This gluten-free vegan pie crust has been a labor of love!  I love buttery, tender, flaky pie crust, and I’ve been on a mission to make a gluten-free pie crust that is worthy of the time and effort that it takes to make a pie!

A top view of a gluten free vegan apple pie made with a top crust.

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Why you’ll love this recipe

  • It really works!  It will not crumble and fall apart on you!
  • The crust rolls out stretchy and pliable.
  • It’s gluten-free, vegan, soy-free, and nut-free.
  • The crust cooks up soft, buttery, flaky, and tender.
  • It works perfectly for both the bottom and top crust!

I eat pie mainly for the crust.  I like the filling okay, but I love a good pie crust!  So, when my family went gluten-free, I was on a mission to create a gluten-free pie crust with the same texture and flavor as the gluten versions I love so much.

A slice of gluten-free vegan apple pie with 2 apples behind it and a fork on the side.

There are numerous vegan and gluten-free pie crust recipes available, and I have tried several of them.  They resemble pie crust, and they taste okay, but they lack a tender, flaky texture.  Most of the gluten-free pie crust recipes you see are just a bottom crust that you press to the side of your pie dish, and they do not roll out or function like a traditional pie crust.

A series of 2 pictures showing this vegan pie crust recipe working as both a bottom and top crust.

This crust rolls out soft and pliable and works up like a crust made with wheat flour, so you can use it for the top crust too!

Secrets to making this recipe work

There are 3 things that make this pie crust work. They can’t be omitted or substituted, or it just doesn’t work!

  1. The gluten-free flour mix: I had been making a gluten-free pie crust for years with little success until I started using variations of my gluten-free flour recipe for the crust.  This gluten-free flour is made with oat flour and tapioca starch, resulting in a protein ratio similar to that of wheat flour. The tapioca starch gives it the stretch that pie crusts need.
  2. Vodka: The other magic ingredient that makes this recipe work is vodka!  The vodka allows you to add enough liquid to the crust to make it soft and workable for rolling out, but it then evaporates during the cooking process, leaving a soft and flaky crust with no discernible taste of the alcohol.
  3. The right fats: I tried this recipe using Earth Balance, coconut oil, and Earth Balance sticks, as well as a combination of all three.  I have found that Earth Balance from a tub is too soft and wet, and the coconut oil makes the dough too crumbly; however, a combination of the two works best.  Using only Earth Balance sticks also worked since they have a higher fat content than the tub version. They are similar to a mix of coconut oil and Earth Balance spread.
A gluten free pie crust with apples and cinnamon in it, showing how soft and pliable the crust is.

How to make gluten-free pie crust

  • Start by making some oat flour. Grind whole gluten-free oats in a blender for about 1 minute, until they form a fine powder.
  • Sift the oat flour through a wire mesh strainer or a flour sifter to remove the oat bran.
  • Add the oat flour, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, and salt to a mixing bowl and mix them together.
  • Add 3 tablespoons of refined coconut oil and 3 tablespoons of soft margarine, such as Earth Balance (or 6 tablespoons of Earth Balance sticks). (Both need to be slightly warmer than room temperature – soft, but not melted).
  • Work the fats into the gluten-free flour until they are soft and crumbly. Then, add 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of vodka, and continue working the dough until it is soft.
Six steps showing the process of making the pie crust dough.
  • Place the dough between two sheets of parchment paper and roll it out using a rolling pin.
  • Peel the parchment off one side. Then flip the crust over onto the pie dish and peel off the other side.
A series of 4 pictures showing the step for rolling out gluten free vegan pie crust to make an apple pie.
  • Bake a bottom crust for 20 minutes.  Bake a fruit pie with a bottom and top crust for 45 minutes.

Pro Tips

  • Make sure the margarine and coconut oil are soft enough to work with, but not melted, before incorporating them into the crust.
  • To keep the paper in place as you roll it out, wet your hand and rub it with water on your countertop before placing the parchment paper.
  • Flip the pie crust over and ensure it is not wrinkled on the bottom.  If it is, just smooth it out with the rolling pin.  (Sometimes the bottom of the crust gets some wrinkles, you can just make sure that that side stays down, and it is not seen).
  • Peel the parchment paper off your crust while it is lying perfectly flat on the countertop.
  • Flip the crust back on the parchment that you just pulled off.  Peel the backside off while it is lying flat, too.  (This will allow you to peel it off more easily when you put it into your pie).
  • If your crust is sticking so much to the parchment that it will not peel off, you may need to put it back in the bowl, add another tablespoon or two of flour, and then roll it out again.
  • Follow the recipe!  I have made this crust approximately 20 times in various ways to find the perfect recipe for you.  Any time I wavered from this recipe, it did not turn out well or did not turn out at all.  Let me save you time and energy. Gluten-free pie crusts are fussy, and variations won’t work.

Want to make your own berry pie filling?  Double my recipe for berry compote to make the perfect homemade blueberry, cherry, or strawberry pie filling!

A vegan pie crust used to top and apple pie.

Need a great graham cracker crust recipe?  Try my gluten-free graham cracker crust made without nuts!

Use this crust to make

Vegan gluten-free pie crust recipe

A close up of a pie made with a gluten free vegan pie crust recipe that has a top and bottom crust.
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5 from 2 rating

Gluten-Free Vegan Pie Crust

Yield: 8
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
A gluten-free and vegan pie crust recipe that rolls out soft and pliable and can make a top crust for your pie.
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Ingredients

  • 1 cup oat flour , (made with about 1 1/4 cups whole oats)
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp tapioca starch, aka tapioca flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon xanthan gum
  • 3 tablespoons refined coconut oil
  • 3 tablespoons earth balance
  • 1 tablespoon vodka
  • 1 tablespoon water, (very cold)

Instructions
 

  • Start by making some oat flour by grinding 1 1/4 cups of whole gluten-free oats in your blender for about a minute, until they turn into a fine powder.
  • Sift the oat flour through a wire mesh strainer or a flour sifter to remove the oat bran.
  • Add 1 cup of oat flour, 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp of tapioca starch, 3/4 tsp salt, and 1 tsp xanthan gum to a mixing bowl and mix them together.
  • Add 3 tbsp of refined coconut oil and 3 tbsp of soft margarine like Earth Balance (or 6 tbsp Earth Balance sticks). (Both need to be slightly warmer than room temperature – soft, but not melted).
  • Work the fats into the gluten-free flour until they are soft and crumbly. Then add a tbsp of water and a tbsp of vodka and continue to work the dough until it is soft.
  • Put the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper and roll out with a rolling pin.
  • Peel the parchment off one side and then flip the crust over onto the pie dish and peel off the other side.

For a pre-baked bottom crust pie

  • Pinch the edge of the pie crust to form a pretty top edge and then bake at 400°F (200°C) for 20 minutes.
  • Allow to cool and fill with any no-bake pie filling of your choice.

For a fruit pie with a top crust

  • Double the recipe to make a top and bottom crust.  Put the bottom layer in the pie dish, fill with fruit filling, and top with another pie crust.
  • Press the bottom and top crusts together along the edges using your fingers or a fork to seal them and create a neat appearance. Poke a few holes in the top of the crust to allow steam to escape.
  • Bake at 400°F (200°C) 45-50 minutes.
  • Allow to cool slightly before cutting.

Notes

Notes
  • This recipe will make 1 crust.  If you need a bottom and top crust, double the recipe.
  • You can substitute the coconut oil and Earth Balance tub margarine for 6 tbsp of Earth Balance sticks or Crisco.
  • I have not had success substituting any other ingredient or leaving out any other ingredients. 
Pro Tips
  • Make sure the margarine and coconut oil are soft enough to work with, but not melted, before incorporating them into the crust.
  • To keep the paper in place as you roll it out, wet your hand and rub it with water on your countertop before placing the parchment paper.
  • Flip the pie crust over and ensure it is not wrinkled on the bottom.  If it is just smooth it out with the rolling pin.  (Sometimes the bottom of the crust gets some wrinkles; you can also just make sure that that side stays down and is not seen.)
  • Peel the parchment paper off your crust while it is lying perfectly flat on the countertop.
  • Flip the crust back onto the parchment that you just pulled off, and peel the back side off while it is still lying flat.  (This will allow you to peel it off easier when you put it onto your pie.)
Serving: 1pie slice, Calories: 165kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Sodium: 265mg, Potassium: 55mg, Fiber: 1g, Vitamin A: 200IU, Calcium: 8mg, Iron: 0.7mg
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