I know, there are a lot of pie crust recipes out there. I know because I have made most of them, and actually reference quite a few of them in some of the recipes here on this website. But I wasn’t quite satisfied with them (obviously), so here we are.
A good friend of mine from church has what everyone claims to be the best pie crust of all time. Perfectly flaky, buttery, and all the things a pie crust should be. I made the assumption that it was a closely-guarded family recipe and didn’t want to ask her for it. But after a couple years of hearing how great it was and really wanting the best grain-free pie crust out there, I had to ask and see if she would share so I could try to convert it to a grain-free option. And luckily, she was more than happy to share.
There are very few changes to her original recipe, I wanted to stay as close to the authentic original as I could. Because of that, you get the perfect grain-free version of her perfect recipe.
Now, I’ll readily admit I’m no pie crust master, they are never perfectly pretty and I get frustrated trying to work with the dough without making too much of a disaster out of my kitchen, and grain-free dough is even a bit harder to work with, so don’t expect that this will be a fool-proof recipe. You will definitely need to practice patience while working quickly to keep the ingredients cold. Don’t expect perfection on your first attempt if you’re not a seasoned pie-baking pro.
If you don’t want to put in the effort to making a fancy border on your crust, you can simply cut off the excess and use a regular fork to make some cute impressions along the edge. That’s always an easy fallback that still looks really nice.
My favorite fillings for this crust are a Classic Deep-Dish Pumpkin Pie or Double Crust Paleo Apple Pie. My husband’s favorite is the Paleo Chocolate Pecan Pie (I usually have to make two!). Whatever your favorite paleo pie is, this crust is the absolute perfect base for it and nobody will be able to tell the difference.
Happy pie making!
Perfect Grain-Free Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup (160g) Otto's Cassava Flour
- 2 Tbsp (24g) Potato Starch, plus more for dusting
- 2 Tbsp (16g) Maple or Coconut Sugar
- 3/4 tsp Real Salt
- 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp (144g) Grass-Fed Butter, frozen; see notes for dairy-free
- 2 1/2 Tbsp (30g) Palm Shortening, frozen
- up to 1/2 cup (120mL) Ice Cold Water
- 1 tsp (5mL) Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
- Combine the ice cold water and apple cider vinegar and set aside. Add the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl until well combine.
- Using a large cheese/box grater, grate the frozen butter and shortening into the dry ingredients. This will make the "cutting in" process much easier and keep the butter/shortening cold while you work.
- Use 2 butter knives to cut in the butter/shortening to the dry ingredients. Add the ice cold water/vinegar to the mixture 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing with a wooden spoon until the mixture forms a dough that holds it's shape (you may or may not need all the water).
- While touching the dough as little as possible with your hands, shape into a ball and place on a piece of parchment lightly dusted with potato starch. Sprinkle a little more starch on top of the dough and cover with a second piece of parchment.
- Roll the pie dough into a circle large enough to fill your pie plate with enough to slightly overlap the edges. It should be around 1/8" thick, give or take. Remove the top parchment paper and gently flip the rolled crust onto your pie plate.
- Remove the other piece of parchment and press/shape the crust into the pie plate, pinching closed any tears that may happen. Fold under any extra crust around the edges and pinch to seal (or decorate the edges with your preferred method).
- Fill unbaked crust with filling of your choice and bake according to the pie's directions.
Alternate Baking Method
- If baking an unfilled pie, place a piece of foil over the crust and fill the empty shell with beans, marbles, pie weights, or something similar. Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Notes
- If you can tolerate dairy and don't need to go dairy-free, use the butter, it makes a lot of difference. If not, replace the butter with palm shortening.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1 slice (crust only)Amount Per Serving Calories 137Total Fat 7gSaturated Fat 3gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 10mgSodium 248mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 1g
Nutrition is calculated by a third party and may not be 100% accurate
Rachel
Thursday 21st of September 2023
I have an intolerance to potato, is there another Starch, or Do you have to use the Starch... my daughter can't combine fruit and grains, so thankful for cassava!
Kathleen
Friday 30th of August 2024
@Kendra Benson, Have you tried this with almond flour?
Kendra Benson
Sunday 1st of October 2023
The starch helps to give it a cripsier texture, rather than being overly gummy. I have not tried leaving it out, but it will probbaly still be great, just a slightly less "typical" texture.