EASY VEGAN PIE CRUST (Oil and Gluten-Free)
This gluten-free, easy vegan pie crust is so simple to prepare. Made with healthy, oil- and butter-free ingredients, it's excellent for sweet and savory pies; this recipe will be your go-to for vegan pies!
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond Flour (fine)
- 3 tbsp flaxseed meal (ground flax seeds)
- 1/3 cup organic cornstarch (or arrowroot starch)
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- cold water (optional, as needed)
Instructions
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Combine almond flour, flaxseed meal, cornstarch (or arrowroot starch), baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Add applesauce and vinegar to the dry mixture. Mix until it starts forming a dough.
- Adjust Texture: If needed, gradually add one tablespoon of cold water at a time until the dough reaches the desired consistency. It should be soft, moist but not sticky. If it’s too sticky add more flour as needed.
- Roll Out the Dough: Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper* and use another piece on top to roll it out to the desired thickness. Transfer the rolled-out dough into a pie dish, gently pressing it into the bottom and sides. If you notice any holes or tears in your dough, you can use the excess dough from the edges to patch it up. Fill in the gaps with the extra dough to ensure your dough covers the pie dish.
- Refrigerate: Prick the bottom of the crust lightly with a fork to prevent it from puffing up. Cover and place it in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Preheat Oven: In the meantime, preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Bake the Crust: Cover the pie crust with parchment paper, and use pie weights or other heat-safe material to weigh the crust down.
- For cooked pies (filling that requires baking), pre-bake (in the center rack) the pie crust for 15 minutes; remove the weight and parchment paper, add the filling, and continue baking it following your recipe**.
- For no-bake pies: bake the pie crust for 15 minutes (in the center rack); remove the weight and parchment paper after 15 minutes, and bake for 5-10 minutes more or until the crust is lightly golden. Let cool for 20 minutes before filling.
- Enjoy your delicious gluten-free, vegan, and oil-free pie crust!
Notes
- Substitute ground flax seeds with Ground Chia Seeds, but not Whole.
- * You can also use a Silicone Dough Rolling Bag instead of parchment paper. It's one of my favorite items in my kitchen!
- ** To prevent the outer parts of the pie crust from burning during the baking process, it's a good idea to shield the uncovered crust with aluminum foil. This technique ensures even baking of the pie and its crust, avoiding the crust turning excessively dark or burnt.
- The pie crust dough, without the filling, can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator for three days or in the freezer as long as it is effectively covered (for up to 3 months).
- The prep time includes 20 minutes in the freezer, and the baking time only includes the pre-baking or par-baking.
- The recipe was adapted from "From My Bowl."