This is the absolute BEST flaky all butter gluten free pie crust! So flaky and light, you'd never know it was gluten free!! Make it today for any of your pie needs!
I have been baking pies for years. There's something about rolling out pastry that is so calming and therapeutic to me. When I became gluten free, 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 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!!
What You'll Need to Make Gluten Free 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! Here are the ingredients:
- Gluten free flour blend -- I recommend my all-purpose gluten free flour blend, but a store bought blend should work in a pinch (although it hasn't been tested). Just make sure it has xanthan gum in it.
- Kosher salt
- White vinegar -- helps keep the crust tender.
- Butter -- this is an all-butter pie crust, but if you feel the need to make it half and half, you can try to sub ½ the butter with an equal amount of shortening.
- 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 as well.
- Ice water -- your water needs to be as cold as possible to keep the dough cold when mixing it.
Mixing the Dough
Cold dough is crucial to making flaky pie crust. I prefer to cut the butter into large chunks more than cubes because chunks are less likely to melt or over soften, which can lead to a tough pie crust. We want the butter in large pieces throughout the dough so that when it melts in the oven, the steam created will cause those wonderful layers of flakiness that make pie crust so addictive!
You can make this pie crust by hand and flatten the butter chunks with your fingers. Or use a pastry blender. But if you have a food processor, it goes so quickly and I prefer this method. Place the gluten free flour blend and salt in the bowl of your food processor. Pulse to mix briefly. Add the butter chunks and pulse a few times to break up the chunks. Add the vinegar, followed by the beaten egg, and pulse again.
With the food processor on low speed, slowly add the ice cold water, a little at a time, until the dough begins to ball up. You may not need all of it, or you may need a little more. It all depends on your climate. Remove the lid and the blade and divide the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap, pressing it together into rounds about two inches thick. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
Rolling out the Dough
You really won't get over how easy this dough is to work with! I was amazed myself when I first made it, and after making it for over three years I'm just as amazed. If your dough has been in the refrigerator for more than 30 minutes, take it out of the refrigerator about 15-20 minutes before you plan on rolling it out. It's super hard when it comes out of the fridge (because of all that butter), so it needs to come to a cool room temp first.
Place it on a lightly-floured surface and roll it one way forward, then roll it back towards you. Lift the dough and move it a quarter turn and do the same thing. Constantly lift and turn the dough, checking for sticking and sprinkling more flour as necessary. Don't overdo it with the flour, but if you did you can always take a pastry brush and brush off the excess.
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.
You can get two normal-thickness pie crusts from one recipe, or you can roll them thin and get 3.
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!!
Recipes on the Blog That Use This Pie Crust
- Incredible Gluten Free Pumpkin Pie
- Gluten Free Chocolate Chess Pie
- Amazing Gluten Free Apple Pie
- The Best Gluten Free Sweet Potato Pie
- Perfect Gluten Free Peach Pie
- Gluten Free Peach Crumb Pie
- Triple Layer Gluten Free Coconut Cream Pie
- Gluten Free Blueberry Pie
- Gluten Free Apple Crumb Pie
- Best Ever Gluten Free Pecan Pie
- Easy Gluten Free Fresh Strawberry Pie
- Gluten Free Quiche Lorraine
- Gluten Free Apple Dumplings
Flaky All Butter Gluten Free Pie Crust
Equipment
- Rolling Pin
- food processor, if desired
Ingredients
- 3 cups (420 g) Kim's gluten free flour blend, plus extra for dusting (or your favorite blend that includes xanthan gum)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ cups (339 g) butter, cut into ½ inch pieces 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, add flour 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 using your fingers or a pastry blender, blend into butter until the size of large peas.
- Pour the vinegar and beaten egg into the bowl and pulse to combine (or combine with a fork if not using a food processor).
- With the food processor running, slowly add water through the chute, a few tablespoon at a time. You may not need the full amount of water, depending on your climate. When the mixture comes together in the bowl, stop mixing. Of note, gluten free pie crusts do better when they are slightly wetter (because the flour will soak up some of the liquid).
- Divide the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap, flattening each into a round disk. Chill in the refrigerator for about 20-30 minutes.
- Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface into approximately a 12-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 BLIND BAKE:
- Prick the bottom and sides of the dough all over with a fork. Place the crust in the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425° F. Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator and line it with heavy duty foil (my preferred method) or parchment paper. Fill it with pie weights, beans, rice, any combination of those, or granulated sugar (it will get slightly toasted and you can use it again for recipes).
- Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes, or until the edges look set, but are still "blonde". Carefully remove the foil and beans and continue to bake for about 5 more minutes, or until the bottom and sides are no longer shiny. 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.
Doris
Having an Allergy to Potato Starch , What Substitution can be made ?
I know you said there isn't one but what can the next best...
Thanking you in advance
Doris
GinPhil
This IS one of the best GF pie crusts I've ever made! Once you get a hang of it, you'll know how to work with it. Definitely a keeper for GF or non-GF baking.
Georgina Suarez
Delicious crust! Only problem is that as soon as it's warmed up I have to work fast rolling it out and placing in the pie pan. If I worked with it sooner then it would break up. Pinching was a disaster after it warmed up. I'll most likely use the recipe again because it is a fantastic tasting recipe....even with the hiccups. 😋
Margaret Krug
I had a Valentine function to go to so I made your pie crust and made these little hand held heart pies. The only problem I had with them was getting the dough soft enough to roll out. I had to leave them out of the frig for about 45 min so I could roll them. They were easy to handle and came out beautifully. Usually these little pies have filling coming out of them but these held together and the filling stayed in the. Very good recipe, will make them again someday. Thanks for the recipe. I made no substitutions in the recipe.
Bekky
Can't wait to try this, thank you 🙂 !!
Would I be able to replace the 1 tablespoon of white vinegar with for example, 1 tablespoon of lemon?
Thank you for your help 🙂
Kim
Yes, lemon juice should also work well!
TrisKit
Excellent crust! It does bake up rather like rough puff pastry. Is it necessary to blind bake for a double-crust pie? I did that, and my bottom crust got a bit browner than I would have preferred. My pie was still good, though. Thanks for this great recipe! 🙂
Kim
Thank you so much! I never blind bake for a double crust pie. I sometimes don't do it for a single crust pie either, depending on the pie recipe itself.
Liz
Since being gluten free the past few years, I'd pretty much given up the thought of being able to sink my teeth into a gluten free pie with a crust that I'd be proud to serve my (non gf) family. Thank you!! I just made this recipe into an apple pie for Christmas dinner and it's truly amazing! I'm tickled that the flavor and texture is so so so yummy! ❤️❤️🥰
Kim
Awe, that's wonderful that you can enjoy pie again, Liz!! Believe me, I completely understand wanting to give up on gluten free baking. That's the reason I created this blog, so I could share my successes with others like me 😍😍😍
Michelle Berger
I've had awful experiences with g/f pie crust in the past and not all that much success with regular pie crust either. I was skeptical about this recipe when I read through it because the amount of butter seemed extreme. I thought the crust would just melt butter all over the place. However, given the number of positive reviews, I thought I'd give it a try. I'm really glad that I did! It mixed up easily and rolled out beautifully. The crust was light and flaky in my apple pie. Really delicious! The only warning I would give is that because it has so much butter, it can take a long time to soften enough to roll out after refrigeration if you leave it in the fridge overnight as I did.
Marci
Hi Kim, thank you for this recipe—and all your recipes. This pie crust recipe is by far our favorite GF pie crust recipe ever. We did run into one issue last Thanksgiving that I want to try to trouble shoot this year: the crusts leaked butter while they baked. We are experienced pie bakers and make sure to keep the dough cold, cut the butter the right size, etc. We put the pie plate on a tray so it was not a disaster, but who wants to lose all that delicious butter? I looked through the comments above and don’t see that anyone else had that issue, though I saw it on another one of your pie recipe pages. Please let me know if you have any ideas! Thanks so much and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
Kim
Hmmm. That is odd, Marci. Are you perhaps baking at a lower temp than usual? Are you prebaking the crust before adding any filling to it? If the recipe you're using (mine or someone else's) doesn't call for prebaking, I would go ahead and try that anyway and see if it solves your problem. That way you can partially bake the crust at a higher temp so none of your butter leaks out. I recently got a cookbook from Erin McDowell on Pies (she's a very well known pastry chef), and she says to partially bake (prebake) all pie crusts, so maybe this will really help.
I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving as well 🥰
Marci
Hi Kim, thanks for the reply! We are baking at the usual temp. We have not tried pre-baking. This would work for the pumpkin, but since the apple is a 2-crust pie I don’t think we can pre-bake…unless you know something I don’t? I will look into Erin MeDowell!
Kim
Oh, gotcha. Yes, that would be quite hard to prebake it for a double crust pie. The only thing I can think of is the butter isn't getting mixed in enough? What type of butter are you using? The water content in the butter could be an issue, too. I tend to try to get a better quality butter when I'm making pie dough or pastry of any kind because it plays such a huge part.
Marci
I usually buy the organic unsalted butter from Costco.
OK so Erin Jeanne McDowell has a method for par-baking a double-crust pie! I’m going to try it! Also she says if your butter leaks out, your oven is too cool (or your dough is too warm!). Thanks for the tip to check her out. I am committed to making your recipe work for us this Thanksgiving!! It is the best GF pie crust we’ve ever had, so if we can just troubleshoot this one issue I think we will be golden. Thanks for working on it with me 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving!
Pat Newhouse
Did I miss what’s in the flour or do you order it ♥️
Kim
I don't sell it, but the link to the flour blend recipe is right in this recipe card. Just click on Kim's gluten free flour blend and it will take you there 😊
Andrea
I just made this for blueberry pie and it is absolutely amazing!!! Tender and perfect. My family didn't even realize it was gluten free.
Pamela price
I’ve made several pies now. ALL have been sweet pies. Excellent BTW…. Can you make chicken or Turkey pot pies and do you have recipes?
Kim
Hi, Pamela! I am not a fan of pot pies, but yes, I know of people who have made them with my pie crust dough 🙂 Unfortunately, I don't have a recipe for either.
Mark Vlosky
Nice pie dough recipe, but I make tarts, which use a sweeter dough. Can you post a tart dough please?
Kim
I have tarts with pate sablee (shortcrust pastry dough) on my long list of things to tackle in the gluten free world. I'm hoping this will be on the blog very soon as fruit tarts are my favorite for spring time 🙂
Steve
This crust was a BIG HIT for my Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. Light, flaky, and no soggy bottom!
Denise Redmann Hoffman
I am baking the apple pie for Thanksgiving and using both of your recipes. Thank had to add more water- almost 2/3. I used King Arthur Gluten Free Flour Cup for Cup and measured 3 cups exactly and used 1-1/2 cups of Earth Balance non dairy butter- also have a dairy allergy. The crust rolled but it is bland. Typically Earth Balance bakes great- maybe next time I should use more non butter Butter 🤷♀️ Any suggestions? Thank also had to bake the pie extra 20 minutes as the apples were still too firm - and I did pre cook them on the stove top per your directions . Thanks! Any suggestions would be helpful!
Gina Greenwell
Terrible. I'm not new to baking. I followed the instructions perfectly and it was so crumbly and bland. I had to throw it out. A waste of expensive ingredients, and now I'm left without a gluten free dessert for Thanksgiving for my brother.
Kim
Your problem probably lies with the fact that you're not new to baking. It will not be crumbly at all if you add enough water. I know that's contrary to what is taught to us in the gluten-filled baking world, but in this gluten-free baking world you have to add more liquid than you think you'll need. If you watched the video, I state this exact same thing, because the starches in gluten free flours absorb more water than regular gluten-filled flour does. There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of successful pie crusts made with this recipe, so I think if you give it another shot and add more water than you think you need, you'll be left with a wonderful pie crust 😊
Hannah
How would this turn out without the xanthan gum? I have Bob's GF baking flour but it doesn't include xanthan gum. Would this turn out at all without it?
Kim
I'm not sure it would work without xanthan gum. It needs some form of binder. It's possible the egg alone might hold it together, but I haven't tried it so I don't know.
Keeks
I rarely comment online, but I had to come out and tell you how wonderful this crust is!!!! II was hoping to avoid the frozen GF pie crusts for Thanksgiving this year, so I tried this recipe in a double crust pot pie tonight. Can I just say that I have been gluten free for about 6 yrs now, and this is the first time I've had gluten free pastry that tastes and feels like "regular" pastry!! My fiance - who usually poo poos anything gluten free - happily said he couldn't tell it was gluten free and ate two huge helpings. My 2 yr old happily feasted on the scraps that I tossed in cinnamon sugar and baked off. This was so delicious and filling. I can't wait to use this for Thanksgiving pies! Thank you so much for all that you do 🙂 🙂 🙂
Kim
Awe, I am so happy you're able to enjoy pie crust again!! It's my pleasure to share my recipes with anyone who wants them 😍😍😍
Megan Seiferling
Best pie recipe ever! Fresh apples from our tree make it over the top!
And your turnovers are awesome too!!
Do you have a recipe for Lemon meringue pie using this crust? Or lemon curd turnovers?! I have a lot of left over lemons and looking for things to bake them into! 🙂 thanks!
Kim
Thanks so much, Megan! So glad you liked it!!
I don't have a lemon meringue pie recipe just yet. I have tried a couple and didn't like either one of them. The lemon filling always comes out almost "rubbery" and it's very off putting. I'd love to use just lemon curd as the filling, but haven't tried it yet.
Chris B
Hi kim! I gotta say before i found you're website i was honestly discouraged , i thought i would never enjoy food again like i did before going gluten free ;( As you see i am one of the pickiest eater ever lol and i found every gluten free recipes and store bought bread to be a big thumbs down.... I was barely eating which got me under weight as the texture and taste of gluten free food made me gag! but then i found you're website and tried your recipes and bamb just like that... I was able to enjoy food again!!! yay!! thank you so much for all your hard work and sharing all your recipes its helped me tremendously !! your recipes are by far the best on the internet!! xo
Kim
Awe, this is so wonderful to hear! I'm absolutely thrilled for you and I thank you so much for your kind words 😍😍😍
Tanya Hudson
Please help! I made this up yesterday, and ended-up refrigerating the dough until today. It rolled out beautifully, but baked-up a bit less so. First, I noticed the crust edges began drooping over the edge of the plate a bit, but not a disaster. Once all was done and ready to eat, the texture was like a very fine, light sand! the ONLY thing I did differently was use 1/2 butter 1/2 lard. Could that have made such a huge difference?! Has anyone else had this issue and found the reason? I have full faith in your recipes, so I'm not giving up! Bless you, Kim, for all your hard work you're willing to share!
Kim
Hmmm. I wouldn't think lard would cause it to have a sandy texture, but I haven't tried it with lard so it is a possibility I guess. Did you by chance use a different kind of rice flour than superfine when making the flour blend? Or did you use a store bought flour blend? I haven't tested any of my recipes with store bought flour blends so there might be some that just don't work.
Tanya Hudson
I used your flour blend with exactly the same ingredients. I'm thinking perhaps the butter/lard became overly incorporated in my food processor. Does that sound like a possible reason? I know the flour blend was properly prepared because I successfully made your chocolate cake recipe! 😉
Kim
I think you may be right about it being over incorporated in the food processor, probably because lard is less solid than butter. If you want to use the same combination the next time, try mixing everything in a large bowl instead of the food processor.
Gina Greenwell
I had the same problem but I used butter.
Clare Beatty
Do you need to blind bake the crust if your recipe doesn’t cal for it? Thanks - I’m really excited to try this!
Kim
Not at all! I just showed that in the video in case that's what you want to do. I've made two-crust apple pies and many other pies using this pie crust. It's the best 🙂
Gigi
Hi Kim! So sorry if you've answered this already but can I use all Spectrum brand shortening as Pioneer Woman does? I'm making a pumpkin pie tomorrow and have been experimenting so much since going gluten-free, to see if I can source some of my former favorite recipes still in any way possible. I loved Ree's pie crust forever and was so excited to see that you obviously feel the same way. Happy and grateful to have found your blog!!
Kim
Hi, Gigi! I'm sorry I didn't respond sooner. I hope it's not too late for your pumpkin pie, but I think using shortening would work perfectly 🙂
Emma
I'm researching GF pie crust recipes for a family get-together this weekend, and this one looks amazing! The only issue is that I live in the U.K., and superfine rice flour doesn't seem to be a thing here. Wondering if something like Thai rice flour, which is supposed to be a bit finer than normal, would work? Any other ideas on a good substitute? Thanks!
Kim
Hi, Emma! I understand your situation. I just had someone from the UK who tried making one of my recipes using I think Dove's?? Does that sound right? It worked like a charm apparently. It would be the plain white flour that they sell I think. Definitely not the self raising or bread flour.
Hope this helps, Emma! Please let me know of your results 😊
Claire
I use Thai white rice flour for the superfine flour in the bread flour blend and it works fine!
Sarah
I made this yesterday to make a cherry pie for my son's 12th birthday as per his request, and everybody LOVED it! My father-in-law (a gluten-filled pie connoisseur) commented that the crust was bang on, and a normal, tasty pie crust. He said I nailed it! My mother-in-law always uses lard in her crusts, but she loved your crust too!
Kim
Yay!! I'm so glad your family loved it! Cherry pie sounds fantastic 😍
Anna
Hi! This looks and sounds like the perfect crust. My stomach can’t handle Xanthan Gum, could I substitute something else for it? Thx in advance!
Kim
Hmmm. You may be able to sub guar gum or possibly psyllium husks. If you use the psyllium husks, I would only use 1 1/2 tsp and you'll probably need to add more water.
Debra
Fabulous recipe! I have non-Celiac sensitivity and my son has Celiac. I have never been great at making pie crust (even with wheat flour) but I made an apple pie last night and it was the best crust I've ever made! I didn't have the ingredients for your flour blend so I used a copycat mix of Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 flour and it worked great (3 cups of that flour is also about 420 g for anyone wondering). I'm SO happy I found your site! Your instructional videos are extremely helpful. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
One last thing - I made the pie crust pastries with the left over dough. I had never heard of this before - what a great idea! Growing up, my mother made apple pie and had to hide it from my dad because he would pick off the crust and eat it (leaving the pie!). I don't know why she never thought to just make crust for him and save her precious pie for the rest of us!
Kim
Haha!! That's too funny about your dad eating the crust of the pie!
Thanks so much for your kind words! I'm so glad you're loving the recipe 😍
JoAnn Vavrek
I came across your recipe yesterday and had to try it out. I made your GF flour blend and used it for my tourtieres. I made two 8" pies as well as 4 small hand pies. It turned out so great. The dough is so pliable and can be rerolled to make another crust without drying up. Feels just like real pie dough and bakes perfectly, Thanks for the recipe.
Nancy Candy
Can you tell me what the powdered milk does in this recipe and is it possible to leave it out altogether?
Kim
I wouldn't leave it out. It helps with the texture, making it more tender.
Trista
The powdered milk also helps your baked goods to become nicely browned—look up “Maillard reaction.”
Jen
This crust is an absolute game changer. Before our household went gluten free, I was a great baker but a good pie crust totally eluded me for some weird reason. Since going gf I've tried a few crusts with mixed results, and I had given up hope that I would ever find a decent crust I could actually pull off consistently. This recipe changed that! It was so easy to work with, and the directions were spot on, not at all fiddly or precious like most pie crust recipes. The finished product was STUNNING. It was a dream to roll and even transfer to the pie dish, something I normally struggle with. And most importantly, the taste and texture were so great. Truly, it is the best pie crust I've ever made by a wide mile.
Kim
Awe, thank you so much, Jen!! I'm so glad you were able to finally have a great gluten free pie crust😍
Jen
I just wanted to comment again and say I have made your crust so many times and it's always perfect no matter what! The other day I even made it into a slab pie on a 9x13 baking tray. I had to roll it a bit thinner (because I just did a single batch, a 1.5 times batch might be a bit easier to work with) but it stretched and everyone I shared it with raved about how good it was. Thanks again!
Tenesa M Vuillemenot
I wish there were more stars to give you. I've maintained a GF kitchen for my daughter with Celiac for 5 years and pie crust has always been a struggle. I made this today using better batter and it was freaking perfect! so flaky, THANK YOU,
Kim
Awe, thank you so much, Tenesa! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂
Lisa
You are a genius! This was hands down the best GF pie crust/apple pie I've ever had. Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂 Excellent instructions and tips too.
Kim
Awe, I'm so glad you enjoyed the pie!! Thank you so much for your kinds words 😊
Christie Lalonde
Finally the best gluten free pasty recipe that is actually the best gf pasty recipe. My husband is celiac and his favorite thing is apple pie . The crust is so tasty buttery and flaky and like Kim said you would never know it was GF. I can't wait to try your other recipes. You have made my husband a very happy man!
Kim
Awe, thanks so much, Christie! So glad you like it 🙂
Joyce
Used your crust for pecan pie. It worked perfectly—absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing your secrets with us so that our GF dear ones can share the joy of baked goods again!
Francesca S.
Kim, thank you so much for sharing this recipe with the world! I haven't had the chance to test out your flour blend but I used the KA mix I had on hand and it came out AMAZING as a pot pie topper. For a 9X13 is was pretty much the perfect amount of dough. It came out so buttery and flaky--honestly if I'd gotten served it in a restaurant I'd be suspicious, because it looked that good, and it tasted even better. My gluten-crazy roomie even loved it. Can't wait to try out all your other recipes and your four mix! If it's good with the generic stuff, making it properly must be something to behold.
Kim
Thanks so much, Francesca!!! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂
Daniela
I've been gluten free my whole life, and every year I've been making a new gluten free crust for my apple pies on Thanksgiving and Christmas. For every crust I've used, the dough would break and be incredibly hard to make a good lattice or even put into a dish. This is the FIRST crust recipe I've ever made that I've been able to produce a pretty lattice and was able to transfer into a pie dish with no issues at all. It also tastes HEAVENLY and I highly recommend!! Thank you so much, this made my Thanksgiving so special! 10/10, try it out!!
Kim
Wow! Thank you so much, Daniela, for your wonderful comment!! I'm SO glad you liked the pie crust and you were able to enjoy pie on Thanksgiving 🙂
Gillie
What on earth did I do wrong? My pie crust kept falling apart, but I stuck it together as best I could. It wouldn’t stick together and now that it’s bakes it just crumbles to dust when I touch it. I know it’s something I did, because every single recipe of your works perfectly.
Kim
On no! I'm so sorry, Gillie!! My guess is there wasn't enough ice water added. I've found that gluten free pie crust dough needs more water than you would think. Did you put it in a food processor and whirl it until it balled up on top of the blade? Was it crumbly before refrigerating, or was it slightly tacky/sticky? Slightly tacky/sticky is what you're looking for.
Gillie
I made the dough in my food processor, but mine is much smaller than yours. It was tacky and sticky when I stuck it in the airtight box to chill. It was on the top of the processor, but wondering if because mine is so much smaller, it had no where else to go? I don't have a stand mixer, and my hand mixer is a weak thingy. To make your breads I use my bread machine to mix, kneed and rise. Then into the fridge for a rest. I don't think it would do well with pie crust.....
Kim
Hmmmm. I wonder if just working it with your hands would work better for you. Watch my video for buttermilk biscuits (https://www.letthemeatgfcake.com/gluten-free-biscuits/) and you'll see how it's done. I would add the egg first (beaten) and then stream in a little of the water and toss with a fork. Continue streaming in the ice water until it reaches that tacky stage. Then dump it out onto the counter and, for lack of a better term, smoosh it together with your hands. Divide it into two and wrap each in plastic wrap and then proceed with the recipe as indicated.
Please let me know how this works for you, Gillie. I want you to be able to enjoy wonderful gf pie crust 🙂
Carolyn Lubbe
Hi Kim
I love your gf pie crust. I made a gf pecan pie and baked for 40 minutes at 425 degrees and it burned the crust.
Kim
Oh no! It burned because that temp is way too high for baking a pie. I would only suggest that temp if you're blind baking a pie crust to fill with a cold filling. I always bake a pecan pie at 350 degrees F.
Twila Cornelius
I just bake my Pecan at 425 for 15 minutes then turn down temp to 359 and bake 40-50 minutes.
Amy Lund Stone
Hi Kim, I'm excited to try this recipe, my last attempt at GF pie dough went poorly. Would you recommend mixing in a standup mixer? (My food processor dough hook seemed to have walked off during our recent move). Thank you!
Kim
A stand mixer would be fine, Amy!
Kim
I've tried several gluten free pie crust recipes using various flour mixes, never store bought. This is by far the best and closest to the one I use to make. I was known by pie lovers to make great crusts but since diagnosed with Celiac I haven't been able to produce the light flaky crust that I loved until I followed this recipe. It rolled out so easy and didn't break up like other gluten free crusts that I've made. I used the crust to make your Apple Dumplings that turned out fabulous. Thank-you so much for sharing. I've just made your bread flour and am going to try your Hawaiian rolls for Thanksgiving. Hopefully my family will like this as much as my old gluten recipe.
Tani Preston
Your GF pie dough recipe looks amazing. I have been cooking GF for 2 years, since we found out my husband has celiac disease. When I was about 6, I leaned how to make pie crust using Crisco. They were always spot on. I have tried to make GF crust with crisco and they are awful. Using butter seems so heavy? Anxious to give yours a try.
Thanks!
Kim
You could try this with Crisco. I never have so I'm not sure how it will turn out, but I love the taste that butter imparts. I hope you love it!
Pat Hartley
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanksgiving is coming and even though we won’t be together with all my children and their families, I am still going to make at least a few pies.
My Mom always used to make cinnamon crust! I made it for my kids when they were growing up. It’s just part of the pie making process.
Lise-Anne
Making this right now for a pumpkin pie and it’s rolling out SOOOOOO beautifully. I thought my usual GF crust was easy to work with but man, was I wrong.
Question though: usually when I make pumpkin pie I don’t blind bake, I’ve always made my crust, filled the pie and baked it all together. Can I do that? Or does this need the fill blind bake every time?
Lise-Anne
*does it need to be blind baked every time. Sorry, typos!
Kim
No, it doesn't need to be blind baked. In the recipe, I'm only giving blind baking instructions if you need them for your recipe (such as if you're making a cold filling).
Lise-Anne
Thanks, Kim <3
Margie Fondse
Dear Kim, After being told to try gluten-free foods per my doctor, I naturally went to the store to find breads and cookies and all those carb-filled goodies I love! What a disappointment! The thought of never having a delicious piece of bread again(without the pain) was so sad to me. I began searching the web for gluten free recipes and started experimenting. The first problem that I discovered was the store bought flour blends were SO expensive and that they usually contained brown rice flour. Any of these fiber flours are just as bad for me as gluten - might as well have the real thing if I was going to suffer! My next search was to look for flour blends using only white rice. And then I found your blog!!!!! I was so thrilled ! This was in the beginning of the Pandemic when I had to purchase most things online and the products were a bit pricey (sfwrf!!) but I figured I was worth it. Since the I have been able to find all my ingredients at my local Winco food store and am saving tons and baking tons and putting on weight!! The ONLY downside of finding you(: I have invested in a scale, pizza stone and pasta maker so far...since retiring I have much more time to play. note: I do not use the super fine white rice anymore and am happy with the results. Also I run my powdered milk through the food processor to remove the little milk balls for use in your baking flour blend (maybe another brand wouldn't have these but this is what I can buy in my store) I always make sure I have plenty of the ingredients on hand now so I am never worried about shortages in the grocery store. Thank you, Kim! I look forward to ALL your new posts.
Kim
Wow, thank you so much Margie!!! I appreciate your very kind words 😊😊😊
Cecilia
I want to use this recipe for hand pies ... do you think i can sub some of the butter with lard? how much of it you think I can sub out but still have a good buttery taste? 50/50. I am loving your recipes. I have been doing lots of hits and misses with other websites and yours have all been hits! 🙂
Kim
Hi, Cecilia!!! Yes, you probably could sub some with lard. I've never worked with lard, but my grandmother used to make everything with lard and only lard (not a mix), so I think a 50/50 sub sounds like it would totally work!! Thank you so much for your kind words 🙂
Nathaly Saucier Livano
Hi Kim,
Maybe a very silly question... which size is your pie pan? I have one 28 cm diameter, not sure if that is too big?
I saw it is not the non stick type but the regular one, would not stick to the sides and bottom? Mine is also like yours but I was scare it would stick to it and then I need to buy a new pie pan (non stick)…
Kim
I'm thinking that may be too big. If my calculations are right, that's about 11 inches converted and I usually use an 8 or 9-inch pie pan, which is roughly 20-22 centimeters.
suzy
Another winner. Goodness you really are my hero. I used my own flour blend since its very similar to yours but has no xanthan gum or milk powder. I added 2 tbsp milk powder and 2 tsp xanthan gum.
This crust holds up BEAUTIFULLY to tarts and it is so easy to work with. Thank you Kim. Now please put all these recipes into a cookbook for us 😀
Kim
Oh my gosh, Suzy! You're too kind 😊
I'm working on trying to find a way to create a cookbook. It'll happen sooner or later 🙂
SaNaka
I am SUPER picky about pastry and was losing hope that I would find a GF pastry that ticked all the boxes, but this is outstanding! Light! Flaky! Tender! Tasty!
I did use your pastry flour recipe, but it was well worth the extra step - and now I'm going to make a bigger batch to have it on hand as I'm going to need it!
Thank you very much - I'm finding your recipes to be excellent and most of the time my teen (who is the only person in our house who isn't GF) doesn't even notice they are GF!
Kim
Yay!!! So glad you liked the pie crust, Sanaka!! Thanks for your kind words 🙂
Denel Wardell
Have you ever considered selling your flour blends? I know I would definitely buy them! I would sell them, too. I'm still working on my website, but once it's fixed, I would certainly put your flour blends on there.
I cry sometimes with frustration of my limitations...but your website has made life a lot better. Thank you so much!
Kim
Oh wow, Denel! You're too kind!! I would love to sell my blends and am currently researching the business aspects of that. It'll be a little while, but hopefully before too long they'll be on the market 🙂
Jordan
Kim, I just wanted to tell you how much your recipes have changed my life!! I went gluten free a couple of years ago at the recommendation of my doctor to help manage my autoimmune disease, and since I also cannot have brown rice flour (which is in almost every other flour blend), I completely stopped baking (I used to bake all the time) or eating pretty much any carbs altogether. When my husband and I got married, we discovered your blog and made the cinnamon rolls during our first week of marriage and we have been baking constantly with your recipes and flours ever since! My husband is also an avid baker and was concerned about having to mostly give up baking bread and pastries (his baking area of interest), but we've been able to continue baking and I've been loving being able to reintroduce these foods into our diet! We made a chicken pot pie with your pie crust and it was incredible -- I've tried many gluten free pie crust recipes, all of which were inedible, but yours tastes just like my family recipe with wheat flour! I am immensely appreciative of your willingness to try new things and, even more so, sharing them with all of us!!! We've yet to make anything from your blog that hasn't been such a huge success that friends were incredulous when we told them it was gluten free (and we've tried 6-7 of your recipes in the two months we've been married)!
Kim
Jordan, thank you so much from the bottom of my heart!! Your comment means more to me than you'll ever know 😍😍😍
Mira SM Tan
This is amazing! I am not gluten free, my partner is and I am just in awh of how gluten-y this is. Great recipe, great flour blend. I did it with lard and coconut milk powder because he also dairy-free, works really well!
Kim
Thanks so much, Mira!!!! I love to hear when substitutes go right in my recipes 🙂
Elizabeth Bondarenko
Kim, is this recipe suitable for sausage rolls and mini quiches?
Kim
Hi, Elizabeth! I've never made sausage rolls so I don't know (I'm assuming it would be, though). As for the quiches, absolutely 🙂
Taylor
If I’m using this recipe to make tarts (regular muffin size) approximately how many will I get? And what do you suggest for baking time?
Kim
You would get a lot (maybe over 40) of a muffin size from this recipe. Do you have a recipe you're following? Is the crust supposed to be pre-baked (blind baked)? The baking time and temp all depends on those things.
Alice
Hi ! Kim . I want to know in Kim’s all purpose flour if I can substitute the all purpose flour blend can I substitute white rice flour with coconut flour . If it will still work out the same flaky texture ? Thanks so much
Kim
Hi, Alice! I'm honestly not sure as I don't have much experience working with coconut flour. All I can suggest is try it, maybe halve the recipe (you'll need to beat the egg and then only add half of it) so you don't waste a lot of ingredients if it doesn't turn out well.
Sorry I can't be of more help.
Beth barbera
This is the perfect pie crust, and I have made lotsa of gluten free ones thank you,
Kim
Aww, thanks so much Beth!!!
Kim
Thanks so much, Beth!!!
Amber
How much xanthan gum do I add if using a blend without it?
Kim
I would suggest about 1 1/2 tsp.
Charlotte Gerber
Hello ! How much gramms is 1.5 cup of butter ? 360 gramms ? Thank you for answering :))
Kim
I'm sorry, Charlotte. I forgot to put the grams. It's 339 grams 🙂
Linda Wilkins
Could you use ghee or Nutiva shortening instead of butter to make this dairy free?
Kim
I would think shortening would work perfectly, but I'm just not sure about ghee. I've never really worked with ghee so I don't know how it behaves in recipes. If you use it and it works great, please let me know 🙂
Manisha
Kim can I say absolutely amazing pastry! I seem to be working my through all your recipes. I have a pastry recipe which I have used for years now. It has cream cheese in it as well as the butter, I suppose it’s instead of the milk powder that your recipe uses. But yours was light and buttery my husband and daughters loved it! I used it to make a chicken pie. So Thank you again!
Kim
Thank you so much!! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂 I've seen recipes using cream cheese and they sound amazing, too!
Mars
Just used this recipe to make pasty for dinner, I only needed about 5 or 6 tablespoon of water. My husband can't tolerate lactose so used coconut milk powder instead and recipe still turned out beautifully:) Everything you could want in a pie crust👍
Kim
Mars, you're killing it! Haha! Thank you so much for trying all my recipes. And I love the tip about the coconut milk powder. That is fantastic!!
Thank you again 😍😍😍
Irene
How much coconut milk powder instead of butter?
Kim
I think what she did is used the coconut milk powder in place of the nonfat dry milk powder in the flour blend, so it would be the same amount as the nonfat dry milk powder.
Shelly
How much coconut milk powder do you use? Is this to sub the butter? I try to steer from lactose as much as possible.
Thanks!
Kim
Hi, Shelly! No, it won't sub for the butter, just for the nonfat dry milk powder in the flour blend, and you would sub 1:1 for that. If you can't use butter, you can make the pie crust with shortening, coconut oil (cold), or a butter alternative, such as Earth Balance butter sticks.
Kathy
Just a question; do you use salted or unsalted butter? Does it matter?
Kim
Hi, Kathy! I know a lot of chefs use unsalted butter and maybe I should, but I usually just use whatever I have on hand and that's mostly salted butter. No one ever complains of anything being too salty, so that's what I stick with.
Hope that helps 🙂
Barbara
About 30 years ago the woman who made Mrs Fields cookies famous said salted butter is best for baking and from that time on thats what I used and I’ve made lots and lots of cookies. I’m 79 years old, I bake almost every day.
Kim
Good to know, Barbara! I agree. I always use salted butter.
Ann T
This is the only gluten free pie crust to use. I have tried so many and gave up until I stumbled upon this recipe. Get the exact ingredients the recipe calls for. Make Kim’s flour mix. I had to find the superfine rice flour but when you see th results you won’t believe it. I just made an apple pie and the crust browns normally, is flaky and delicious. This is a first for me with gluten free crust. Kim you are a genius!!!
Christine
Are you sure you need 1.5cups of butter? I have found I dont need any water.
Please let me know
Kim
This recipe makes a lot of pie crust, enough really for 3 one-crust pies! I've made it too many times to count and it works perfectly every time. Make sure your butter is super cold. My husband, who is not gluten free, says he'll take my gluten free pie crust over any regular gluten pie crust any day.
Hope this helps 😉
Anita Hoskins
I love your recipes! I do a question about freezing ahead of time.
I'm making a number of pies for a party and want to make the crust and freezer them ahead of time.
Would you suggest rolling the crust out and rolling it up in parchment paper like you find at the store? Or should I leave them in disk form?
Kim
Thanks so much, Anita!
Either would work I think. I meant to try rolling them out and then up into parchment, but never got around to it. If you try it and it works, I'd love to hear 🙂
Debbie
Hi Kim. Can I substitute arrowroot starch for the cornstarch? Would it be a 1:1 substitution?
Kim
Yes, you should be able to with no problems.