If you’ve been missing the flaky, buttery layers of a traditional pie crust since going gluten free, your search ends here. We know the struggle: store-bought gluten free shells often taste like cardboard, and homemade versions crumble before they even hit the pan.
This recipe changes the pie shell narrative. By combining the rich flavour of butter with the structural integrity of vegetable shortening, we’ve created a dough that is pliable, rolls out easily, and bakes up into a golden, tender masterpiece.
Gluten Free Pie Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour gluten free
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter cold & cubed
- ½ cup vegetable shortening cold & cubed
- ½ cup ice water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, sift the flour, add sugar, and salt until well combined.2 1/2 cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons sugar
- Add the cold cubed butter and cold vegetable shortening.1/2 cup unsalted butter, 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
- Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut them into the dry ingredients until you have small pea-sized crumbs
- Slowly drizzle in one tablespoon of ice water at a time and gently mix it in until the dough starts to come together.1/2 cup ice water
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pack it into a ball.
- Cut the dough in half and flatten it into two discs.
- Cover each one tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Roll the dough out to 12 inches in diameter, transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate, gently fit it in, trim any excess dough, and decorate the edges.
- Line the pie dough with parchment paper or foil, making sure to cover the bottom and the sides, then fill with pie weights
- Bake with the pie weights at 400°F (190°C) for 15 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, remove the parchment paper (or foil) and the pie weights.
- Prick the bottom of the pie crust with a fork to prevent bubbling and return to the oven.
- For a partially baked pie crust: Return the crust to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or until the bottom of the crust looks dry.
- For a fully baked pie crust: Return to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Nutrition Details
Recipe Notes
Tried this gluten free recipe?
Let us know how it was!Whether you are making a savoury Chicken Pot Pie or a classic Pumpkin Pie, this is the only base you’ll ever need.
You’ll absolutely love this gluten free pie recipe because it’s super flaky, ridiculously easy to make ahead of time, uses simple pantry staples you likely have on hand and tastes better than anything that you can buy at the store.
Making your own pies should never be intimidating. This tutorial on how to make your own homemade gluten free crust makes it easy! We’ve tried this with both sweet and savoury pie dishes, always with great success every time.
Searching for an all-purpose gluten free flour? Find a great selection of APGFF options online including Cup4Cup, Bob’s Red Mill and more. The all-purpose flour you choose will play a big roll in the flavour of your crusts, so take the time to find something you love.
We love using the all-purpose gluten free flour offered by gfJules. It is certified gluten free. The six individual flours plus xanthan gum she painstakingly combined and re-combined and tested and tweaked mimic the whole grain-to-starch ratio of wheat flour. Which means it performs like wheat flour in all of your recipes. And defies belief on a daily basis!
Why This Gluten Free Recipe Works (Ingredient Deep Dive)
The 50/50 Fat Ratio: We use half unsalted butter and half vegetable shortening. Butter provides that classic, rich flavour and golden colour, while shortening has a higher melting point, preventing the crust from shrinking and ensuring those distinct, flaky layers.
Ice Water is Key: The water must be ice-cold to keep the fats solid. If the butter melts before baking, you lose the layers.
Sugar & Salt: A touch of sugar aids in browning (which can be hard with GF flour) and balances the savoury notes of the crust.
Tips for Gluten Free Dough Success
Working with gluten free flour is different than wheat flour. Here is how to guarantee success every time:
Measure Flour Correctly: Spoon your GF flour into the measuring cup and level it off. Scooping directly from the bag packs it down, leading to a dry, crumbly dough.
Keep it Cold: We cannot stress this enough! If your kitchen is warm, chill your mixing bowl beforehand. If the dough feels sticky or soft while rolling, pop it back in the fridge for 10 minutes.
Hydrate the Flour: Gluten free flours take longer to absorb water. Once your dough forms a ball, the resting period in the fridge isn’t just for chilling. It allows the rice flours and starches to fully hydrate, removing any gritty texture.
Holiday Prep Made Easier
Fridge: Wrap the dough discs tightly in plastic wrap and store for up to 3 days. Let them sit on the counter for 15 minutes before rolling.
Freezer: This dough freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator for stress-free holiday baking.
What’s a substitute for evap milk?
When do you add the pumpkin filling to the crust? Half baked, no bake?
Hi Sandy,
The best substitutes for evaporated milk are regular milk, non-dairy milk, half and half, heavy cream, and powdered milk. All of these ingredients can be used when a recipe calls for evaporated milk. You can almost use any kind of milk instead of evaporated milk with a little tweaking.
When using a frozen pie shell, we half baked. When using a fresh pie shell, no baked. Both worked great.
I’ve made this several times. It comes out perfect every time. The first few times I used it to make pecan tarts. Tonight I used it to make sausage rolls and OMG, they were so good. I’m obsessed with this crust, it’s buttery, flakey and delicious.
The best pie crust I have ever made.
This really is a foolproof recipe. Try hard as I might, it was impossible to overwork, which usually happens with the strips on a lattice top pie. The final product was light, tender, and flaky with just the right amount of crispness. This is now my go to for all pie crust needs.
This was the most delicious pie crust I’ve ever made. Used it for a chicken pot pie and this will be my go to recipe from now on. Thanks!
This pie crust is so easy to work with.
OMG, I have searched for years and finally found a pie crust that worked the first time and everytime. I really mean it! I have made at least 50 pies with minor success and mostly complete failures. I’ m happy enough to leave a comment which I have never done before. Thanks sooo much! James
Pot pies are without a doubt top of my list of favorite foods. Decided to make my first one today. Needed a pie crust recipe and came across yours. I was expecting less than perfect results for sure. Followed your instructions, crossed my fingers and hoped it was at least edible. It turned out amazing! Crispy, buttery, flakey, layered goodness!
Beautiful tasty pie crust!! Made a gluten free quiche with half and froze the other.
This was absolutely the easiest pie crust ever, if I can do it, you can do it.
Used this gluten free pie crust for pumpkin pie this Christmas. It was flaky & no complaints from the entire table. Thank you!
Great recipe!
Delicious. Was so good for my chicken pot pie!
So fast and easy! I made a strawberry pie with this crust recipe. Sooooo delicious!
Finally a pie crust recipe that can be a permanent bookmark in any home recipe book. Thank you!
All my life I have bought my pie crust because of people telling me how difficult it was to do. I decided to give it a try after 40 years of buying premade crust. Never ever will I buy premade. So easy! The tips others gave with shaving cold butter into small pieces and using hands to mix, made the process soooooo EASY!!! Delicious💕
I helped my daughter make this for the first pie she had ever made herself. She was able to make this herself and when it was done the crust for her cherry pie was perfect!