Gluten Free Pie Crust Recipe

My gluten free pie crust recipe makes dough that is easy to handle, rolls out like a dream and always bakes up tender and flaky. Whether you’re baking a classic fruit pie or a savory pot pie, this crust delivers all the flavor and texture you’ve missed.

This is the gluten free pie crust that changed everything.

With over 1,300 five-star reviews, it’s helped thousands of gluten free bakers rediscover the joy of homemade pie.

Recipe ingredients

Here are the 6 ingredients for this recipe, and a few words about the role each plays in the perfect crust. Full exact amounts of each, please see the recipe card:

• Gluten free flour blend: Adds most of the structure for the crust. Use a high-quality, properly balanced all purpose blend with finely ground rice flour like Better Batter's original blend or Nicole's Best multipurpose with added xanthan gum. In such a simple recipe, any grittiness in your flour blend will be obvious, and will prevent the crust from rolling out smooth and having proper mouth feel after baking.
• Salt: Brightens the other flavors.
• Baking powder: Adds a touch of lift to help separate the flaky layers.
• Unsalted butter: Cold, flat shards of butter creates flakiness and rich flavor as they release steam that gets trapped in the dough and pushes out the surrounding dough, creating flaky layers.
• Sour cream: Adds tenderness, richness, and tangy depth of flavor without making the dough too wet. You can also use Greek-style plain yogurt in the same amount in its place.
• Ice water: Brings together any remaining dry spots in the the dough without warming the butter. Use just the water, leaving the ice behind.

How to make gluten free pie crust (step by step photos)

Here's an overview of how to make this pie crust in your own kitchen, with an explanation of how each step contributes to the best crust you've ever had. For full ingredient amounts, see the recipe card below.

Whisk the dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together your gluten free flour blend, xanthan gum (if needed), salt, and baking powder. This prevents the leavener from clumping which can lead to uneven rising or a bitter taste.

Add the butter
Add cold, chopped butter pieces, and use a spoon to toss them around until each piece is coated in the dry ingredients. Once each piece of butter is coated in flour, it's somewhat protected from the heat of your hands in the next step.

Flatten the butter
Use the tips of your fingers to press each piece of coated butter between your thumb and forefinger to create flat shards of floured butter. This allows you to nestle the butter between layers of the dough without letting sharp edges break through. Those edges would melt too soon and leak out of the dough.

Larger pieces of butter can also be reconstituted by chilling the dough, unlike small pea-sized pieces which quickly melt into the flour, leading to a tough result.

Add the sour cream
Add cold sour cream to the butter and flour mixture. Mix to bring the dough together into a shaggy, clumpy mixture without melting the chunks of butter.

Add just enough water
If dry patches remain, separate them from the rest of the dough and drizzle in ice water to just those dry spots. This allows you to adding just enough water to moisten all the flour without making the dough sticky wet, leading to adding more flour that would dry out the dough, making it stiff and hard.

Chill the dough
Turn the dough out onto plastic wrap, press into a rough disk, and wrap tightly. Chill it, wrapped tightly so it doesn't dry out, for at least 30 minutes to ensure that the butter is firm enough to shape without melting at all.

Roll out the cold dough
Place the cold disk of dough on a lightly floured surface, and dust it very lightly with just enough flour so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin. Use a clean rolling pin (or one lightly dusted with flour) to roll out the dough into a rough rectangle. If you've chilled the dough for too long, it may crack as you roll it out. You can let it warm up a bit before you continue.

Laminate the dough with folds and rolling
Fold the rough rectangle of dough over on itself in thirds like you would a business letter. Roll it out the same way into a rectangle, then roll and fold once more. Repeat once more for a total of 3 folds.

This process is called lamination, and each process of rolling and folding (called a “turn”), multiplies the layers of butter encased in floury dough, similar to the process of making gluten free puff pastry.

Chill the crust as needed
If the butter starts to melt or the dough feels soft at any point, rewrap and chill again before continuing. Fold the laminated dough into a square, press to seal, and shape into a round disk. You can wrap store refrigerate or freeze the dough now to use another time.

Create a round
If you're ready to use the crust, place the dough packet on a lightly floured surface and sprinkle it lightly with more flour to prevent sticking.

Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a round about 2 inches larger than the dish you're baking it in. That will give you enough crust to press it into the bottom and sides of the dish without tearing it. It will be between 3/8-inch and 1/4-inch thick, depending on the size of the baking dish.

Transfer the crust
We roll the crust gently over the rolling pin to transfer it to the baking dish without stretching it. Flour the rolling pin lightly, hold it above one edge of the round pie crust, and roll the crust loosely onto it. Unroll the crust over a prepared pie plate, positioning the center of the crust over the center of the plate as best you can.

Shape the crust
Gently lift the edges to allow the dough to settle into the corners of the plate without pulling at all. Tuck the overhanging edge under itself and crimp as desired. Chill the shaped crust in the fridge, covered, for at least 30 minutes, and up to 3 days.

How to parbake the crust
If the pie recipe you're using calls for parbaking, or partially baking the crust before filling it, here's how you do it. Pierce the bottom of the chilled crust in the pan all over with a fork to prevent it from puffing up in spots during baking.

Line the raw crust with parchment and fill it completely with pie weights or dried beans to keep it from shrinking down the sides or forming irregular air bubbles which will cause it to bake unevenly. Bake for 10 minutes at 375°F, then remove the weights and parchment. If the crust still looks shiny, brush the bottom with egg white and return to the oven for 2–4 more minutes.

Expert tips

Keep the butter big and flat

Many recipes recommend “cutting in” the butter into the flour until you have pea-sized pieces, but those pieces melt very easily when you handle the dough to shape it. For real flakiness, keep your butter in large, flat shards throughout the dough that won't melt completely and can be firmed back up by chilling the dough periodically. They’ll create light, layered pockets as they melt during baking, releasing the water in the butter as steam, separating the layers of dough from one another.

Mix by hand

Use a bowl and spoon to keep control over butter size. Food processors and mixers tend to overwork the dough and overheat the butter, making the crust dense.

Chill often

If your dough softens or the butter starts to melt while working, wrap and chill again before continuing.

Don't stretch the dough

When fitting the crust into the pie plate, gently lift and lower it into place. Never stretch—it will shrink back in the oven.

Follow your pie recipe

This recipe is only for the pie crust, not the pie. There are plenty of recipes for gluten free pies on this website such as my gluten free apple pie that will tell you whether or not you need to parbake the crust (or partially bake just the bottom crust), blind bake it (for no bake fillings, you'll bake another 10 to 12 minutes after parbaking), or bake it only once filled. If you're using someone else's recipe, follow their instructions for how, when and at what temperature to bake the crust.

Ingredient substitutions

This recipe is naturally egg-free, but if you also have to bake dairy-free, here are my suggestions for how to replace the dairy-containing ingredients in the recipe:

Butter

The best way to replace the flavor and moisture balance of butter is to use 3 tablespoons shortening and 3 tablespoons vegan block-style butter. I like Miyoko’s, Melt, or Trader Joe's brands. Do not use a tub-style vegan butter, which is mostly oil.

Sour cream

Substitute with nondairy sour cream or plain Greek-style nondairy yogurt. Or, make a water-only version. Skip the sour cream completely, increase the baking powder to ½ teaspoon, and start with 3/8 cup (3 fluid ounces) ice water. Add more ice water by the teaspoon as needed to just the dry patches.

Frequently Asked Questions