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Gluten-Free Pie Crust

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A golden, flaky Gluten-Free Pie Crust that is simple to make and perfect for making gluten-free pies. You are going to love working with this gluten-free pie crust recipe. Dairy-free and vegan option included.

If you are looking for the perfect gluten-free pie to make with this gluten-free pie crust you might like my Gluten-Free Chicken Pot Pie, or my Grain-Free Pecan Pie.

You can use one of my recommended gluten free flour blends, my personal gluten free flour blend, or your favorite blend with similar ingredients. For more ideas check out my Easy Gluten Free Recipes.

an unbaked pie crust in a pan with a strip towel and leaf shaped cookie cutters next to it

Gluten-Free Pie Crust

Over the years I have shared some of my favorite gluten-free pie recipes. While many of them use the same gluten-free pie crust, I’ve never shared a post that highlights the recipe by itself. Some of my readers have been asking for a post that gives only a gluten-free pie crust recipe with tips and tricks.

 

Many people are intimidated by gf pie crust recipes. It does take a bit of extra time versus purchasing a gluten-free pie crust at the store, but the fresh flaky crust at the end of it is worth it. It’s not hard, it doesn’t take a lot of ingredients – it only takes about 20 extra minutes.

a collage of eight photos showing the steps to make pie crust

How to Make Gluten-Free Pie Crust

Making the gluten-free pie crust is simple, again, it just takes some time. Here are the steps.

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and xanthan gum.
  2. Cut butter (or shortening) into flour.
  3. The butter should resemble the size of small peas.
  4. Add milk.
  5. Use your hands to work the milk into the dough, until the ingredients are combined and the dough forms a ball. Add more milk if needed.
  6. Divide dough in half and roll one dough ball between two pieces of wax paper. Repeat with the second dough ball.
  7. Remove the top piece of wax paper and place the pie pan upside down on dough.
  8. Flip the pan and pie crust dough over so the pie pan is right side up. Peel the wax paper off. Repair and pinch the gluten free pie crust dough into shape.

If you are baking the crust and then filling it with filling, preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Bake for 15 – 18 minutes or until cooked through.< For other recipes where you bake the pie with the filling in it, follow the recipe baking instructions.

This gluten-free pie crust recipe makes two, 10-inch gluten-free pie crusts. There is a dairy-free and vegan option if you need a gluten-free vegan pie crust. If you don’t need two pie crusts, either cut the recipe in half or freeze the second pie crust.

a side view of an unbaked pie crust in a pan with leaf shaped cookie cutters next to it

Tips for making an easy gluten-free pie crust

  • Read the recipe steps and make sure you have all ingredients on hand before you begin.
  • Make sure all ingredients are cold before you begin.
  • If you use a flour blend with xanthan gum, omit it from the recipe.
  • Don’t overwork the crust dough, it will toughen and cause cracks when you transfer it to the pie pan.
  • If the pie crust dough is too soft, chill for 30 minutes before rolling it out.
  • For a decorative top – cut out lattice strips and weave over the top of the pie, or use cookie cutters for fun shapes.
  • Top your gluten free pie with foil for the first half of baking, instead of the second half to prevent the crust from burning.
  • Let the pie cool completely before slicing.

Just another tip about gluten-free pies in general. I always bake my gluten-free pies on a baking sheet in case the filling bubbles out. It helps prevent a mess in the oven.

pumpkin pie in a white pie pan next to white pumpkins and a fork and serving knife

Gluten-Free Pies

I cut this gluten-free pie crust recipe in half to make this stunning gluten-free pumpkin pie (pictured above). I had some extra gluten-free pie crust dough leftover, so I used leaf cutouts to decorate the top. This gluten-free pie crust is versatile and works with savory and sweet gluten-free pies.

If you are interested in more of a lattice look, I also used this gluten-free pie crust in my gluten-free cherry pie. I placed one pie crust on the bottom, added filling to the center, then cut the second gluten-free vegan pie crust into strips. Weaving them together was easy.

side view of cherry pie on a tin pie plate next to scattered cherries

Do you have to egg wash gluten-free pie crust?

Some people use an egg wash on their gluten-free pie crust to give it a glossy coating or to help it brown. I don’t. When I bake gluten-free pies I start with foil over the crust for about half the baking time, then I remove the foil and let the gluten-free pie crust brown while it finishes baking. The crust will cook and start to brown under the foil, but it’s this process of keeping it covered upfront that helps keep it from darkening too much while the filling bakes up.

Can I use shortening instead of butter in pie crust?

Yes. I use palm shortening to keep my gluten-free pie crusts dairy-free and vegan. You can use butter or regular shortening in this gluten-free pie crust recipe. I haven’t personally tried dairy-free butter in this recipe.

This gluten-free pie crust recipe is the go-to recipe for all things pie in our house. I like to use Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend when making pies, but you can also use a similar blend, or my gluten-free flour blend.

If you are looking for more dessert pies you should check out this Dairy-Free Banana Cream Pie from Meaningful Eats. What the Fork Food Blog has a scrumptious recipe for Gluten Free Fudge Pecan Pie. For a keto pie you’ll want to make this Dairy Free & Keto Key Lime Pie.

Yield: Two 10-inch pie crusts

Gluten-Free Pie Crust

unbaked pie crust in a pan with leaf shaped cookie cutters next to it

A golden, flaky Gluten-Free Pie Crust that is simple to make and perfect for making gluten-free pies.

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 38 minutes

Ingredients

For the crust(Makes two 10" crusts)

Instructions

  1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and xanthan gum.
  2. Cut butter (or shortening) into flour.
  3. The butter should resemble the size of small peas.
  4. Add milk.
  5. Use your hands to work the milk into the dough, until the ingredients are combined and the dough forms a ball. Add more milk if needed.
  6. Divide dough in half and roll one dough ball between two pieces of wax paper. Repeat with the second dough ball.
  7. Remove the top piece of wax paper and place the pie pan upside down on dough.
  8. Flip the pan and pie crust dough over so the pie pan is right side up. Peel the wax paper off. Repair and pinch the gluten free pie crust dough into shape.
  9. If you are baking the crust and then filling it with filling, preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). Bake for 15 - 18 minutes or until cooked through.
  10. For other recipes where you bake the pie with the filling in it, follow the recipe baking instructions.

Notes

  • If you only need one pie crust, you can cut the recipe in half.
  • If you use a flour blend with xanthan gum, omit it from the recipe.
  • Don’t overwork the crust dough, it will toughen and cause cracks when you transfer it to the pie pan.
  • If the pie crust dough is too soft, chill for 30 minutes before rolling it out.
  • For a decorative top – cut out lattice strips and weave over the top of the pie, or use cookie cutters for fun shapes.
  • Top your gluten free pie with foil for the first half of baking, instead of the second half to prevent the crust from burning.
  • Let the pie cool completely before slicing.
  • When working with or measuring gluten-free flour, spoon the flour into the measuring cup and level. Do not scoop your measuring cup into the gluten-free flour. The best method really is to weight it but I don't have the ingredient weights for all my recipes yet.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

16

Serving Size:

1/8th of two crusts
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 193Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 163mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 3g

This nutrition info is based on the exact ingredients and brands that I used a the time. It may not be 100% accurate. Please check your ingredients nutrition labels.

© Chrystal
Cuisine: Dessert / Category: Recipes
a pinterest pin collage of two photos with the words easy gluten free pie crust recipe written in the center

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • Hi Nelda,
      You can use shortening to make this crust. I haven’t used oil (other than solid shortening) and I’m not sure how well it would do. The advantage of the butter or shortening is that it coats the flour but doesn’t melt until it bakes.

      I hope that helps,
      Chrystal

      Reply

    • Yields 32 servings? Serving size 1/16th? I’ve never tried to get 32 slices out of a pie! Is that even possible?

      Reply

  2. Just want to say this pie crust is amazing! My husband is celiac and never thought he’d be able to enjoy a “flakey” pie crust again…. Well your recipe is as good as a regular crust if not better just because it’s so easy! It rolled out beautifully and baked up so flakey and was delicious! I made a lemon meringue pie and was devine!!! Thank you so much for another awesome receipe!

    Reply

    • Hi Vikki,
      Awe, I am so glad you like my gluten-free pie crust recipe. Thank you for letting me know!

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  3. I use a mixture of crisco and butter with vodka and cold water as the liquid. How would this work with the gluten free flour? I have a friend that can’t have gluten…. I have always had rave comments regarding my crust and I am concerned about this one.

    Reply

    • Hi Candace,
      You can still use your method with this recipe. Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Flour works best in this recipe in my opinion and it’s easy to find. Let me know how it turns out!

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  4. I am making this into personal apple pies to prove to a girl in my class that gluten free can be as good as the original. Is there a real noticeable difference between the two? And how many personal pies at most 3″ each?

    Reply

  7. New to gluten-free because of a celiac diagnoses several months ago. Have only baked twice and it was abysmally disappointing. Finally, a recipe that I actually have all the listed ingredients for. Most recipes call for gluten-free all purpose flour. Since I’m a newbie to this, I bought Bob’s 1:1 flour. And King Arthur. So, going to give this a try with the Bob’s. Have you ever used the King Arthur one to one?

    Reply

    • Hello Lucinda,
      Definitely stop back by and let me know how it turns out. Bob’s 1:1 us my current go to flour blend right now. Some people have used the King Arthur in this recipe, but you’ll want to reduce the xanthan gum by half. For some reason it has more. You could probably even leave it out if you use the King Arthur, but I like to add a little since there’s so much butter. Xanthan helps hold higher fat gluten free dough’s and crusts together.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  9. I can’t have nightshades so I’m wondering if you could recommend a gluten free flour blend that would work for your recipe that does not contain potato starch. Thanks so much!

    Reply

    • Hello Jan,
      You can use my flour blend and substitute the potato starch with half arrowroot starch and half corn starch, I have two blends. It’s really easy to mix up. Spoon the flours and starches into a measuring cup and then level them before adding them to your bowl or jar. Simply whisk the jar before using. I recommend my blend with millet flour to start.

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

  10. Hi, I’m just wondering if this can be made in a food processor instead of with your fingers? Any time I have made regular pie crusts, it has never turned out without the food processor, so that’s why I’m wondering.

    Reply

  11. Best gluten free pie crust on the internet. I have tried several. I used 1 stick of butter and 1/2 cup of lard, for a chicken pot pie. It was Easy to handle and flakey.
    For a dessert pie, I like all butter. Just a personal performance. Both were delicious. Also used Bob’s Red Mill 1/1 flour.

    Reply

    • Hi Joan,
      I am so glad you love it. Thank you for sharing what you used. I plan on making a video soon to add to the post to show everyone how easy it is to make 🙂

      Best,
      Chrystal

      Reply

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