Almond Flour Pie Crust (totally healthy!)

Almond Flour Pie Crust. My healthy almond flour pie crust is super easy to make! You just need 5 ingredients: almond flour, arrowroot starch, sea salt, butter, and an egg! It is an excellent healthy pie crust for chocolate pudding pie, vanilla pudding pie, pumpkin pie, and more!

My Healthy Almond Flour Pie Crust Recipe is:

• High in fiber
• High in protein
• Healthier than classic pie crust
• Easy to make
• Perfect healthy pie crust for Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is only 2 days away I can't believe how fast time is flying by. I feel like it was just October and I was hanging Halloween decorations. But, it is a good reminder that life goes by too quickly and we should slow down and focus on the things that truly bring us joy. And joy for me means making desserts for the holidays!!

The thing I love most about Thanksgiving is all the different types of pie recipes. Pumpkin pie, apple pie, banana cream pie, you name it I love it. But what always happens (and doesn't this happen to us all) is that I get so bloated and tired after eating too much sugar and white flour crusts.

So, I have been on a roll in the kitchen experimenting with all sorts of healthier substitutions. I finally got the perfect recipe together for an almond flour pie crust and I am super excited to share it!

ALMOND FLOUR PIE CRUST INGREDIENTS

• Almond Flour. I use super fine almond flour. Almond flour is simply almonds with their skin removed, blanched, and then ground into a super fine powder. Almond flour has a lot more healthy fats, protein, and fiber than all-purpose flour!
• Arrowroot starch is used for helping to lighten the weight of the almond flour, and it also helps to hold the crust together.
• Pink sea salt. I use pink sea salt in place of conventional table salt in all my recipes. Conventional table salt is bleached and many times has anti-caking ingredients added.
• Organic butter. I like to use organic butter, that doesn't have any nasty additives or hormones in it. Make sure to buy unsalted butter. But, if you can only find salted butter, just omit the pink sea salt from your recipe.
• Egg. The egg also helps to hold the pie crust together and add a bit of moisture. I buy my eggs locally. If I am buying in store I always choose organic free range eggs.

IS ALMOND FLOUR OK FOR GLUTEN FREE DIETS?

Yes! Almond flour is an excellent (and healthy!) flour to use if you are following a gluten free diet. Make sure to look at the almond flour package for "certified gluten free."

IS ALMOND FLOUR GOOD FOR YOU?

Yes! Almond flour is good for you. Almond flour is really just made from finely ground almonds. Almonds are an excellent source of healthy fats, protein, and fiber! Let's look at 1 cup of almond flour compared to 1 cup of all-purpose flour.

When we are looking at the nutritional content of a food, we don't just look at calories. Look at how much protein, healthy fats, fiber, and other minerals it has. No longer is the old fashioned way of thinking "calories in = calories out" valid. Not all calories are created equal.

Remember, certain types of fat are GOOD for you! The fat in almonds is an example of a good for you fat. Healthy fats help to maintain our brain health and reduce inflammation in the body. Healthy fats are also necessary to keep your skin clear and hormones balanced!

TIPS & TRICKS FOR MAKING THE BEST ALMOND FLOUR PIE CRUST

Use super fine almond flour made from blanched almonds and don't use almond meal!

Use a pastry cutter to blend in the butter. Pastry blenders are so necessary for pie crusts! They help to quickly and efficiently cut in the butter.

Use parchment paper to roll the dough. This is how you keep a gluten free pie crust from crumbling. If you try to roll it on just a floured surface and then transfer it to the pie dish, it will be much harder and likely break apart.

Don't make the edges too big! If you have some excess crust leftover, take it off and either discard it or use it for mini pies crusts in some muffin tins or ramekins!

HOW TO MAKE EASY ALMOND FLOUR PIE CRUST

• In a large mixing bowl, sift together 2 cups super fine almond flour, ⅓ cup arrowroot starch, and ½ teaspoon pink sea salt.
• Add 1 stick of cold butter to the flour mixture. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the almond flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Make sure that all the pieces of butter are very small. The pieces of butter should be smaller than the size of a green pea.

• Next, form a well in the center of the flour. Add 1 egg to the center.
• Use a fork to mix the egg into the flour mixture. Keep mixing the egg in until you notice that the mixture becomes very sticky.
• Once the egg is fully incorporated, use your hand to gather all the dough together in a ball.
• Press the ball together so that there are no cracks.
• Carefully mold the ball of dough into a small disk.

Place the disk between 2 pieces of parchment paper and refrigerate for a half hour. You can refrigerate the dough overnight if you don't want to bake it right away.

HOW TO FORM ALMOND FLOUR PIE CRUST INTO A PIE DISH

Remove the pie crust from the fridge, and use a rolling pin to flatten the pie crust while it is still in the parchment paper. The parchment paper helps to keep the dough together and makes it much easier to transfer to a pan.

Peel one side of the parchment paper off the flattened crust.

(An alternative to using a rolling pin would be to put the pie dough right into the pan and press it on the bottom and up the sides. )

Place the crust on top of your pie dish, with the exposed crust side down.

Peel the other piece of parchment paper off then press the crust into the bottom of the pan.

The sides might brake off, but this is okay, it is easy to put them back on.

Remove any excess crust. You want the edges to be very small. I tried to make it with bigger edges the first time, but it just made the pieces of pie harder to get out of the pie dish, and they broke off anyway!

Form the edges into a nice smooth pattern if you wish.

You might notice that the pieces of butter are visible in your pie crust. This is because of the color of the almond flour. Don't worry, after the piece crust bakes you will no longer see the little pieces of butter.

HOW TO BAKE YOUR ALMOND FLOUR PIE CRUST

I baked my pie crust once with pie weights and once without. I also experimented with pricking the inside and edges with a fork, which is what you would do with a traditional pie crust.

However, almond flour is much heavier than regular flour and it was not necessary to use pie weights or prick the inside with a fork. So skip both of these steps all together! You do not need pie weights in your almond flour pie crust.

To bake your almond flour pie crust, preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake it for 10 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

I used my almond flour pie crust to fill with my healthy chocolate pudding filling, so I baked the pie crust for 10 minutes, filled it with the pudding (cooked stove top), and then chilled it in the fridge overnight.

If you are using your almond flour pie crust for a pie that the filling requires baking, you don't need to pre-bake it as long. However, I would still bake it for about 5 minutes just so the bottom bakes a bit and doesn't absorb too much of the filling liquid, which could cause it to become very soggy.

I have not yet used this pie crust to make baked fillings such as apple, pecan, or berry. Leave me a comment below if you tried these and how it turned out!

FAQ's

More frequently asked questions about my gluten free almond flour pie crust recipe.

CAN I USE ALMOND FLOUR PIE CRUST FOR CHEESECAKE?

Definitely!! Especially if you are not a fan of crumbly classic style cheesecake crust.

IS ALMOND FLOUR PIE CRUST VEGAN?

I made my almond flour pie crust with butter and egg, so this is not a vegan recipe.

IS ALMOND FLOUR PIE CRUST NO BAKE?

No! This pie crust needs to be baked to help it form up.

WHAT TYPE OF ALMOND FLOUR SHOULD I USE?

I used super fine almond flour in this recipe. Make sure you are not buying almond meal for this recipe because it will not work the same. Almond meal is made from raw & unpeeled almonds, while almond flour is made from blanched & peeled almonds.

WHAT IS ARROWROOT STARCH?

Arrowroot starch is a grain free thickener. Arrowroot starch comes from the roots of the arrowroot plant. It can be used as a substitute for corn starch for those who have corn allergies or avoid corn containing products.

Healthy pie recipes you might enjoy:

1. Wheat Flour Pie Crust
2. Gluten Free Pie Crust
3. Pumpkin Pie
4. Apple Pie Cheesecake
5. Chocolate Pudding Pie
6. Vegan Key Lime Pie
7. Coconut Banana Cream Pie (Vegan)

If you try this Almond Flour Pie Crust Recipe, please let me know your thoughts by leaving a rating and comment below! Ready for more? Subscribe to my newsletter or follow along on Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube!