Since I always love a good culinary challenge, I decided to wing it and just make one up based on some of the grain-free baking I’ve done so far.
My first attempt was good but not amazing.
My family was pretty gracious about it and everyone had Pumpkin Pie on Thanksgiving but I couldn’t leave it alone.
I had an idea of what could make the both the crust and pie filling recipe amazing and kept making both all weekend until I got it perfect!
I am so excited to share this paleo pie crust with you.
It is light and flaky, holds together beautifully, doesn’t crack when cut and tastes like a traditional pie crust.
I’ll share the Pumpkin Pie filling in a separate post!
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!
This popular Paleo Pie Crust is so versatile. Free of gluten, grains and dairy, stays crispy and doesn't crack or break when filled and cut.
- 1.33 cups blanched almond flour
- .33 cup tapioca flour / starch
- 1/2 tsp finely ground sea salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup organic palm shortening
- 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350F.
Combine almond flour, tapioca flour and sea salt in the bowl of a food processor (or blender). Pulse a couple of times to get out any lumps. (You can also use a hand mixer).
Add egg, palm shortening and vanilla extract.
Pulse until dough starts to come together in the processor. It won't form a ball, you will have to scrape it together to get it out.
Scrape all of the dough out, making sure that all of the egg and shortening were incorporated thoroughly. Place into a pie pan and begin the press the dough with your fingers from the middle out.
Keep pressing until the center is thin enough that you can see a shadow of the pan but the dough is not ripping or breaking. You need to be gentle and press slowly in short strokes.
As you press the dough from the center and up the sides, you should begin to have a bit extra come up the sides and over the top. Use your finger to scrap this off.
Keep pressing until dough has a pretty even thickness all around. Take special care to flatten the "seam" or crease of the pan so you don't wind up with a thick doughy bite at the seam.
Use a fork to poke several holes on the bottom and to gently indent the rim of the crust.
Place on a baking sheet and into the oven on the center rack for 12 minutes. Remove and place pie pan on a wire cooling rack.
Allow to cool and use in your favorite pie recipe! Enjoy!
- Almond meal (ground raw almonds with their skins on) and blanched almond flour (finely ground blanched and skinless almonds) are different. This Pie Crust used blanched almond flour and will not work with almond meal.
- I usually use Bob's Red Mill Tapioca Flour and have good results. I have heard that some tapioca flours can have a strong or bitter taste. This crust shouldn't have any off-taste, if it does, I would look at the brand of tapioca flour.
- Since every filling is different, I can't say for sure how this crust will hold up to every pie but with the Pumpkin Pie it stayed light, crisp, firm and flaky after cooking for an additional hour at 350F, cooling, being refrigerated and even later that night. It wasn't until about 24 hours later that I noticed the crust had gotten soggy.
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Hello! I just wanted to say that I have been using this recipe for a couple years and it has never failed. I get rave reviews from even the gluten eaters. I have used it for a few different types of pies, but my favorite (and most raved over) is lemon tartlets. I bake the crust in a mini cupcake pan and fill the crust cups with a paleo lemon curd. Thank you for your hard work and sharing your recipes with us. 🙂
Hi Jennifer! Those lemon tartlets sound AMAZE. So happy to hear that and thank you for taking the time to comment and let me know about your experience with this recipe – it means a lot to me!
Hello! I would like to make this pie crust recipe a day in advance, then fill it will apple pie filling/crumb top, on Thanksgiving day. Do you think the crust will be ok if cooled and kept in the refrigerator overnight?
Thank you!
Hi Lisa! You can make the crust in advance and I’ve kept it in the fridge or on the counter (loosely covered with foil) so it should be fine either way for 1 day. Enjoy and Happy Holidays!!
Thank you!!
can I use smart balance, coconut oil butter or ghee?
I have heard many readers use Ghee successfully but not sure about the alternative butters!
Does the crust have to be pre-baked or can I put filling in and then bake it–as in a traditional pie crust?
Hi Sarah!
I’ve achieved the best results when I par-bake this in advance. I know some readers how baked it with the filling in it but I find it gets soggy much quicker and isn’t nearly as sturdy!
I am concerned about using any shortening or coconut product because of the high saturated fat content. Has anyone found an alternative to that?
Why are you scared of saturated fat? It’s healthy, (as has been proven by many, many studies as well as cultures all over the world) and has never been proven in a single study to be unhealthy. I’m not going to make a long, rambling comment, but seriously don’t be scared of saturated fat. That’s just politically correct science, not real science. For more info, I seriously recommend the book The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz
This is the best paleo pie crust hands down! Thank you so much! I made this just today. I wanted to make a spinach pie but without phyllo dough of course. I made the bottom crust and pre-cooked it like the instructions stated, then filled it with the spinach pie mixture and then also made a top crust to place on top. I just made a second batch of your pie crust and rolled it out between parchment paper and placed it on top of the spinach pie. It came out beautifully! This crust is flaky and just pure perfection.
Hi Eunice! Thank you so much for the kind words and taking the time to comment. Glad it worked out as a double crust for you 🙂
Looks wonderful, do you think it would hold up well enough for butter tarts?
Hi Bev! I’m not sure. If the filling is somewhat thick like a custard or pumpkin pie, then yes. If it’s oily and syrup-y, it may not. If you try it, come back and let us all know. Thanks 🙂
I am interested in doing an apple pie, so i will need a double crust. Do you think this will work out?
Hi Randie – I have not tried using this crust as a topper but I have had other readers who have done it successfully. I hope it works for you!
I kniw this is an old post now, but I just used this recipe to make a topping for a pot pie. It worked beautifully. It crumbled a bit as I transfered it to the top of the baking dish, but was quite workable.the only modification I made was to sub arrowroot for the tapioca. I baked it for 20 minutes and it turned out nicely. Will be keeping this recipe for the future.
Great feedback Liz – thanks for taking the time to comment and let everyone know!
Hi! I was going to try this recipe and make a couple to give away to friends. I wanted to use disposable foil pie pans, so i don’t have to give away my pans. Any ideas on how this would turn out? The foil pans are much thinner than regular pans, but i worry about the crust sticking to the pan because of all of the indentations. Any thoughts?
Hi Leah, Great question. I haven’t tried this in a disposable pan. I would recommend just making one (it takes like 5 min to throw together) and testing it before you go and make a bunch to give away. Good Luck and come back and let me know if it works.
Disposable aluminium foil pans are not good for oven use the aluminium disolves with heat getting into your food. Aluminum is the nr.1 cause of dementia and altzheimers. Be careful.
So am I. My daddy even complimented me on it!!
I’ll keep That in mind.(No he isn’t stingy with compliments I just was emphasizing! )
I made some variations, first I used arrowroot powder instead of eggs(I’m sure the recipe is out there somewhere) 2 I used coconut flour in place of tapioca, it seems to have worked. I’m sure that I will use this again. Now all I have to do is try it!!
So glad it worked with all of those changes Cheyenne!
Hi! I’m excited about this crust and want to make your chocolate pudding pie with it. I have one question – is there a way to do without egg in these two recipes? I have to make something for people who cannot have eggs, so I’m wondering how to substitute. I was wondering if a chia seed egg would work in the crust, and if I could just eliminate the eggs in the pudding. Thanks!
Hi Lydia,
I have never tried this crust without eggs so I am not sure. I do know some people used Ener-G egg replacer or a “Flax Egg” or “Chia Egg” but again, I haven’t tried any of those as replacements so I can’t say whether they will work or not. As for eliminating the eggs, not a good idea – that is part of the body. You may just want to search for a “Vegan” recipe that will be egg free. Good Luck!
Thanks again, I followed your suggestion for apple pie, par-baked the crust & finished with a crumble top (chopped pecans, shredded coconut, coconut sugar, coconut oil). I also lined the edges with foil for most of the baking time so the exposed crust didn’t burn. It was wonderful! Guests liked it better than the other gluten dessert:)). Strong memories of Grandma’s apple pie, so glad to have a delicious version I’m able to make and enjoy.
That crumble sounds awesome Laurie! Such great feedback – thank you so much for letting me know and I am glad you and your guests enjoyed this dessert so much 🙂
This sounds great, would like to try it for an apple pie….should I still bake the crust first before adding filling? Or bake like a traditional (flour) crust, and bake everything together at the same time?
Thanks for posting recipe…
Hi Laurie,
I suggest par-baking – just follow the recipe and allow the crust to cool completely – then bake with your pie filling. Are you thinking of making a second crust for the top or leaving it open?
I found this when googling Paleo pie crust and i must say i would use it again. Such an easy recipe and really easy to use! Thank you for sharing!
Great to hear Brandy and thanks for taking the time to leave me feedback! 🙂
Could I use lard instead of the palm shortening?
Hi Pam,
I personally haven’t tried it but I have had some readers tell me it worked for them. Good luck and thanks for reading!
I have tried it once and am doing it again. I was surprised that unlike all other paleo recipes, the crust has a very good consistency and is hard enough to hold in your hands
Thank you so much for the compliment Frederique!
Nutiva makes organic palm shortening. It’s cold pressed and sustainably sourced. It’s kind of hard to find but I got it at my local co- op. Can’t wait to try this crust recipe!
I need to look for it Jennifer!
Hi. I haven’t tasted it yet but the pie is in the oven. I just wanted to say the dough was beautiful! I couldn’t believe how awesome it was. The first one – the bottom one I pressed into the pie pan but the top one I put the ball of dough between two sheets of parchment and rolled it out and then turned it over on top of the filling. It looked okay. Like I said, it isn’t done yet and maybe I need to work more on it (I’m not a good cook) but I’m excited so far! The palm shortening and the tapioca I think make a big difference. Thank you
Hi Susan! I can’t wait to hear how it turned out. I haven’t used the crust as a “top” yet and would love feedback on if that worked or not. What type of pie did you make?
Have you tried using coconut oil instead of palm shortening?
Hi April,
No, I have not. If you try it, let me know if it works!
I used refined coconut oil and it worked just fine. I did tweak my recipe just a bit because I use a larger pie pan. I used 1.5 cups of almond flour and about 1/3 cup of tapioca flour (cassava flour is another name for it). So I used 2.5 tablespoons of oil in my recipe. I also stirred it together with a fork and it clumped into a ball which I pressed into my glass pie pan. Baked at 350 for 12 minutes just like the original recipe. It looks dry and crisp. I plan to fill it with a paleo pumpkin filling and will cover the edges so they don’t burn as it bakes.
Thanks so much! You know it is because of folks like you who take the time to share your wonderful recipes online that really, (for me anyway) make Paleo a wonderful way of life for me. Thank you again!
Susan
Thank you so much Susan – that really makes me feel happy. Have a great weekend!
Hi. I want to try this recipe to use for a quiche. It sounds as though (from your instructions) that I need to bake the crust before I put the quiche liquid in and bake it again? I’m kinda confused. Help please??
Thank you.
Susan
Hi Susan,
I have used this crust for a Quiche (leave out the vanilla and add in a pinch or two of dried herbs!) and it works great but YES, you do have to precook it just like in the directions posted. Allow it cool completely before putting in the Quiche liquid. Enjoy!
Tapioca flour is acceptable, at least to me, but I was hoping to make this for Passover and since tapioca is a grain it’s not acceptable for the duration of the festival.
However, I think if I can get the ingredients I’ll try to make the crust “as is” first to see how it turns out, and then I’ll experiment. As I said, I’m always looking for a wonderful pie crust recipe and I love this one because it has simple ingredients (flour, sugar, eggs, etc.), nothing unpronounceable like some store-bought crusts have. My only questions for the as-is recipe are:1) what is palm oil and 2) if I can’t find it, is butter or margarine acceptable substitutes?
Thank you again!
Hi Anna! Tapioca is not a grain – it a grain-free flour made from cassava (a starchy tropical vegetable). http://www.bobsredmill.com/tapioca-flour.html
Palm Shortening is different than Palm Oil – I like this brand
If you can’t find it, try real unsalted butter and make sure it is ice cold when you add it to the food processor (PS. I haven’t tried this with butter so I can’t vouch for it but it should work). The Shortening makes it crispy without being greasy – the butter may be more greasy.
I hope that all helps you and Happy (early) Passover 🙂
I’m diabetic and always trying to find an excellent pie crust recipe. This one sounds delicious; I love almond flour. My only question is, if I want to make this for Passover, would potato starch be an acceptable substitute for the tapioca flour, and if so is it a 1/3 cup-to-1/3 cup substitute or should I use less of the potato starch? Thank you in advance!
Hi Anna,
I haven’t tried this recipe with Potato Starch so unfortunately, I can’t be of any help. I do know that they perform differently so I would recommend a test run in advance. Is tapioca flour not acceptable for diabetics?
Some interesting ingredients in this pie crust.
Hi, all! All you have to do to keep a piecrust from becoming soggy is to paint the inside of it with egg white before filling. 😉
Hi Lynn,
As long as you let this crust cool completely before filling it, it doesn’t get soggy!
I LOVE this! Cannot wait to give it a go!
Alyssa – this looks fantastic – can’t even tell it has almond flour in it. I agree – both Honeyville and Bob’s Red Mill make really high quality almond flour.
Do you have the carb count on this pie crust?
Hi Gabby,
I don’t count carbs but there are a lot of free online calorie counters that also provide carb counts!
I love that you just kept at it until you got something you were happy with…and the perseverance definitely paid off!!
I love a good culinary challenge – it was so satisfying when I got it exactly how I wanted!
What a spectacular recipe for a paleo crust! Love it.
Congratulations. I have a friend who follows the paleo diet. am sending her to your blog.
Thanks so much for sharing Norma!
Almond flour is good stuff! We usually make a walnut crust when we want a grain-free (and gluten-free) crust, but this looks good. Need to give it a try! Thanks.
Enjoy it John!
Fabulous, Alyssa! Having a good pie crust recipe on hand is essential over the holidays. I’m sure your family was happy to help you with this baking venture! 🙂
I’m all into experimenting with different crusts. Yours sounds fantastic…have to try it. Thanks 🙂 ela
I hope you love it!