This unbelievably gluten free pie crust recipe is so quick and easy to make, and yields the most flaky and “buttery” pie crust ever! Just 5 simple dairy free and naturally vegan ingredients for the perfect pie crust to use for all of your pie recipes!

fully baked gluten free pie crust

Table of contents

Why you need to try this gluten free pie crust recipe:

Just because you’re gluten-free doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice great tasting pies! This homemade gluten-free pie crust is it. The dough is an absolute dream to work with: pliable, soft, and easily rollable, which makes it great for even making a double crust pie or lattice!

Plus, this gluten free pie pie crust recipe makes the flakiest pie crust. Honestly, you’d never know that it’s gluten free! The buttery flaky texture mimics a white flour crust so perfectly, you’ll love using this pie dough recipe for all of your holiday pies!

And the best part? This gluten free pie crust is also naturally vegan and dairy free as well. We have my traditional vegan pie crust, and even an oat flour pie crust, but I wanted to provide a gluten free vegan pie dough recipe that works for all eaters.

close up of gluten free pie crust

Now you can make any of your favorite vegan Thanksgiving desserts and pies all gluten free! Try my amazing classic vegan pumpkin pie, vegan apple pie, or even vegan pecan pie with this gluten free crust for the ultimate pie recipe!

Ingredients & Substitutions:

  • Gluten Free 1:1 Flour: Please note that not all all purpose gluten free flour is the same. Some contain xanthan gum, others do NOT. So please make sure that yours does contain xanthan gum. I emphasize that this is a 1:1 gluten free flour, and I strongly recommend using King Arthur’s Gluten-Free Measure-For-Measure flour. This is my favorite of the gluten-free flour blends, and the one I mainly recommend. It contains xanthan gum, and has yielded the closest texture to a regular pie crust (which is essentially identical!). I would NOT recommend Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour nor Namaste flour blend here, as it seems to be too crumbly and is especially hard to make a lattice crust. If you’re looking to use a different flour, you can try my oat flour pie crust.
  • Vegan butter: To ensure that this gluten free pie crust is dairy-free, I like using a vegan butter, such as Miyoko’s vegan butter. You can also use Earth Balance in the stick form (as we’ll need chunks of butter to make the pie dough). Make sure to use salted vegan butter. You can also use coconut oil, but it won’t yield the same “buttery” results. The best part is, you don’t need any shortening whatsoever to make this gluten free pie crust recipe!
  • Dairy free yogurt: This is our vegan “egg replacement.” You can also use vegan sour cream too if you’d prefer! It truly yields the most wonderful texture for your pie crust. I do not recommend swapping in another egg replacement, such as applesauce, as it will be too watery. You can, however, swap in 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or arrowroot starch, and use a bit more water. However, the best results will be with dairy-free yogurt.
  • Cold water: This helps to bind the dough, as well as keep the butter cold while making the dough.
  • Maple syrup: This is our sweetener. You can also swap in organic granulated sugar (such as Florida Crystals), brown sugar, or coconut sugar. For a savory pie crust, omit the maple syrup and add in 1/4 tsp sea salt. 
baked gluten free pie crust next to cloth

How to make the perfect flaky gluten free pie crust:

I recommend using a food processor to make this dough as it’s easiest, but you can absolutely make this gluten free pie dough by hand! If you’re making it by hand, I recommend using a pastry cutter or fork and a large bowl.

  1. Add the flour to a food processor, along with the cubed frozen vegan butter. Then pulse the mixture until it resembles an almost sand texture. If making by hand, you can still have a few larger chunks of butter present, but not too many.
  2. Then add in the dairy free yogurt, and pulse again JUST until mixed (about 5-7 seconds).
  3. Next, add in the maple syrup, followed by 1 tbsp of cold water at a time, while the food processor is pulsing (safely remove the pusher from the feed tube on the lid to do this). Continue to add water until a thick and slightly tacky but consisted dough forms.
  4. Press the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper, and form it into a disk. Wrap it tightly and store in the fridge for 45 minutes to 1 hour (see notes below for make-ahead option). 
  5. When ready to use the dough, generously flour a clean surface (I like to use a pie silicone mat with pre-measures to ensure I roll to the right size!). Place the dough into the middle, and begin to laminate the dough. Roll the dough to be about 10 inches long as a rectangle, then fold it in half. Rotate the dough to the right, and roll it again to repeat that process. Repeat this process two more times for a total of 4 laminations.
  6. Then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to be 2″ larger than your pie dish (I recommend not using a pie dish any larger than a 10″ pie dish. Anything from 8-10″ in diameter will work for this recipe). 
  7. Carefully transfer the pie dough to your pie pan, and be sure not to stretch the dough.Lift up the edges, and gently work the dough down to the bottom of the dish without stretching the dough. Stretching the dough will result in a sinking pie crust. 
  8. Trim the edges of your pie dough that overhang over the edges of the dish, and shape the edges. Then chill the pie in the freezer for 10-15 minutes while your oven preheats.
  9. Once the oven is preheated, you’ll place your pie weights into the middle of the crust, and bake, either par-baking or fully baking the crust! 
how to make gluten free pie crust
how to make gluten free pie crust

Can I make a lattice crust with this gluten free pie crust recipe?

You can absolutely use this gluten free pie dough recipe to make a lattice crust! I love to use this pie dough recipe for my vegan apple pie, especially when making either a lattice crust or a double-crust. 

Can I make the dough ahead?

To save time, especially on a holiday, like Thanksgiving, you can definitely make this gluten free pie dough ahead of time. It will last in the fridge for up to 1-2 days pre-made, or you can freeze the dough, and transfer it to the fridge the day before you’ll use it to ensure it thaws in time.

As long as the dough is wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, you will not dry out the crust!

gluten free pie crust before baking

How do you par-bake this gluten free pie crust?

During the holiday season, you’re probably going to hear a few different terms thrown around, like par-bake, partially bake, blind-bake, and fully baked. 

If you’re unfamiliar with them, par-bake means to partially bake the pie crust. This means that you’ll only partially bake the pie crust before adding in the filling and then fully baking it. Par-baking is great to prevent a soggy crust.

Blind bake means to fully bake the pie crust. This is great for recipes that use a no-bake pie filling, like my vegan chocolate cream pie.

To par-bake the crust, however, you’ll need a piece of parchment paper and pie weights. This is to prevent the sides of the crust from sliding down the pie dish. 

Make sure to poke a few holes into the bottom of the pie crust as well, just to ensure that it doesn’t bubble. Then you’ll bake the crust for 10-12 minutes. Afterwards, I like to remove the pie weights to better bake the bottom of the crust for another 2-3 minutes back in the oven. 

brushing vegan egg wash onto gluten free pie crust

What if I don’t have pie weights?

If you don’t have pie weights, not to worry! You can use dried beans, dried rice, or even- you guessed it- flour! I’ve actually used flour loads of times, which really is a win win in the end. You get heat treated flour to make recipes like, vegan cookie dough, and you get a perfectly baked pie crust that doesn’t collapse!

Make sure that you still place a piece of parchment paper down between the pie dough and whichever weight you’re using for the baking.

gluten free pie crust before baking with pie weights

Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!

gluten free pie crust Pinterest pin

If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!

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baked gluten free pie crust next to cloth

Quick & Easy Gluten Free Pie Crust Recipe (Dairy free + Vegan!)

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  • Author: Britt Berlin
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 22
  • Total Time: 32 minutes
  • Yield: 1 pie crust 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe

Description

This unbelievably gluten free pie crust recipe is so quick and easy to make, and yields the most flaky and “buttery” pie crust ever! Just 5 simple dairy free and naturally vegan ingredients for the perfect pie crust to use for all of your pie recipes!

Ingredients

Scale

Gluten Free Pie Dough:

  • 2 cups (250 g) gluten-free measure-for-measure flour* SEE NOTES
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp (180 g) vegan butter, cubed + frozen
  • ¼ cup (67 g) dairy free yogurt or vegan sour cream
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup*
  • 3–4 tbsp cold water

Vegan Egg Wash:

  • 1 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp soy milk or dairy free milk

Instructions

  1. Combine the butter and flour: Add the flour and salt to a food processor, along with the cubed frozen vegan butter. Then pulse the mixture until it resembles an almost sand texture. If making by hand, you can still have a few larger chunks of butter present, but not too many.
  2. Add in the yogurt: Then add in the dairy free yogurt, and pulse again JUST until mixed (about 5-7 seconds).
  3. Finish the gluten free pie dough: Next, add in the maple syrup, followed by 1 tbsp of cold water at a time, while the food processor is pulsing (safely remove the pusher from the feed tube on the lid to do this). Continue to add water until a thick and slightly tacky but consisted dough forms.
  4. Chill: Press the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap or parchment paper, and form it into a disk. Wrap it tightly and store in the fridge for 45 minutes to 1 hour (see notes below for make-ahead option).
  5. Laminate: When ready to use the dough, generously flour a clean surface (I like to use a pie silicone mat with pre-measures to ensure I roll to the right size!). Place the dough into the middle, and begin to laminate the dough. Roll the dough to be about 10 inches long as a rectangle, then fold it in half. Rotate the dough to the right, and roll it again to repeat that process. Repeat this process two more times for a total of 4 laminations.
  6. Roll: Then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to be 2″ larger than your pie dish (I recommend not using a pie dish any larger than a 10″ pie dish. Anything from 8-10″ in diameter will work for this recipe). 
  7. Trim: Carefully transfer the pie dough to your pie pan, and be sure not to stretch the dough.Lift up the edges, and gently work the dough down to the bottom of the dish without stretching the dough. Stretching the dough will result in a sinking pie crust. Trim the edges of your pie dough that overhang over the edges of the dish, and shape the edges.
  8. Chill: Then chill the pie in the freezer for 10-15 minutes while your oven preheats to 425F.
  9. Once the oven is preheated, poke a few holes into the bottom of the crust. Place a piece of parchment paper onto the bottom of the crust, followed by your pie weights* (see notes). Brush the vegan egg wash not op, and bake, either par-baking or fully baking the crust! To fully bake the crust, bake for 20-22 minutes. Around 15 minutes in, you can remove the pie weights so that the crust bottom fully bakes. To par-bake the crust, bake the crust for 10-12 minutes, then an additional 2-3 minutes without the pie weights.

Notes

Gluten free flour: I STRONGLY recommend using King Arthur’s Measure-for-Measure Gluten Free Flour. This is DIFFERENT than GF all purpose flour, which most likely does not contain xanthan gum. I personally do not like using Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1:1 baking flour here, as it’s a bit too gritty and breaks when rolling.

Pie weights: If you don’t have pie weights, you can use dried beans, dried rice, or even extra flour! Just make sure you fill the pie to the top with flour (a piece of parchment paper on the bottom) to ensure that the edges do not sink.