This easy vegan pie crust recipe is so delicious no one will believe it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and oil-free! Even if you don’t follow a gluten-free or oil-free diet, you just might switch to this crust because it’s the perfect combination of easy, tasty, and nutritious. One bowl, no fancy equipment, and no need to keep everything cold. Seriously, this healthy pie crust is so good you’ll start looking for excuses to bake pies! Use it for sweet or savory pie and tart recipes.
So why is this the best vegan pie crust?
This healthy vegan pie crust has me SO excited about pies! Can you tell? My mind is swimming with possibilities – lemon, coconut, chocolate cream, apple, pumpkin, pear, salted chocolate pecan, and bourbon pecan! And then there are the savory goals: tomato, kale, pot pie, quiche….
Before we get into the easy step by step process, let me summarize for you exactly why I love this vegan pie crust and think you will, too!
- It contains no vegan butter, oil or shortening yet still tastes buttery, rich and satisfying. To me, this crust is quite literally the best of all worlds. Shout out to almond flour!
- It looks just like a traditional, white flour pie crust. If you’re sharing it with skeptical family members, you can imagine why this is important. The white rice flour and tapioca starch blend with the tan-colored almond flour to create the lovely, soft white dough color everyone is used to. And the natural fat in the almond flour creates a flaky, irresistible, almost shortbread-like texture.
- When I say this pie crust is easy, I’m not exaggerating. Even some experienced bakers find pie crusts intimidating, but this one will be your new best friend. Since it doesn’t contain butter, lard, or shortening, there’s no need to pre-chill the ingredients, bowls, utensils, rolling pin, etc. This also means you don’t have to hurry or worry about your hands warming up the dough. You also don’t have to worry about overworking the dough since we’re not dealing with gluten.
- No need for pie weights! While traditional pie crusts tend to slump and slide down the sides of the pie plate during prebaking, this one stays exactly where you put it!
- The dough is very forgiving, and it’s easy to patch holes or imperfections.
- Use your favorite granulated sweetener, such as coconut, date, or organic cane sugar. Omit the sugar if using this crust with a savory recipe.
- Other gluten-free pie crusts made with GF flour blends can be bland and gummy (and they require added fat), but the texture provided by almond flour is perfect.
- There’s no need to oil the pie plate thanks to the natural fat content in almond flour.
- And if you’re okay with gluten and follow a whole-food plant-based diet, you can replace the white rice flour with a whole grain flour like spelt or whole wheat.
A Tip for Successful Pie Crust
Sure, this crust is seriously easy, but we are still baking, not just throwing together a stir fry! For a successful pie crust, it’s important to measure accurately and pay attention as you move through the steps.
For the easiest prep and consistent baking results every time, I highly recommend using a kitchen scale. When measuring flours for everything from pizza dough to cookies and cakes, I use this affordable Escali digital scale. It’s currently $24.99 on Amazon, and there are plenty of other inexpensive options out there, too.
Thankfully, measuring almond flour is different than measuring regular flours, which makes it easier to get an accurate amount even without a scale. Instead of whisking the flour and then spooning it into the measuring cup, like you would with all-purpose flour, measure almond flour like you would brown sugar. Scoop it up, and then pack it into the measuring cup.
Step by step tutorial:
How to Make Gluten-Free Vegan Pie Crust
Step 1: Whisk together the dry ingredients – almond flour, white rice flour (or substitute), tapioca starch, salt, and sugar, if using.
Step 2: Add 3 Tbsp of water, and mix well with a large spoon. Then add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of water, and stir again. The dough should look crumbly and moist, but when squeezed together with your hand, it won’t completely hold together just yet.
Step 3: Add just 1 more tablespoon of water and stir again. Every time I’ve tested the recipe it takes exactly 6 tablespoons of water to reach the proper consistency, but this is also because I weigh the ingredients every time (see why that’s important?). 😉 If you aren’t able to weigh the ingredients, use visual cues to determine the correct amount of water. It should take somewhere between 5 and 7 tablespoons total. At this point the dough might remind you of sugar cookie dough (or maybe even Play-Doh), and when you squeeze a handful of it, it will completely hold together. If it still seems just a bit crumbly, add HALF a tablespoon of water, and mix again. If you accidentally add too much water, mix in more almond flour.
Step 4: Form the dough into a ball.
Step 5: Place a piece of parchment paper (about 14 inches long) on the countertop. Place the dough ball on the parchment and use your palm to gently flatten it into a thick disc.
Step 6: As the outer edges crack, use your hands to gently smooth the cracks and reinforce the edges. Now you’re ready for the rolling pin!
Step 7 & Troubleshooting:
Slowly roll the dough with firm and steady pressure, from the inside toward the outer edges. Keep rolling, inside to out, moving around the dough until you have a circle about 12 inches in diameter (this is large enough for a 9-inch deep dish pie plate). If you don’t have a ruler or measuring tape, simply hold the pie plate above the dough to determine whether it’s large enough.
- If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, sprinkle a little almond flour on top of the dough, and spread it around with your hand.
- If you realize the dough is too crumbly once you start working with it, return it to the bowl and mix in 1 more tablespoon of water. *Remember, you don’t have to worry about over-mixing it because we’re not dealing with gluten. So really get in there with your hand, and distribute the water!
Step 8: Pick up the parchment paper and flip the dough onto the pie plate (no need to grease the pan). Slowly peel away the parchment. Don’t worry if there are a few holes, tears or imperfections. They can easily be patched with scrap/overhang pieces of dough.
Step 9: Without stretching or tearing the dough, use your fingers to gently press it all the way into the corners of the pie plate.
Step 10: Use a sharp knife to trim off excess dough. I like to trim it just to the edge of the pie plate (for reference, the dough in the photo above has not been trimmed; the photo below shows the trimmed edges). Save the scraps in case you want to use a few small pieces during the next step.
Step 11: Make it pretty! Decorate the edges of your pie crust any way you like. I used the simple knuckle crimp method. Rotate the pie plate as you work your way around. The dough is very soft and forgiving, so you can use your fingers to smooth the tops and edges of the crimp as much as you need to.
Here’s a great tutorial for various pie crust decorating methods: How to Crimp Pie Crust from Food52
Step 12: And now you have a beautiful, oil-free, healthy vegan pie crust! Use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the crust before baking.
- For a pie with a no-bake filling, bake the pie crust in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until crisp and golden. Cool completely before filling.
- For pies that will be baked, like pumpkin or pecan, prebake the crust for about 10 minutes before adding the filling. For pies with long bake times, around an hour, a 5 minute prebake will suffice. Cover the crust edges with foil if it begins to brown too much.
I hope I’ve inspired you to make your own gluten-free, vegan, healthy pie crust! Hooray, there’s no reason to be intimidated by pies anymore! And with pie crust this quick and easy, who needs store-bought?
Use this almond flour pie crust with:
Salted Chocolate Pecan Pie (GF)
Cranberry Cream Pie (GF)
Sweet Potato & Kale Pot Pie (GF, WFPB/Oil-free)
Healthy Pumpkin Pie (GF, WFPB/Oil-free)
Chocolate Haupia Pie (GF)
Crustless Tofu Quiche (GF)
More ways to use tapioca flour (hint: vegan cheese):
Easy Oil-Free Vegan Queso (WFPB/Oil-free)
Vegan Chorizo Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Pesto Stuffed Crust Pizza
Cauliflower Gratin
If you try this recipe I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below and give it a star rating to let everyone know how your pie turned out. And if you’re feeling social, tag a photo on instagram with @myquietkitchen.
Healthy Vegan Pie Crust (Gluten Free, Oil Free, Easy)
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups almond flour (168 g) (NOT almond meal) If not using a scale, measure almond flour like you would brown sugar; pack it into the measuring cup.
- 1/2 cup white rice flour (70 g) If you don't need GF, you can replace this with whole wheat, spelt or all-purpose.
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour (60 g) Sometimes called tapioca starch
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt (use 1/2 tsp for savory pies)
- 2 Tbsp organic cane sugar (omit for savory pies) Can use other granulated sugars such as coconut or brown sugar
- 4 to 7 Tbsp water
Instructions
- In a large bowl whisk together the almond flour, white rice flour, tapioca starch, salt, and sugar.
- Add 3 tablespoons of water, and use a large spoon to thoroughly combine. Drizzle in 1 more tablespoons of water, and mix again. Refer to Notes section below and/or photos in post for help determining proper consistency. Be judicious with the water at this point. Add another 1 to 2 tablespoons of water (1 Tbsp at a time), if needed. When the dough is thoroughly moist and holds together when squeezed with your hand, form it into a ball.
- Place the dough on a large piece of parchment paper (about 13 inches long). Use your palm to gently flatten the dough into a disc. If the dough is sticky, sprinkle with almond flour.
- With a rolling pin, use firm and steady pressure and slow movements to roll the dough into an even, 12-inch circle.
- Pick up the parchment paper and carefully flip the dough onto a 9-inch pie plate. Slowly peel away the parchment. Without stretching the dough, use your fingers to gently press it into the edges of the pie plate. Patch any holes or tears with excess dough from the edges.
- Trim and decorate the edges of the pie crust as desired (refer to post above for tips). Use a fork to poke vent holes in the bottom of the crust.
Baking instructions:
- For pies with a no-bake filling, bake the pie crust in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 28 to 35 minutes or until crisp and golden. Cool before filling.For pies that will be baked, like pumpkin or pecan, prebake the crust for 10 minutes before adding the filling. For pies with long bake times, around an hour, a 5 minute prebake will suffice. Cover the crust with foil if it begins to brown too much.
Notes
- If the dough sticks to the rolling pin, sprinkle a little almond flour on top of the dough, and spread it around with your hand.
- If you realize the dough is too crumbly once you start rolling it out, return it to the bowl and mix in 1 more tablespoon of water. *Remember, you don't have to worry about over-mixing it because we're not dealing with gluten. So really get in there with your hand, and distribute the water throughout.
