Sometimes you want pie, but a whole one is too much. These gluten-free mini pie recipes serve one or two and are so easy! The pandemic of 2020 and social distancing has pushed me to be creative. I love having lots of different pies at a holiday meal (it’s my favorite food). But when that holiday meal is for two people, 5 pies is is more than I can devour. With the use of ramekins or mini pie pans and frozen fruit, you can make as few or as many as you need. For me this is a win because I can have my very own pie. I am definitely not a sharer when it comes to pie!
Apple, Cherry, Blueberry Mini Pies
I have provided recipes for mini blueberry, cherry and apple pies. If you want to use your own filling or pie dough, the 5.5″ mini pie pan (made by Emile Henry) uses 1/3 of a full sized pie dough and about 1 1/2 c filling.
I have included my gluten free pie dough recipe which is enough for 2 mini pies and 1-2 ramekins total (depending on the size and height of your ramekins). There will still be a little bit left over for decorating the top.
Instead of covering the top of the pie completely or making a criss-cross pattern I prefer to cut out shapes that I bake separately and lay on top at once the pie is cooled. This way you can dress up the pie for any occasion.
Pie Filling
If you want to make this a super easy recipe, ready-made pie fillings are so convenient. But mixing up a pie filling with frozen fruit is also super easy. And because you’re using frozen fruit. You can just use what you need and store the rest.
Frozen cherries and blueberries in particular release a lot of liquid as they thaw. So it is best to cook them before baking. It’s super quick and easy. You can thaw them to room temperature before cooking but it is not necessary. If I think of it, I put the bag in the fridge overnight to thaw. Cook (or even microwave) the filling just a few minutes with a little tapioca or corn starch, sugar and salt and you have a filling that is pie ready!
For apple pie, I prefer using flour as the thickener-any gluten-free flour blend will work. The apples are cut and cooked with butter, flour, lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon to be sure that they are soft once the whole pie is cooked.
Single Mini Pie Crust
The recipe for gluten-free pie crust below will make 3 mini pies. Maybe you just need one? Here is the pie crust recipe that will make enough for just one mini pie:
- 1/2 c gluten-free flour blend
- 2 Tbsp non-gmo corn or potato starch
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend includes it)
- 3 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter
- 1 egg white (save the yolk, mix with 1 tsp water, and use as the egg wash)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Follow the method in the recipe card below.
Tips for Rolling Gluten-Free Pie Dough
I find that gluten-free pie dough can be a little bit tricky to roll out. So for the ramekins I use my fingers to press the dough into a disk and then press it into a ramekin. For the mini pie plates, it does work better to roll out the dough. But because it is so much smaller than a regular pie pan, it is way easier.
I prefer to roll out pie dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap or silicone mats. The mat makes it much easier to transfer to the pie pan. See the video below. These silicone mats are perfect for pie dough, rolled cookies and my rolled gluten-free biscuits.
Mini Pie Recipes - Gluten-Free
These mini pie recipes will give you perfect individual gluten-free pies for any occasion.
Ingredients
Gluten-Free Pie Crust (makes 3 mini pies, see above for individual crust ingredients)
- 1¼ cup gluten-free flour blend*
- ½ cup non-gmo corn starch or potato starch
- 1 Tbsp sugar 1tsp
- ½ tsp xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend contains it) 1/4 t
- ¾ tsp salt
- 8 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter
- 1 large egg 1/2
- 2 tsp apple cider or white vinegar
- 2 tsp cold water
- 1 additional egg (for egg wash)
Blueberry Pie Filling (one mini pie)
- 1½ c frozen blueberries
- 2 tsp tapioca or non-gmo corn starch
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 2 pinches salt
Cherry Pie Filling (one mini pie)
- 1½ c frozen cherries
- 2 tsp tapioca or non-gmo corn starch
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- 2 pinches salt
Apple Pie Filling (one mini pie)
- 1 large or 1½ medium sized granny smith, gala or pink lady apple
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 tsp gluten-free flour blend
- 1/3 c water
- 2 tsp lemon juice
- 2-3 Tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 pinches salt
Instructions
Make the Pie Fillings
Blueberry and Cherry
- Place the berries or cherries, starch, sugar and salt in a small pot.
- Cook over medium high heat, stirring often.
- When the liquid starts to bubble, stir constantly until it is thickened. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
- OR Place all the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and stir.
- Heat in the microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir, then heat for another 30 seconds. Continue heating 30 seconds and stirring until the liquid has thickened, Transfer to another bowl to cool.
Apple Pie Filling
- Peel the apple and cut into 1/4 slices (see photo above0.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. When it's bubbling, add the apples and stir to coat. Cook for one minute.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir until it is incorporated and there are no lumps.
- Add the water and lemon juice and stir well until the liquid thickens.
- Add the sugar, cinnamon and salt and cook, stirring, for 1 more minute.
- Cool in a bowl.
Make the dough
See my Gluten-Free Pie Crust recipe for detailed instructions and visuals on how to make and roll out the crust.
In a small bowl, thoroughly beat the egg, water and vinegar together. Cut the butter into cubes.
Use the food processor to mix pie dough (or by hand below)
- Place the dry ingredients into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the butter and pulse until it resembles a coarse meal (small pearl-sized pieces of butter).
- With the processor running, drizzle in the egg mixture. Run until the dough comes together into a ball.
- Form the dough into a thin disk and refrigerate wrapped in plastic for 15 minutes.
Mix the pie dough by hand
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
- Cut the butter in using 2 forks or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles small crumbs.
- Add the egg mixture and stir until well incorporated. It is okay if there are some crumbs.
- Form the dough into a thin disk and refrigerate wrapped in plastic for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F
If using ramekins: Take 1/4 of the dough and form into a thin disk with your hands. Press into the bottom and up the sides of the ramekin.
Roll out the Dough for Mini Pie Pans
- Splash or spray some water onto your counter top (this will keep the plastic wrap from shifting). Lay one 12″ long pieces of plastic wrap on the counter. Smooth it out. OR Use silicone mat (see video)
- Place 1/3 of the dough (unwrapped) onto the plastic
- Place a piece of plastic over the dough.
- Roll out the dough to about 1/8″ thick. Roll from the center to the outside going around in a circle to keep it round.
- Remove the top layer of plastic. With both hands and forearms under the bottom plastic, lift and flip it into the pan. Remove the plastic. Don’t worry too much if it tears-just use your fingertips to press it back together. Form the edge.
- If the crust has become very soft and sticky, refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
Roll out the remaining dough scraps and use cookie cutters to cut out different shapes. Bake the cut-outs on a parchment lined pan for 12-14 minutes at 350°F. Decorate the pie with them once the pie has cooled,
Assemble the pies
- Beat the remaining egg with a couple of drops of water. Brush the pie crusts. (This will keep them from getting soggy)
- Add the filling.
- Bake for 50 minutes. If the edge of the pie is brown after 30 minutes, cover with a pie shield or a ring of tin foil.
- Cool at least one hour before cutting.
Notes
See my post on gluten-free flour blends if you'd like to make your own. It is a huge cost saver!
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