A FLAKY, buttery pie crust that holds its shape and is vegan and gluten-free? It’s possible, friends. More than possible, it’s delicious! And it requires just 4 ingredients and 15 minutes of chilling!
It’s all made possible by our 1:1 gluten-free flour blend, which has a neutral but sweet taste and creates a sturdy and reliable crust. All that’s left is to pick your favorite filling and impress your friends! Let’s make pie crust!
How to Make Gluten-Free Pie Crust
This recipe starts with combining our 1:1 gluten-free flour blend with a pinch of salt then mixing in cold vegan butter. It’s best to mix it in by hand so the butter can be pressed into “flakes” instead of being broken down into small pieces. Butter flakes = flaky crust!
Next, a small amount of maple syrup adds a touch of natural sweetness as well as a bit of structure. Adding sugar in the form of maple syrup also helps the baked crust have a classic, golden color!
Then it’s time to add water 1 tablespoon at a time. Only a small amount of water goes into the crust to bring everything together and create a soft and workable dough.
Then after chillin’, it’s time to get rollin’! Chilling for just 15 minutes ensures the vegan butter doesn’t harden too much and makes for effortless rolling with minimal cracks. YAY.
After a courageous flip into a pie pan (you can do it!), it’s time to smoosh any cracks that need fixing or patching and then crimp the edges for a classic pie crust look.
Lastly, the crust goes into the oven for 15-20 minutes to par-bake. This is an important step for a gluten-free crust as it prevents sogginess and ensures the finished crust stays crisp underneath the pie filling.
We can’t wait for you to try this gluten-free pie crust! It’s:
Flaky
Buttery (without dairy!)
Crispy on the edges
Tender on the bottom
Reliable
& Easy to make!
It’s a versatile base ready to make all your pie dreams come true. Use it to make pumpkin pie, apple pie, berry pie, cream pies, and more.
More Gluten-Free Holiday Essentials
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!
Flaky Gluten-Free Pie Crust (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup MB 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Blend*
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 cup cold vegan butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (we like Miyoko’s in this recipe // dairy butter should also work if not vegan/dairy-free)
- 1 Tbsp maple syrup
- 3-4 Tbsp ice cold water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C), and set out a standard size (9-inch) pie pan.
- To a small mixing bowl, add a handful of ice cubes and cover with water. Set nearby. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the gluten-free flour and salt and whisk to combine. Working quickly, add in the cold vegan butter and use clean hands to begin pressing the butter into the flour. Avoid crumbling up the butter and instead try to press each piece into a flat “flake” — this will help create the best flaky crust! Continue until there are no large chunks of butter remaining.
- Add the maple syrup and 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of the ice cold water. Use a fork to gently toss the mixture together, doing your best to evenly distribute the liquid without breaking the butter down any further. Continue adding water until the mixture looks evenly moist and soft and sticks together easily when pressed between your fingers. It might look a little crumbly, but resist the temptation to add more water!
- On a clean work surface, lay out a piece of parchment or wax paper and transfer the dough. Gather it together and press it into a “disc” about 1 inch tall by 6 inches wide. Wrap the paper around it and transfer to the refrigerator for 15 minutes. If you want to make your crust ahead of time, stop at this point and you can refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 1 month, just make sure to thaw the crust (until slightly soft when poked) before rolling out.
- Carefully remove the crust from the refrigerator and work quickly to prevent the butter from melting. Unwrap the dough, leaving the paper underneath as a work surface. Sprinkle the top of the crust with a very light dusting of flour, then place another piece of parchment or wax paper on top of the crust and begin rolling it out until it’s ~11 inches wide and 1/4 inch thick. It can be helpful to start by “whacking” the dough to spread it out, then switching to rolling. If the crust is cracking a lot, give it a couple minutes to warm up slightly.
- To transfer your crust, gently roll it up onto your rolling pin and unroll in the pie pan, or quickly (and confidently!) flip it into the pan. We chose to flip it. Press the crust into the pie pan so the bottom edges are smooth and patch any cracks with excess dough. Crimp the edges together with your fingers or press with a fork.
- If making a pie with a filling that requires baking (i.e. pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie, berry pie), par-bake the crust for 20 minutes, until pale and dry to the touch. Then add your filling of choice and bake for another 30-45 minutes, or according to the recipe’s instructions. If making a pie with a raw/chilled filling (i.e. chocolate cream pie) you will want to par-bake the crust on its own for at least 30-35 minutes total, until the edges are golden and beginning to crisp, before adding your filling and chilling.
Video
Notes
*Prep time includes chilling for 15 minutes and cook time includes par-baking only.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
Jennifer says
Hi! How does this crust hold up if you make ahead and freeze? I’m trying to make a vegan quiche with tofu…or would you make the entire quiche and freeze?
Hi Jennifer, we’d recommend making the entire quiche and freezing, or freezing the pie crust before baking. Hope that helps!
Alana says
Can you use this for a quiche crust for mini quiches? ie splitting this base dough into 12 smaller ones?
Hi Alana, we haven’t tried it as mini quiches, but we think it would work! The dough will be a little more difficult to handle because it will sit out for longer, but you could probably get around that by cutting it into 12 pieces, then putting the ones you aren’t using back in the refrigerator, and removing them when ready to roll out. We’d love to hear how it goes if you try it!
Joey says
Would it be possible to use this same recipe for a double-crust or lattice top pie?
Hi Joey, yes, but it’s a little tricky! It’s more tender than a traditional crust.
Hannah says
Would you still recommend using maple syrup for a savory filling?
Hi Hannah, Yes, we’d recommend keeping it! It adds just a very subtle sweetness and is mostly in there to help with binding. Enjoy!
Melanie says
I made this recipe using store bought measure for measure gluten free flour and the pie crust was pretty great. I did have to add a lot more than just a tablespoon of water. I didn’t measure but perhaps 4-5tbsp. I also found it challenging to flip the crust into the pie shell without breaking but a little more dabbing with cold water on my fingertips helped bind the breaks in the dough. The recipe as written made enough for me to do two smaller 6 inch pie shells with a little bit of dough leftover so if anyone wants to make smaller pies, or wants enough dough for a pie top, I’d double the recipe. Also I par-baked 20 minutes for apple pie and it seems to have held up nicely. Thanks for this recipe!
Love it! Thanks so much for the great review and for sharing your modifications, Melanie!
Hannah says
I can’t but your flour you sell. What can type of flour can I but at the store to make its?
Hi Hannah, the next best option would probably be Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 Baking Flour, but we’d suggest using a little more of it (1-2 tablespoons extra). Let us know how it goes if you try it!
Trina says
If I’m using your DIY gluten free flour blend to make this pie crust, do I use the same amount? How much Xanthan gum would you recommend?
Hi Trina, When we tested it as a 1-1 sub in this recipe, the crust was more prone to crumbling. That’s likely because our DIY gluten-free blend isn’t as absorbent, so we’d suggest trying more of it (maybe 1-2 tablespoons more?). We’d suggest just using the amount of xanthan gum in our DIY blend recipe. Hope that helps!
Trina says
Thank you for the reply! I’m wondering about making this recipe in a deep dish pie plate – any tips on how much to scale this up by? Could I use the DIY flour blend 1-1 with your Deep Dish Apple Pie recipe?
This recipe is designed with our new all-purpose flour blend, and we don’t think the DIY would work quite as well. For a deep dish you shouldn’t need to scale up, just roll it out a bit more!
Tam says
Would love to buy your products but am based in Australia.
Looking forward to the day you’re able to ship internationally! xx
Thanks for the feedback, Tam! We hope to be able to ship internationally in the future!