This foolproof gluten free pie crust is buttery, flaky, and easy to make! Fill it with your favorite pie filling and bake until golden and crisp.
I'm thrilled to say this gluten free pie crust is sublime. It's everything I wanted it to be and more.
Some gluten free goodies are a breeze to make, others not so much. For example, brownies require little flour and plenty of chocolate, easy peasy!
Pie crust, on the other hand, is centered around cold butter and wheat-based flour. It's what gives you those flaky layers and tender texture. After three store-bought gluten free crusts left me disappointed, I grabbed my rolling pin and got to work.
Ingredients
This gluten free pastry dough requires just seven ingredients, including salt and water!
- Gluten Free All-Purpose Flour - I recommend Bob's Red Mill's 1:1 Gluten Free Baking Flour. It produces a great texture with no strange aftertaste. It's the brand I use for 90 percent of my recipes. Don't just pick up a random gluten free flour brand off the shelf. Some of them taste awful!
- Unsalted butter - Cold butter is essential for flaky layers. Butter is made up of fat and water. The water evaporates in the oven and turns to steam, which puffs up the crust, and forms the layers.
- Sugar - A little bit of sweetness for the best flavor.
- Kosher salt - Don't underestimate salt in pastry recipes. Salt equals flavor. A pie crust without it tastes flat.
- Water - Use ice cold water! It keeps the butter cold. Warm butter won't create a flaky crust.
- Lemon juice - Fresh lemon juice for a bright, acidic touch.
- Egg yolk - For richness and structure.
How to Make it
Combine dry ingredients - Combine the gluten free flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, you can also do this by hand with a pastry cutter.
Cut in the butter - Add the cold butter pieces to the food processor and pulse until the mixture looks crumbly with pea sized pieces of butter throughout.
Add egg yolk - Add the egg yolk and pulse for a few more seconds to incorporate.
Add wet ingredients - Add the ice water and lemon juice to the food processor and pulse until the mixture looks thick and crumbly. Don't pulse it for a long time, or it will warm up the butter.
Form a ball & chill - Dump the mixture into a large bowl and use your hands to form it into a disc. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll out gluten free pie dough - Lightly flour a large work surface and use a rolling pin to roll out the pie dough. Make sure to roll out a much larger circle than the pie tin, so it can go up the sides with room to crimp.
Transfer to pie dish - Carefully fold the pie dough in half and transfer it to the pie tin. Unfold the dough and use your hands to gently push it into the dish and up the sides.
Trim edges - Even out the excess dough with kitchen shears, but leave an inch of overhang to fold under and crimp.
Crimp the edges - Use your fingers to crimp the edges like the picture below. Refrigerate or freeze the gluten free crust until ready to use.
Refrigerate crust - Refrigerate the crust until ready to fill and bake!
Pie Crust Making Tips
- Use cold butter and ice cold water! If at anytime the dough feels like it's getting warm, stop and refrigerate it for a few minutes.
- Don't pulse the butter/flour mixture too long. There should still be pea size pieces of butter in it. It shouldn't look like cornmeal.
- When rolling out the dough, rotate the dough every once in a while to make sure it's not sticking. If it's sticking, throw some flour underneath it.
- Make sure to roll the dough much bigger than the pie pan. You shouldn't have to stretch the dough to fill the pan pan. There should be plenty excess for crimped edges too.
FAQs
Use a gluten-free all-purpose blend that contains xanthan gum. It acts as a binder for the crust. I also add an egg yolk, which adds richness but also structure.
More Gluten Free Recipes
- Gluten Free Pecan Pie
- Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Gluten Free Key Lime Pie
- One bowl Gluten Free Brownie Recipe
Gluten Free Pie Crust
Equipment
- Food Processor (optional, but recommended)
- Large Bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Measuring cups & spoons
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bob's Red Mill's 1:1 Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 12 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup ice cold water
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 egg yolk
Instructions
- In the bowl of a large food processor, pulse gluten-free flour, sugar, and salt until combined.
- Add the cold butter to the food processor and pulse until the mixture is crumbly with pea sized pieces of butter in it.
- Add the egg yolk to the mixture and pulse for a few seconds to incorporate.
- Add the ice water and lemon juice to the mixture and pulse until the mixture begins to look thick and crumbly.
- Dump the mixture into a large bowl and use your hands to form a ball.
- Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes.
- Lightly flour a large work surface and use a rolling pin to roll the pie dough out into a circle. Be sure the circle is much larger than the pie tin.
- Carefully fold the circle in half and transfer to the pie tin. Unfold the crust and move it into place with your fingers.
- Trim the edges with scissors, but leave some excess to fold under. Use your fingers to fold the extra crust under all the way around the tin.
- Use your fingers to crimp the crust. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
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