We need a flaky pie crust… without gluten, grain, dairy, egg, soy, corn, almond, sesame, cashew, or peanut…
Is it even a holiday without pie?
I’m talking about a pie with crust that is crispy, with a rich flavor, but not heavy.
The kind of crust that crunches and flakes on your tongue as you bite into it.
The subtle flavor and perfect texture of pie crust completes the holiday experience.
Now that is a Dream!
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I cannot tell you how many times I watched others eat pie while I made do with other desserts.
I don’t care what they were, they weren’t pie. I wanted pie.
There’s particular level of sadness that comes from watching others eat what you can’t have. You know that feeling…if you’ve felt it once, once is enough.
As of today we are done with that, we are are making pie crust. And we are going to do it without gluten, grain, dairy, egg, soy, corn, almond, sesame, or cashew.
How is that even possible?
Because this is Break A Recipe and that is what we do here!!
We take our favorite foods, and re-create those recipes without gluten, grain, dairy, egg, soy, corn, almond, peanut, cashew, or sesame.
We make foods that look and taste like the original version, so that everyone can share one safe recipe!
When you make this crust your friends and family ask you which bakery your pie came from.
Welcome to Break A Recipe!
My name is Nina, I’m a food nerd who cooks and bakes without gluten, grain, dairy, egg, soy, corn, almond, cashew, peanut, and sesame.
When I tell people this, they usually ask, “What’s left to use”. I answer, “Unicorn Farts, of course!”
We laugh, and I explain how I use simple ingredients like chickpea flour, tapioca flour, and coconut to mimic the flavor and texture of traditional foods.
If this is your first time visiting, thank you for stopping by! If you are a returning reader, newsletter subscriber, recipe tester, or Facebook group member, thank you for all your help! You keep me on my toes. You inspire me to Break New Recipes each week. Life is better with foodie friends, and I’m thankful to call you mine!
So that’s what we do here. We use alternative, allergen friendly ingredients, to replicate the recipes we all crave. As the name of my blog implies, I break things in the kitchen. I would love it if you would come behind the scenes with me every week and let me tell you more about it in my newsletter.
You can subscribe by clicking here. I’m a food nerd and I love having foodie friends!
And today, I am so excited to share this recipe for pie crust with you!
Now Let’s Get Back To The Pie Crust Recipe!
I’ve tried to skip the pie, and tell myself I didn’t miss it. I was WRONG, I missed pie!
This recipe is special. It started as a family recipe. I received it from a cousin at my Great Aunt’s Funeral. Auntie was the kind of person who exuded kindness, she had a particular passion for food. She nourished everyone she ever met.
So the fact that I was able to break her recipe for pie crust and share it with you…would have made her day.
This is the point in the blog post where I tell you that making this recipe won’t be any different than making a traditional recipe…
But that’s not the case this time…before you look for another recipe let me tell you why!
Remember this is Break A Recipe…where we break the rules of cooking until we get what we want!
Let’s look about the rules when it comes to making traditional pie crust and how we’re going to break them!
- The shortening must be cold…Nope—We’re melting the shortening!
- Don’t over mix the ingredients or you’ll develop the gluten! Nope—We’re going to use xanthan gum to replicate gluten…because we break the rules and get delicious results!
- The colder the dough the better…Our dough rolls best at room temperature!
- Roll the crust immediately! —Nope, if you allow the crust to rest for 30 minutes you’ll get a nice friendly crust. Rolling it will be as easy as pie!
This pie crust is more forgiving than any pie crust I have ever worked with!
And even if your local store is out of Unicorn Farts, you’ll be able to make this delicious easy pie crust quickly. Oh…and the recipe makes 4 crusts!
My favorite thing to do is make mini-pies. They are easier to roll and it just feels amazing having a whole pie to yourself!
Are you ready to Break a Recipe? Let’s Go Shopping!
If you’re looking for equipment or ingredients, here’s what I use in my kitchen.
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Pie Plates or Mini-Pie Pans
- Pie Shield
- Rolling Pin
- Measuring cups
- Liquid Measuring Cups
- Adjustable Measuring Spoons
- Pastry Rolling Matt
- Flour Shaker
- Silicone Scraper
Ingredients
- Organic Coconut Oil
- Coconut Flour
- Chickpea Flour
- Tapioca Flour
- Xanthan Gum
- Cream of Tartar
- Baking Soda
- Coconut Milk
- Cold Water
- Lemon Juice
- Salt
- Sugar
These ingredients and equipment are what I use in my own kitchen. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you purchase anything through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for helping to “keep the lights on,” here at Break A Recipe.
Enough With the Words, Let’s Break A Recipe!
Gluten-Free Pie Crust (Grain-Free, Vegan, Nightshade-Free)
Equipment
- Food Processor
- Mixing bowl
- Dry Measuring Cups
- Liquid measuring cup
- Adjustable measuring spoons
- Basting Brush
- Silicone Scraper
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 4 Cups Grain-Free Flour Blend Recipe notes for link to flour.
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2⅛ Teaspoon Xanthan Gum
- ½ teaspoon Cream of Tartar
- 2 Tablespoons Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
Wet Ingredients
- 1 ⅔ Cups Organic Coconut Oil, melted
- ⅓ Cup Coconut Milk
- ¼ Cup Chickpea Flour Included with wet ingredients because it replaces egg in this recipe.
- ½ Cup Cold Water
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, blend grain free flour, sugar, salt, xanthan gum, and cream of tartar ingredients. Set aside
- In a food processor, blend dry ingredients into melted coconut oil.
- In a separate bowl whisk chickpea flour with coconut milk. With food processor running, add to food processor.
- Gradually add cold water and lemon juice to food processor. Blend 1 minute. Dough will stiffen as it blends.
- Remove dough from food processor. Separate into quarters, roll in grain free flour and allow pie crust to rest for 30 minutes.
- For an open faced pie, press pie crust into pie plate and bake according to pie recipe.
Notes
Let’s See It Happen!
What’s Grain-Free Flour?
Grain Free Flour Blend
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Container for storing extra flour
Ingredients
- 2 cups tapioca flour
- 2 cups chickpea flour
- 1 cup coconut flour
Instructions
- Add tapioca flour, chickpea flour, and coconut flour to a mixing bowl. Using a large spoon, stir ingredients until well mixed.
Notes
Let’s Take A Closer Look At Our Ingredients
Coconut oil-–
The more ingredients a recipe has, the greater potential it contains allergen. Since we are using coconut milk and coconut flour in our Grain-Free Flour Blend, we’ll use coconut oil as our fat. One of the great things about using coconut oil, is it has a sweet flavor which enhances the pie crust. It goes great with pumpkin or pecan pie.
Grain-Free Flour Blend,
This takes the place of white flour in our bread. We blend it from three main ingredients: chickpea flour; tapioca flour; & coconut flour. While all the flours are gluten-free, chickpea gives us protein, tapioca gives us starch, and coconut gives us fiber. This and a little xanathan gum and we can create breads which just look and taste like the real thing!
White Sugar
(beet sugar or cane sugar)–many people ask if they can omit the sugar in bread, but it’s a vital ingredient! The sugar feeds the yeast. As the yeast grows, it consumes the sugar and produces carbon dioxide. That’s how we get those beautiful little air pockets in the bread. If there’s no sugar there’s very little rise. Now let’s talk type of sugar–both beet sugar and cane sugar are white sugars. Of these two, beet sugar is less inflammatory than cane sugar. If you are concerned about inflammation, I would go with beet sugar. It’s what I use when I cook and bake.
Salt—
As much as we want the yeast to grow, we want it to remain in control, salt controls the growth of yeast! Without it our yeast would grow too quickly and our bread might collapse during baking! Salt is also an essential nutrient we need in moderation. Take the salt shaker off the table, and salt your recipes in the kitchen.
Baking Soda—
what would a kitchen be without baking soda? Make sure to have a separate box or jar for the fridge and another for baking. We use baking soda to give the “lift” an egg would give these little loaves.
Cream of Tartar—
Another leavening agent, this recipe uses cream of tartar to in combination with baking soda and chickpea flour to replicate eggs.
Lemon Juice–
My great aunt’s original recipe called for vinegar. I had never heard of vinegar in pie crust…but why not try it? One problem…vinegar is made from grain and I do not it enjoy it when my whole body becomes one big hive! And that leads us to lemon! While vinegar is inflammatory, lemon is anti-inflammatory! So we’ll use lemon in its place. It will give our pie crust a bright flavor and enhance its crispiness. And can you ever really argue with an ingredient that makes your pie crust crispy and flaky?
Xanthan Gum—
The closest I’ll ever get to baking with unicorn farts, xanthan gum makes the magic happen! It thickens, it emulsifies, it foams. It creates structure and allows the CO2 pockets created by the yeast to remain after the yeast is removed from the oven.
The most frequently asked question about xanthan gum is—“Does it contain: dairy, soy, wheat, or corn?” These are the most common ingredients uses in creating xanthan gum. So people are right to ask. But I have found Authentic Foods Xanthan Gum, a brand that is free of all these allergens! It’s made from cabbage. I haven’t had anyone tell me they dislike it. It’s high quality, allergen friendly, and it gets the job done!
Can you believe how easy it is to make a delicious pie crust?
I hope you enjoy this easy piecrust and that it helps you eat safely.
Whenever you enjoy pie, remember days are special because we make them special. I hope this pie crust helps you mark a wonderful time with special people.
Before You Go…
Thank you for reading, for trying this recipe, and for taking a chance on a recipe made with unique ingredients!
You’ll find it’s easy to make, and your body will feel much better after eating it. You will find your gluten-and grain loving friends going for seconds!
If you’re cooking this for someone with allergies, thank you again for supporting them. You’re an amazing friend. Pin this recipe so you can share it with those who need it, and find it later!
Please tell me how your recipe turned out when you make it. Click here to reach me directly. You can also find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest using the links below. I really enjoy your feedback and comments. I can’t wait to hear how your recipe turned out!
Come connect with others who cook without grains. Life’s better with Foodie Friends. We’d love to have you join us in Grain-Free Lifestyle And Support Community.
This pie crust is phenomenal! The instructions are easy to follow, and it bakes up beautifully. My daughter was thrilled to get to enjoy pumpkin pie with everyone else at Thanksgiving!
Thank you for trying the pie crust. The recipe came from my Great Aunt; she would be delighted to know that an allergen friendly version of her recipe is on your table. It’s such a blessing when everyone can eat safely, together!
Wishing you safe and delicious foods,
❤️Nina