Want to make an exceptionally easy and oh-so-tasty gluten-free pie crust recipe from scratch? Boy will you impress your guests with this homemade taste and no-fuss recipe. This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosures.
I avoided making my own gluten-free pie crust for a long time, mostly out of fear of how to do it.
Over the years, I’ve grown in my baking confidence, and now making a homemade gluten-free crust is a piece of cake.
All you need is three ingredients and a simple technique to get the job done in minutes.
And once you have your first gluten-free pie crust under your belt, future efforts will be easy-breezy for you. Trust me on this one. The first time is always the most painful.
And best of all, this easy gluten-free pie crust tastes great. The flavor is subtle so it won’t overpower your recipe, but it still turns out somewhat flaky and buttery, making it perfect for all your gluten-free pie-making endeavors.
What You Need
To make a homemade gluten-free pie crust, you need just three ingredients:
- Flour: You’ll need 1 1/2 cups of Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend, a high-quality gluten-free flour blend. I like Bob’s Red Mill flour blend because it already contains xanthan gum, an important binder in gluten-free baking. It’s easy to find at most grocery stores too.
- Butter (or Shortening): You’ll need 1/2 cup cold butter (preferably salted). Simply grate the stick of butter with your cheese grater to turn it into small, cold pieces of butter. You can also use a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter into the flour. If you want to make this recipe dairy free, I recommend using palm oil shortening instead.
- Cold Water: You’ll need 1/4 cup cold water. Make sure the water is very cold. I often chill it with an ice cube before using it. You may need to add 1-2 tablespoons more of water depending on the texture of your dough.
Yes, this delicious gluten-free pie crust comes together with just three ingredients and works beautifully in most pie recipes. Who knew gluten-free pie crust-making could be so simple?!?
How to Make Your Pie Crust
Making a gluten-free pie crust is unlike making a regular pie crust. When you make a regular pie crust, the gluten bonds hold the flour mixture well.
You’ll have to roll it out before placing it in your pie dish, careful not to overwork the gluten.
However, when making a gluten-free pie crust, you need to throw everything you know about baking a pie crust out the window because the process is very different.
Step #1: Combine the flour and grated butter in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix everything together for about 30 seconds. Alternatively, you could use a pastry cutter to incorporate the butter into the flour (instead of a cheese grater).
Step #2: Add the cold water. Work the dough until it comes together. It will appear very dry at first, and you may even question if this is going to work, but it will.
Use your hands to work the dough together to form a ball of dough. If you feel that the ball of dough just won’t come together, add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time until it does. Use the water sparingly, only enough to make the dough hold together well.
Step #3: Press Out the Dough: Yes, I said “press”, not “roll” out the dough with a rolling pin. I find rolling out the dough to be useless because the minute you transfer the dough to your pie dish, it will crack and break. What a mess!
Instead, place the dough in the center of your pie dish and use the palm of your hands and fingers to spread the dough out so that it covers the bottom and sides of your pie dish. You could use a flat spatula to help you flatten the dough as evenly as possible (optional).
Don’t worry about it looking perfect. The pie filling is going to cover up the flaws. Just spread it so it cover it as evenly as possible.
Important Note: Because I was making this pie crust for my pumpkin pie recipe, I don’t like to cover the sides completely with dough. I find the side of the crust burns when I do that, so I like when my pumpkin pie filling slightly covers the crust. For other pies, however, I spread the pie crust along the full sides of the pie plate.
Now you’re ready to fill your pie crust with whatever fillings you desire – like a pumpkin pie filling or apple pie filling – and bake it according to the rest of your recipe’s instructions.
Here’s how it looked in my simple-yet-delicious gluten-free pumpkin pie recipe:
A Few Notes About this Pie Crust
Here are a few things to consider when making this gluten-free pie crust recipe:
Use for Savory and Sweet Pies: The pie crust contains no sugar, so it can easily be used for savory and sweet pies. Think pumpkin pie and quiche. If you’d like to make the crust a tad sweet, add 1 tsp of sugar to the dough mixture.
Baking the Crust Ahead of Time: If you want to bake the pie before adding the filling (in case you have a pre-made canned pie filling of sorts), simply add a few fork indentions to the bottom of the pie crust to allow steam to escape, then bake it in a 400º F oven for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Dairy-Free Option: You can make the pie crust dairy free by using shortening instead of butter. I recommend sustainable palm shortening over Crisco. The butter, however, gives it a buttery flavor so use it if you can.
Make Ahead Instructions: You can make this pie crust dough well in advance of baking it. It will last 3-4 days in the fridge covered with plastic wrap, or up to three months in your freezer.
Don’t Feel Like Making a Homemade Gluten-Free Pie Crust? You can buy a ready-made gluten-free pie crust from Wholly Gluten Free. I’ve seen them at Sprouts and Trader Joe’s.
Overall, don’t overthink the process of making a gluten-free pie crust. It’s really simple if you just allow yourself to adopt this new method of pie making, sans gluten, of course. Good luck and enjoy your pie. You deserve it!
More Recipes
You might like these recipes too:
- 3-Ingredient Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust
- The BEST Gluten-Free Apple Pie Recipe (easy too!)
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie Recipe
- Guide to Gluten-Free Puff Pastry
Gluten-Free Pie Crust
Equipment
- 9" pie dish
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend
- 1/2 cup salted butter* cold, grated with a cheese grater
- 1/4 cup water cold
Instructions
- Combine the flour and grated butter in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix everything together for about 30 seconds. (Alternatively, you can use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour vs. grater.)
- Add the cold water to the flour mixture. Work the dough, by hand, until it comes together in a large dough ball. It will appear very dry at first, and you may even question if this is going to work, but it will. If you feel that the ball of dough just won't come together, add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time until it does. Use extra water sparingly, only enough to make the dough hold together.
- Place the dough in the center of your 9" pie dish and use the palm of your hands and fingers to spread the dough out so that it covers the bottom and sides of your pie dish. You could use a flat spatula to help you flatten the dough as evenly as possible as well (optional). Don't worry about it looking perfect. The pie filling is going to cover up the flaws. Just spread it so it covers the pie dish as evenly as possible.
- Fill your pie with whatever pie fillings you desire – like a pumpkin pie filling or apple pie filling – and bake it according to your recipe’s instructions.
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