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I Use This Almond Flour Pie Crust Recipe For Every Pie
This almond flour pie crust has been one of my favorite almond flour recipes for years. It’s buttery and flaky, and works well in many kinds of low carb recipes — from sweet keto desserts and to savory meals. I’ve had it here on Wholesome Yum since 2017, but it was actually one of the first healthy baked goods I ever made, long before that. Here’s why I use it for practically every pie I make:
- Buttery, rich, and flaky – I love the texture of this almond flour crust. No, it doesn’t taste quite the same as a white flour version, but it reminds me of a shortbread cookie. You’re going to love it!
- Quick and easy – You need just 5 simple ingredients, plus salt. And it only takes about 15 minutes.
- Healthy and keto friendly – This crust is low carb (just 2g net carbs per serving), grain-free, and gluten-free, with a dairy-free option. It’s also just a healthier choice with clean ingredients and no refined sugar.
- Make it sweet or savory – I’ve used variations of this keto pie crust in so many recipes, from sweet lemon meringue pie and pumpkin pie to savory chicken pot pie and spinach pie. You can use it for any kind of pie! Even my low carb cheesecake has a similar base.
- Option for a top crust – This is often a challenge for almond flour pie crust, but I’ve got top crust instructions below by just adding an extra ingredient.
If you’re looking for a keto pie crust or just want a healthier alternative for your baking, this is it. Make it with me and just add your favorite filling!
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.
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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.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine almond flour, Besti (if using), and sea salt.
- 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.
- 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.
- Bake until golden. Let your almost flour pie crust cool for at least 10-15 minutes before adding filling.
My Recipe Tips
- Use a food processor for even faster prep. It’s a little more cleanup, but makes it easier to incorporate the ingredients well. Plus, it’s less fuss: you basically dump everything in the food processor and spin. I have this food processor and love it. You can also use a hand mixer, but keep the speed low because the dough tends to go flying.
- Make sure your dough is mixed well. Mix the dry ingredients well to start (if doing it by hand, I like to use a whisk to break up any lumps). Then, mix very well again after adding the wet ingredients.
- The dough consistency can vary a bit. It depends on how you measure, and whether you include the sweetener (for a sweet almond flour pie crust) or not. This recipe is pretty forgiving, so as long as you can press the dough together between your fingers without crumbling apart, you’re good. You can add a little extra melted butter if it seems super dry.
- This almond flour pie crust recipe is for a shallow 9-inch pie pan. I use and love this glass pan. If yours is a different size or material, you might need to adjust the amount of dough and/or oven time.
- Do you still have to pre-bake if your filling is baked? Yes! The crust will get soggy if you don’t. But see my other tips below to avoid burning.
- If your pie filling needs baking, cover the crust edges. Since we blind bake this crust (that means bake it before filling), it will get too dark when you bake your pie if your edges aren’t covered. I usually just cover the edges with foil, but you can also use a non-stick pie shield or a silicone shield.
- Be careful not to over-bake. If the edges get dark golden when you blind bake, they will burn by the time your baked pie is done, even when covered. I aim for just the slightest hint of golden during the blind bake step if I’ll be baking it again, but let it get darker if I’ll be adding a filling that doesn’t need baking.
- Let the crust cool a bit before adding fillings. This helps it set, so that it doesn’t get soggy. It doesn’t have to be completely cool, but do wait at least 10-15 minutes.
- Want extra flavor? This almond flour pie crust is a neutral base that works with just about any filling. You can mix some garlic powder or Italian seasoning with the dry ingredients for a savory crust, or cinnamon (with the dry ingredients) or maple extract (with the wet ingredients) for a sweet crust.
Almond Flour Pie Crust (Keto, 5 Ingredients)
By
My almond flour pie crust is buttery and flaky, with 5 minutes prep, 5 ingredients, and 2g net carbs. It's a gluten-free, keto pie crust, too.
Instructions
[ See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line the bottom of a 9 in (23 cm) round pie pan with parchment paper, or grease well.
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In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, Besti (if using), and sea salt.
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Stir in the melted butter and egg, until well combined. (If using vanilla, stir that into the melted butter before adding to the dry ingredients.) The "dough" will be dry and crumbly. Just keep mixing, pressing and stirring, until it's uniform and there is no almond flour powder left. (Alternatively, you can use a food processor to mix it all together.)
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Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. You can flute the edges of desired; if it crumbles when doing this, just press it back together. Carefully poke holes in the surface using a fork to prevent bubbling.
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Bake for 6-12 minutes, until the edges are slightly golden — the time can vary depending on your pan, your oven, and the sweetener you use (or don't use).
Add fillings only after pre-baking. If your fillings will require baking again, you'll want to parbake the crust for the shorter end of the time spectrum, around 6-8 minutes, and use a pie shield or foil to cover the edges when baking again with filling.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 slice, or 1/12 of entire recipe
- Almond flour note: You can make this pie crust using almond meal, but the texture will be more grainy since it’s more coarse. I recommend Wholesome Yum Super Fine Blanched Almond Flour, which has the finest consistency and will give you the best texture.
- Sweetener note: The amount of sweetener that is best will vary based on the filling. Use 1/4 cup for a sweet crust, 2-3 tablespoons for a very lightly sweet crust (if your filling is super sweet), up to 1/2 cup for a very sweet crust (if you like a sweeter crust or your filling is tart), or omit sweetener for savory crust.
- Recipe tips: See my tips here! I’ve got a time-saving shortcut, notes on dough consistency and pie pan size, how to ensure your almond flour crust is not too dark or soggy, and add-ins for extra flavor.
- Making a top crust: This almond flour pie crust recipe won’t work for a top crust as written, but you can modify it by adding gelatin powder and water to make it sturdy enough for a top crust. See my top crust instructions.
- Make ahead: You can wrap the dough in plastic, press it into the pan, or pre-bake it ahead. With any of these options, store in the fridge covered in plastic for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months. See more details in the make ahead section above.
- Pie fillings: Try my sweet keto pecan pie, sugar-free pumpkin pie, keto apple pie, keto key lime pie, keto lemon meringue pie, or keto coconut cream pie. You can also make savory chicken pot pie, spinach pie, or keto quiche.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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Almond Flour Pie Crust
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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
644 Comments
Mike W.
0I plan on using this for pumpkin pies. Can I make these ahead of time? If so, should they be kept in the fridge? It will only be a day before I make the pies.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Mike, Yes, these can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.
Ashlee Shaw
0Can you use aluminum foil instead of pie shields? I literally have never made my own pie crust (that is what the freezer section is for) but want pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving. I don’t want to buy pie shields right now as I only make pies for the holidays at this point. I am excited to try this recipe for Thursday!
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Ashlee, Yes, you can use aluminum foil instead of pie shields.
Britt
0I made a pumpkin pie with this crust for my family’s Thanksgiving get-together. My mom raved about the crust! She said that it almost tasted like a cookie whereas for your typical store-bought pumpkin pie, you leave the leftover crust on the plate when you’re done with the filling because it doesn’t have much flavor. I used 1/3 cup cane sugar as the sweetener, as I haven’t found a calorie-free sweetener that my stomach can handle yet. The only issue I had was the filling recipe I used called for an unbaked crust. I baked this crust per the recipe prior to adding the filling, and despite keeping the crust covered for the rest of the bake, it was overdone by the end. So if you’re in the same boat, I would cut the baking time for the crust only down to ~6min, add the filling, and cover the crust for the rest of the bake. Despite docking the bottom thoroughly, I also had to push the bottom down a couple times during pre-baking to prevent a giant bubble from forming. 😉
Beverly Dahlstedt
0I’m making a pumpkin pie for thanksgiving. Given Im gluten free, I thought this would be a good crust. So, do I bake for 10 minutes and then fill it with the pumpkin and bake according to the pumpkin directions?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Beverly, Yes, you pre-bake it first. Here’s a full keto pumpkin pie recipe that uses this crust, if you need it.
Holly Smith
0Have you ever added cocoa powder? I’d like to use this for a chocolate orange cheesecake.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Holly, That sounds delicious! I have not personally tried that, but it should work. You may need to add a touch more melted ghee to keep the same consistency of the pie dough. Please let us know how it turned out!
Rebecca L May
0Can the crusts be made in advance and frozen?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Rebecca, The crusts will hold up better if they are baked first then frozen. They will quickly dry out if you freeze and unbaked pie crust.
Scott
0Okay, the instructions are confusing. You bake for 10 to 12 minutes then add the filling and cook an additional 10 to 12 minutes?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Scott, Yes, you pre-bake the crust. How long to bake afterward depends on what filling you are adding.
Susan S
0My daughter is on a new anti-Candida diet so we are avoiding many ingredients. Your pumpkin pie is the first one that I’ve found that she may be able to eat for Thanksgiving. Thank you for the recipe and this pie crust recipe. One question though. Why do you put sweetener in the crust? I’ve been baking pies for years and have never put sweetener in the crust. I don’t mean to be rude, I just don’t understand.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Susan, Feel free to omit sweetener in the crust if you want no sweetness at all in there. It’s just a small amount, though.
April
0I wanted to thank you for this recipe! I have probably made it 10 times so far. I make a quiche with the savory crust and everyone loves it!!
Melanie
0I am using this crust for a pecan pie. Do I need to pre-cook the crust?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Melanie, Yes, you need to pre-bake the crust before adding any filling to it.
Jessica
0I made the low-carb pumpkin pie with this crust and I was just thrilled with it. It was easy to make and surprisingly tasty! For some reason I was thinking it would be dry or tasteless, but I actually liked it more than a lot of the (even non-keto) pie crusts I’ve had. It was just moist enough for a pie crust, flavourful, and lightly sweet. This will be my new go-to keto pie crust
Joanne R Dority
0Can the crust be saved few days baked or unbaked, for lemon meringue?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Joanne, As long as it is properly stored in the fridge, then yes that will work fine.
Roz
0I love a great southern tomato pie made with tomatoes, cheese and of course, lots of bacon. Would this pie crust stand up to the ingredients of a tomato pie?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Roz, I haven’t tried that but I think it would. You’d just have to make sure it’s not too watery (from the tomatoes) and pre-bake the crust first.
lisa
0I am making this crust as we speak, after pre baking for 10min do I add the apple filling or bake it separately? Help.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Lisa, After pre-baking then you can add your pie filling and bake per the instructions for your pie. If your crust starts to get too dark, be sure to cover it with aluminum foil.
Beth Peters
0Hi, I made a lemon chess pie using your almond crust recipe. Turned out very well, a very simple procedure, this I appreciate. One thing that I would ask you to change in your “Paleo Pie Crust Substitutions for Eggs or Dairy” section. You state that: “ghee is dairy-free,” this is a false statement. Ghee is the clear liquid (at room temp.) fat of cows’ milk, usually made from whole churned butter. So this means that ghee is almost 100% butterfat and by definition a 100% dairy product.
However, the coconut fat option you detail is a truly dairy-free option. I site your inaccuracy because I work with a lot of people who are genetically lactose intolerant and for them, even a little dairy can be harmful, or at least very uncomfortable. Accurate information is appreciated for their sakes. Still a very good recipe.
Thank you for your attention and the recipe,
Beth Peters
Private Chef and Registered Dietician
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Beth, Thank you for your notes. To keep this crust truly dairy-free, please use coconut oil.
Wholesome Yum A
0This crust is actually really good and holds up well. I used Lankanto Monkfruit sweetener 1:1 sugar substitute and I also used the butter flavored coconut oil. If making a pie, it would be awesome but I made a quiche with it and the crust was a bit too sweet. If using for a quiche, I would cut back the sweetener. Otherwise, it is awesome!
Kevin
0Delicious! I’ve made this crust half a dozen times now for peanut butter pie. Thanks!
Fara
0Hi, I have made this pie crust several times with different fillings from your recipes. It’s a very good crust. I would like to know if I can use it as a double crust pie to use on the top of the pie. Do you think it stands up for it. Thanks
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much! Not as-is, but I have a keto apple pie recipe coming up that will have instructions on modifying this to stand up to a top crust.
Erin Nakayama
0Hello! I’d love to try this recipe. Most pastry doughs involve cutting cold butter in. If I use butter instead of ghee, can I cut cold butter in or do I need to melt it first?
Wholesome Yum
0Hi Erin, I would gently melt it first.
Kim Tait
0Made substituting 1 cup of the almond flour for chopped pistachios. Used coconut sugar at 4 carbs per tsp. smelled and tasted wonderful. Puch fresh peaches with coconut flour instead of cornstarch and the coconut sugar….followed the directions on the peaches. Need a tiny bit more sugar to be honest. Whipped cream would have made it.