This tried-and-true paleo pie crust is everything you dream it would be! It's light and flaky, doesn't break apart, has an authentic taste and texture, and has a vegan option!
Combine the almond flour, arrowroot, salt, coconut flour, and psyllium husks in a food processor. Give it a good whirl a few times until it's one lovely flour.
Cut the butter into small cubes. Add it to the food processor and pulse until the flour resembles coarse sand.
Add in the egg, honey, and vanilla (if using). Pulse until combined and forms a ball. Your dough should have the consistency of very soft Play-Dough. If it's crumbly you need to add 1 Tbsp. of ice-cold water at a time and if it's like too wet and similar to batter, add 1 Tbsp. arrowroot at a time until you reach the desired consistency. It's perfect when it forms a ball in the food processor.
Form dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap then place in refrigerator.
To Roll Out Dough
Make sure it has rested in fridge long enough for dough to firm up (I usually allow several hours to overnight), shape into a circle and place onto a piece of parchment paper. If it's too firm to roll, allow to rest for 30 minutes on the counter (or maybe even add 1 tsp. of ice cold water). If it's too soft to roll, add in 1 Tbsp. of arrowroot flour.
Cover with plastic wrap and roll out with a rolling pin, reshaping as you go.
Then, carefully invert onto greased and floured pie pan. Patch up any cracks and apply any decorative effects you prefer.
Place in the freezer while you make the filling, or at least 15 minutes.
Add the filling and bake as directed but watch the crust carefully as almond flour burns easily. You need to cover the crust with a crust protector or a ring made of foil if baking time is longer than 15 minutes or temperature is higher than 350 degrees.
***TO PRE-BAKE THE CRUST, place in freezer 15 minutes while the oven preheats to 350 degrees. Then, prick the bottom several times with a fork to prevent it from puffing up and bake 12 - 15 minutes or until nicely browned. Cool Completely.***
Notes
I have made this recipe many, many times and sometimes I replace ¼ of the arrowroot with 2 Tbsp. coconut flour. This makes a softer crust, it just depends on my mood.
This crust browns at 350 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes. If the baking time is higher or the cooking time is longer you should use a crust protector or make one yourself out of foil so the edges don't burn.
If you don’t have a crust protector, you can make one out of foil! Simply tear off a piece of foil that is very long – longer than you would think! Fold it in half lengthwise twice. Then, wrap it around the pie and secure it with a paper clip. Then fold the top over the crust.
Solidified Coconut Oil and Non-Hydrogenated Shortening both work in place of the butter. However, when I use these instead of butter I usually have to add some water because the crust seems to be drier.
I've successfully used This Gelatin Egg Replacement in my pie crust, but I had to add about 3 extra Tablespoons of water on step 3 to get it to the right consistency and the texture was a bit chewy.
ForVEGAN: Omit the egg and add 1 Tbsp. Ground Chia Seeds on step 1 with the dry ingredients. Then, add 4-6 Tbsp. Cold Water on step 3 until it reaches the desired consistency. I have only tested the vegan option using potato starch and not with tapioca flour or arrowroot. I also recommend using the psyllium husk option instead of adding additional starch if you choose the vegan option.