Gluten-free Shortcrust Pastry Recipe – BEST EVER!

Gluten-free shortcrust pastry recipe – golden, buttery and slightly flaky, using just 5 ingredients (including a supermarket gluten-free flour blend). Perfect for sweet and savoury pies, tarts and pasties, with an easy food processor method too!

This is my ultimate gluten-free shortcrust pastry: it rolls out beautifully, holds its shape when baked and has a lovely buttery flavour without turning rock solid or crumbling into dust. You can make it by hand or let the food processor do the work!

I use FREEE by Doves Farm gluten-free plain white flour, so there’s no need to rush out and buy lots of separate flours. Simply add sugar for sweet pastry or salt for savoury, then use it for anything from mince pies and quiches to my gluten-free Cornish pasties.

So how does my gluten-free shortcrust pastry taste? It has a beautiful buttery flavour with a flaky, slightly crumbly texture that doesn’t disintegrate into dust when you bite into it. And no, nobody would know it’s gluten-free!

I was so pleased with this recipe that I included it in my second book, ‘How To BAKE Anything Gluten-free‘. I’ve since used it for all sorts of sweet and savoury bakes, including the Cornish pasties I recently made using the food processor method below.

Below, I’ll show you how to make the dough, roll it out and transfer it without stretching it, plus how to tidy up any little cracks. You’ll also find instructions for making a tart case if that’s what you’re baking.

Why you’ll love my gluten-free shortcrust pastry recipe

1. Buttery pastry with a lovely flaky quality. It has a slightly crumbly texture that doesn’t disintegrate into dust when you bite into it. No rock-solid pastry here!
2. Made with a supermarket gluten-free flour blend. I use FREEE by Doves Farm gluten-free plain white flour, so there’s no need to buy a collection of separate flours whatsoever.
3. One dough for sweet or savoury baking. Add sugar for sweet pastry or salt for savoury pastry, then use it for everything from jam tarts to Cornish pasties.
4. Make it by hand or in a food processor. Both methods are included below, along with advice on rolling, transferring and tidying up any little cracks.

Ingredients for my gluten-free shortcrust pastry recipe

• Gluten-free plain flour: I use Doves Farm’s FREEE gluten-free plain white flour blend that you can find in the supermarket. Can’t find it in your part of the world? You can always use my homemade gluten-free plain flour blend.
• Xanthan gum: This is used as a binding agent in the absence of gluten and is integral in gluten-free baking. You can find it in your supermarket’s free from aisle or online.
• Caster sugar: You’ll only need to add this if you’re making sweet pastry for a tart or pie.
• Salt: If you’re making a savoury tart, pie or pasty, add salt instead of sugar.
• Butter: This is a super-important ingredient in gluten-free shortcrust pastry. Start with very cold butter, straight from the fridge. Bear in mind that once the dough becomes warm, it can get sticky, so we want to keep it cool but workable.
• Large eggs: Eggs provide most of the liquid in this recipe and help bind the dough together. I’d advise using large as that’s what I used to create this recipe – medium eggs may result in the dough being a little dry and crumbly when working with it.
• Cold water, if needed: A little cold water can help bring the dough together if it’s still dry after mixing in the eggs. Add it just 1 tsp at a time. Around 2 tsp is usually enough when I need it, but let the feel of your dough guide you.

Shopping list

For one batch of gluten-free shortcrust pastry:

• 300g gluten-free plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1½ tsp xanthan gum
• 145g butter, very cold and cubed
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tbsp caster sugar for sweet pastry OR 1 tsp salt for savoury pastry

You’ll also need a little cold water if the dough needs it. If you’re making a tart case, have baking paper and baking beans or uncooked rice ready too. An extra egg white is optional for sealing a blind-baked case.

How to make my gluten-free shortcrust pastry

Start by making the dough, then chill it before rolling. If you’re using it for another recipe, such as my Cornish pasties, follow that recipe for the rolling thickness, shaping and baking. You don’t need to make or blind bake a tart case first!

1. Mix the dry ingredients. Mix the gluten-free flour and xanthan gum together, adding the sugar for sweet pastry or salt for savoury pastry.
2. Rub in the butter. Add your very cold, cubed butter and rub it into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Try to keep your hands cool and avoid warming the butter.
3. Add the eggs. Beat the eggs, then gradually cut them into the mixture using a knife. Make sure the egg is mixed through before using your hands to bring everything together.
4. Check the dough. If it’s still dry and crumbly, cut in cold water 1 tsp at a time. It should hold together and feel slightly sticky, but not wet or unmanageable. Don’t add more water if it’s already coming together nicely.
5. Wrap and chill. Bring the dough together, wrap it well and chill for around 30 minutes. It should be firm but workable when you come to roll it.
6. Roll and use in any of my many recipes! Roll on lightly floured non-stick baking paper, using gluten-free flour for dusting. Follow your chosen recipe for the thickness and baking instructions. Use the paper to support the dough when transferring or folding it, without pulling or stretching.

Making a tart case

For a tart or quiche, the recipe card below includes instructions for lining a 23cm loose-bottom, fluted tart tin and blind baking the case. The photos below show the process, from making the dough through to preparing the pastry case.

Blind baking means baking the pastry case before adding the filling. Whether it needs a partial or full bake depends on what you’re filling it with, so follow the instructions for the tart or quiche you’re making too.

A few tips for pastry perfection

1. Keep it cool! Ensure your butter is nice and cold before starting and that your pastry is chilled until firm, yet malleable. Handle it as little as possible – your hands are warm after all! If it becomes warm and sticky, give it a short spell back in the fridge.
2. Don’t bring the mixture together into a ball too quickly when making it by hand. It might feel like you can very shortly after the egg is cut in, but please resist until the egg is properly mixed through. If it isn’t evenly distributed, you can end up with dry, crumbly patches.
3. If blind baking, use baking beans or uncooked rice for the first stage. A perfect pastry case is lovely and flat – agreed? Without a little weight inside the case when baking, it can rise up in the middle and crack. Follow the timings in the recipe card for the tart case.
4. Once chilled, ensure your pastry dough ball isn’t rock solid. Of course, this is because it’ll be near impossible to roll out! It should be firm, yet workable. If it is solid, simply leave out at room temperature until workable enough to roll out.
5. If blind baking, brush the base with egg white when you’re finished and return to the oven for 1 minute. This optional step helps to seal the pastry case and reduce the chance of a soggy bottom when adding a wet filling.
6. Roll gently, but don’t pull or stretch. There’s no gluten to give this pastry the same elasticity as wheat pastry. Use the baking paper to support it when transferring it to a tin or folding it around a filling.
7. Go easy on the dusting flour. You need enough to stop sticking, but repeatedly adding lots of flour can dry the dough out. Brush away any excess before filling or baking.
8. Little cracks are easy to tidy up. Use a finger very lightly dipped in water to gently press and smooth the pastry back together. For a larger hole in a tart case, patch it with a little spare dough.

Making ahead and storing your pastry

You can make the dough the day before, wrap it well and keep it in the fridge. It may need a little time at room temperature before rolling, especially after an overnight chill. Aim for cool and pliable, rather than rock hard or warm and sticky.

Can I freeze gluten-free shortcrust pastry?

Yes! Wrap the dough well and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost fully in the fridge, then let it soften just enough to roll comfortably.

Once you’ve turned the pastry into a pie, tart or pasty, follow the storage instructions for that recipe. The filling will affect how the finished bake needs to be stored.

What can I make with gluten-free shortcrust pastry?

Here’s a few ideas for putting your pastry to good use. Choose the sweet or savoury version of the dough, then follow the recipe for the filling, shaping and baking:

• Cornish Pasties (there’s also a version in my second book)
• Pumpkin Pie
• Lemon Tart
• Mince Pies, Pop Tart Mince Pies, Iced Mince Pies, Frangipane-topped Mince Pies
• Coronation Quiche
• Quiche Lorraine (recipe in my first book)
• Apple Pie (recipe in my second book)
• Festive pigs in blanket sausage rolls (recipe in my second book)
• Jam Tarts
• Pop Tarts (recipe in my first book)
• Chicken and Leek Pie (recipe in my first book)

Recipe tips, swaps and FAQs

Is this recipe gluten-free? Is it suitable for Coeliacs?

Yes! Provided all the ingredients you use are gluten-free, including the flour for dusting and rolling. Nobody would know just by tasting it – trust me!

Bear in mind that minimising cross-contamination is hugely important if you’re Coeliac or making this for someone who is. Use clean equipment and surfaces, and keep ordinary wheat flour away from your gluten-free baking. Here’s some tips from Coeliac UK on minimising the risk of cross-contamination.

Check ingredient labels and any ‘may contain’ warnings rather than assuming a product is suitable. Here’s some more info from Coeliac UK on identifying safe gluten-free products.

Can I make your gluten-free shortcrust pastry recipe dairy-free?

Yes! All you need to do is use a block of Stork hard margarine instead of butter. As it isn’t as firm as butter, you’ll likely need to chill the dough for a little longer, so do bear that in mind.

Choose a hard dairy-free block rather than a soft, spreadable tub margarine. Keep it cold before starting, just as you would with butter.

Can I make your gluten-free shortcrust pastry recipe vegan or egg-free?

I personally haven’t tested this recipe using egg replacers and as eggs are so important for binding this gluten-free pastry, I can’t recommend a reliable swap.

I wouldn’t recommend simply leaving them out or replacing them with water. Using dairy-free butter alone won’t make this pastry vegan.

Is this recipe low FODMAP?

Yes! This pastry is low FODMAP as long as you use a FODMAP-friendly gluten-free flour blend. There’s no need to replace the butter for low FODMAP purposes. Just make sure your chosen filling is low FODMAP too!

Which gluten-free flour should I use?

I use FREEE by Doves Farm gluten-free plain white flour. It’s a blend of flours, which is what you need here. Don’t replace it with the same amount of a single flour such as coconut flour or almond flour, as they behave very differently.

Use plain flour rather than self-raising. Different gluten-free blends can absorb different amounts of liquid, so you may need a little cold water if your dough is dry after adding the eggs.

Do I still need xanthan gum if my flour already contains it?

The FREEE gluten-free plain white flour I use doesn’t contain xanthan gum, so add the full 1½ tsp in the recipe. If your blend already contains it, I can’t give one reliable adjustment for every brand because the amount already added will vary. For the most predictable result, use the flour tested here.

How do I make sweet or savoury shortcrust pastry?

It’s the same basic dough for both! Add 3 tbsp caster sugar for sweet pastry or 1 tsp salt for savoury pastry. Choose one or the other according to what you’re making.

For example, use the sweet version for mince pies and lemon tart, and the savoury version for quiches and Cornish pasties.

How much pastry does this recipe create? How many tarts, pies and pasties can I make with it?

Officially, this recipe creates enough pastry to line a 23cm loose-bottom, fluted tart tin. So that’s one pastry case you can use for a quiche, lemon tart or one big custard tart etc.

It’s also enough to make 12 mince pies with lids or two large gluten-free Cornish pasties. The exact yield depends on the size of your tins or cutters and how thickly you roll it.

However, when it comes to making a large lidded pie (23cm or slightly larger), you won’t have enough pastry to make a lid! So, if making a lidded pie, you’ll need to make one and a half quantities of pastry dough.

Fortunately, you can easily do this by multiplying all of the measurements of the ingredients in the recipe below by 1.5.

Can I make this gluten-free shortcrust pastry recipe using a food processor or a stand mixer?

A food processor works brilliantly here. This is the food processor I use if you’d like to see mine! Mix the salt or sugar and xanthan gum into the gluten-free flour first, then add to your food processor with the cold cubed butter. Blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Just please don’t over mix your flour and butter into a strange, buttery flour paste! Once you achieve a breadcrumb-like consistency, stop before adding the eggs.

Add the beaten eggs, then pulse until it magically comes together into a dough. Stop as soon as it comes together rather than continuously blending it. If it remains dry and crumbly, add cold water 1 tsp at a time and pulse briefly to combine.

Wrap and chill as directed before rolling. No rubbing in or mixing by hand needed! For this recipe, I’d stick to a food processor or the hand method rather than a stand mixer, as those are the methods described here.

How’s best to get the rolled out pastry into the tart tin or pie dish?

First of all, rolling your dough out on non-stick baking paper is a great idea. Then, all you have to do is support the rolled out dough on the paper and gently invert it on top of your tart tin or pie dish. Peel the paper back carefully.

Ease the pastry into the corners rather than pulling it down into them. Lift the overhanging pastry a little as you guide it into place, so you’re not stretching it across the tin. Job done.

If it keeps breaking or falling apart, check the feel of the dough. It may be too dry, too cold and stiff, or too warm and soft. Overworking the butter into the flour can also affect the result. There are a few easy things to try in the troubleshooting section below.

How thick should I roll the pastry?

Follow the recipe you’re using it for. The tart-case instructions below use pastry rolled to around 2mm thick, whereas my gluten-free Cornish pasties use 4mm so the pastry can hold the filling.

It doesn’t need to be the same thickness for every bake. Try to keep it even across the sheet so you don’t end up with thin patches that tear when you move it. A rolling pin with guides like the one I use helps take the guesswork out of getting an even thickness.

Do I always need to blind bake it?

No! A tart or quiche may need a blind-baked case, but pasties are filled while the pastry is raw and then baked. Follow the recipe for whatever you’re making rather than automatically baking the pastry first.

Can I reroll the pastry offcuts?

Yes! Gently gather them together and reroll, using only a little extra gluten-free flour if needed. If the dough has become warm and sticky, chill it briefly first. Repeatedly working in lots of dusting flour can make it dry, so try to get as much as you can from each roll.

Can I use this gluten-free shortcrust pastry to make jam tarts?

Yes! Use the sweet version of the pastry and, once chilled, roll it out on lightly floured baking paper to around 2mm thick. Cut out circles slightly larger than the holes in your cupcake tray, gently bringing together and rerolling any offcuts.

Place the circles into a lightly greased cupcake tray and add a little jam to each one. Don’t fill them right to the top as the jam will bubble up as they bake!

Bake at 200C/180C fan for 12-18 minutes until the pastry is lightly golden. Leave to cool in the tray before carefully transferring to a cooling rack – the jam will be incredibly hot straight from the oven, so resist having a bite just yet!

Troubleshooting

Why is my gluten-free pastry dry and crumbly?

First, make sure you’ve used large eggs and mixed them right through the flour and butter. Different flour blends and slightly different egg sizes can change how much liquid the dough needs.

If it still won’t hold together, add cold water 1 tsp at a time, mixing it in before deciding whether it needs more. Stop when you can bring it together into a dough. You want it slightly sticky, not wet!

Why does my pastry crack when I roll or fold it?

This pastry rolls out beautifully, but it won’t stretch like pastry made with wheat flour – there’s no gluten to give it that elasticity! So don’t tug it over a filling or pull it to fit your tin. Use the baking paper to support it as you move or fold it.

If it’s cracking as soon as you start rolling and feels very hard, let it soften slightly first. If it feels dry and crumbly even once it’s workable, it may need a little more water.

And if you get a few little cracks, don’t panic! A finger very lightly dipped in water will help you gently press them together and smooth them away. Use a little spare dough to patch larger gaps.

Why is my pastry sticky and difficult to handle?

It may simply have become too warm. Give it a short spell in the fridge before adding lots more flour. It should be cool but pliable, so you can roll it without it sticking everywhere or cracking from being too stiff.

If it’s still very sticky when cool, you may have added too much liquid. A little extra gluten-free flour can help, but add it gradually so you don’t take it too far the other way.

Why has my pastry turned out hard?

Too much extra flour during rolling, dough that’s too dry, or baking for too long can all leave you with harder pastry. Dust lightly, check the dough before chilling and follow the thickness and baking time for the recipe you’re making.

Don’t keep baking just to chase a much darker colour if the pastry is already done. For something like a pasty, an even egg wash before baking helps give it that lovely golden finish.

How do I stop my tart case shrinking or getting a soggy bottom?

For shrinking, make sure you ease the pastry into the tin without stretching it, then chill the lined case as directed. The tart-case method below also explains how to leave slightly thicker sides.

For a soggy bottom, follow the blind-baking instructions for your chosen tart or quiche. Baking beans support the case during the first stage, then removing them allows the base to dry out. The optional egg-white coating can help seal the case before adding a wet filling.