Walnut Pie Crust Recipe (Keto, Gluten-Free)
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This walnut pie crust is the healthiest pie crust you’ll ever eat! It’s low-carb, keto, paleo, sugar-free and gluten-free! Made with fresh walnuts, it tastes amazing!
If you are looking for a healthy alternative to graham cracker crust, this walnut pie crust is as good of a substitute as it gets! Best of all, it actually tastes mouthwatering!
Many times the healthy alternative is a sad imitation of the real thing, but in this case I actually prefer it to the real thing :) Being gluten-free and low-carb is just a nice bonus to this delicious crust. The toasted walnut flavor is amazing with cheesecakes and pumpkin pie! The crumbs of this walnut crust are so tender and buttery, they just melt in your mouth. Use this walnut crust in any recipe that calls for graham cracker crust – you are going to love it as much as I do!
Walnuts make a great crust in general and are a perfect alternative to breadcrumbs. Check out my recipe for walnut crusted salmon – totally different from pie crust and so delicious :)
My walnut crust recipe has just 2 ingredients – walnuts and butter! Some other recipes for walnut crust call for adding sugar, but I find it unnecessary – after all, there is plenty of sugar or sweetener in the pie filling and the walnut flavor is delicious on its own. But if you’d like, add sugar or sweetener to taste for a sweet walnut crust. To make this crust vegan, substitute butter with coconut oil.
How To Make Walnut Crust
Making walnut pie crust is really easy. All you need to do to put 2 cups of walnuts and 4 tbsp of butter in a food processor and process until smooth (about 1 minute). Then press the walnut mixture into a non-stick 9-inch pie dish to form a crust, and bake in pre-heated 350F for 10 minutes, or until the walnut crust is nicely toasted and golden-brown. Yum!
Here are the step-by-step pictures of making a walnut crust:
Step 1: Walnuts and butter go in a food processor
Step 2: Process until smooth
Step 3: Press walnut mixture into a pie dish
Step 4: Bake at 350F for 10 minutes or until golden-brown
If you like this walnut crust, you will also love these healthy recipes:
Best Ever Keto Bread – I guarantee this is the best low-carb bread you’ll ever taste! It tastes like real bread and is a true game changer!
Keto Yogurt Breakfast – tired of eggs for breakfast? This colorful low-carb yogurt bowl will be a welcome change!
Easy Keto Chips – made with just 2 ingredients, one of which is cheese :) If you love cheese, you will love these crunchy low-carb chips!
Bacon Wrapped Asparagus – perfect easy keto appetizer for parties! It looks so fancy and tastes amazing!
Ground Beef And Cabbage Casserole – this is a perfect keto dinner, it’s a complete one-dish meal, so easy and yummy!
Walnut Pie Crust (Keto, Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 2 cups walnuts
- 4 tbsp butter
Recommended Kitchen Tools (click the links below to see the items used to make this recipe)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Put walnuts and butter in a food processor and process until combined and smooth (about 1 minute).
- Put the walnut mixture into a 9-inch non-stick pie dish and press into bottom and sides to form a pie crust.
- Put the walnut crust in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden-brown.
Notes
Nutrition
Can’t get enough? Check out my whole collection of low-carb recipes – I have a lot :)
Can you use this crust for a pumpkin pie since you have to cook for awhile in the oven?
Yes, it works great for pumpkin pie!
Do you cook the crust, then cook the pumpkin pie as directed? Would the crust be over Cooked?
Yes, first cook crust as directed, then fill with pumpkin filling and cook the pumpkin pie. It won’t be overcooked.
How would I use this crust in the Instant Pot Pumpkin Pie recipe? Bake then put in instant pot?
Yes, you can bake the crust in the oven, then add filling and put in Instant Pot. Or you can use this crust unbaked too if you’d like!
Could you use this for a baked cheesecake, would I have to bake the crust first?
You can do it either way – prebake the crust or use it raw.
I’m supposing I could use pecans in place of walnuts, or no?
Yes, this crust would be great with pecans too!
Can you use this crust for French apple pie?
Yes, it’s great for any pie!
This is wonderful. Still not sure about 2nd baking. So long since baked. Bake again after filling with cheesecake filling, correct. Graham crust never prebaked with my cheesecake recipe. Next. Would it work to bake flat and use as cracker/cookie type treat? Next: do nuts lose some nutrients when baked? Thank you SO much. You just might have me baking again. Missed it
Yes, I bake again after filling with cheesecake filling (but I prebake the graham crust too). If your recipe doesn’t prebake the graham crust, you can use this walnut crust without pre-baking. If you bake it flat, it wouldn’t hold together like a cracker, it would crumble if you tried to pick it up. And yes, nuts lose some nutrients when heated, but they are still healthier then regular crust :)
I made this, I think I over mixed the walnuts and butter or somehow added a little more butter, I used a spatula to spread it. After I baked it and then used it for a baked cheese cake it firmed up and was great for the Keto baked cheese cake I put on top. It was not a super firm crust, and it help up.
Very good crust.
I did add a tablespoon of granulated sugar substitute because my walnuts tasted a little bitter to me.
I will be using this again for Easter dinner.
Kathy
Hi there! I’m interested in trying this. I have a tart recipe & it makes 6 individual pies. Can I use this or if it’s smaller will it most likely burn? Guess I could cook it for less time & watch it close. Just wondering if anyone else has tried a smaller version. Thanks in advance?
You can use it for mini-pies, just watch it close
I’ve made this pie crust often with butter and it’s great but I tried it with coconut oil and it’s mushy and gooey after baking. I found it had a-lot of liquid before baking too. Not sure what I did wrong but I’ll be sticking with butter next time!
Could this work for a savory filling, like quiche?
Yes, this crust is not sweet, so it would be perfect for savory fillings!
I made this crust for a chocolate cream pie I took to a dinner party last night. I chose it because I need to eat gluten free. The crust was truly amazing, so simple and so easy to spread in the pie dish compared to other crumb crusts I have tried. I did have to bake the crust more like 20 minutes to get it to golden brown, but that was ok. I look forward to using this recipe many times, for quiche and pumpkin pie, and also trying your almond flour crust. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Alternative to the traditional crust, more healthier and perfect for health conscious. Plus the toasted walnut flavor is perfect for both sweet and savory pies