Almond Flour Pie Crust

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here I explain the best ingredients for my almond flour pie crust recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

Almond Flour:

I recommend Wholesome Yum Super Fine Blanched Almond Flour, which has the finest consistency and will give you the best texture. You can make this pie crust with almond meal, but the texture will be more grainy since it’s more coarse.

I do not recommend using coconut flour in this recipe — it will be extremely dry. Make my coconut flour pie crust instead.

Sweetener:

You only need this for a sweet almond flour pie crust — omit for savory. My keto sweeteners guide covers the differences between alternatives, but here’s a summary of what you can and can’t use for this recipe:

• Besti Monk Fruit Allulose Blend – My top recommendation, because it measures just like sugar, has 0 calories and net carbs, and has no aftertaste. Most importantly, it helps lock in moisture (unlike other sweeteners), for a flaky keto crust that isn’t dry.
• Erythritol – I used to make this almond flour crust with it, but no longer recommend it. It’s more drying than Besti and can taste a little gritty and minty. Because erythritol is less sweet than Besti, you’ll need more to achieve the same sweetness.
• Allulose – Similar to Besti above, but less sweet. You have to use more, just like erythritol.
• Coconut Sugar – A paleo option. It’s not keto friendly, but works if it fits your lifestyle.
• Liquid Sweeteners – Avoid these, they make the crust too runny. I’m working on a different recipe for these.

Use my sweetener conversion calculator if you use something other than Besti.

Even for sweet recipes, I’ve varied the amount of sweetener in this keto pie crust, depending on how sweet the filling is:

• If your filling is super-sweet, then 2-3 tablespoons of sweetener in the crust might be enough.
• If it’s more tart, you may want to use as much as 1/2 cup of sweetener.
• Most often, 1/4 cup of Besti is a good amount, so that’s what I put in the recipe.

Other Ingredients:

• Fat – Fat adds flavor, prevents dryness, ensures the correct wet/dry ingredient ratio, and gives you that golden edge. I use unsalted grass-fed butter most often and it’s delicious! If you need an alternative, you can use ghee (dairy-sensitive) or coconut oil (dairy-free, but imparts a mild coconut flavor). If you want to keep that buttery flavor, I love butter flavored coconut oil.
• Egg – Provides structure and gets you the right wet/dry ratio. If you need a substitute, the easiest is to increase the amount of butter (or other fat) in my almond flour pie crust recipe by 2 more tablespoons. It will be a little more crumbly, but still tastes great. You can also use a flax egg, my go-to egg substitute when I’m recipe testing for my dairy-free readers.
• Salt – Salt brings out the sweetness, so don’t leave it out. For a savory almond flour crust, omit the sweetener and double the amount of salt. I use sea salt for all my recipes, but any kind is fine.
• Vanilla Extract (optional) – I highly recommend it for a sweet crust. I like this brand.

How To Make Almond Flour Pie Crust

I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

1. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, Besti (if using), and sea salt.
2. Add the wet ingredients. Pour in the melted butter (mixed with vanilla, if using) and egg. Stir until well combined. Your almond flour pie dough will be crumbly, which is normal.

3. Press into a pie pan. Transfer the dough to a greased or lined pie pan and press in, fluting the edges if you like. Poke holes in the surface with a fork to prevent bubbling.
4. Bake until golden. Let your almost flour pie crust cool for at least 10-15 minutes before adding filling.

How To Make A Top Crust

I get this question a lot, and it’s important to know that you can’t use this almond flour pie dough for a top crust as written. But you can modify it to make a top crust! Here’s how:

1. Multiply the crust ingredient amounts by 1.5. I can do this for you if you just update the number of servings on the recipe card above from 12 to 18! Or you can just see the amounts in my keto apple pie recipe.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of unflavored gelatin powder + 2 tablespoons of water. Mix well. This doesn’t work well mixing by hand (you may end up with lumps of gelatin), so I recommend using either a food processor or hand mixer.
3. Blind bake the bottom crust. Press half of the dough into the bottom and sides of the pie dish. (Leave thinner sides than you would if you were fluting an almond flour pie crust without the top.) Bake for 6-8 minutes, until set but not really golden.
4. Add the filling and top crust. Fill your pie shell with your favorite filling. Roll out the remaining dough between sheets of parchment paper, flip over onto your pie, then peel off the paper. Seal the edges and cut slits on top to vent.
5. Bake your pie. The baking time will depend on your filling, but I usually recommend an oven temperature of 350 degrees F.

Alternatively, check out my gluten-free pie crust, which is also almond flour based but more sturdy for a top crust.

Pie Filling Options

This almond flour pie crust works for all kinds of pies! Here are some of my recipes you can use it with:

• Sweet – I use this keto pie crust for sweet pies most often. It’s the base for my keto pecan pie, sugar-free pumpkin pie, and keto apple pie for Thanksgiving and throughout the fall. You can also use it for my healthy apple pie (as long as you don’t mind not having a lattice top). In the spring and summer, I love it for keto key lime pie, keto lemon meringue pie, and keto coconut cream pie.
• Savory – Try the savory version with my chicken pot pie, spinach pie, or keto quiche.

You can even use this crust for tarts, like my pear tart or tomato tart recipe.

Do you have other pie fillings you like? Let me know in the comments below how you use this almond flour crust!

Make Ahead Options

You can easily make this almond flour pie crust in advance. There are several different ways:

• Just make the dough: Wrap it in plastic and store in a ball in the fridge for up to 5 days.
• Press into the pan: Instead of wrapping the ball of dough, you can press it into the pan and cover that in plastic.
• Pre-bake the crust: My go-to option, since this almond flour pie crust is best pre-baked anyway. Cover and store in the fridge. It’s also fine on the counter for a day or so after baking.
• Freeze: You can freeze a ball of dough, raw crust pressed into a pan, or pre-baked crust. It will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months. Whether or not you can freeze this keto pie crust with filling inside will depend on the specific filling. Like any crust, it can get soggy upon thawing with certain fillings. You can thaw on the counter or in the fridge overnight.