It took me ages to perfect this life-changing low-carb pie crust! It’s incredible, and incredibly simple! Keto, low-carb, paleo, vegan.
Your homemade pie crust doesn’t need to be full of carbs and sugars!
I’ve definitely tried my fair share of pie crust recipes, and most have ended in a crumbly mess. Gluten-free dough can be hard to work with, especially if you are just experimenting, there are so many ways to fail.
Luckily, I was playing with a mix of blanched almond flour and tapioca starch back when I made these homemade soft pretzels, and have been absolutely loving the combination since then.
The mixture could not be more perfect when it comes to forming dough into various shapes. It’s the closest thing I have found to a traditional wheat flour-based dough.
Plus the taste of each is neutral enough that it can be used in both sweet and savory recipes. It could not be more perfect for a low-carb pie crust!
It has an ever-so-slight nutty flavor, but really it’s just a neutral flavor. If you want to use your crust in a sweet recipe, simply add in a bit of sweetener. For savory, simply leave out the sweetener. It could not be more simple!
A simple three-ingredient dough.
The dough is so simple that I’m surprised it took me so long to perfect it! You only need three ingredients: blanched almond flour, tapioca starch (or cassava flour) and water.
As I mentioned above, you can add in a bit of sweetener for a sweet crust, but it’s not even necessary when baking a pie, if the filling is sweet enough!
For those asking, no…tapioca starch and cassava flour are not the same thing, but I have made the dough with both and they both act exactly the same way. Plus the taste of both is super neutral, so as far as I can tell, either can be used in this recipe!
Simply mix the blanched almond flour, tapioca starch or cassava flour and water together in a bowl. Mix until dough forms a ball. If it’s too sticky, add in a bit more tapioca starch/cassava flour until the dough is no longer sticky, but is also not overly crumbly.
If the dough becomes too dry, simply add a tiny bit more water (just a splash should do).
If you are making a full-size pie, simply roll the dough out into a large circle with a rolling pin, between two layers of parchment paper.
Remove the top layer of parchment paper once the proper size of dough is achieved to fit your pie pan, then place a greased pie pan upside down on top of the dough.
Flip the pan and dough simultaneously to transfer into the pan. Remove layer of parchment paper and press dough down to form-fit the pan.
Bake mini pie crusts or full pie crust until it begins to harden. Allow it to cool for a few minutes before adding in your pie filling, and returning to the oven.
Does the almond flour need to be blanched?
I have only tried this recipe myself with blanched super-fine almond flour, and I do believe it works best for this recipe. With that being said, I think any almond flour would work fine here.
Just know that the non-blanched almond flour has the skins left in, which will change the appearance of your pie.
Can I substitute one flour for another?
I have only made this recipe with blanched almond flour, and either tapioca starch or cassava flour. I do not recommend using another type of flour, unless you know for sure it can be substituted 1-to-1 with either almond flour or tapioca/cassava.
If you’d like me to experiment with a specific type of flour, please let me know in the comments below!
If you give this low-carb pie crust a try, please let me know what you think in the comments below. Also be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest so you don’t miss a recipe!
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Low-Carb Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup blanched almond flour (56 g) Nature's Eats brand
- 5 tablespoons tapioca starch or cassava flour (38 g) Bob's Red Mill brand
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon granulated sweetener omit for a savory crust. For low-carb use a stevia/erythritol mix, such as pyure
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Mix almond flour, tapioca starch or cassava flour and granulated sweetener together in a bowl. Add in water and mix until combined. You want to be able to easily form it into a pie crust without it being too crumbly or too sticky. If too dry, add an additional splash of water. If too wet, add a bit more tapioca starch or cassava flour.
- For a full pie crust, roll into a ball, then press down with your hands between two layers of parchment paper. Use a rolling pin to roll out into a flat layer, then carefully transfer into a greased pie dish. If the dough crumbles a bit, simply reform with your fingers as needed.
- For mini pie crusts, the size of a baking cup, split into 6 evenly-sized balls, then flatten each into rounds. If needed, use a rolling pie to thin out dough further. Move crust to silicone baking cups, and gently push dough down into the cup. If the dough crumbles a bit, simply reform with your fingers as needed.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes (for full-size), or 5-6 minutes (for mini pies) before adding any filling.
