Healthy Pie Crust

My healthy pie crust recipe is well worth mastering because it can be used again and again for all of your favourite savoury or sweet pies and tart crusts, whether they have cooked or uncooked fillings. We're talking anything from pumpkin pie to butter tarts and vegan quiche. You can even use it to make pastries, pasties and galettes.

This healthy pastry recipe makes one pie crust suitable for a top or bottom. If you want to make a double-crusted pie simply double the recipe. There are 1X, 2X and 3X buttons in the recipe card that will alter the quantities for you automatically, so no need to do the math yourself!

This healthy pie crust is made with just 4 ingredients:

1. Flour - You can use all-purpose flour (plain flour in the UK), wholewheat flour or a good all-purpose gluten-free flour containing xanthan gum, like Bob's Red Mill 1 for 1 Baking Flour. I haven't tried it, but I'm 99% sure spelt flour will also work.
2. Almond flour - This healthy pie crust is made without shortening, butter, vegan butter or oil. For pastry to work though it needs a source of fat and in this recipe, our fat is coming from almond flour, just like it does in my healthy oil-free biscuits and many other almond flour recipes. Almond meal isn't as soft or as fine as almond flour and won't work as well in this recipe. Please also note that leftover almond pulp from making almond milk will not work in this recipe because much of the fat will have leached out into the milk and won't be present in great quantities in the pulp. Use any leftover almond flour to make my vegan parmesan cheese!
3. Salt - For flavour. Use fine salt not coarse salt, so it disperses evenly throughout the dough.
4. Unflavoured & unsweetened milk of choice - Milk gives a much better result than water in this recipe. Use any variety of non-dairy milk but steer clear of those with vanilla flavouring or any sugar added. Be sure to check the ingredients. It must be plain or it will affect the flavour of the pastry dough, particularly if you are making a savoury pie. The amount of milk needed varies every time. Use just enough so the dough holds its shape and is easily rollable.

OPTIONAL Sugar - Add some unrefined cane sugar (or white sugar) only if the recipe you are making calls for a sweet crust.

Please note that each ingredient has a very specific job, so when making this vegan pie pastry it is important to not make any subs and to be precise with your measurements. I highly recommend the use of a digital scale for measuring flour and butter. Cups are not accurate enough for the best and most consistent results when baking.

If you're wondering what else you can make with almond flour find more almond flour recipes here.

Vegan oil-free pie crust is really quick and easy to make with just a bowl and a spoon. Here's how:

1 - Mix everything together in a large bowl, adding the milk gradually and mixing between each addition. Use just enough so the dough holds its shape when you squeeze it together in your hand, feels supple and will be easily rollable.
2 - Use your hands to form the dough into a ball.
3 - You can either roll out the pie crust and drape it over the dish, or just press it in gently with your hands if you don't mind it looking a little "rustic".
4 - Press it into the dish tightly and gently with your hands, then crimp or trim the edges.

5 - Prick the bottom all over with a fork.
6 - Line with scrunched-up parchment paper, then fill with baking beans, dried rice or dried beans and blind bake or fully bake.

If the pie recipe you are following calls for a fully baked pie crust, you need to fully bake this healthy pie crust recipe. If it calls for a blind-baked or par-baked shell then you need to blind-bake (par-bake) it.

As a general rule though, recipes where the filling going into the pie is wet and has a tendency to make the bottom soggy, like pumpkin pie or quiche, or recipes where the filling needs a shorter bake time than the crust, require a blind-baked pie crust. By blind-baking, you get a nice crisp crust and reduce the chances of a soggy bottom.

When the pie is being filled with a no-cook filling it is essential to fully bake the pie crust and cool it completely before adding the filling. For pies that will go back in the oven, like quiche or pumpkin pie, the crust can still be warm when you add the filling.

Instructions are included in this recipe for both methods.

1. Prevent crumbly pastry by making sure you use enough milk when mixing the dough. Too little and your dough will be difficult to work with and will be prone to cracks.
2. Roll the dough so it is a bigger circle than the diametre of your pie dish. You can hold the dish over the rolled pastry to see if it is big enough. It should be at least 2 or 3 inches wider all around so there is plenty to cover it and go up and over the sides.
3. When lining the pie crust with parchment paper, cut a piece the size you need then screw it up in your hands really tightly like you are going to throw it in the trash, then straighten it out and push it gently over and into the pie crust. It makes it much easier to fit it in there without damaging the pastry.
4. Preheat a large metal baking tray in your oven and place the pie crust on it to bake. The heat from the metal on the bottom of the crust helps ensure it becomes crisp and won't get soggy when you add the filling. This is a great thing to do anytime you are cooking something with a pastry crust.
5. Prevent a tough pie crust. This can be caused by not using enough fat in the crust (be sure to weigh the flour and almond flour accurately with a digital scale so the ratio is correct). Cup measurements are not accurate when measuring flour or flour-like substances.

Here is how to make healthy pie crust pastry in advance:

• Uncooked and unrolled pastry dough - Make the healthy vegan pie dough up to 3 days ahead. Place in a tightly sealed freezer bag, airtight container or wrap tightly and thoroughly in cling wrap and place in the fridge until needed. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge. You might need to leave it out at room temperature for a few minutes to warm and soften very slightly before rolling it.
• Rolled, lined and uncooked - After lining the pie dish you can carefully store it in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. Be sure to cover it tightly so it doesn't dry out and be very careful it doesn't get knocked while in the fridge or freezer. Blind-bake or cook it completely straight from the fridge or freezer. Add an extra minute onto the bake time if it's coming from the freezer.
• Blind-baked or completely baked - Stored in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 4 days.