This is the only keto pie crust recipe you will ever need. An easy press-in low carb pie crust that is perfect for both sweet and savory recipes. Four simple ingredients make this a hit. Nut-free and dairy-free options!
I’ve been looking forward to updating my easy keto pie crust recipe for a while now. But don’t worry, I didn’t change the recipe at all. I just added some pretty new photos and an instructional video so you can see for yourself just how delicious and simple this recipe really is!
This really is a short and sweet little recipe. It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s delicious. It’s also extremely versatile. You can fill it with all sorts of delicious fillings, from lemon to chocolate to strawberry rhubarb. You can pre-bake it for cold fillings or bake with the fillings inside. It can even be used in savory applications like quiche or vegetable tart.
Really, the uses for this press-in almond flour crust are virtually endless. You are limited only by your imagination.
Everyone needs a good pastry crust recipe and I like to flatter myself that this one is very good. But what I love about it is the simplicity. I do love the challenge of a roll out crust and I have a pretty decent low carb flaky pastry crust. But it definitely takes more work and when you have a hankering for pie, sometimes that effort presents an obstacle.
So this one will appeal to everyone, from novice bakers to accomplished home cooks. And I made your life even easier by showing you how it’s done in this video! Scroll the recipe to watch how it’s made.
Tips for the best keto pie crust
As you can see from the video, it’s an incredibly straightforward recipe. But in case you hadn’t noticed, my MO when it comes to recipes is accessibility. That means giving you as many options as possible so that you can make my recipes work for your lifestyle. So here we go:
Can this crust be made nut-free?
This is an almond flour pie crust. No, you can’t use coconut flour in this recipe, but you can sub in some other options. You can use sunflower seed flour or pumpkin seed flour, or any other nut flour if you’re only allergic to almonds. Just understand that your crust will not look the same, as these flours have their own particular color.
Can this crust be made dairy-free?
Yes, feel free to swap in almost any oil you like best. Coconut, avocado, ghee, what have you. I do find that it can brown a little more or a little less, depending on the oil, so keep your eye on it while it’s in the oven. I also find that it can stick a little more to the pan so you might consider greasing your pie plate.
Can this crust be made ahead?
Because it contains no eggs, it really does well when you make it ahead of time. I have one sitting down in my fridge, ready for a filling I plan to make soon! I do recommend still keeping it in the fridge or freezer, depending on how you plan to keep it. Just wrap it up tightly in plastic wrap, right in the pie plate itself.
Can I make it in a metal pan?
Yes, but I recommend glass or ceramic wherever possible. It tends to brown too quickly in metal, before the rest of your pie is baked. If you do use metal, be sure to grease the pan first.
Can I bake it in a tart pan?
Yes indeed, I often do this one in tart pans. You can stretch it out to a 10 inch tart pan but it’s a bit on the thin side so you may want to add more flour and butter. 9 inch tart pans are a better fit.
What to make with your keto pie crust
So now the question is, what do you fill it with? Oh the possibilities, the glorious possibilities! Think of all the wonderful keto pies and tarts you can make. Savory or sweet, this pie crust really works with just about anything. Here are a few ideas to get you started…
The Best Keto Pecan Pie (and yes, this is not just me talking. My recipe was in a YouTube video battle between two recipes and mine won!)
Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Quiche (you HAVE to make this!)
I have plenty of other pie recipes, older ones, that used another crust but that could easily be swapped for this one. Try it with my Brownie Truffle Pie, or my Keto Lemon Meringue Pie.
Keto Almond Flour Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (160 g) almond flour
- 1/4 cup (45.5 g) Swerve Sweetener , either granular or powdered is fine*
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter, melted
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, sweetener, and salt. Stir in melted butter until dough comes together and resembles coarse crumbs.
- Turn out into a glass or ceramic pie plate. Press firmly with fingers into bottom and up sides. Use a flat bottomed glass or measuring cup to even out the bottom. Prick all over with a fork before baking.
- To bake unfilled, preheat oven to 325F. Bake until edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
- To bake a filled pie, pre bake 10-12 minutes before adding fillings. You may need to cover the edges in foil to avoid over-browning. Let the pie crust cool before adding fillings and baking again.
- *For a savoury pie crust, leave out the sweetener, use 1/2 tsp salt, and add 1/2 tsp garlic powder.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Hi Carolyn. I have never made a homemade pie crust much less a low carb pie crust (I have always found it very intimidating). I so want to change that, and I am going to do it using your recipe. I just have one question. I want to make a quiche. Would I pre-bake the crust and then fill it with the quiche ingredients or fill the unbaked crust and bake it? I do not want my crust soggy or over baked, but, at the same time, I want my quiche cooked through. I hope my question makes sense. Can you please help me?
Definitely pre-bake for 10 minutes.
I made this pie crust and baked it for 12 minutes before adding cherry pie filling. Then I made another batch of the crust and used it as crumble on top of the pie filling. I cooked it for another 20. The crumble didn’t really brown but the pie crust was nice and golden. I added sugar free vanilla icecream on the side. It tasted great! Thanks again Carolyn!
I have sugar cherry pie filling from the can so if I prebake tinge crust for 10-12 minutes, when I put the filling in, how much longer do I bake it for? Thanks!
Sounds like you did a great job of figuring it out!
Hi Carolyn
Suppose I make the crust a day in advance and refrigerate it. Do I need to bring it to room temperature before using it for a quiche?
Thanks for the recipe. After 1 year of keto, I’m about to make my first foray into baking and I want to start with this crust.
I would blind bake it before putting the quiche ingredients in there anyway so refrigeration is fine.
I discovered your blog today at around 10:00 pm. It’s approaching midnight here in London and I think I should be sleeping, not drooling!
Glad to have you drooling!
Any ideas on the chocolate crust?
Email me. I just made one for an upcoming cookbook.
Hi Carolyn! I love and make this crust all the time. Both the sweet and savory version. I’m in need of a chocolate crust and wondering if I could make this work by just addinf some cocoa to this recipe. Have you ever tried this and if so how much would you add? Thanks in advance for your help. Love your recipes. I have your cookbook too!
I’m new to baking in general, so maybe this is a dumb question, but.. Does the recipe need salted or unsalted butter?
Either is fine. I prefer salted.
Carolyn, I love your almond flour crust but I have a relative that is allergic to almonds. I found a recipe on SugarFreeMom that is nut free using sunflower seed flour & sesame flour and I’m gonna give that a try. If it’s good, I’m wondering if I can substitute it in your recipes for the almond crust like in your Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars? Is sunflower seed flour a good one-to-one substitute for almond flour in other recipes too like cakes or donuts or will the answer vary from recipe to recipe?
Hi Lisa…you don’t need to do both. You can just do the sunflower seed flour in place of the almond flour for the bars and it should be 1 to 1. Now, something to keep in mind is that it will have a more grey colour. Also…it reacts with baking powder and baking soda to give you a greenish tinge sometimes so for baked goods like cake, you want to add 1 or 2 tbsp of lemon juice as the acid helps offset this reaction.
If you have my cookbook, The Everyday Ketogenic Kitchen, it actually shows you how to make your own sunflower seed flour, as it’s MUCH less expensive that way.
I DO have your book! Thanks for the info!
Fantastic! It’s really easy and much less expensive to make your own.
Hi Carolyn- I have two questions:
1. Do you ever sift your almond flour?
2. My crusts never brown…any advice?!
I don’t find a need to sift my almond flour for most recipes like this one. In some things, where you have beaten egg whites, you do need to sift it over to help prevent deflating the whites.
As for the lack of browning, I am stumped! Too often, almond flour browns too easily and you have to cover it with foil. It must have something to do with your oven but I am not sure what. Do they seem baked properly?
Not really. It always seems too crumbly, like it has too much flour. I’ve tried using 1/4c less flour, but that really didn’t seem to help either….I’m stumped too! 🙁 I have a countertop breville oven, maybe I’ll try that next time! Thank you!
Hi Carolyn!
I just had to say hi and tell you how much I really like your blog (and I hate blogs.). I think it’s your talent for writing and your enthusiasm for what you write about that pulls me in. And your skill in tirelessly experimenting (I don’t experiment, but I’m sure glad you do!) & creating some of the most amazing recipes i’ve ever made (and sugar-free at that!).
I am especially grateful because I can now serve awesome low carb & sugar-free recipes to the love of my life, who is hopelessly diabetic, loves to eat (as I do), and has a sweet tooth the size of a small building. I can’t imagine what I would do to help this man if I couldn’t fall back on your terrific recipes. Thank you just isn’t enough to say, Carolyn, but thank you, very, very much.
What a lovely message to receive today, Suzanne. Thank you so much!
I don’t put sugar in my regular wheat flour pie crust, do I have to sweeten yours. Is it needed for your recipe?
I think you will find it better that way.
This is my go-to for all things crusty. I even use it as the base for bars, like lemon bars, etc. It’s the perfect recipe for sweet or savory…and scary easy! Thank you so much for your culinary talents. You’ve made this low carber one happy lady.
So glad it fits the bill!
Do you need to bake the crust first for a quiche? I never do for my regular rolled crust. I just was wondering whats going to give me best results. Thanks!
Pre-bake for about 12 minutes first.
I’m gunna try out this recipe for a Pumpkin pie, so I need to bake the crust first?? And I’ll be using a tin foil pan, will it work or no? Thank you
You par-bake it, which means baking for 10 to 12 minutes to firm it up. Pumpkin is a very soft centre so the crust needs a little firmness before adding it. I think the tin foil pan should work.
Natural, almond flour (courser texture)
or blanched, extra fine almond flour?
We have both at our bulk food store.
Yours looks pretty ‘fine)
Always blanched fine flour. It’s much easier to work with. The natural is good for muffins but it doesn’t do well in finer textured things.
I love how there’s only three (or four) ingredients – I made low carb salmon quiche and even my almond-flour skeptic hubby loved it 🙂 Thank you for an awesome recipe, it’s even easy for a lazylowcarber like me!
Your quiche looks delicious!
Thank you Carolyn and thank you for commenting on my website too 🙂 <3 <3 <3 love your site!