Vegan, Gluten-Free, and Paleo Pie Crust

If you have people with dietary restrictions coming to visit, this paleo pie crust ticks off a lot of checkboxes. Vegan, raw, paleo, gluten-free. If you are dealing with nut allergies, well, you may be SOL.

This crust is based on a standard that’s been used among the raw food types for years. And there’s a good reason for this—it works. For my test of this recipe, I used a combination of hazelnuts and pecans. I used Medjool dates for the sweetener and binder. When you blend it all together in the food processor, be patient. It might take a little longer to come together than you expect, but you will be rewarded with a better crust.

This crust is great for certain types of pies, but it can’t do everything. It will work wonderfully with a cheesecake or a no-bake pumpkin pie. It won’t work for a double crust pie or lattice pie. Anywhere you might use a crust made of graham crackers or crushed cookies, this crust will shine, and probably even be superior. So plan accordingly.

Since the crust is vegan and raw, I used it for a vegan and raw key lime pie, and it was perfect for that application. You can also flavor this crust with extracts, citrus zest, or a little coconut mixed in.

I used this in a 9-inch pie pan and had a little left over. The amount would be sufficient for a 10-inch tart pan. That’s a good thing.

Loved this recipe! So easy and delicious. With Canadian Thanksgiving at the time of this recipe testing, I decided to give this paleo pie crust a try for pumpkin pie.

What I really like about this recipe is the versatility and customization. You can use any combination of nuts and seeds.

Here are the customizations I made:

• Nuts/Seeds: I love pecans, walnuts, and Brazil nuts, so I used those. Since I was making pumpkin pie, I added some pumpkin seeds as well (for a total of 1 1/2 cups).
• Sweetener: I used about 8 Medjool dates.
• Flavor: I also added 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, salt, and vanilla.

Everything came together very easily in the food processor. At first, I used the pulse function and then just let the machine run for a couple of minutes. When I tried pressing the mixture together to check how well it bound, my mixture was a bit on the dry side, so I added another date, and that worked.

Pressing the crumble into the pie pan was easy. I started working on the sides and then pressed it into the middle. At first, I used my hands but then used the back of a spoon to get a smooth, even surface.

A quick baking tip: I poured in the pumpkin pie mixture and baked it. Unfortunately, the exposed crust burnt in the baking process. I guess the fat from the nuts and sugar from the dates contributed to this, and I never thought it would be an issue. But now that I have experienced this, I will cover the crust midway through baking with aluminum foil in the future.

The nuttiness of the crust went very well with the pumpkin pie, and having a non-grain crust option was great! I can’t wait to try this crust with a crumble fruit pie. I think apples will be next!

If you want something to satisfy your paleo cravings for pies, this is your ticket. I used deluxe mixed nuts from the local bulk store, unsalted and unroasted. It was a mix of pistachios, peanuts, walnuts, almonds, and Brazil nuts.

I put my crust mix into a square tart tin to make cheesecake. I prebaked the crust for 10 minutes to set it before filling it. It held up really well, and I can’t wait to try it again.

I know I’ll be making it in the future, and I want to see how it does with brown rice syrup as the binder in place of dates.

This paleo pie crust is a super-easy recipe to make. Time-wise, it took me 10 minutes from beginning to end. I decided to make it with 3/4 pecans and 1/4 Brazil nuts. For the binder, I used dates, as I love how they give the perfect amount of sweetness. And for those worried that they may not like dates, do not fret, as I absolutely avoid eating them on their own, but when puréed and mixed with nuts, the taste does not translate into the final product.

I decided first to grind the nuts on their own. Once that was done, I added the dates and the vanilla extract. The final product was a nice thick paste mixture that was very easy to spread on the pan.

I used this to make my go-to cheesecake, and it worked beautifully. I would also advise placing it in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350°F—just long enough to help it settle and dry a bit. Then let the crust cool prior to using it.

Once the cheesecake was made, most people did not even realize the crust was nut-based. It kept its shape well, without crumbling, when I was slicing it.