Pecan Nut Crust Recipe For Grain Free & Gluten Free Dietary Needs

There are so many other options for pie crusts than just the basic flour based crust. My favorite option is a crust with pecans that is also grain free and gluten free. Within the first couple months of being diagnosed with a grain allergy, I had switched to this pie crust as my go to crust.

Not only is it a very quick and simple pie crust recipe, but it also adds a wonderful layer of rich flavor that you don’t get with the standard flour pie crust. It is a visually appealing pie crust and looks like you spent way more time preparing it than you actually did. It appears to be rather elegant and fancy, so it will enhance any pie recipe and make you proud to serve it.

Pecan Nut Crust Recipe For Grain Free & Gluten Free Dietary Needs

Even if you don’t have to be grain free or gluten free due to dietary needs, this crust is still delicious!

The first step is to eat a pecan. No, really. Eat a pecan. That’s the only fool-proof way to determine if the nuts are fresh or if they have gone rancid. If they taste rather yuck or have a pastie feel on your tongue with a stale taste, the pecans are not any good and should be discarded.

After you determine that you have fresh pecans, pour them into a food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, place the pecans in a plastic bag between two dish towels. Then with a rolling pin, beat the pecans until they are crushed and broken into pieces of assorted sizes.

Assorted sized pieces are my preference because it adds texture to the crust.

You will have the fine pieces, small pieces, medium pieces and large pieces of pecans all in one crust and usually in each bite. It’s great!

Add the pecans to a large bowl.

If you aren’t really into that much sugar, use less instead of more. Remember when you are making the pie filling to add less sugar because you already have some in the crust.

Add the sugar to the pecans.

Melt the butter and add it to the sugar pecan mixture. Combine until all nuts are wet and the sugar is mixed well into the pecans.

Using a spatula or the back of a large spoon, pack the pecan mixture onto the bottom and sides of a pie dish.

Make sure the nuts are packed tightly and flat keeping the thickness even throughout the pie dish.

Place the unbaked pecan crust dish into the refrigerator for 45 minutes or the freezer for 20 minutes. This cools the butter and sugar making the crust more stable for baking. Then place the crust in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven and bake for 15 minutes until light brown. Cool on a wire rack if your pie recipe calls for a room temperature, pre-baked pie crust.

Yum. Guess what I’m putting in this crust?

Pecan Nut Crust Recipe For Grain Free & Gluten Free Dietary Needs

This pie crust is for one 9 inch pie crust.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups pecans, roughly chopped and ground
1/4 to 1/3 cup white sugar, your sweetness preference
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Pour pecans into a food processor to create assorted sized pecan pieces. Add the pecans to a large bowl. Add the sugar to the pecans. Melt the butter and add it to the sugar pecan mixture. Combine until all nuts are wet and the sugar is mixed well into the pecans. Using a spatula or the back of a large spoon, pack the pecan mixture onto the bottom and sides of a pie dish. Make sure the nuts are packed tight and flat keeping the thickness even throughout the pie dish.

Place the unbaked pecan crust dish into the refrigerator for 45 minutes or the freezer for 20 minutes.

Then place the crust in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven and bake for 15 minutes until light brown. Cool on a wire rack if called for by your pie recipe.