Almond Flour Pie Crust

Whether you want sweet or savory, this Almond Flour Pie Crust is just for you. Aren’t we all thankful to have healthy recipes like this one?! Low carb and easy to make, this pie crust recipe is going to be your go-to for all your pie needs! 

As I’ve already previously talked about, baking has been a challenge for me always. And in some ways baking low carb has been an even bigger challenge.

You might feel the same way that I’ve felt at times, but that’s why I’m here. To try, and then fail at recipes, until I’ve found a really good one that I can share with you all. 

Today’s post is all about the pie crust. I didn’t know that there were so many different pie crusts out there. Some are better for just a single crust recipe such as pecan pie, or pumpkin pie, or lemon pie.

Others are better for a double crust recipe like apple pie, or even a cherry pie. And don’t forget crusts that you need to make a quiche…see I told you there are so many pie crust options out there. 

I’m not gonna lie to you, I’ve always been a Pillsbury pie crust kinda girl. Why make my own pie crust from scratch when I could just get a good pre-made one, that all I have to do is roll it out and stick it right in the pie plate? 

The time for Pillsbury’s premade crust has come to a screeching halt! But don’t worry, it’s ok…I promise we have made a Keto Almond Flour Pie Crust that you’re going to absolutely love!

This low carb pie crust I’m sharing with you is going to make the perfect single-crust recipe and a basic go-to for you. It’s easy as pie…to make.

With just a few minor adjustments, you can transform this single crust recipe, into a good low carb double crust recipe and into a good crust for your quiche at your next brunch.

Oh and I almost forgot to mention we can also turn it into a yummy crust for your pot pies this winter.

How a Low Carb Pie Crust is Different from a Traditional One

Let’s quickly talk about the differences between a low carb pie crust and a traditional pie crust. 

TRADITIONAL PIE CRUST:

A traditional or classic pie crust is usually made with white flour, salt, water, and sugar (sometimes). There’s something that regular flour has going for it…Gluten. I know a lot of you out there can’t have gluten and I’m sorry about that. 

But gluten acts as a natural binding agent, which is why it may be a lot harder to find the right consistency when cooking and baking with low carb flours. 

I said harder, not impossible. 

There are ways to bind your low carb flours together, which I’m going to share with you now. 

Something also to keep in mind as a side note is that white flour is definitely NOT low carb. For just 1 cup it has 408 calories, and 86 grams of carbs. Crazy right?! 

LOW CARB PIE CRUST: 

A low carb pie crust’s main ingredient is a low carb flour such as Almond flour or Coconut flour. 

It is a common fact that low carb flours don’t have the same consistency or the same elasticity as regular white or wheat flours.

White flour has gluten as a binder, but a low carb flour can also have something as a binder: Xanthan Gum 

Think of xanthan gum as a baker’s secret weapon. It’s a common food additive that can be used in baked goods, ice cream, sauces, and even yogurt.

It’s commonly used as a thickening agent or a stabilizer to prevent ingredients from separating. Xanthan gum provides stickiness and elasticity to doughs and batters. 

So when making a low carb pie crust obviously we don’t have gluten, so we need this to act as the binding agent for our low carb flours. 

What Ingredients are in a Keto Almond Flour Pie Crust?

Almond Flour – Your choice of low carb flours consists of several options, but I chose to use almond flour. I like the consistency of it, and well as the taste and flavor.

I find it to be a very versatile low carb flour, but if using it make sure to get the superfine almond flour. 

Butter – Pretty much a staple ingredient to pie crusts. I chose to add melted butter for my crust. But it does make your dough a little bit less firm.

So if you need a top pie crust, I’d recommend using cold butter instead. It will keep your dough a little bit more firm.

Just keep in mind, low carb pie crusts are definitely going to be more fragile in general, so don’t expect it to be exactly like a regular one.

Vanilla & Cinnamon – I thought that adding a touch of vanilla and cinnamon was a nice little addition, especially when making a sweet pie over a savory one.

Feel free to omit these 2 ingredients if making a low carb savory pie as they are not necessary and depend on your taste.

Xanthan Gum – This is what I use to help keep the pie crust together. It’s used in so many recipes as a binder, especially in gluten-free recipes. This is key and you don’t want to skip it.

Swerve – I chose to use granulated swerve for this recipe. Not a lot though, only ¼ cup to give it a little bit of sweetness. If making a savory pie, then you can leave this out.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with Swerve, it’s a zero-calorie, non-glycemic sugar replacement that is safe for those who have diabetes and also commonly used in Keto desserts. 

Can I Eat Almond Flour Pie Crust on Keto Diet?

Yes, absolutely you can eat an almond flour pie crust on Keto, or even if you are just eating low carb.

With just almond flour, butter, eggs, salt, xanthan gum, granulated swerve, cinnamon, and vanilla…all of these ingredients are all acceptable on keto. 

Each almond flour pie crust has 12 slices and only 1.4 NET CARBS per slice. Can’t beat that right? 

How to Make Almond Flour

Eating low carb can get expensive, and going back and forth to the grocery store gets really annoying. Making your own almond flour is so easy, and can save you money and time. 

Start off with getting yourself some blanched almonds. You can use almonds that have the skin on but you will have little brown specks in your flour, which is fine but some people don’t like that. 

Take your blanched almonds and add them to your food processor or Vitamix. Simply turn it on and Waa Laa….you now have almond flour.

Here’s a little tip though, if you find that it isn’t fine enough, simply add the ground flour to a mesh strainer. Place the nuts that don’t pass through the strainer back into the food processor and continue to pulse until you’ve reached the consistency you want. 

Now that you know how to make it yourself, I have a feeling you’ll be making this a lot, especially if you use almond flour as much as I do. 

Almond Flour vs Coconut Pie Crusts

You can make a low carb almond flour crust or a coconut flour crust, and both are really delicious.

I have started experimenting recently with coconut flour yet for a couple of reasons, and the results are very good, even though I still prefer almond flour.

One reason is I prefer the taste of almond flour to coconut flour, which does have a slight coconut taste when you eat it. It’s also a little bit higher in carbs than almond flour. 

1 cup almond flour has only 8 NET CARBS compared to 1 cup of coconut flour which has 32 NET CARBS. 

If you’re on a really strict carbs count coconut flour is ok to have, but you still really need to watch the carbs, so I tend to use almond flour as my go-to.

A positive thing about doing a coconut flour pie crust is that if you or someone you know has a tree nut allergy then almond flour is a big no-no, but coconut is perfect!! 

Something to keep in mind though when working with coconut flour is that you tend to need more eggs and liquid to it. The coconut flour soaks up more liquid than almond flour does.

Here is the difference in NET Carbs between the two crusts:

• Almond Flour Pie Crust: 1.4 NET Carbs per slice
• Coconut Flour Pie Crust: 2.9 NET Carbs per slice

If you do have an allergy to almonds or nuts in general, try our Coconut Flour Pie Crust which is still really tasty!

What Can I Use an Almond Flour Pie Crust to Make?

Oh boy, where do I even start?! The first question is are you in the mood for sweet or savory?? That’s the nice thing about this almond flour pie crust, is that you can use if for whatever you’re in the mood for.

Here are a few low carb pies that you can make with an almond flour crust:

• Pumpkin Pie
• Apple Pie
• Pecan Pie
• Chocolate Cream Pie
• Lemon Pie
• Blueberry Pie 
• Cherry Pie
• Key Lime Pie
• Chicken Pot Pie

And the list goes on and on…..

How to Make a Low Carb Almond Flour Pie Crust

I find this recipe to be pretty easy to make, which is why it’s a keeper! Here’s how I make this Almond flour crust: 

Grab a medium-sized bowl and add the almond flour, salt, swerve, xanthan gum, and cinnamon. Using a spoon mix up all your dry ingredients. 

Now add your egg and melted butter. Stir until everything is mixed up well. 

At this point, I recommend putting the dough in the fridge to chill up a bit. So take the dough and form into a ball, and cover it in plastic.

Then put it in the fridge for at least an hour or so. The longer the better. 

Once it’s done chilling up, now it’s time to start rolling out the dough. Place it in between 2 sheets of parchment paper.

Throw a little bit of almond or coconut flour on the bottom piece of parchment paper, and a little bit on top of the dough. 

Start rolling out the dough using a rolling pin. You don’t want it too thick, but if you make it too thin then it’s going to fall apart. I know it’s a hard balance to find the right thickness. 

As soon as you’re done rolling it out, it’s time to place it into the pie dish. Before you do, you need to grease the pie plate. I like to use Pam because it sprays on really easily.

Like I said it’s fragile, so do your best transferring it to the dish. If you end up with any tears or rips, it’s ok. You can just press the crust back together.

Because you have to be so careful with the crust, it’s hard to crimp the edges like you normally would with a regular pie crust. So what I found to be the easiest and look nice too is take your fork and with the back of it start making lines and sealing the crust. 

Once done with the edges, take your fork and poke some holes all over it, to let the air in and to prevent your crust from rising and cracking. 

Using your pie shield, cover the edges. If you don’t have a pie shield I really recommend you get one. But if you’re in a pinch, simply take some foil and wrap it around the edge. 

At this point you need to decide if your pie recipe calls you to pre-bake your crust or to bake it with the pie filling. If you don’t need to pre-bake it, then stop here, and follow your pie recipe moving forward.

Now put it in the oven for about 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown. 

Should I Use a Food Processor or Mix by Hand?

So it really depends on what type of butter you’re using.

If using melted butter, or even softened butter then you can easily mix the dough by hand. I have to say, I actually found it easy to mix it with my hands rather than a spoon.

If you are doing it by hand, then make sure that the dry ingredients are mixed well, by really pressing and stirring the dough.  

Now if you are using cold butter, then you really do need to use a food processor or a stand mixer. It will allow you to work the dough and cut the butter into the flour.

It’s a little bit more cleanup, but it’s easy to incorporate the ingredients well. 

Melted Butter vs Cold Butter

Everyone is going to tell you that cold butter is a crucial step to making a flakey and buttery crust. I’ve actually done it both ways and I feel like both ways totally worked. 

This recipe calls for melted butter or softened butter. The crust is gonna be fragile and it might be easier to press it into the pie plate. 

How to Make a Low Carb Pie Crust Stick Together?

I’ve already talked about it a bit but Xanthan gum is a key ingredient to pie crust. Actually it’s a key ingredient for a lot of baked goods, especially gluten-free baked goods.

Xanthan gum is a thickening agent that keeps ingredients from separating. It will help your almond flour pie crust to stick together better. 

How to Keep a Bottom Pie Crust from Getting Soggy?

It’s actually pretty easy keeping your pie crust from getting soggy. All you have to do is make sure that both your crust and your filing are completely cooled off before filling your pie crust. That will definitely keep it from getting soggy. 

How to Vent a Pie Crust?

When baking your pie crust first and then adding your filling, you can get cracks in your crust unless you properly vent it.

All you do is take a fork and simply poke some holes in the crust before putting it in the oven. Letting the airflow through the holes will prevent it from rising and cracking. 

How to Make Low Carb Pie Crust Flakier?

A lot of people say that the key to a flakier crust is the butter, using cold butter actually. As you see in my recipe I use melted or softened butter, and I find my crust to be flaky.

But if you find that you want your crust flakier, then try using cold butter instead. 

What Pie Plate is Best to Use?

You can use any type of pie plate, tart pan or mold of your choice. I’ve used a glass pie dish, and a deeper ceramic pie pate too. Keep in mind your baking time might change if you are using mini tart or mini pie dishes, so keep an eye on them so they don’t overcook. 

Can I Use Ghee for Pie Crusts?

First of all, what is Ghee butter? 

It’s clarified butter that’s also referred to as “liquid gold.” It’s prepared by removing the milk solids and water, leaving only the butterfat. Then it’s simmered until the moisture evaporated and the solids slightly brown, leaving the result as a nutty, browned, caramel taste and aroma. 

You can substitute butter and ghee with a 1-1 ratio. Because ghee is missing some of the elements that are in regular butter it has more moisture, so you may need to add a little bit more flour to our crust or whatever else you’re baking. 

So the bottom line is that if you are a fan of ghee in your cooking and baking, then you can use it for your low carb pie crust as well. 

Can I Substitute Lard for Butter?

Yes, you can use lard instead of butter. But the ratio is not the same. You don’t need as much lard as you would butter. You need to reduce the amount of lard by around 20%-25%.

Here’s a quick chart you can reference if you need to replace the lard with butter. 

Butter	Lard
1/8 cup	1/8 cup
2/8 cup	2/8 cup (scant)
3/8 cup	2/8 cup (heaped)
4/8 cup	3/8 cup
5/8 cup	4/8 cup
6/8 cup	5/8 cup
7/8 cup	6/8 cup (scant)
1 cup	6/8 cup (heaped)

Should I Use a Sweetener in My Low Carb Pie Crust?

It’s not something you definitely have to have, but it’s ok if you don’t want to add it. I would recommend you adding it only if you are making a sweet dessert pie. I don’t think you need it at all if making a savory pie. 

If you choose to add it, you don’t need a lot. Only about a ¼-⅓ cup. It will just give it a little extra sweetness to your crust. It’s all about how sweet or not sweet you like things. 

How to Keep an Almond Flour Pie Crust from Burning?

Ok, so I noticed that with this almond flour pie crust the edges can burn really quickly. The first time I made this recipe I saw my edges got really brown super quick, and I got nervous it was gonna ruin it.

So I quickly grabbed some aluminum foil, tore off some strips, and wrapped them around the edges of the crust. It was a quick solution when in a pinch, but you had to be so careful not to touch it otherwise they fall right off. 

But a couple of days later I went shopping and found an adjustable pie shield. Oh, my word it’s such a great invention!

You can get different types, but the one I got is silicone and so easy to use. You just simply wrap the shield around the edge of the pie crust and ta-dah! No more burnt edges!!

Oh, and did I mention that I only spent $8.00 on it?? I know, pretty awesome. 

How do you Keep a Pie Crust from Shrinking?

It seems that regular pie crusts with gluten in them seem to have the problem of shrinking more than almond flour or coconut flour pie crusts, so it shouldn’t be a big worry here.

However, if you are still having a problem with your low carb pie crust shrinking a bit though, you can try cooking it at a lower temperature, and some people have said that to give the crust a little bit of extra wiggle room, don’t make the crust too big.  

Other Diets Almond Flour Pie Crusts are Good for:

Besides being Keto-friendly, it’s, of course, gluten-free and also sugar-free. I love when you can have dessert recipes that are sugar-free, it makes me so happy, and I hope that it will make you all very happy too. 

How to Store Keto Pie Crust

If you need to make your crust a day or two ahead of time that no problem. You can leave it on your kitchen counter, but make sure to cover it with foil or plastic wrap. That will keep it fresher and keep it from getting stale. 

Can I Freeze Almond Flour Pie Crust?

Yes you can, but you need to make sure that it is wrapped up properly first. Wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap first, making sure it’s covered up completely. Then wrap it in foil tightly.

If you have a big enough plastic storage bag, then I’d recommend you put it in that too just to give it some extra protection so it doesn’t get freezer burn.

Low Carb Dessert Recipes:

If you’re in the mood for some other Keto-friendly Desserts, check out our:

• Keto Pumpkin Pie
• Low Carb Apple Pie
• Low Carb Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Best Keto Brownies
• Apple Crisp
• Raspberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies
• Keto Magic Cookie Bars

All of them are Keto-friendly and low carb, and will have your friends raving!

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