This AIP Pie Crust is as close as I could come to the crust I remember growing up. Crust is tricky anyway without being AIP, and this one is no different. It is, however, quite forgiving. If it breaks, just mush it back together!
Ladies and Gentlemen! The baking season is now upon us! I absolutely LOVE to bake, and so it has become my life’s mission to figure out how to do it on this… (ahem)… “challenging” diet. Baking makes us feel at home, cozy, and – dare I say it? – loved. It makes us nostalgic for days of yore, and satisfies something deep within us.
We. Must. Bake!
OK, whatever. I need to bake. After a few sad tries, including a tragic episode with a pumpkin pie about which we shall never speak again, I finally came up with a pie crust that really works! It can be rolled. It can be doubled for a two-crust pie. And it really tastes like the pie crusts of my youth, bringing to mind many of our large family gatherings.
A few tips: DO roll it between two sheets of parchment paper. For many years, I would sprinkle flour on the counter, the rolling pin, the crust, yadda-yadda, and then wonder why my crust kept falling apart. To keep it from sticking, I was adding an amount of flour which was effectively changing the flour to fat ratio. And it would crack. Don’t be like Wendi from years ago. Use parchment.
Also, there is vinegar in the recipe. When you first add it to your dough, you might freak out because the vinegar smell is so pungent. Don’t worry. Your crust will not taste or smell like vinegar. Cross my heart.
Lastly, dear friends, I say to you that crust is is the trickiest part of any pie. Rolling, moving and placing the thing is a challenge for even the most capable among us. Don’t let this deter you. If your crust cracks in the bottom of the pie plate, just smush it back together again. No one will turn down a piece of home-baked pie just because there is a crack in it. HAPPY BAKING!
So much 💗,
Wendi
P.S. Once you get good at making this crust, try it in Mini Chicken Pot Pies!
AIP Pie Crust
Course: DessertCuisine: AIP, PaleoDifficulty: Ninja8
servings30
minutesThis AIP Pie Crust is as close as I could come to the crust I remember growing up. Crust is tricky anyway without being AIP, and this one is no different. It is, however, quite forgiving. If it breaks, just mush it back together!
Ingredients
1½ C. cassava flour (225 g)
3/4 t. sea salt
1 T. 1 gelatin (I use Great Lakes Unflavored Beef Gelatin)
3/4 C. organic palm shortening
1 T. 1 apple cider vinegar
1½ T. water
Directions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, and gelatin.
- With a pastry blender, cut in the shortening. Continue cutting in until it comes together again, and looks almost like pie dough.
(NOTE: The “cutting in” step is a really important part of the process. When you cut in, cut and cut and cut and cut until you feel like your arms are about to fall off. You should end up with something that looks like the picture below when you are done cutting. See how it is almost coming together without any liquid at all? If you don’t see this in your bowl, try two things: 1.) cut MORE, and if you still have a crumbly mess, 2.) add shortening a tablespoon at a time, cutting each time until you see this consistency. Then and only then, move on to the next step.)
- Add vinegar and water. Quickly mix it in with a fork until it’s fairly evenly incorporated. Form it with your hands into a ball.
- On a piece of parchment paper, flatten and shape it with one hand on top, and one hand on the side. (This will keep large cracks from forming. I use this technique for forming hamburgers, too!) Now lay another piece of parchment paper on the top, and begin rolling with a rolling pin. For a bottom crust, you should roll it to about 12” in diameter to allow for the sides of the pie plate. For a top crust, a bit less.
- Slowly remove the top piece of parchment. Place the pie plate upside down onto the prepared crust. Place one hand on top, and one hand underneath the pie plate. Quickly (but gently!) invert the whole thing. Carefully place the pie crust down into the pie plate. Press it in, lifting the sides slightly, and then lowering them down to the bottom of the pie plate, lifting off the parchment as you go. If crust has cracked, just press it together again.
- With your bottom crust placed, you can crimp the edges for a one-crust pie, and prick the bottom all over so that no bubbles form during baking. Fill and bake per whatever recipe you’re using. For a two-crust pie, prick the bottom crust, fill the pie, and carefully place the second crust on top. Fold over the edges and crimp. You may wish to vent the top by cutting four slits near the center with a paring knife. Bake per recipe instructions.
Recipe Video
Notes
- This recipe makes one 9-inch pie crust
- There are no baking times listed because it will depend on your specific pie, and whether you have a single crust or double.
- If you have trouble, don’t despair. Reach out, and I’ll help as much as I can.
- I do NOT recommend freezing this crust. It does not work well.
- For best results, measure your flour be WEIGHING.
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Trying to email pastry recipe. The verify not a robot not working. Frustrating. Would be nice if you had a print button on here.
Hi, Angela. I sent this to two different email addresses to see if it works, and it did. I did notice that when I pushed the “not robot” button, it jumped up on my screen, and I had to scroll back up to see it. As my blog grows, one day I’ll have a print button. For now, I’m not very fancy. Thanks for visiting!
can’t wait to try this…what do you fill it with?
I made an apple pie. I’m still working out how to make a pumpkin pie on the AIP that I’ll really like. When I do, I’ll share. 🙂
It’s hard to get palm shortening in Australia. Can i swap this ingredient out with say coconut oil?
Hello! I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but no. I’m so sorry! 🙁 Maybe someone will come up with a new kind of shortening that’s available down under…
I just went up to the upper right corner and pushed on the up arrow and selected print. When the print menu came up I just told it pages 2-3. Wish it didn’t have the picture, but I got the recipe!!
Thank you Wendi!!!
On Thu, Nov 1, 2018 at 6:40 AM Wendi’s AIP Kitchen wrote:
> Wendi’s AIP Kitchen posted: “Ladies and Gentlemen! The baking season is > now upon us! I absolutely LOVE to bake, and so it has become my life’s > mission to figure out how to do it on this… (ahem)… “challenging” > diet. Baking makes us feel at home, cozy, and – dare I say it? – lov” >
You’re welcome! 🙂
Thank you, thank you! This looks worth doing! You are very dear ❤️
You are so very welcome! Thanks for the luuuuv!
Hi, what if you can’t get cassava flour?
Oooo. I don’t know. Can you order it from Amazon? (The link is in the recipe.) It is sometimes available at Whole Foods. Also, I’m having a giveaway on Instagram (until 11/03) for a free 2-pound bag of it! Maybe you’ll win! :)))
Curious which pumpkin recipes you’ve tried? I’m about to give one a shot and hoping it’s a good one.
I tried to make my own recipe…with not so great results! I’ll keep trying because I LOVE pumpkin pie. 🙂
Sorry, also meant to ask if you think this crust would work well for individual little pies made in cupcake tins? Would you use cupcake liners?
I think it might! I will try it myself one day. If you’re making little pies in a muffin tin, I would definitely use a liner. I like using silicone ones. They don’t stick to the food! Please let me know how it works for you.
Should the bottom crust be parbaked for pumpkin pie? Thanks!
Hi there! 👋 I think that would depend on your pumpkin pie recipe. I’ve never par-baked the bottom crust, and I’ve never had a problem. The pumpkin pie recipe we’ve used for years (not AIP) bakes for an hour, so the crust gets done just fine. Do you have a great AIP pumpkin pie recipe to share…? 😀
I’m having major brain fart—I don’t see the baking temp and time anywhere??!
Hi there! No, this is just a general recipe for pie crust. Baking temp and times will be determined by whatever kind of pie you are making. Treat it the same as any pie crust, and follow directions for your regular pie recipe.
Is gelatin and collagen peptides the same and interchangeable?
They are two different things. I found this out the hard way! I had to call Great Lakes so that I could understand the difference. Collagen peptides are made to be dissolved in cold or hot liquid. Gelatin is not. They told me that collagen will not hold things together like gelatin does. Hope this helps! 🙂
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I’m using the PAloe Mom’s pumpkin pie recipe but using your crust. Her pie filling isn’t baked rather it goes in the fridge to become congealed. So I’ll be baking your crust recipe separate and would like to know how long to bake jus the crust alone. Thanks.
Hi, Lisa! I don’t have a definitive answer for you as I usually bake the whole pie together. I normally bake my pies at 350, so I would suggest baking the crust alone at 350 until it reaches just a golden brown. You MIGHT even turn the oven down to 325, so that the bottom doesn’t get too done (thin part), while the thicker edge is still doughy. I hope you let me know what happens so that I can share the info with others who may have the same question. Thanks for hanging out in my kitchen! 😊
Do I need to double this to make a top and bottom crust? Looks delicious!
Hi! YES. This recipe makes one 9”-inch crust. To be on the safe side, I suggest making the crust twice, rather than doubling it. Crust is difficult anyway, without even being AIP! Good luck, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! 🍁🦃🍽
Hi! I made this recipe with the 3/4 teaspoon of salt and it so too salty for the apple pie that I made… Also, it is so thin, and sticks to to pan and crumbles when trying to remove it to eat… I had to add extra sugar on top because it was too salty. I was able to transfer the dough well to the pan without braking though with my method of using a cut freezer bag which I tape to the pan. But it was so thin that it took much longer to flatten and transfer.
Hi, Gisela! OK, let’s trouble-shoot a bit. I have two questions. 1.) Is your pie pan a 9-inch pan when measured from inside lip to inside lip? 2.) Did you double the recipe for your two-crust pie? (This recipe is for one crust.) If you answered yes to both of these questions, I’m stumped. I made the recipe a bit THICK on purpose because I’ve been frustrated in the past by not having enough dough to work with in other recipes. About the saltiness… Cassava flour is less neutral in taste than regular flour, and can almost have a salty taste, I think. Adjust the salt as needed to suit your taste. I hope this helps. Thanks for being here! 🙂
Hi, Wendi, Maybe it takes some experimenting from my part, because this was my first time making a cassava pie crust, although I had made AIP cassava cookies last Christmas. Some good news: the day after, after extra refrigeration 12 hours later, the crust did not crumble so much when cutting it, but it was a bit stuck sometimes to the bottom of pie pan, in two broken piece. I guess that the gelatin helped once it was refrigerator cold and it rested so many more hours. The day before I had cooled it for 3 hours and even put it outside with temperatures at freezing point. Yes, I used 9-inch pans and even 8 inches for both opened faced apple and AIP pumpkin pies, and did several a one crust pies or opened face, so I had divided each dough in 2 equal parts, which I used for 2 pies. This recipe calls for one has 1.5 cups but I did not weight it. I wonder if that makes a difference. I had looked at another AIP cassava crust recipe somewhere else and it called for 3/4 cup of cassava per crust, so that’s why I assumed that 3/4 c. was enough per pie. This crust was thinner than my usual gluten free dough (which had 250 g of corn starch) and also more delicate because it was so thin. Luckily I used my old tricks to handle GF dough cutting a Ziploc bag instead of parchment paper, and even taping it to the pan so I can turn it with less risk of braking. Well, today the pies were delicious, just a bit salty on the crust. It helped that today I made coconut whipped cream, so that would balance a bit the saltiness. I think that next time I will not use salt definitely, and make more dough so it is not so thin that I spent so much time trying flattening that it sticks everywhere it and transferring to the pie pan. Maybe also I will refrigerate it, so it sticks less, like when making cookies. I do like how it tastes the recipe, and also the fact that I had no reactions at all to the cassava because it is not a grain. Thanks for posting this recipe. It was worth it! XX
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Hi Wendi! Just wondering…in your picture of the finished, baked pie (which looks gorgeous!), did you brush your crust with anything to facilitate browning? I’ve tried cassava flour crusts in the past and mine end up looking white & sort of anemic looking! Also, does your crust crumble when cut into slices? I’ve had some crusts look pretty good out of the oven, only for them to crumble and disintegrate into a kazillion little pieces when cut. Finally, my husband’s comments on AIP crusts is that they seem sort of dry or the crust seems to suck the moisture from his mouth! Is this a dry, moisture sucking crust? Thx!
Hi, Tasha! Thanks for your kind words. The pie in the photo is an apple pie. It was in the oven a long time. I did brush it with coconut milk, but I think it got brown just by the length of time it was in the oven. I use the same crust in my Mini Chicken Pot Pies, and it comes out sort of white. Those only cook for 20 minutes.
I haven’t had a problem with the crust crumbling all over the place. I have a photo of the cut pie that I could show you, but this particular program won’t let me send a photo. I notice that when a crust has coconut flour in it, crumbling can occur. Has that been your experience? Coconut flour can also be responsible for the moisture-sucking feeling you’re talking about. Maybe this recipe will work for you…? Don’t freak out if it falls apart a little when you put it in the pan. Just smush it back together. It’s very forgiving. Some folks have said that they felt it was too salty. I wonder if it’s because cassava can have sort of a salty taste. I guess that will be for you to determine. If you have any more questions, I’m here! Good luck! 🙂
Thanks, Wendi. I don’t tend to use coconut flour much because it doesn’t always agree with me. I’ve done crusts made out of tigernut/cassava flour & cassava flour by itself in the past and both my husband & son will comment on how the crust sucks the moisture from their mouths! I completely agree with you on smushing broken pastry back together when trying to get it into the pie pan. I’ve had to do that many times and I’ve learned along the way that there’s no point fretting over it!! It still gets eaten, even if it ends up crumbling after cutting! Thanks again!
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In your opinion, is there a suitable cassava flour sub? It is a bit pricey for me for regular use. Thank you and bless you for giving us recipes. I just started the paleo AIP and I am really struggling.
Hi, Michele! Welcome to AIP! It’s a very different world, I know. Starting is the hardest part. I mean, I was gluten free for an entire year before I began avoiding dairy. I had to take such baby steps! But that’s me. I’m kind of a wuss. But about your question… The flour I think MIGHT be a sub would be tigernut flour, but I think that’s even more expensive than cassava flour. If you were to buy cassava flour – a good kind like Otto’s – you would find that it is used in many recipes. It’s a good staple for your pantry. The next flour you might get is arrowroot. This stuff is so versatile! It has the consistency of corn starch, so it’s a great thickener and can be used as a flour. I think it’s too light for my pie crust recipe, though. Cassava flour is the workhorse. It’s the main flour sub for regular white (glutenous) flour. AIP ingredients can be pricey, but I tell myself that I’d rather pay for real food than doctor visits! Please hang in there. The results will be worth it. 💗😊💗
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I’m wanting to make AIP butter tarts and wonder if this would be a good choice for crust?
Hi, Sara! Wellll… I didn’t know what butter tarts are, so I had to look them up! (BTW, how do you make butter tarts AIP? I kept seeing butter, sugar, egg, nuts, etc. in recipes I looked at.) This crust is a good all-purpose crust for pies, etc. I’ve used it for mini pot pies in cupcake liners and it worked great! I have to assume it would also work for tarts. It won’t be as flaky as a pastry crust, but in a pinch… 🙂
Hi Wendy and Sara,
Hope you don’t mind me butting into this conversation lol! Butter tarts are a Canadian treat usually served at Christmastime. I’ve found a fellow Canadian AIP blogger that has made a really great recipe. Be forewarned, they are very sweet! If you give them a go you may want to reduce the amount of dates and/or raisins. https://lichenpaleolovingaip.com/butter-tarts-aippaleorefined-sugar-free/.
P.S. Sorry I spelled your name wrong Wendi!
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I can’t do cassava flour (cassava/yucca does not agree with me…!) so I am going to try this. Tigernut flour is usually too heavy in a recipe that calls for cassava, and arrowroot is too light — so I usually mix the two, half-and-half style. Will let you know how it turns out! 🙂
You are a brave woman, Heather! Yes, please let me know how it turns out. I always get questions about subs, so your experiment will help all of us! :))))
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I notice you use gelatin in your pie crust. What is the purpose for the gelatin in the crust? Can that be omitted or something else be substituted for it.
Hi, Marlana! So pie crust… Sheesh, it’s hard to get a good pie crust on the AIP! (Pie crust is tricky anyway, IMO.) Gelatin is in it to help hold it together. You could try it without, but I don’t know if it would hold. It might. Regular pie crust has the advantage of gluten to help hold it together, but without it? I dunno. If you try it, let me know how it turns out! Happy New Year! 🎉🥳🎉
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hi wendi, when you say do not freeze do you mean the ball of dough or could a par/fully bake some mini shells and then freeze?
Ah. I meant the dough balls. I haven’t tried baking the shells ahead and freezing them. If you try it, will you let me know how it goes?
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Would lard be an ok substitute?
Hi, there! I have never tried lard with this recipe, but it SEEMS like it would work. I just wouldn’t want to tell you, “Oh, yeah, it’ll be great,” and have it end in a pie tragedy. 😆 You could test it by doing a half recipe, and bake pieces of crust dough for ten minutes, top with cinnamon and honey. If it doesn’t work, you’ll have a fun treat. If it does work, you’ll have more confidence trying it in a pie. If you DO try it, please let me and everyone here know what the result was! We’re curious. 🤔
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Hi there! Thank you for the recipe…excited to try! Two quick questions…do you think Vital Proteins Beef Gelatin (green container) would work? Also, I don’t have that brand of shortening but do have both Spectrum and Nutiva. Would you use one over the other? Thank you!
Hi, Leigh! Spectrum will work fine. I don’t have experience with Vital Proteins gelatin, but as long as it’s gelatin (not collagen), it’ll work. Happy pie baking! 😀
Looks like a great recipe! Do you use chilled shortening or room temperature when cutting/mixing the dough?
Hi, Emily! I just use room temperature shortening. I don’t think it would hurt, though, if you used chilled! Let me know which way you try it!
Hi Wendi!
Would lard be an okay substitute to the palm shortening in your pie crust recipe? Thanks!
Hi, Elissa! I *think* so. I haven’t tried it, but others have asked the same question. You could try testing half a recipe to see if it works. Also, if you live at altitude, you may need more moisture. Let me know what happens!
Probably user error, but it burned within five minutes of being in the oven.
Hi, Christina. Whoa, yeah that should not happen. Have you calibrated your oven, or made sure that it’s the right temp? You can get a cheap oven thermometer to see if it’s the same temp as your setting. I also wonder if maybe the broiler was on??? I dunno. Anyway, that’s not normal. eek! -W