How to Make Gluten Free Pie Crust

Our easy Gluten Free Pie Crust recipe is perfect for your favorite pies–savory or sweet! Naturally vegan and dairy-free, our homemade gluten-free pie crust works just as well for Thanksgiving dessert as it does a gluten-free quiche.

Your search for an easy homemade gluten-free pie crust recipe stops here! We’ve been making this one since shortly after we went gluten-free, more than 10 years ago. There’s so much to love:

• LIGHT TEXTURE. I’ve gotten open-mouthed, jaw dropped responses when guests have bitten into this crust and are SHOCKED that it’s gluten-free. It’s a light, crisp, flaky crust, just what you’re looking for.
• DAIRY-FREE & VEGAN. Bonus points: this gluten-free pie crust recipe is also dairy-free and vegan! That makes it even more accessible for guests with different needs at the holidays.
• WORKS FOR SAVORY PIES & SWEET PIES. Making a quiche or chicken pot pie? Check! Gluten-free pumpkin pie, cherry pie, pecan pie, or apple pie for Thanksgiving pie? Check! This recipe can do it all!
• RELIABLE RESULTS. If you measure correctly, and don’t make substitutions, this pie crust recipe works consistently every time in all kinds of delicious homemade pies.

And best of all, this homemade gluten-free pie crust starts with SIMPLE INGREDIENTS!

How To Blind-Bake Pie Crust

Some pie recipes call for “blind baking” the crust. Blind baking simply means baking the crust before adding the filling. It’s a common step if your pie filling is thick and dense and you want to make sure the crust bakes through properly, or when you’re adding a cool or cream filling to a cooked crust.

If you’ve never done it before, it’s easy! Here’s what to do:

1. Prepare Pie Dough. Follow our prep steps above, all the way through rolling the dough out and adding it to the pan. Crimp or style the border of the pie crust any way you like.
2. Prick The Bottom. Use a fork to gently prick the bottom of the pie crust. This allows any trapped air to escape and helps keep the bottom of the crust flat as it bakes.
3. Line With Parchment. Cut a 9 or 10-inch square of parchment paper, and gently tuck it into the bottom of the crust.
4. Add Pie Weights. Top the parchment paper with ceramic pie weights, dry beans, or uncooked rice to weight down the parchment.
5. Bake. Then, bake according to your recipe instructions. Some recipe call for you to blind-bake the crust just 10-15 minutes. If you need a fully baked crust, bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is set and the edges are just turning golden brown.
6. Cool & Add Filling. Carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights (I gather up the corners of the parchment square and lift it all out at once like a package). Cool the crust, then use as needed.

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Gluten-Free Pie Crust

Measure Your Flour Correctly! One thing that will make or break your gluten-free pie crust is the way you measure the flour. It might seem simple, but a LOT of people don’t realize you are NOT supposed to use the measuring cup to scoop the flour. This packs extra flour into the measuring cup, which can lead to dry, crumbly pie crust. For best results, weigh the flour with a kitchen scale, or use the Scoop & Level Method, using a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off.

Which Gluten-Free Flour Is Best For Pastry? For gluten-free pie crust, we highly recommend King Arthur Measure-For-Measure Gluten-Free Flour. It’s light enough to give you flaky results and has a neutral flavor that works well.

A Tip About Pie Pans. Different materials conduct heat differently and can have a big impact on the timing and quality of your bake. I highly recommend these light colored metal 9-inch pie pans because they are remarkably nonstick and bake evenly and gently. If you use a glass or ceramic pie plate, your pie crust will take longer to bake through.

Can I Freeze This Pie Dough? YES! This is a recipe for a double-crust pie, meaning it makes both a bottom crust and a top crust. If you only need one, or you want to make the crust in advance, you can wrap each half of the dough in plastic wrap, then store in a freezer-safe bag and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before rolling out and using.

For More Browned Crust. Gluten-free pie crust doesn’t brown as much as traditional pie crust. If you want, you can brush the edges of the crust with an egg wash made of 1 egg + 1 Tablespoon water. You won’t need all of it! Just lightly brush the edges of the crust with a pastry brush and save the rest for another use. 

Gluten Free Pie Crust (Vegan Friendly)

4.95 from 17 votes

Emily Dixon, One Lovely Life

How to Make Gluten Free Pie Crust – My nearly fool-proof method for flaky, gluten free crust every time.  (Gluten free, vegan friendly)

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Print Pin Rate

Servings: 1 double pie crust

Calories: 253kcal

Ingredients

Tools:

• 9-inch pie plate we recommend metal*
• Rolling pin
• Parchment paper
• Food processor or pastry blender

For The Slurry:

• 1/3 cup Measure-For-Measure Gluten-Free Flour Blend* 40 grams
• 1/2 cup cold water

For The Pie Dough:

• 2 cups Measure-For-Measure Gluten-Free Flour Blend* 240 grams
• 1 cup shortening we prefer Spectrum non-hydrogenated shortening
• 1 Tablespoon sugar honey, or agave
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon Measure-For-Measure Gluten-Free Flour Blend * for the countertop

Instructions

• Make The Slurry. In a small bowl, combine cold water, and 1/3 cup gluten-free flour. Whisk or stir until well blended and evenly combined. Set aside.
• Combine. In a food processor, combine 2 cups gluten-free flour, the shortening, sugar, and salt. Pulse briefly to combine–there will still be clumps! (Alternatively, you can use a pastry blender to mix the shortening into the dry ingredients.)
• Add Slurry. Pour the slurry over the pie dough mixture and pulse to combine until the mixture starts to come together. It will still be quite sticky–this is normal! Don’t add extra flour!
• Shape The Dough. Sprinkle about 1 Tablespoon gluten-free flour onto your countertop and scoop the dough mixture out onto the floured countertop. Use your hands to gently shape the dough into a ball.
• Divide The Dough.

  Use a knife to divide the pie dough in half. Shape each half into a disc shape. If not baking right away, wrap each dough disc well in plastic wrap and chill or freeze until ready to use. (Thaw chilled or frozen dough and bring to room temperature before using.)
• Roll. If using right away, place one disc of dough between two large sheets of parchment paper and roll pie dough out into a 9-10 inch circle (about the size of your pie pan). Transfer the dough to your pie pan–I remove the top sheet of parchment, then place my pie pan face down onto the rolled out dough. Then, I flip it over right side up.
• Crimp The Edges. Adjust the crust so it’s evenly placed in the pan, using your fingers to gently patch up any cracks. Even out the border of the crust with your fingers, then crimp the edges of the crust. I use two fingers from one hand in a pinching shape, then indent the crust with one finger from the other hand. (See photos & video for visual)
• Bake. Then, follow the baking directions of your pie recipe–fill with pie filling and bake, or blind bake the crust (if directed), and fill after cooling. (aka if your pie recipe says to bake 45 min, bake for 45 min)

How To Blind Bake Pie Crust

If you are baking the crust alone to fill with a cold filling later, or are directed to blind bake a crust in your recipe (such as with a quiche, or a pie with a very thick or wet filling):

• Prepare Pie Dough. Follow our prep steps above, all the way through rolling the dough out and adding it to the pan. Crimp or style the border of the pie crust any way you like.
• Prick The Bottom. Use a fork to gently prick the bottom of the pie crust. This allows any trapped air to escape and helps keep the bottom of the crust flat as it bakes.
• Line With Parchment. Cut a 9 or 10-inch square of parchment paper, and gently tuck it into the bottom of the crust.
• Add Pie Weights. Top the parchment paper with ceramic pie weights, dry beans, or uncooked rice to weight down the parchment.
• Bake. Then, bake according to your recipe instructions. Some recipe call for you to blind-bake the crust just 10-15 minutes. If you need a fully baked crust, bake at 375 degrees F for 25-30 minutes, or until the crust is set and the edges are just turning golden brown.
• Cool & Add Filling. Carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights (I gather up the corners of the parchment square and lift it all out at once like a package). Cool the crust, then use as directed for your recipe.

Notes

• Gluten-Free Flour. We highly recommend King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure Flour blend. If you use another 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, be sure it contains xanthan gum. Coconut flour, oat flour, and almond flour will NOT work in this recipe.
• Measure Your Flour Correctly! One thing that will make or break your gluten-free pie crust is the way you measure the flour. It might seem simple, but a LOT of people don’t realize you are NOT supposed to use the measuring cup to scoop the flour. This packs extra flour into the measuring cup, which can lead to dry, crumbly pie crust. For best results, weigh the flour with a kitchen scale, or use the Scoop & Level Method, using a spoon to scoop flour into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
• Freeze This Pie Dough: This is a recipe for a double-crust pie, meaning it makes both a bottom crust and a top crust. If you only need one, or you want to make the crust in advance, you can wrap each half of the dough in plastic wrap, then store in a freezer-safe bag and freeze up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature before rolling out and using.
• A Tip About Pie Pans. Different materials conduct heat differently and can have a big impact on the timing and quality of your bake. I highly recommend metal 9-inch pie pans (like USA brand) bake evenly and gently. If you use glass or ceramic pie plates, your pie crust will take longer to bake through.
• For More Browned Crust. Gluten-free pie crust doesn’t brown as much as traditional pie crust. If you want, you can brush the edges of the crust with an egg wash made of 1 egg + 1 Tablespoon water. You won’t need all of it! Just lightly brush the edges of the crust with a pastry brush and save the rest for another use.
• If Using Butter (More Difficult!). Cut the butter into tiny cubes and use ice cold water. Combine the flour (including the extra 1/4 cup you’d use in the slurry), sugar, and salt in the food processor. Pulse to combine, then add butter cubes. Pulse just a few times, until the butter is in pea-sized chunks. Add the water and gently pulse a few more times to combine. It should look a bit shaggy and floury. This is normal! Turn the dough out onto the counter top and work to shape the dough into a ball. Divide the dough in half and form two discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill about 30 minutes. Roll out between parchment paper as directed.

Video

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten free pie, gluten free pie crust, gluten free pie crust recipe, pie crust recipe, vegan pie crust recipe

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice (1/12th pie crust) | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 24.8g | Protein: 1.6g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 202mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 1.4g

Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.

Find it Online:

https://www.onelovelylife.com/gluten-free-pie-crust/

Originally published November 2014. Fully updated and republished October 2024.