This pie crust is grain-free, vegan and is a lot less finicky than your traditional pie crust. You don’t have to worry about ice cold ingredients or over mixing as you do with a white flour and butter crust. You can use this grain-free almond flour pie crust as the base for any single layer pie or tart. I recommend using it as the crust for my healthy pumpkin pie.
Grain-Free Almond Flour Pie Crust
After six attempts to make the perfect grain-free almond flour pie crust, I’m happy to report we have a winner! This pie crust is made from six simple ingredients – almond flour, arrowroot, coconut oil, ground flax, maple syrup and salt. I tried so many combinations of oat and almond flour and just almond flour, but finally settled on the almond and arrowroot combination because it was simply the best. The addition of arrowroot helps make the crust a little lighter and less dense than a full almond flour crust. I haven’t tried this but you could substitute tapioca start, organic corn starch, or even a gluten-free all-purpose blend (most are made mostly from a starch) since there is only 1/2 cup in this recipe.
Nourished by Nutrition facts:
Almond flour – this grain-free flour is nutrient dense and provides a delicious nutty, slightly-buttery taste to baked goods. Technically almond flour is finely ground blanched almonds (*this differs from almond meal which comes from un-blanched almonds and has a more coarse texture) so it contains all the nutrients and health benefits of whole almonds. It’s packed with healthy fats, minerals such as calcium, magnesium, and iron and vitamin E for healthy skin and nails.
Healthy fats – fat is so important to healthy skin, hair and nails, hormone regulation and so much more. This grain-free crust is full of healthy monounsaturated fats from the almond flour. The crust is held together with just a few tablespoons of coconut oil. While coconut oil is a saturated fat, it’s made up of most medium-chain triglycerides which are absorbed differently than other saturated fats and used as energy rather than being stored. It’s still important not to over due coconut oil but it’s definitely not necessary to fear it.
Protein – you might nut look at this recipe and think there is a protein-source. But almonds are actually a good source of plant-based protein! If you were to cut this 9 inch crust into nine slices, there is about 6g of protein per slice. That’s pretty awesome coming from just almonds.
IF YOU LOVE This AlmonD FLour Pie Crust, YOU’LL ALSO ENJOY THESE RECIPES:
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- Pumpkin Pie with Almond Flour Crust
- Almond Flour Sugar Cookies
- Almond Flour Banana Muffins
- Gluten-Free Vegan Lemon Bars – Pickles & Honey
- Cranberry Lemon Curd Tart – Cafe Johnsonia
Grain-Free Almond Flour Pie Crust
Vegan, grain-free almond flour pie crust that is sturdy and has a delicious buttery-almond taste. Just keep in mind it is not a light and flakey like a traditional white flour and butter crust.
Makes one 9” crust
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/2 cup arrowroot starch
- 3 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons ground flax
- 4 tablespoons warm water
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F. Mix the ground flax and warm water in a small bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. Once a gel forms, combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Using a wood spoon mix (like you mean it!). The dough will look like crumbs, then pebbles, then will bring to come together into a ball. You can start to use your hands to form a ball here. Place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.
Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out to 1/8 in thick. Place a 9 in pie pan on top and careful fill it over. Gently press the dough into the pan and remove the edges. It’s okay if it cracks or the crust isn’t fully covering the edge of the pie pan. Take some of the extra dough and mend any cracks, spaces, or thin areas.
Gently push the excess dough off the lip of the pan toward the center. Make the edge thick and rounded. Pinch together and flatten any cracks. Then flute the edges (optional) by pressing your knuckle into the edge and pinching the dough with your opposite thumb and forefinger. Pat down the raised edge and smooth any cracks. Prick the bottom with a fork.
For a recipe that calls for par-baking, place the crust in the oven for 6-8 minutes. Remove from the overn, and let cool on the stove top before filling with the pie filling of your choice. You can also flash-freeze it to cool it off quicker. Just put it in the freezer for about 5 minutes.
For pies that call for a fully cooked crust, place in the oven for 30-45 minutes. The crust should be sturdy and golden brown.
If baking longer than 30 minutes, I recommend using a pie crust shield or placing strips of foil around the exposed crust to prevent getting too dark.
Notes
After so many combinations of almond flour and oat flour just not working out well (to crumbly), I’ve finally found an almond flour crust that holds up well and taste delicious! There is a 1/2 cup of arrowroot. Without it the crust isn’t as light and crisp. You can use a gluten-free 1:1 blend that is made up of mostly arrowroot if you have that on hand.
Hi ,
Thank you for the recipe !Can I omit the flax seed?
do you mean if using a pie pan, covering the whole crust even on the inside with foil? and the top?
Hi Amanda,
You won’t need to cover the crust in foil while par-baking. Once you add the pumpkin pie filling, I recommend cutting the foil into strips and wrapping just the edge of the pie crust with foil to prevent the edge from darkening too much. If you need a visual, google “pie shield” to give you an idea or “tin foil pie shield”.
Hi there! question: i will be making your pumpkin pie and almond flour crust today and i am a bit confused about the baking. I want to make everything at once, how do i do this in the oven? the par baking etc is confusing me – thanks!
Hi Amanda,
I highly recommend par-baking the crust. It only takes 6-8 minutes to par-bake the crust. The instructions in this almond flour pie crust recipe also include how to “bake fully” because some pie cream pies or no-bake filling recipes call for a fully baked pie crust. If you’re making my pumpkin pie you’ll par-bake the pie crust for 6-8 minutes. Take it out of the oven, let it cool then pour in the pie filling. Then you’ll put it back in the oven to fully cook the filling.
Let me know if you have any more questions. I’m happy to help!
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