Keto Pie Crust

by KetoFocus.com

Finally a low carb, yet flaky pie crust that no one but you will know is keto!

4.9 Stars (24 Reviews) 49 Comments
EasyKid FriendlyPie

They're not gonna know! This gluten free pie crust combines almond and coconut flour with lots of butter and a secret ingredient for flavor to help create air pockets for ultimate flaky golden crust. After several revisions, this recipe works perfect as a buttery, flaky keto pie crust without gluten. It is approximately 12 servings and is a wonderful addition to your keto arsenal of recipes.

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Nutrition Facts

12

Servings

142

Calories

13.5g

Fat

2.9g

Protein

1.5g

Net Carb

3.1g

Total Carbs

unbaked pie crust in a plate with rolling pie next to it

On the keto diet, you should have a go-to low carb pie crust recipe so you can make a keto pie whenever needed. This recipe for flaky keto pie crust is a recipe that is easy to make and only requires a few ingredients that are probably already in your keto pantry.

This pie crust is flaky and buttery and makes the perfect base for a pecan or pumpkin pie for the holiday.

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Keto Pie Crust Recipe Video

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Keto Pie Crust Ingredients

Keto Pie Crust Directions

  • STEP
    1

    Pulse dry ingredients with butter

    Add almond flour, coconut flour, xanthan gum and salt to a food processor. Give a quick pulse to combine. Add chilled cubed butter and cream cheese. Pulse until coarse crumbles form. (See instructions below if you don't have a food processor.)

    dry ingredients for pie crust in a food processor
  • STEP
    2

    Add wet ingredients

    Add egg and vinegar. Pulse until combined and a dough ball forms. Wrap pie crust dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disc shape and refrigerate for one hour.

    pie dough in a food processor
  • STEP
    3

    Roll out pie dough

    Place the chilled disc of dough in between two sheets of parchment paper and roll out dough to a flat circle. Start from the center of the disc and work your way out in all directions. If the parchment paper crumbles beneath the dough, either carefully stretch the paper out or flip the parchment paper sandwich and stretch out the paper. Continue rolling until you are at least an inch wider on all edges than the pie pan you want to use. Crust should be between 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick.

    flatten pie crust covered with a brown parchment paper
  • STEP
    4

    Place pie crust in pie plate

    Once your pie crust is at your desired thickness and width, remove top layer of parchment paper. Place pie pan upside down over pie crust. Hold one hand on the pie pan. Slide your hand under the bottom parchment paper and flip so the pie pan is on the bottom and crust is on top. Remove parchment paper.

    keto pie dough laying on a pie plate
  • STEP
    5

    Flute the edges

    Gently press the pie dough into the pie plate and trim the edges if needed. Flute the ends of the pie dough by pinching dough with your thumb and index finger all around the crust.

    unbaked pie crust in a pan with fluted edges
  • STEP
    6

    Blind baking instructions

    Proceed with the pie according to your recipe instructions. If your recipe requires a pre-baked pie shell, prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Add a sheet of parchment paper on top of the crust and fill with pie weights. This will keep the crust from puffy up on the bottom. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until the edges turn golden.

  • STEP
    7

    Freezer instructions

    Prep pie dough through step 3 and freeze disc wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator when ready to use.

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  • Keto Pie Crust
    • pie crust pressed in a pie pan

    What is the secret to flaky keto pie crust?

    The secret to a flaky keto pie crust is to not overwork your dough, keep your pie crust as cold as possible and use COLD BUTTER! You want chunks of butter in your crust. But don’t worry if you pie crust was over worked and your butter was too warm, the crust is still edible. It just won’t be very flaky.

    Importance of cold butter in pie crust

    Keep your pie dough as cold as possible. You want to work quickly while making the crust and use cold butter. I will even freeze my butter. This will help prevent the fat from melting. You don’t want the butter to melt inside the dough before baking because this will keep your keto pie crust from being flaky. Ideally, you want small chunks of butter in your pie crust. As your keto pie crust bakes, these lumps of fat will release steam and create gaps in the dough, yield multiple layers of flaky crust.

    chunks of butter in a pie crust dough

    What flours are in keto pie crust?

    My favorite combination of keto approved flours for making pie crust is almond flour and coconut flour. I use this combination in my keto baking because it is readily available in most grocery stores. Plus the combination of keto flours gives a similar consistency and flavor to regular all-purpose flour.

    If you have a nut allergy and can’t use almond flour, swap out for sunflower seed flour instead. It measures cup for cup with almond flour, so the quantity will be the same in this recipe if using sunflower seed flour.

    pie crust dough laying on a pie pan

    What is the purpose of xanthan gum in gluten free pie crust?

    The purpose of xanthan gum in keto baking is to provide structure and support to the pie dough. Since we aren’t using all-purpose flour in our keto baking, we need to use something that replaces gluten. Gluten is the key ingredient in flour that provides structure to hold baked treats together. Xanthan gum is a keto friendly replacement that will serve a similar purpose in this keto pie crust recipe.

    Making keto pie crust without a food processor?

    The easiest way to make keto pie crust is with a food processor. However, you can achieve just as good results with a pastry blender or using a fork to help cut the cold butter into the ingredients for the pie crust. This method takes longer than using a food processor but it will get the job done.

    One tip to make it easier to cut the cold butter into the pie crust ingredients is to grate frozen butter with a cheese grater. This will help break up the butter into small chunks.

    disc of pie dough in a freezer bag

    Make ahead and freezer instructions

    One of my favorite ways to save time while making holiday meals is to make my keto desserts ahead of time and this low carb pie crust is no exception. You can make up the pie crust days or even months ahead of time. Making up a large batch of keto pie crust is a great way to ensure you can easily make a pie for a holiday party, Thanksgiving or Christmas.

    To freeze your keto pie crust, store the crust in a disc shape wrapped in plastic wrap and store flat in the freezer in a freezer safe bag. Take out the night prior to baking and thaw in the refrigerator.

    How to roll out pie crust?

    To roll out pie crust, always make sure you dough has been chilled first. This will keep your crust flaky when it’s baking. Since this is not a traditional flour based pie dough and we are working with gluten free flours, it’s best to use parchment paper when rolling out the dough.

    Place the keto pie dough between two sheets of parchment paper. This will prevent the dough from sticking to the counter and rolling pin. Starting from the center of the disc roll out using gentle force in all directions to achieve a flat circle. Continue rolling in all directions until your gluten free pie crust is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and is at least 1 inch in diameter longer than your pie plate.

    rolling out pie crust with a rolling pin

    Troubleshooting tips

    • Keep you butter cold – even freeze it before making. Ideally you want small chuck of butter in your pie dough. When your crust is baked, those chunks of butter will melt allowing air to get trapped, creating a buttery, flaky keto pie crust.
    • Preheat your oven. In order create the flakiest low carb crust, you want to make sure your cold pie crust goes into a hot oven.
    • Use a pie shield to prevent burning the crust. To keep the edged of the keto crust from over browning or burning, cover the edges with a pie shield or cover the edges with aluminum foil. Make sure the center of pie is not covered with foil as you want the keto pie to bake and not steam.
    • Prevent Tough Pie Crust. If your pie crust is tough, it probably because you over worked the dough. When cutting the dough with a pastry blender or food processor, just cut enough until ingredients are just combined. Overworking will cause the butter chunks to melt and the result is a tougher, non-flaky keto dough.
    pinch fluted edges around a pie crust

    How to blind bake pie crust?

    Blind baking a pie crust means you are pre-baking the crust – not baking a pie crust while wearing a blindfold…although, now I’m intrigued. Blind baking means you bake the keto pie crust without a filling. This method is use mostly when you are making cream pies or pies that don’t require baking. For instance, my keto banana cream pie requires pre-baking the pie crust before assembling the rest of the pie because this pie sits up in the refrigerator.

    To blind bake a low carb pie crust, there are some important tips you need to consider. The main concern is the bottom of the crust can puff up while baking. This is caused from the melting of the fats in the dough which causes steam and puffs up the crust on the bottom of the pie pan. To avoid this, prick holes in the bottom using a fork to allow for steam to escape.

    It’s also important to weigh down the pie crust with something so it doesn’t puff up in the center or shrink down the sides. You can use devices like this pie that weigh down the crust or use some pie weights added to a sheet of parchment paper placed on top of your crust while it bakes.

    pouring pie filling into a pie

    Nutritional information & Macros

    Nutrition Information

    Keto Pie Crust

    Servings: 12

    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 142
    Fat 13.5g
    Protein 2.9g
    Total Carbs 3.1g
    Net Carbs 1.5g

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    49 Comments

    1. Very delicious! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe. We used it for a large keto quiche and it turned out great. I have a question: I made sure the dough was chilled for over an hour. It only took me about 1-2 minutes to roll between parchment but I found that the dough stuck to the parchment when I flipped into the pie dish. I stuck the whole hung in the freezer for a few minutes and took it back out but it still stuck. I ended up using my “cool” hands ☺️ And pressed it into the dish. Do you sprinkle any keto flour onto your parchment before rolling it out?

      Still, this was a yummy recipe and smelled amazing while cooking!

      Reply

        1. Hi Pam,

          I made this one in the her pie crust. It.was.amazing!!!!

          Keto Quiche Lorraine

          1/2# bacon chopped and cooked
          1 onion diced
          1/2 c shredded sharp cheddar cheese
          1/2 c shredded Gruyère cheese
          1 1/4 c HWC
          1/2 c water
          4 large eggs
          1/2 t salt
          1/4 t pepper
          1/4 t smoked paprika
          1/8 t ground nutmeg
          1 egg white

          Cook bacon, remove from pan, add onions to bacon grease.

          Whisk eggs, then add HWC and water and all the seasonings. Whisk together for a few minutes to incorporate a little of air. Add cheese, bacon and onions. Pour into prebaked crust.

          Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes until tester comes out clean. Cool a little bit before digging in.

          Enjoy!

          Reply

          2. Hi Monica. What is the egg white at the end for? Is it included n the filling, or brushed over the pie crust before (or after) pre-baking?

            Reply

    2. I never comment on recipes but I have to for this. It’s 100% legit!
      The best keto pie crust ever. It’s better than real flour crusts.
      This will be the only crust I’ll make from now on

      Reply

    4. All the ingredients look good except cream cheese which I don’t like. Can this flaky keto pie crust be made without the cream cheese?

      Reply

    5. I have been making my own pie crust for all of my baking for YEARS. It’s literally the easiest thing to make and it taste so much better than store bought crusts! I’ve made plenty of different crusts, but this by far is the best. It has a wonderful buttery texture that is flaky and delicious. I’ve made tons of pie recipes with this crust and all have turned out wonderful. Love love love!

      Reply

    6. I love this keto pie crust, my husband doesn’t even know its low carb. It makes a delicious pie crust and I will continue to use it over any other crust recipe.

      Reply

    7. I haven’t made this yet, but the holidays are here! I can’t wait to get started. Let the keto pie baking begin!

      Reply

    8. I’m not sure why I had this result. I was very careful with my measuring and reading the recipe. But my mixture became like a dough after adding the butter and cream cheese I did not get to the stage of course crumbles… I guess I’ll still add the egg and the rice vinegar though it doesn’t seem to need it at this point. It seems like it needed more almond flour.

      Reply

      1. It sounds like your butter was too soft. Or became soft when mixing. This happened to me before when my food processor bowl was warm from the dishwasher and it melted my dough. Make sure all of your bowls are room temperature or colder. And it works best if you freeze the cubed butter for at least 30 minutes before making the crust.

        Reply

    9. This is a fantastic crust. I’m going to fool my family and not tell them it’s keto! Do you ever add anything to sweeten it for a sweet pie? Thank you!

      Reply

    11. This sounds amazing. I am making a fresh cherry pie for my dad for christmas with fresh cherries and I am wondering if you have a good keto recipe for this type of filling that I can use with this crust???

      Reply

      1. I don’t have a cherry pie filling recipe. Cherries are higher in carbs, but you can definitely make it low carb/low sugar. Use fresh or frozen cherries (without added sugar) and follow your recipe but use allulose syrup or sugar-free sweetener in place of the syrup. If the recipe calls for a thickener, use 1/2-1 teaspoon xanthan gum.

        Reply

    12. This looks better than any I’ve seen so far for keto pie crust I’m curious as to what purpose the egg serves in the in the dough? Could it be substituted for something else for someone with an egg allergies?

      Reply

      1. The egg is there for structure and support. You might be able to get away with not using it. I haven’t tried it without. You may need to add something else like cream cheese to help hold it together.

        Reply

    13. I did something way wrong. It was looking really good. I pulsed the dry ingredients with the chilled butter and cream cheese and it came it crumbly. Then I added the vinegar and egg and then it came out it came out creamy like a cookie batter. Too big if an egg? Too much vinegar? Any tips?

      Reply

      1. It’s supposed to be crumbly with the butter and cream cheese. And it would be like a cookie dough with the egg and vinegar. Sounds correct. Did you watch the video to see the texture? You could always add more almond flour if you need to thick it up a bit.

        Reply

    14. This looks like an amazing recipe. But it sounds like a lot of vinegar. You don’t taste it? Could you use half the amount of vinegar?

      Reply

    15. Can you taste the coconut in the flour? I’ve never used that flour for fear it will make everything taste like coconut which I do not like. Thanks. It looks fantastic!

      Reply

    16. This was the best pumpkin pie ever. Everyone loved it! It took an extra 20 minutes for the custard to cook.

      Reply

    17. I baked pumpkin for 40min at 400, no ingredient substitution, and while pie was barely done, my crust was burnt. I’m talking the bottom crust too, not only the edges. What am I doing wrong?
      Using clear glass pie mold, convection oven, temperature is correct checked with separate thermometer.

      Reply

    18. Annie, I am not sure what I am doing wrong but everytime I make this crust it emits oil/butter when I parbake it. I am an experienced baker and know all the tricks but this has me stumped.Help! Denise

      Reply

      1. It sounds like your butter is getting to warm before you bake. I freeze my butter before cutting it into the pie crust. Don’t overmix the the crust. It needs to have large pieces of butter throughout the dough. Then try refrigerating the dough before baking. Are you using real butter?

        Reply

    19. Delicious and easy to make! I skipped chilling/rolling the dough and just pressed it into my pie pan, then chilled the whole thing on the freezer while the oven preheated.
      It turned out flaky, and made for the perfect quiche. Will definitely be using this recipe again!

      Reply

      1. I haven’t tried anything besides coconut flour since it works just fine for me and I can’t taste it. In my youtube video for this recipe, I suggested trying an additional 3/4 cup almond flour or 3 tablespoons oat fiber, but I haven’t experiment with those yet, so not sure if they would work & you may need to add more liquid…it’s just a starting point.

        Reply

    22. Thanksgiving guests thought my tarts were professionally made! I did add a bit of 1:1 gluten free flour because I didn’t have any xanthum gum and I needed something for dusting so it wouldn’t stick. I also used perforated rings which I highly recommend. This is a keeper!!

      Reply

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