Avoiding wheat or gluten in your diet does not mean having to give up a good pie crust. Almond flour makes an excellent, savory crust with a rich flavor and high nutritional value. Use either of the recipes below for any of your open or single crust pies like pumpkin, lemon or even cheesecake.
Three-Ingredient Crust
This easy-to-make crust contains just three ingredients and browns up beautifully. You might even like it better than traditional pie crust!
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups almond flour
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Melt the butter.
- Combine the sugar and almond flour in a bowl.
- Pour the butter into the almond mixture and stir until well combined.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl frequently until all the almond flour is incorporated with the butter and the dough forms a moist ball in your hands.
- Place the ball of almond flour dough on the bottom of a nine-inch pie pan.
- Use your fingers to press the dough evenly out the sides.
- Pinch the edges for a decorative look.
- Bake alone for eight to 10 minutes, or fill with your favorite pie filling and bake following that recipes instructions.
Almond Flour and Coconut Milk Crust
This recipe makes enough dough for a generous nine-inch pie crust.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups almond meal or almond flour
- 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
- 3 tablespoons chilled butter or butter substitute
- 2 1/4 tablespoons cream or coconut milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix in a food processor until the dough forms a soft, workable ball. While using a food processor is the easiest means of mixing and handling the dough, you can accomplish the same results using a standard pastry blender or wooden spoon.
- Toss the dry ingredients together and mix well before adding the wet ingredients to ensure even mixing and a uniform pastry crust.
- Chill dough 15 minutes before handling.
- Roll flat on a sheet of wax paper, dusted with cornstarch.
- Transfer to pie plate directly from wax paper, lifting paper and pastry together and turning over onto plate. Alternatively, press the pastry directly into the pan without rolling, using your fingertips and the heel of your palm.
- Prick the pastry lightly with a fork and bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 10 to 12 minutes before filling.
Things to Keep in Mind
This is a fairly versatile recipe but can be difficult to use for a double-crust pie. For best results, use for pumpkin, lemon, or other single-crust pies. If you want to make an apple or berry pie, take the following steps to make the process easier:
- Double the recipe, and roll out the bottom crust as described above.
- For the top crust, roll flat as you would for the bottom crust.
- Cut the crust with fun cookie cutter shapes to make an attractive and easily managed top crust.
Tips for Success
While this pie crust is a very simple recipe, baking with almond flour does take some getting used to. Follow these tips for success.
Make Your Own Flour
Almond flour is made of blanched, ground almonds. You will get a richer, better tasting crust by making your own flour ahead of time. Simply place approximately two cups of blanched almonds into the food processor and pulse until you get a coarse meal. Do not over pulse; almond flour will always be coarser than wheat flour. Over pulsing could turn the meal into almond butter - not a refined flour.
Add Some Spices
Almond pie crusts can complement a number of different pie fillings, but they work even better if you take a tiny amount of the spice intended for the filling and mix it into the dough. Spices may include the following options:
- Cinnamon
- Lemon zest
- Ginger
- Allspice
- Cocoa powder
Bake First for Wet Pie Fillings
If the pie filling you are using is very wet or very oily, bake the pie crust first, even if the recipe doesn't call for it. Almond meal is very fatty; combined with the butter, your crust is already very saturated prior to baking. Adding additional oils or too much liquid could create a soggy crust. To prevent this, bake for at least half the recommended time before adding the filling.
Enjoy the Results
Almond meal pie crusts are so fast and easy to make, you may find you have time to experiment with various fillings and combinations. Try using an almond crust with your favorite single-crust pie and enjoy the results.
