Almond Flour Pie Crust Recipe: in Colors & Dots Too!

This delicious keto Almond Flour Pie Crust recipe is the perfect base for any sweet pie. With only 5 ingredients, it’s easy to make. It’s also low in saturated fat as well as gluten-free, paleo and low carb. There’s even a dairyfree option for vegans.
You can leave the crust in its natural color or dye it a merry holiday color. Or try polka dots, savory variations, and a whole lot more. It’s all covered here.

Maybe you have been on a low-carb diet for some time. Or maybe you are just venturing into the world of keto baking for the first time. Either way, this is a failproof recipe. You’ll have it done in a jiffy and it’s made by hand, so you don’t even need a rolling pin.

And if you like experimenting, I share several unique sweet and savory pie crust variations.

Why Almond Flour Pie Crust is so healthy

Naturally low carb

Firstly, almond flour is naturally low in carbs. In fact, it has a glycemic index of less than one which means that it doesn’t spike blood sugar levels. In other words, this pie crust, which fills the kitchen with the gorgeous aroma of almonds, is suitable for diabetics. Everyone can enjoy this mellow crust guilt-free. Moreover, almond flour is high in protein. It’s also low in starch. All these factors make it an excellent choice for people on a low-carb diet.

Low in saturated fat when made with avocado oil

Secondly, most keto pie crusts are made with butter. While butter has zero carbs, it’s also high in saturated fat that drives up your bad cholesterol. So, I instead opted for heart-healthy avocado oil, which significantly reduces the saturated fat in the recipe. In fact, if I had used butter there would be more than twice as much saturated fat in the recipe. In other words, 3.4 grams of saturated fat per serving as opposed to 1.5 grams with avocado oil.

Also note that coconut oil is very high in saturated fat. So, I rarely, if at all, use it in my cooking. Just so you know: 1 tablespoon of avocado oil has 2 grams of saturated fat, 1 tablespoon of butter has 7 grams of saturated fat, and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil has a whopping 13 grams of saturated fat (65% of your recommended daily allowance).

Apart from the nutritional benefits, avocado oil is neutral in flavor. It also impeccably melds with the mildly sweet and nutty crust.

The ingredients in almond flour pie crust

Here you will find my tips so you pick the right ingredients. For the full recipe with measurements, please scroll to the Recipe Card at the bottom.

• 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 crust since the entire raw almond is used.
• Granulated sweetener of choice – In my sweet crusts, I use keto-friendly sweeteners such as monk fruit and erythritol, which don’t have any carbs or calories. If you haven’t tried them before, they are one-to-one sugar replacements and don’t have an aftertaste. So, your guests won’t know that the crust doesn’t contain refined sugar. If you’re making a savory crust, omit the sweetener.
• Salt – just a little bit.
• Avocado oil (or butter) – Neutral-tasting avocado oil has a lot less saturated fat than butter or coconut oil and melds beautifully with the nutty aromas of almond flour.
• 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. Omit if you are making a savory keto pie or tart crust.

You might also like Sugar-Free Apple or Pear Pie.

How to make Almond Flour Pie Crust

You don’t need an electric mixer to make this crust. A bowl and spoon suffices. And, of course, you need a pie or tart pan.

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Put the ingredients in a bowl and mix on high in a bowl or food processor.
• Roll dough into ball.
• Shape dough into disk and place in pan.
• Press dough into pie pan, making a flat bottom and moving outwards from the center.
• Shape sides making sure they are equally thick. This is easy to do using a mini saucepan or cup, as pictured below.
• Flute the edges, if desired.
• Puncture the bottom of the pie with a fork. OR omit the fork and instead use a mini saucepan or glass to flatten any bubbles on the crust’s bottom after removing the baked crust from the oven.
• Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 F (180 C) until light golden brown. However, if you plan to add filling and bake the pie some more, then I recommend simply baking it for about 9 minutes until it is set.

Pro tips for the perfect almond pie crust

Before fluting the sides, use a mini saucepan or a glass to help you flatten the bottom evenly. Also use the saucepan or glass to structure the sides. Whether or not you flute the sides, the sides should be equally thick.

Flute the sides using your pointer finger.

Almond flour pie crust color variations that impress

Magenta: Add dragon fruit powder for this gorgeous crust

Add 4 tablespoons of Wilderness Poets Dragon Fruit Powder to the recipe to infuse the crust with a delightful but mild dragon-fruit flavor and to turn the dough a jaw-dropping magenta. If you add dragon fruit powder, you may want to increase the sweetener and/or avocado oil in the recipe – just taste it and check the texture.

Green: Add natural food dye for a holiday pie crust

During the holidays, I made a Sugarfree Pecan Pie with a green-and-red theme and dyed the crust green. I simply used a few drops of natural, store-bought, green food dye. My one tip: Cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil, because you don’t want the edges to get too brown. After all, you want the gorgeous color to shine through.

Polka Dots: Add black sesame seeds

I add a tablespoon of black sesames and a half tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to the crust when I make it for Healthy Pumpkin Tart. I also make black sesame almond flour crust as a savory crust for all kinds of quiches and omit the sweetener and vanilla.

Keto chocolate pie crust

You can also make a delicious Keto Chocolate Pie Crust for Healthy Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie, which is totally over the top and the perfect pie for chocolate lovers.

Savory pie crusts

Simply omit the sweetener and vanilla from this Almond Flour Pie Crust Recipe and you’ll have a savory pie, tart or quiche crust.

As for savory variations, there are countless options. For example, for Savory Keto Cheddar-Chive Almond Flour Pie Crust, I simply omit the sweetener and vanilla and instead add cheddar and chives. This crust adds a great little punch of flavor to my Keto Chicken Pot Pie.

Q&As about Almond Flour Pie Crust

Equipment to make keto pie crust

• 1 pie or tart pan – a 9.5 Pyrex Glass Pie Dish or a 9-inch, nonstick, aluminum pie pan or a tart pan
• 1 Mixing bowl
• 1 Spoon or food processor or stand mixer

How to store almond flour pie crust

To store: You can store a baked almond flour pie crust in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. Just be sure to wrap it in plastic.

To freeze: If you plan to store it more than two days, simply wrap it in plastic and freeze it for up to 3 months.