I’ve posted previously on a delicious pie crust recipe for my Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie, but times change and many people I know are looking for dairy free options these days. So I’ve developed this recipe based on one of my classic pie crusts, but tweaked to not only be dairy-free but also spiced to work as a perfect accompaniment to a pumpkin pie filling. As I tend to make deep-dish pumpkin pies and as a result they bake for longer than a shallower pie, I don’t blind bake the crust first; if you’re making smaller pies, please go ahead.

Dairy Free Pie Crust

Prep: 20 minutes | Bake: 45 minutes | Yield: 2 pie crusts (or 1 deep dish crust and enough for decorations)

• 2 cups/125g/4.5oz all purpose flour (can sub out up to 50% whole wheat flour if desired)
• 3 tbsp/35g/1.25oz granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp/6g/0.2oz pumpkin pie spice (or 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ½ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cloves, ¼ ground mace)
• ⅔ cup/145g/5oz coconut oil, cold but not frozen
• 3-6 tbsp ice water

1. Whisk flour, sugar, and spices together in a large mixing bowl to combine.
2. Add firm coconut oil and use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the flour mixture and coconut oil together until it has the consistency of graham cracker crumbs.
3. Add cold water in one tablespoon at a time and gently mix in with a sturdy spoon (do not use an electric mixer or you risk overworking the dough); only add the minimum amount of water needed to help the mixture come together into a shaggy dough.
4. Gently knead the dough inside the bowl to gather the shaggy bits into the main dough ball, and transfer to a well-floured surface. Form into two flat discs (if using a deep dish pie plate, make one disc larger than the other). Cover well in plastic wrap and let rest in refrigerator for 1 hour.
5. When ready to roll out crust, preheat oven to 350°F/180°C and place rack in middle of oven. Remove crusts, one disc at a time, remove plastic wrap, and roll out on a lightly floured surface, sprinkling the top of the dough with extra flour as needed to minimize sticking. Gently roll dough into a circle the shape of your pie plate and larger than the circumference to allow for the depth of your plate. Roll no more than ⅛” thick. Patch any cracks with extra dough from the edges and a little extra water to smooth the patch in.
6. Carefully roll up the crust onto your rolling pin and drape it over your chosen pie plate (ideally heavy ceramic or glass). If pie plate is thin metal, place the pan on a cookie sheet to minimize the risk of burning the bottom as it bakes. Ease the dough into the bottom of the pie plate as opposed to stretching it to make it fit; stretched dough shrinks as it bakes. Cut off excess around rim but leave a generous amount to fold under and create a pretty edged border or affix decorations if desired.
7. Roll out second dough disc (or re-roll scraps from first disc) and create leaves, braids, or other dough decorations if desired. Affix to edges of crust with a beaten egg or small amount of water; you can also brush the rest of the outer crust with the egg for gloss if desired.
8. Fill crust with prepared pumpkin pie filling and bake in middle of oven for 45-60 minutes; if edges are browning too quickly, lightly cover them with foil to minimize burning. Filling is done when it still jiggles slightly in the centre but a knife inserted into the centre of the filling will come out clean. Let cool completely for at least 1 hour.