While this is an Easy Gluten Free Pie Crust, it's anything but ordinary. Flaky, buttery, and a BREEZE to roll out, you won't believe it's gluten free.
Easy Gluten Free Pie Crust was originally posted in November 2018. It has been updated with new photos, a video, and several tips.
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I have been baking pies for years. There's something about rolling out pastry that is so calming and therapeutic to me. When I was diagnosed with celiac, I truly thought those days were over. Then I started getting a little more experienced with the whole gluten free baking thing and tried my hand at making a gluten free pie crust. It was a DISASTER! The crust was so hard we couldn't even cut it with a knife.
Fast forward a few years, I have finally created the BEST flaky all butter gluten free pie crust recipe ever!! It rolls out beautifully, maybe better than regular (gluten) pie crust. It doesn't break apart constantly and doesn't stick, and it bakes up so flaky, it's almost like a rough puff pastry! You seriously will have a hard time believing it's gluten free 🙂
What Creates Flaky Pie Crusts?
When cold butter hits a hot oven, it melts and creates steam. The steam then lifts the pastry, which is what makes the flakiness! So it's essential to keep your ingredients cold for the best flaky pie crust you could imagine. Every time I make my crust, my family and extended family always rave about the crust. They say it's better than a regular (gluten) pie crust!!
Homemade pie crust looks like it's daunting, but it's really so easy to make! And this gluten free pie crust will change your mind forever. I personally think it's even easier than any gluten version I've made. One of the reasons for this is we don't have to worry about overworking the dough to develop gluten, cuz there is none! My husband also thinks (and I would agree, but he's the non-gf person) it's the best tasting and has the best texture over ANY regular pie crust he's ever had!
here's what you'll need
- Kim's gluten free all purpose flour blend - a store bought blend may be substituted, but has NOT been tested.
- White vinegar - helps tenderize the crust.
- Butter -- this is an all-butter pie crust, but I have successfully made it with non-dairy butter as well.
- Egg -- an egg is what revolutionizes this pie dough. It's an essential ingredient because it binds everything together. I haven't tried an egg replacer here so I honestly can't tell you if it would work or not. I have tried it without an egg, however, and it doesn't hold together quite as well.
Mixing the Dough
There are several ways to mix together this wonderful gluten free pie dough, so no one is exempt from making it. Choose your method below:
Food Processor Method
Place flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add cold butter, cut into large chunks.
Pulse food processor 5-6 times to "cut" butter into flour mixture. Butter should still be in somewhat large pieces.
Add egg, vinegar, and half the ice cold water into the bowl of the food processor and pulse to combine.
Continue pulsing and adding in the rest of the water until the dough begins to come together and ball up on top of the blade.
stand mixer method
Mix together flour blend and salt in bowl of a stand mixer. Add butter chunks and pulse on and off to cut up butter into large pieces.
With mixer running on low, slowly add egg/vinegar/ice water mixture into flour and butter mixture.
Mix until dough starts to come together into somewhat shaggy large chunks that can be pressed together.
bowl method
Toss together flour and salt in a large bowl. Add large chunks of butter and toss to coat.
Using fingertips, flatten each piece of butter into thin shards.
Make a well in the center of the flour and butter mixture. Pour the egg, vinegar, and half the cold water into the center.
Toss dry and wet ingredients together, adding more water as needed to create bits of dough that will stick together when pressed.
wrapping the dough
Whichever method you choose above, knead the dough until it comes together and then divide it into two equally-sized portions. Divide between two sheets of plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days.
Tips for rolling out pie crust
- To roll out pie crust so that it will stay at an even thickness and not stick to the counter, constantly move it. Begin on a well-floured surface and roll away from you and then toward you, but stop short of the top and bottom edge. This will leave a slightly higher edge on both ends.
- Turn the pie crust 90 degrees and, again, roll away from you and then toward you. Those higher edges will now be flattened. Turn 90 degrees once again.
- Continue this turning and rolling, rolling and turning, lifting up the edges to toss flour underneath as indicated, until the pie crust is at least 2-4 inches wider in diameter than the size of your pie plate.
- Place the rolling pin on the top edge and slowly begin rolling the pie crust around the rolling pin.
- Unroll the pie crust into the pie plate.
- Gently fit into the corners of the pie plate and avoid tugging, so the pie crust won't pull and shrink as it bakes.
Rather Watch?
Gluten Free Pie Crust FAQs
I like to roll it up onto my rolling pin, place it over the pie pan, and then unroll it. Another trick is to fold it in half and then again in half, place the point of the fold in the middle of the pan, and then unfold it.
Yes! You can make pie crust days in advance and store it in the fridge, or up to 3 months in advance and store it in the freezer.
Don't throw away the scraps of dough! When you're trimming your crusts, there's bound to be some scraps. There are a lot of things you could do with those scraps, but my favorite is to put them on a baking sheet and sprinkle cinnamon sugar all over them. Place them in the oven with the pie and bake for a few minutes, just until puffed and golden. Soooo good, a little sweet flaky treat while you wait for the pie to bake!!
How to parbake pie crust (and why you should)
I often get asked why par-baking is necessary for a pie crust. What I've found is even if the pie filling is baked, such as most custard-based pies (pumpkin, lemon, pecan, etc) and one-crust fruit pies (peach crumble, apple crumble, etc), the crust benefits from being parbaked.
What is par-baking anyway? Par-baking is simply baking the bottom pie crust partially so that it gets a head start when the filling is added and the whole pie is baked. It helps to prevent soggy bottoms. Here's how you do it:
Chill the crimped pie crust in the freezer for 10 minutes. Prick the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork to reduce puffing.
Crumple up a piece of parchment to lay flat inside the crust. Pour pie weights (weights bought from a store, beans, rice, or even sugar) all the way to the top of the pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes, or until edges are just barely golden brown.
Remove the parchment with pie weights and continue to bake the crust for an additional 5 minutes.
Proper par baked pie crust should be light golden brown just at the edges, but look "set" on the bottom and sides. There should be no shininess from the bottom of the crust.
pies that would benefit from par baking
- Incredible Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie
- Gluten Free Chocolate Chess Pie
- The Best Gluten Free Sweet Potato Pie
- Gluten Free Peach Crumb Pie
- Gluten Free Apple Crumb Pie
- Best Ever Gluten Free Pecan Pie
- Easy Gluten Free Fresh Strawberry Pie
The difference between par baking and blind baking
When baking a pie where the filling also needs to be baked (all the above pies, for example) it's recommended to par bake the pie crust. But what if your pie filling doesn't need to be baked? That's where blind baking comes in. By simply taking par baking one step further, you will blind bake a pie crust perfectly for uncooked pie fillings.
double crust pies
Let's not leave out the double crust pies in this pie haven! Double crust pies are some of my favorites, mainly because if you start with a great pie crust (like this one), you get double the flake, double the buttery taste, and double the fun! They're easier than you might think, especially with the right pie crust.
double crust pies
- Amazing Gluten Free Apple Pie
- Perfect Gluten Free Peach Pie
- Gluten Free Blueberry Pie
- Best Ever Gluten Free Sweet Cherry Pie
- Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Easy Gluten Free Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 3 cups (420g) Kim's gluten free flour blend, plus extra for dusting (a store bought blend may be substituted, but has NOT been tested)
- 1 tsp (6g) kosher salt
- 1½ cups (339g) butter, cut into ½ inch chunks and chilled***
- 1 large egg, beaten and cold
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- ¼-⅓ cup (or more) ice water
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer, combine the dry ingredients (flour blend and salt). Pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse several times until butter is the size of large chunks. Alternatively, place flour in a large bowl and add salt. Add butter and use your fingers to flatten pieces of butter; toss.
- Combine the vinegar, beaten egg, and half the water in a small bowl and whisk. Pulse through until the dough comes together, adding more water as necessary. You may not need all of the water, or may need even more than the ⅓ cup (the best gluten free pie crusts start out a little on the wetter side, as the gf flours will soak up some of the liquid). If using a bowl and hands, toss liquid mixture into flour and butter mixture until the dough starts to come together. Knead lightly in bowl until smooth.
- Divide the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap, flattening each into a round disk. Chill in the refrigerator for about at least 30 minutes, or up to 3 days. For longer storage, see the notes below.
- Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface into approximately a 12-14 inch inch round, moving constantly to avoid sticking. If it does stick, lightly sprinkle more flour. Roll dough onto rolling pin and carefully lift and unroll into the pie plate. Trim the edges of the dough and crimp the edges.
To Par Bake or Blind Bake
- Chill the crust in the freezer for 10 minutes and preheat the oven to 375°F. Prick the bottom and sides of the dough all over with a fork. Crumple up a sheet of parchment paper and nest it into the pie crust. Fill the parchment all the way to the top with pie weights (or beans, rice, or sugar).
- Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until the edges are very lightly golden, but are still "blonde". Carefully remove the parchment and pie weights and continue to bake for about 5 more minutes for par baking, until the bottom and sides are no longer shiny. For blind baking, continue to bake for 10-15 more minutes, or until the entire crust is golden brown. Cool the crust completely before proceeding with your recipe.
For Double Crust Pies
- Roll out the bottom crust and add your filling of choice into the crust. Roll top crust out and place on top of filling. Crimp as desired to seal. Vent and proceed as per your recipe instructions.
Notes
Adapted from Perfect Pie Crust by The Pioneer Woman.
This recipe was originally posted in November 2018. It has been updated with new photos, a video, and several tips.
Shelley Smith
Made your apple pie last Thanksgiving, no one believed it was GF and everyone went for the apple over pumpkin! Win!
Question - any way I can get away without the egg? Highly allergic and I shouldn’t have anything with eggs! Was thinking of Aquafaba or Just Egg vegan egg liquid. Anyone out there tried an egg substitute ?
Kim
You can try to make it without the egg and it may stay together, but when I tried it when I developed the recipe it didn't do too well. I think any of those subs (aquafaba , just egg, or even chia or flax egg) would work well.
Lillian
Hi Kim, can you tell me if this would be a good crust for Sopapilla? Sopapilla is raw pie crust bottom, cheesecake filling, raw pie crust top, then baked. I noticed you pre baked the crust, but any advice before i possibly ruin it lol. Thanks!
Denise Dagley
Second time making this crust, this time as a peach pie. It was even better. If you haven't tried this yet, do so. It's easy to make and it's so tasty.
Suzy Brenton
Wow, this is the best pie crust. The search is over. Thank you!
Kim
Awe, that's great!! So glad you liked it!
SMJ
So, I had pretty much given up on being able to make a GF crust that was actually tender and flaky, and not impossible to work with. I stumbled across this recipe and was super skeptical, but gave it a shot. OMG. I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say it's a life changer. It really, truly is tender, flaky, and easy to work with! My crusts are no longer seasoned with swear words and disappointment. Thank you!!
Kim
Oh, hahaha!! I love your analogy (mine were also "seasoned with swear words" before developing this recipe! So glad you like it 🥰🥰🥰
Azlina Abu Hassan
Kim, if I were to follow the exact recipe as above and divide it into 2, what size pan would fit it? It looks like an 8 inch pan?
Kim
There's enough dough in this recipe that it will actually fit in a larger pan as well, but yes, 8 inch is the standard size.