Chocolate Pie
Looking for a Chocolate Pie recipe?
My four ingredient (chocolate chips, eggs, honey, and salt) Chocolate Pie is so easy to put together!
It’s also a family favorite, especially smothered in homemade Whipped Cream.
Vegan Pumpkin Pie Homemade
Do you need a vegan pie recipe that tastes like the real thing?
Try my Pumpkin Pie No Bake, which can be found at our Thanksgiving table every year.
This fantastic pie is low carb and perfect for those in need of Keto Diet Healthy Recipes.
It contains freshly roasted pumpkin, healthy fat from coconut, and a hint of maple syrup, though I’ve made the pie without that sweetener, and it’s just as amazing.
Vegan and no-bake? It couldn’t be easier! I’m all about saving oven space on Thanksgiving and other holidays.
I love pumpkin pie filling recipes which is why I also created one for a Traditional Baked Pumpkin Pie.
Pie Crust Homemade Recipe
There’s nothing better than homemade pie crust nestling a glorious filling.
What’s your favorite type of pie? Leave a comment and let me know!
This post is an oldie but goodie from the archives. I first shared my Recipe for Gluten Free Pie Crust in 2017.
Ellajayne says
Can’t thank you enough for this recipe! Seriously a game changer to be able to enjoy pie again. Plus we’ve also rolled it out and made cut out cookies with it. Delicious, even family that doesn’t have food allergies approve! Thanks Elana!
Elana says
Ellajayne, thanks for letting me know this recipe is a game changer!
Pam says
My mom is diabetic and lactose intolerant as well as allergic to nuts. Can the crust be made with something other than maple syrup? I love to make this for the holidays with a dairy free pumpkin pie Recipe I have
Elana says
Pam, I haven’t tried that so not sure. If you experiment I hope you’ll let us know how it goes :-)
Tammy says
This crust is delicious but it keeps sticking to the pan, any suggestions?
Elana says
Tammy, thanks for your comment! I haven’t ever had this crust stick to the pan. Be sure to use both the ingredients and brands that I recommend in the recipe for this to come out perfectly :-)
Rebecca Greco says
You might actually need to lightly oil the pan with cocnut oil or palm shortening. If that doesn’t work, applying parchment paper to the pan before placing the dough in might be good, too. I recommend oiling the pan EITHER WAY.
You’d have flip the pan over, trace it on the parchment paper, and line it inside the pan. Press the dough in as you normally would.
I hope this helps!
Rebecca Greco says
You might actually need to oil the pan or use a springform pie pan.
Adele buyze says
Hi Elena, if I want to freeze this crust to use at a later stage, shall I bake it first then freeze it, or should I freeze it raw and then defrost/bake it?
Thank you
Elana says
Adele, I haven’t tried that so not sure :-)
Nancy Cherven says
HI E!
My crust was very sticky so I used more arrowroot to dust while rolling.
I cannot do maple syrup, I used a bit of stevia instead.
Elana says
Hi Nancy! Thanks for sharing the results of your experiment :-)
N says
The crust is cooling now.
It is soft and watery, but tastes good!!!!
I doubt it will harden up so
I’m going to scrape it off the dish mix it with some
coconut whip cream, and eat some!!!
Elana says
N, thanks for letting me know your experiment tastes good :-)
Missy says
This pie crust is amazing. I used it for your vegan pumpkin pie and it baked well and tasted great. I did use unsalted butter instead of palm shortening and it was perfect. Flaky, sweet and melts in your mouth. Holds up great as a pie crust!
I’ve also used this pie crust as cookies. Again I used butter instead and they tasted just like the soft sugar cookies you can buy at the grocery store (frosted in a store bought organic vegan, gluten free white frosting).
Such a great recipe! Thank you!!
Elana says
Missy, I’m so happy to hear this crust is amazing!
Albert says
Hi Elana,
Why is there COCONUT FLOUR in this recipe if it’s suppose to be NUT FREE?
What am I missing?
What to make a cheese cake crust for children with Nut allergies.
Thanks.
Elana says
Albert, thanks so much for your question! Coconut is not classified as a botanical nut, it is a fruit and considered safe for people that are allergic to tree nuts :-)
LT says
Hi Elana,
Thanks for this! I’m about to try it today (caters to both my paleo son and vegan husband!).
I’m curious to know whether anyone got back to you about substituting coconut oil for the palm shortening – I see a lot of comments asking the question but nobody has reported back.
Happy holidays!!!
LT says
One more thing: Will this crust work for apple pie so you think?
Elana says
LT, I don’t think that will work :-)
Alexis H. says
I made an apple pie with this crust! It was amazing!
I’ve also made this crust now using butter in place of the shortening, and again made it with Crisco. Both came out well. Used potato starch both times in place of arrowroot.
I have made it using maple syrup (fruit pie) and water (used about 1/2 cup) when I made a savory pie (meat and veg). For the meat pie I also added Italian seasonings to the dough.
Both times the dough needed to be chilled before pressing into large pie pan (fruit) 6 mini tins (meat).
For the apple pie I did a blind bake, for the mini pies I did not because I cooked the filling prior to putting in the crust and gave it a crust top.
I’m finding this recipe to be very versatile. I live on the East Coast (VT), so don’t know it altitude plays a role in it.
Elana says
Alexis, thanks for letting me know this was amazing!
Elana says
LT, thanks for your lovely comment! Not that I know of but you may want to double check the comments :-)
Inez says
Hi,
Here in Belgium we’re not familiar with the use of shortenings. is there something else I can use instead? Soy butter? coconut oil? Coconut butter?
Thanks for the advice and I love your work ;-)
Inez
Elana says
Inez, thanks for your wonderful comment!I haven’t tried making this without shortening so not sure how that would work. Here’s one of my pie crust recipe that uses coconut oil for you:
https://elanaspantry.com/paleo-pie-crust/
Enjoy!
Elana
Janice Place says
Elana, I used this recipe with a pumpkin pie that I make.I used a blend of red palm and coconut shortening that I had on hand. The crust was so delicious— cookie-like and flaky, well-received by my family. If I need a less-sweet crust, I think I’ll try using ice water instead of maple syrup— have you tried doing that?
Elana says
Janice, I haven’t tried turning this into a crust for savory dishes, if you do please let us know how it goes. Thanks for letting me know this crust was flaky and delicious :-)
Alexis H. says
Janice, I did that–replaced syrup with water. Needed about twice the amount of water as syrup to bind. Came out great! And being inspired by Elana’s almond flour savory crust, I added Italian spices to the dough. When I used the syrup, it was more cookie like after baking. When I used water, it was more pastry like.
Elana says
Thanks Alexis!
Emily Mallen says
Elena–I’ve been using your recipes for at least 4 years and love them. I am now a nursing mom of a 12 week old and needed to eliminate dairy and soy from my diet, and possibly other allergens like wheat and eggs because my little one has sensitivities. I just made the crust for the vegan pumpkin pie and the bottom cracked a lot while baking. Should I have perforated the dough with a fork first? The recipe didn’t say to do so and it didn’t look that way in the picture. I’m still going to use the crust, but looking for tips for the next time. Thanks!
Elana says
Emily, yes you can poke it with a fork a couple of times :-)