Easy Gluten-Free Pie Crust

Two gluten free pie crusts, one rolled out and nestled into a pie pan and the other in a ball beside it.

This easy gluten-free pie crust is so flaky and buttery, your guests will never know its gluten-free! It's perfect for sweet or savory pies, hand pies, and pie dough cutouts. This recipe is beginner-friendly and you can use a food processor or pastry cutter for mixing.

Course Baking

Cuisine American, Gluten-free

Keyword gluten free pie crust

Prep Time 20

Refrigeration Time 2

Total Time 2 20

Servings 8 or 9 inch pie crusts (16 servings)

Calories 357kcal

Author Jamie

Equipment

1 food processor or pastry cutter
1 large mixing bowl
1 Rolling Pin
2 pieces of parchment paper or silicone liners
1 8 or 9 inch pie plate

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all purpose gluten-free flour with xanthan gum (337 grams)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt use ¾ teaspoon if using salted butter
18 tablespoons unsalted butter or vegan butter , cubed (2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons, 9 ounces, or 255 grams)
½ cup ice water

Instructions

Mix the dry ingredients: Add the gluten-free flour, sugar and salt to a food processor and pulse until lightly mixed.
2 ½ cups all purpose gluten-free flour, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt
Cut in the butter: Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles course crumbs with pea-sized butter pieces.
18 tablespoons unsalted butter or vegan butter
Add water: Add half the ice water and pulse a few times to lightly mix. Then add the remaining ice water and pulse just until a crumbly dough forms.
½ cup ice water
Form the dough: Transfer the dough to a bowl. Lightly mix and consolidate the dough with your hands, then form it into a ball. Divide it into two equal portions.
Do this step quickly and don't overdo it (too much handling can decrease flakiness). It is ok if bits of dry flour remain, but there should be no large pockets of flour.
Roll the crust: Lay a large silicone liner or piece of parchment paper on your surface. Dust with GF flour, then place one of the dough balls on top and dust lightly with GF flour again. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a thin circle ½ inch wider than your pie plate on all sides.
Pie Plate: Gently lay your pie plate upside down and centered over the rolled dough. Flip the dough into the pie plate by placing your hand under the parchment paper and turning the dough and plate over at the same time. Gently remove the parchment paper and use your fingers to nestle the pie crust into the pie plate. Trim excess dough and crimp the edge if desired. Proceed with your pie recipe.

Video

Notes

No food processor? No problem. Whisk the GF Flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter and cut it in with a pastry cutter (or use 2 forks) until the mixture forms coarse crumbs with pea-sized butter pieces. Drizzle in the ice water a little at a time, mixing together with a fork until the dough holds together when squeezed. Continue with the recipe as written.

Gluten-Free Dough Tip: If you've made regular pie dough before, gluten-free pie dough will feel drier and slightly more crumbly. This is normal — do not add extra water unless the dough won't push together into a ball.

Using a kitchen scale to measure the GF flour helps keep the flour-to-water ratio accurate.

See the post for step-by-step photos and helpful tips for making pie crust. Gluten-Free pie dough and regular pie dough behave a little differently. The tips include things like keeping the dough on the thicker side and not expecting it to stretch.

Pie Crust Tips:

You don't need to grease the pie plate. Pie dough contains enough butter to prevent sticking.
When baking, place your pie plate on a baking sheet to catch any butter filling that bubbles over.

Storage: Store uncooked dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Freeze for up to 3 months and allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using

Dairy-Free + Vegan: Simply use dairy-free or vegan butter in place of the butter in this recipe. I linked my favorite brand for pie-making in the instructions section of the blog post.

Flakiness tip: Cut the butter into cubes first and put it in the freezer for an hour before making this recipe. Extra cold butter = extra flaky pastry layers.

Nutrition