Paleo Almond Flour Pie Crust
A delightfully crisp and light crust made with almond and tapioca flours.
Previously I posted a wonderful pie crust using primarily cassava flour. But if you prefer using almond flour, this paleo almond flour pie crust is for you! My personal preference is to use the paleo cassava flour pie crust for baked fruit pies and savory pies, and this almond flour pie crust for refrigerated single crust pies. It could be chocolate cream, banana cream, or any pie that has a fully baked crust and refrigerated filling. This crust has a slightly sweet taste with a crisp texture and works beautifully in that context.
How to Make Paleo Almond Flour Pie Crust
This crust is really quite simple. It can be made by hand in a bowl, but I typically prefer using a food processor. Gather and measure all the ingredients. Combine all the dry ingredients and place in a food processor. Add the sustainable palm shortening and pulse several times. Add the egg and apple cider vinegar and turn the food processor on low. Scrape down the sides as necessary. After the dough is thoroughly mixed, it should be fairly wet and more like a cookie dough than a traditional pie dough. I often find that water is not necessary, but if the dough is firm and less like a cookie dough, add a teaspoon of water at a time and continue mixing.
Remove the dough from the food processor or bowl and place between two pieces of parchment. Press the dough into a disk, then roll it out into a circle large enough for your pie pan. Remove the top piece of parchment and gently flip over the dough onto the pan. Press and tuck the dough into the pan, mending any pieces that may tear. Any extra dough pieces can be shaped around the rim.
To either partially bake or fully bake the pie crust, it's best to use pie weights. Place a piece of parchment on the bottom of the crust and fill with the pie weights. Once partially baked, remove from the oven. If fully baking the crust, remove weights after 15 minutes, then continue baking.
Partially or Fully Baked Crust
Remove the pie weights. If you fully baked the crust, let it cool completely before adding the filling. A partially baked crust can be filled right away and placed back in the oven for final baking.
Doubling the Recipe
You can double this recipe for two crusts. I find that this dough is fragile and making a top crust can be a challenge, but it can be done. Just be gentle when rolling out and adding the top crust. You may need to mend any torn pieces.
Making Your Pie
As previously mentioned, it's my personal preference to use this paleo almond flour pie crust for refrigerated single crust pies. The cassava pie crust works well for baked and double crust pies. But you can certainly experiment and see what works best for you! Enjoy!
Storage
Depending on the filling, this crust usually does well up to 2 days in the refrigerator. After too long in the refrigerator, the bottom of the crust can lose the crisp texture.
Paleo Almond Flour Pie Crust
Equipment
- 1 food processor see notes
- 1 8-9" pie pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1/2 cup tapioca flour
- 1/8 tsp sea salt
- 2 tsp coconut sugar eliminate for savory pie or galette
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 cup sustainable palm shortening
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- water as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Combine dry ingredients (almond flour, tapioca flour, sea salt, coconut sugar, and baking powder) and place in a food processor.
- Add the palm shortening and pulse several times. Add the egg and apple cider vinegar and blend until completely combined. Scrape the sides of the food processor as needed. The dough should be soft, similar to a cookie dough. If needed, add one teaspoon of water at a time to soften the dough.
- Scrape out the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and shape into a disk. Add another piece of parchment over the top and roll out the dough into a circle. Gently lift off the parchment and carefully flip over the dough onto a pie pan.
- Press the dough into the pan and mend any broken pieces. Smooth out any cracks. Add any broken pieces of dough to the outer rim and shape the edges.
- Add parchment to the bottom of the crust and fill with pie weights (or dry beans), spreading them out toward the edges.
- Bake the crust. For a partially baked crust that will be filled and baked further, bake for 15-18 minutes. For a fully baked crust, bake for 28-30 minutes. Remove the pie weights for a fully baked crust after 15 minutes, then continue baking. To remove pie weights, lift up the corners of the parchment paper.
- Finish according to your pie recipe.