To make the perfect flaky gluten-free pie crust, you’d need a ton of ingredients that make a recipe read more like a science project. That’s not what this is. Instead, this recipe makes a crisp-tender cookie-like crust with the toasty, comforting flavor of oat flour and a buttery richness that would complement nearly any of your favorite sweet or savory pie fillings (it's particularly good in this gluten-free pumpkin pie recipe).
And in fact, there’s not a lot this easy gluten-free pie crust recipe can’t do. Bottom crust? Of course. Top crust? Sure. But you could also deploy it as an alternative to classic sugar cookie dough, press it into the bottom of a square tin for gluten-free lemon bars, or use it as a GF tart base. Whether it’s your first time gluten-free baking or your pantry is filled with buckets of rice flour, this homemade gluten-free pie dough is foolproof and bakes up golden brown with a tender crumb.
An all-purpose gluten-free flour blend rounds out the crust so it’s not too oaty. This is not the same as a measure-for-measure or 1:1 blend—or a gluten-free baking mix—so look at the package carefully. We like the versions from King Arthur and Bob’s Red Mill, both easily purchased through Amazon. The other secret is adding chunks of cream cheese with the cold butter, which helps bind the pie crust dough together in the absence of gluten.
Make sure to use plenty of that same gluten-free all-purpose flour mix for rolling out the dough. If it feels too soft to work with at any point, stick it back in the fridge or freezer to firm up.
Planning to pre-bake this pie crust? Pick up our favorite pie weights and follow our guide to blind baking for tips.
What you’ll need
Food Processor
$395 At Amazon
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Pie Pan
$23 At Williams Sonoma
Parchment Paper
$16 $14 At Amazon
Plastic Wrap
$15 At Amazon
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Recipe information
Total Time
20 minutes plus chilling
Yield
Enough dough for 2 single-crust pies, 1 double-crust pie, two 9-inch tarts, or two 8-inch-square batches of bar cookies
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Pulse 1¼ cups (120 g) gluten-free oat flour, ½ cup (78 g) all-purpose gluten-free flour such as King Arthur, plus more for dusting, ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar, ½ tsp. fine sea salt, and ⅛ tsp. baking soda in the bowl of a food processor until combined. Add 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled in freezer for 10 minutes and 2 oz. cream cheese, cut into small pieces and chilled in freezer for 10 minutes and pulse just until they form pea-size pieces.
Step 2
Whisk 1 large egg and 1 tsp. vanilla extract in a small bowl to combine. With the machine running, add egg mixture to dry ingredients and process until the dough just begins to hold together, about 10 seconds.
Step 3
Turn out dough onto a work surface and push any crumbly bits together to form a rough ball. Knead a few times to combine, then divide dough ball in half and flatten into 2 disks with smooth edges. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until very firm, at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
Step 4
Dust a large piece of parchment paper and your rolling pin with all-purpose gluten-free flour. Remove one dough disk from the refrigerator and roll out on parchment into a ⅛"-thick round, gently reshaping and rotating the dough as you go to make sure it’s not sticking and adding more GF flour underneath as needed. If dough becomes too soft or sticky, slide dough-covered parchment onto a baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 10 minutes. Invert a 9" pie plate over rolled-out dough, gently slide your hand under parchment paper, and turn upright. Remove parchment paper, then fit dough into pie pan and crimp edges as desired. Chill in freezer 10 minutes, then bake according to your pie or tart recipe.
Do Ahead: Dough can be frozen for up to 3 months; thaw in refrigerator overnight before using. Pies made with this dough are best served the day they’re baked.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in November 2015 as ‘Gluten-Free Multi-Purpose Sweet Pastry Dough.’ Head this way for more of our best gluten-free recipes for Thanksgiving →
Recipe notes
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