What If I Dont Have A Food Processor
You can simply mix together all ingredients by hand in a bowl. Note: it wont stir together, so its literally by hand and will take quite a bit of effort. Also, be sure to melt the butter first if mixing by hand. Otherwise, it wont incorporate evenly.
I prefer using a food processor to make pie crusts. Although its a bit of extra cleanup, it makes it easier by simply dumping everything together and mixing until combined. Plus you can use cold butter for easier shaping of the crust .
How To Make Sweet And Savoury Pie Crusts
How you plan on using the crust will determine if you want a sweet pie crust or savoury pie crust. If you are baking a quiche you can easily make this crust savoury by adding a little salt, herbs, and seasoning to the keto dough.
However, if you want to make a sweet keto dessert recipe such as berry pie, no-bake cheesecake, or chocolate pumpkin pie you would want to make your crust sweet to match the pie filling.
To make the low-carb pie crust sweet, simply omit the salt from the recipe and replace it with your favourite powdered sweetener or sugar replacement.
Top Tip: Using a liquid sweetener will make your pie crust too sticky to work with.
Coconut And Almond Flour Come With Health Benefits
Besides helping you maintain a ketogenic state, there are many reasons you may want to opt for almond or coconut flour instead of a grain flour containing an abundant amount of carbs.
With almond flour, youre receiving many of the same benefits you would otherwise get from consuming raw almonds. The same goes for coconut flour, which is simply ground up coconut meat.
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Almond flour has been shown to improve heart health, improve cognitive function, improve skin health, help control blood sugar levels, improve nutrient absorption, improve digestion, and even help aid against inflammation.
However, this flour isnt the only low-carb alternative sure to provide you with an abundant amount of health benefits. Coconut flour helps aid in metabolic function, improves digestive system function, and helps maintain healthy blood sugar levels].
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Why You’ll Love It
There are many people who prefer coconut flour over almond flour and I’m one of them. It’s much lighter than nut flours and gives baked goods a texture more like all purpose flour.
This buttery pie crust is light and flaky. You can use it for either savory or sweet pies. Just omit the low carb sweetener for savory.
That makes it great to use for keto desserts as well as savory dishes like a low-carb chicken pot pie.
Can I Make My Own Coconut Flour
If you feel like giving it a try, you can make your own coconut flour at home.
Here is an easy way to do it:
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Making Keto Pie Crust Without A Food Processor
The easiest way to make keto pie crust is with a food processor. However, you can achieve just as good results with a pastry blender or using a fork to help cut the cold butter into the ingredients for the pie crust. This method takes longer than using a food processor but it will get the job done.
One tip to make it easier to cut the cold butter into the pie crust ingredients is to grate frozen butter with a cheese grater. This will help break up the butter into small chunks.
How To Substitute Coconut Flour For Almond Flour
You can substitute coconut flour for almond flour but you need to make some changes to the recipe and convert the measurements correctly.
Coconut flour sucks up more moisture than almond flour, so if you use coconut flour instead of almond flour then you need more liquid, or else the recipe will be dry. So as a result, all of the ingredients have to be adjusted.
You also have to allow a few minutes for the flour to absorb the liquid causing the flour to swell.
Substituting Almond Flour for Coconut Flour
- For every 1 cup of almond flour only use ¼ cup of coconut flour
- Add one egg for each ¼ cup of coconut flour.
- If the mixture is too dry, add more liquid until the consistency is right.
- If the mixture is too wet, add one teaspoon of coconut flour at a time until the consistency is right.
Substituting Coconut Flour for Almond Flour
- For every ¼ cup of coconut flour replace it with 1 cup of almond flour.
- If the mixture is too dry, add more liquid until the consistency is right.
- If the mixture is too wet, add one tablespoon of almond flour at a time until the consistency is right.
Sometimes we use both types of flour together which makes a good combo in some recipes.
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What Ingredients Are In Coconut Flour Pie Crust
- Coconut flour The main ingredient in making the coconut flour pie crust. Look for one thats 100% organic and finely ground.
- Eggs An essential form of moisture with the coconut flour and a binding agent to hold the dough together.
- Vanilla A good flavor in the pie crust especially when making a sweet pie.
- Salt A common spice that enhances the flavor in the low carb pie crust.
- Monk Fruit A low carb sweetener that is a replacement for sugar that has zero net carbs. Its a must in low carb desserts including this coconut flour pie crust recipe.
- Butter An important ingredient in order to make your keto coconut flour pie crust not only flavorful but also give it a flaky texture.
Filling The Pie Shell
Remove the pie crust from the oven and cool it down in the pie dish before adding any cold filling like custard or fruits.
You can transfer the pie crust safely to a cooling rack after 10 minutes.
If you are using this 3-ingredient pie crust recipe for a quiche or pumpkin pie or any pies that require the filling to be baked, dont cool down the crust.
Immediately spread the mixture evenly over the pre-baked crust.
Return to the oven until the filling is baked. You can tent the pie with foil to prevent the sides of the pie crust from browning too fast.
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Making The Crust Flakier
Its the cold butter that helps to make the dough flaky. Plus also chilling the dough in the refrigerator before forming it and then once again before baking it will also make the best coconut flour pie crust.
When you poke fork holes in the bottom of the crust it also allows the steam to get out so that it wont get trapped in between the crust and the pie plate and therefore make the crust soggy.
Why Is This Keto Pie Crust The Best
Its the best crust replacement for any classic wheat crust:
- its buttery
- easy to make
- perfect for both sweet or savory pies such as salamon quiche or vegetable tart.
- its nut free because its made only with coconut flour, so if you have a nut allergy this will be your go-to pie crust.
Does it taste like coconut? Absolutely not! You cant taste the coconut flour in this grain-free pie crust. Baking with coconut flour might seem complicated and expensive, but in fact, its effortless and budget-friendly.
I love using coconut flour in keto baked goods because its very low in carbs and cheaper than almond flour. You can use this keto pie crust to make savory meals by eliminating the sweetener and vanilla.
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Coconut Flour Pie Crust
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Want the perfect base for your low-carb pies that isnt made with almond flour? Give this simple coconut flour pie crust a try for both sweet and savory pies.
It seems that every year, the holiday season creeps up on my and I’m left scrambling at the last minute. It also gives me a good reason to bake some sugar-free pies.
I’ve created a lot of recipes for a keto pie crust over the years. The recipe I usually use for holiday pies is the one found on my key lime pie recipe. That was the first crust I ever made with coconut flour. But, that recipe also includes almond flour.
Since then, I’ve also created a really good almond flour pie crust that is really close to a regular pie crust in taste and texture. But that one isn’t a good option for those who need something nut-free.
I know a few people who are sensitive to nuts so its nice to have an option for them. That’s why I created this easy coconut flour pie crust recipe.
This crust is safe for those with a nut sensitivity and doesn’t have a strong coconut flavor like my coconut pie crust. That makes it a much better alternative to a traditional crust.
How To Prep The Crust Ahead Of Time
To save time when hosting, you can prep the pie crust dough ahead of time. Make it as directed, and either bake it or store it as dough until ready to bake.
Thats right, this crust is super forgiving. Here are some prep ahead options:
- Prepare the crust and store the uncooked dough in a ball tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or even freeze it .
- Prepare the crust, form it into the pie pan, then refrigerate or freeze it.
- Make the crust, pre bake it, then store it in the fridge or freezer.
- Make the entire pie, including the filling, then store in the fridge. For this method, I recommend the day before. If stored too long in the fridge itll get soggy or not taste as well. Also, freezing isnt recommended for most pies as they dont defrost well.
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How To Blind Bake Pie Crust
Blind baking a pie crust means you are pre-baking the crust not baking a pie crust while wearing a blindfoldalthough, now Im intrigued. Blind baking means you bake the keto pie crust without a filling. This method is use mostly when you are making cream pies or pies that dont require baking. For instance, my keto banana cream pie requires pre-baking the pie crust before assembling the rest of the pie because this pie sits up in the refrigerator.
To blind bake a low carb pie crust, there are some important tips you need to consider. The main concern is the bottom of the crust can puff up while baking. This is caused from the melting of the fats in the dough which causes steam and puffs up the crust on the bottom of the pie pan. To avoid this, prick holes in the bottom using a fork to allow for steam to escape.
Its also important to weigh down the pie crust with something so it doesnt puff up in the center or shrink down the sides. You can use devices like this pie that weigh down the crust or use some pie weights added to a sheet of parchment paper placed on top of your crust while it bakes.
How To Roll Out Pie Crust
To roll out pie crust, always make sure you dough has been chilled first. This will keep your crust flaky when its baking. Since this is not a traditional flour based pie dough and we are working with gluten free flours, its best to use parchment paper when rolling out the dough.
Place the keto pie dough between two sheets of parchment paper. This will prevent the dough from sticking to the counter and rolling pin. Starting from the center of the disc roll out using gentle force in all directions to achieve a flat circle. Continue rolling in all directions until your gluten free pie crust is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick and is at least 1 inch in diameter longer than your pie plate.
Also Check: Campbells Soup Chicken Pot Pie
Can I Use A Different Sweetener
Yes, you can use a different sweetener, youll just want to make sure its powdered so that it dissolves into the sugarless coconut cream pie. You can find substitution options in my keto sweeteners guide.
I recommend Besti Powdered Monk Fruit Allulose Blend for best results , but you could also use powdered allulose or powdered erythritol.
Should I Use A Food Processor Or Mix By Hand
Its always much quicker if you can use an electrical appliance to mix things, so a food processor would always be quicker than mixing it by hand. If you do not have a food processor in the kitchen, you can still make a pie crust with coconut flour.
Mixing it by hand is definitely doable and when I used to make pie crust with white flour I used to do it by hand, it really was not hard at all. Low carb pie crust is actually easier to work with in the respect that its not as delicate as white flour pie crust is.
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Flour Options For Keto Crusts
Superfine almond flour works best. It has a similar look and texture as all-purpose flour, but without gluten and almost no carbs. However, since it doesnt have gluten, it cannot be used as a simple substitute in all baking recipes. Be sure to find recipes specifically made for almond flour. Since this pie crust doesnt need to rise, it works perfectly fine in this recipe.
Ive seen other keto pie crust recipes that only use almond flour, but after experimenting I found a bit of coconut flour helps a lot. It doesnt affect the flavor, but helps to soak up some of the moisture. Creating a less crumbly, more traditional pie crust.
What if I dont have coconut flour? Simply substitute it with additional almond flour, but note the texture will be slightly different.
Almond Flour vs Almond Meal
Only fine almond flour will work in this almond pie crust. Almond flour is first blanched , then ground into a super fine texture, similar to all-purpose flour. When baked, youll end up with a nice, flaky pie crust.
Alternatively, almond meal includes the skin and is much more crumbly and coarse. It will still work in a crust, but is more likely to break apart when cut.