This is the most delicious Keto Chocolate Pie Crust! It’s so easy to make. It’s even healthy and low in saturated fat. Made with dark cocoa powder, it’s the perfect gluten-free pie crust for those days when you’re craving a very chocolatey pie. No rolling pin needed!
If you’re looking for a gluten-free pie crust without chocolate, try my sugarfree almond flour pie crust.
I initially made this dark, smooth shell for a scrumptious Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie, which I can’t recommend enough. The crust itself bursts with mellow, earthy chocolatey tones and sings the way my garden does on a bright, sunny day.
You can, of course, also pair this soft, chewy, gluten-free chocolate pie crust with your favorite filling. Whatever filling you use, the assertive shell will punch up your dessert with a dark, rich burst of chocolate flavor that won’t disappoint.
Why Low-Carb, Keto Chocolate Pie Crust is so healthy
Opt for plant-based avocado oil instead of butter, so it has less saturated fat than a traditional pie crust.
Opt to make it sugarfree with monk fruit or erythritol, so there are zero calories from sugar.
Made with nutritious, low-carb almond flour.
If you’re vegan, simply replace the egg with a flax seed meal egg.
In short, a keto crust is a low-carb crust that gets its calories from protein and fat rather than from carbohydrates.
This mahogany-colored crust will wow friends & family
People will be impressed whether or not they’re health conscious. Moreover, the crust is suitable for keto, low carb, gluten free, vegan and diabetic diets.
Recipe ingredients & notes & substitutions
Dry ingredients
- Almond flour – Use fine, blanched almond flour which is made from peeled almonds. I don’t recommend using almond meal which is a little too coarse and dark for this almond flour pie crust since the entire raw almond is used.
- Granulated sweetener of choice – You can make this recipe with regular refined sugar. But wouldn’t it be nice to have zero calories and zero carbs from the sweetener? And no sugar rush? And a crust suitable for dieters and diabetics? Just opt for a sugarfree, keto-friendly sweetener such as monk fruit or erythritol. These are natural, one-to-one sugar replacements without an aftertaste that don’t give you a sugar high or raise blood-sugar levels.
- Dutched cocoa powder – I made this crust with Hershey’s SPECIAL DARK Dutched cocoa powder, which is a dark, unsweetened cocoa powder. It is important to note that it tastes different from natural unsweetened cocoa powder because it’s processed or alkalized, giving it a mellower, nuttier and earthier flavor profile. Dutched cocoa powder is also darker in color. It is, for example, used in products that many of us grew up with including Oreo cookies or Swiss Miss Chocolate Mix.
- Salt – just a little bit.
Wet ingredients
- Avocado oil (or butter) – Neutral-tasting, plant-based avocado oil has a lot less saturated fat than butter or coconut oil and melds beautifully with the nutty aromas of almond flour. No one will know that you are using avocado oil and no melting required!
- Egg – You can’t taste the egg in the crust. Instead, it acts as a binder since almond flour doesn’t contain gluten. Vegans can replace the egg with 1 flax seed egg (1 tablespoon of flax seed meal plus 3 tablespoons water).
- Vanilla extract – enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.
Want to make a keto vegan chocolate pie crust?
Just use a flax seed egg: 1 tablespoon of flax seed meal plus 3 tablespoons water and let it gel for a few minutes. Note that some store-bought egg replacers contain baking soda which you don’t need, since you don’t want your chocolate pie crust to rise.
How to make this healthy chocolate crust
1. Simply mix the ingredients together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. It’s best to use an electric mixer, food processor or stand mixer to mix the ingredients really well. If you do this by spoon, you will probably have to add a little more avocado oil or butter. I mention this because I run my stand mixer on high for a few seconds to really fuse the ingredients.
2. Then roll the dough into a ball in your hands and shape it into a disk. Next, put the disk in the center of the pie pan and using your fingers, press the dough along the bottom, working your way outwards to form thick sides which are essential if you want to flute the sides. You can also use a mini saucepan or cup to help you flatten the bottom and build the sides.
As long as you have thick sides, you’ll have the edges of this pie fluted in no time. Simply use your pointer finger to shape the sides as described in the photo below.
Next, bake your crust for about 10-12 minutes.
I would like to point out that if you’re planning to add a filling that requires baking, make sure you don’t overbake the crust.
To bake or not bake your crust
If you want to make a keto no-bake chocolate pie crust, simply omit the egg and instead use a vegan egg replacement such as a flax seed egg (1 tablespoons of flax seed meal plus 3 tablespoons of water that needs about 10 minutes to gel). You would also need to use powdered instead of granulated sweetener, so the crust doesn’t taste grainy.
To “par bake” the crust, i.e., to partially bake or prebake the crust before adding a filling that also needs to be baked, simply bake it for about 9-10 minutes. That is enough time for the bottom to set. Note that if the bottom doesn’t set, you might end up with a soggy chocolate pie crust. It’s also essential for to let the crust cool fully before adding a filling.
To “blind bake” the crust, i.e., to fully bake the crust before adding a filling that doesn’t need to be baked, simply bake it for about 10-12 minutes until it is fully set and baked. Be sure to let it cool completely before adding the filling. Otherwise, your crust might be soggy. You also wouldn’t want to the heat of the crust to impact the filling.
Keto Chocolate Pie Crust filling ideas & recipes
- Healthy Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie is over the top and 100-percent sugarfree!
FAQs about gluten free chocolate pie crust
I have only made this recipe with Dutch-process cocoa powder so the sweetener is calibrated for that. If you were to make it with natural cocoa powder, you would have to adjust the amount of sweetener.
Dutch processed cocoa, Dutch cocoa, or alkalized cocoa, is treated with an alkalizing agent to reduce the natural acidity of cocoa, giving it a less bitter taste and darker color compared to “natural cocoa.”
Yes, because it isn’t safe to consume raw eggs.
Yes, simply omit the egg and instead use an egg replacer such as 1 tablespoon of flax seed meal plus 3 tablespoons of water. This also makes the crust vegan.
Yes, definitely, it’s an excellent butter substitute that is vegan and has half the saturated fat of butter. I use avocado oil, for example, to make pie crust. You can also whip pureed avocado into cake batters and pie fillings for an incredibly moist cake.
Instead of refined sugar, use a keto-friendly sweetener such as monk fruit, erythritol or allulose. You’ll find these sugarfree sweeteners at grocery stores, health food stores, and online.
Kitchen equipment for this pie or tart shell recipe
- 1 medium-sized mixing bowl
- 1 electric mixer or food processor or stand mixer to mix the ingredients on high for a few seconds
- 1 pie pan – a 9.5-inch Pyrex glass pie dish, or a 9-inch nonstick aluminum pie pan or a tart pan. You don’t have to grease the pan or use parchment paper.
How to store your crust
To store: You can store a chocolate almond flour pie crust in the refrigerator. Just remember to cover it well with plastic wrap, so it doesn’t dry out.
To freeze: If you plan to store it for more than two days, simply wrap it in plastic and freeze it for up to 3 months.
Keto Chocolate Pie Crust – Low Carb
Equipment
- 1 Medium-sized mixing bowl
- 1 Electric mixer or food processor or stand mixer You need to mix it on high for a few seconds to really blend the ingredients well.
- 1 Pie pan Use a 9.5-inch Pyrex glass pie dish, or a 9-inch nonstick aluminum pie pan or a tart pan.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups almond flour 240 grams
- 7½ tablespoons white or brown granulated sweetener of choice 85 grams
- 2½ tablespoons dark Dutched cocoa powder 15 grams
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup avocado oil or butter
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Put the ingredients in a bowl and mix on high for a few seconds with an electric mixer or food processor or stand mixer.
- Roll dough into ball.
- Shape dough into disk and place in center of pan.
- Press dough into pie pan, making a flat bottom and moving outwards from the center.
- Shape sides making sure they are equally thick. A glass or mini sauce pan can help you flatten the bottom and build the sides. Note: The sides need to be thick if you want to flute them.Tip: If your hands are slightly damp, the dough won't stick.
- Flute the edges, if desired, using your pointer finger, as described in the photo in the post.
- The bottom doesn't bubble up when I make it, so I don't puncture the bottom of the pie crust with a fork. But if your pie crust bubbles up during the baking process, just use a mini saucepan or glass to flatten the bottom when you remove the pie crust from the oven.
- Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 F or until a knife comes out clean. If you plan on adding a filling and then baking the crust some more, I recommend only baking it for 9-10 minutes. That's enough time to set it.
- Allow to cool. Then add your filling.
Notes
This crust is delicious. We made it for the chocolate chip pecan pie which was a big hit when we served it on Thanksgiving. Thanks, can’t wait to try more of your recipes.
Just tried this crust yesterday and it’s really delicious. Nice idea to use avocado oil. Thanks.
Glad you like it too. Yes, avocado oil is the perfect healthy alternative to butter.