Name: 3-Ingredient Pie Crust (Gluten-Free & Vegan)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: One 9-inch crust
Ingredients: 120 g almond flour; 40 g tapioca flour; 14 g ground flax; 74 g water; 3/4 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp vanilla (optional, sweet version); 1-2 tbsp maple syrup (optional, sweet version)

Most gluten-free vegan crusts fall apart the second you cut them. This one doesn’t. It comes down to three ingredients, each doing a specific job, plus a flax egg that binds everything together the way a real egg would.

What Each Ingredient Does

Almond flour

The body and richness. It carries a lot of natural oil, which is why you don’t need to add any fat — the almond flour clumps and browns on its own.

Tapioca flour

The binder and crisper. As a pure starch, it gelatinizes when heated, giving the crust structure, a little chew, and crisp edges.

Flax egg

The structural glue. Ground flax soaked in water forms a gel that mimics egg’s binding, locking the dough together so it holds a clean slice.

Salt

Rounds it all out and cuts any flat, beany note from the flax.

Several mini gluten-free vegan pies with golden oat-crumble tops, shown from above with a rolling pin, measuring spoons, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla beans

3-Ingredient Pie Crust (GF + Vegan)

Yield

One crust

Prep time

15 min

Bake time

12–15 min

A crust that holds a clean slice — almond flour for body, tapioca for structure and crisp edges, and a flax egg to bind it all together.

A plated slice of gluten-free vegan pie with a soft fruit filling and crumble top, fork resting alongside, the whole pie behind it

Equipment

Small bowl (for the flax egg)
Mixing bowl
Whisk
Pie pan

Ingredients

120 g almond flour
40 g tapioca flour
14 g ground flax + 74 g water
¾ tsp salt

Optional, for a sweet version

½ tsp vanilla
1–2 tbsp maple syrup

Steps

Mix the ground flax with the water in a small bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes until it thickens into a gel.
Whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, and salt.
Add the flax egg (plus vanilla and maple syrup, if using). Mix until a dough forms.
Add water a little at a time to get the right texture — you want it malleable enough to mold into a crust and hold together without cracking, but not wet or sticky.
Press the dough evenly into a pie pan.
Bake at 350°F until golden, about 12–15 minutes, before adding your filling.

The Sweet Crumble

Same base, one addition. Whisk in 50–60 g sugar (about ¼ cup) with the dry ingredients — brown sugar or coconut sugar works best. They bring moisture and a caramel note that suits a crumble, and they help the clumps set and brown. Granulated white sugar works too, but stays drier and sandier.

Sweet Crumble Instructions

Make the flax egg as above.
Whisk the sugar in with the almond flour, tapioca, and salt.
Add the flax egg and just enough water to clump — you want it drier than the crust dough.
Squeeze the mixture into pea-sized clumps and spread them on a baking tray (or straight over your fruit filling).
Bake at 350°F until golden.

Perfect over fruit, pies, or crisps.

A Note on Consistency

Because almond flour’s natural oil changes from bag to bag, your dough won’t always behave identically. If a batch runs dry and crumbly, add water a teaspoon at a time until it molds cleanly. If it’s too wet, a pinch more almond flour brings it back. Trust the texture over the exact measurement — that’s the whole trick.

The 3-Ingredient Pie Crust (and Crumble) That Actually Holds