This healthy chocolate pie crust recipe is ridiculously easy.
As in, I made it in about 30 seconds.
Yes, a 30-second healthy pie crust.
This recipe saves you precious time, so you can spend that time on the important part: the filling!
Like this No-Bake Chocolate Pumpkin Pie.
Or my favorite chocolate fudge pie, but I won’t link to that one today because you’re probably bored of my incessant mentioning of it!
Anywhoos… in addition to its simplicity, this healthy chocolate pie crust is great for numerous other reasons: It’s chocolate. (Yay!) No lard, no partially-hydrogenated oils, and no ingredients you can’t pronounce. (You can pronounce “cocoa” right?) No added sugars, no flour, and it’s also gluten-free.
Healthy Chocolate Pie Crust
Healthy Chocolate Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder or cacao powder
- 1/2 cup raw cashews (or almonds, walnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts)
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut (See nutrition link below, for substitutions)
- 1/8 tsp salt
- scant 1/2 cup pitted dates (8 small dates) (Readers have said that raisins work as well)
Instructions
Healthy Chocolate Pie Crust Recipe: Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend. Then transfer to an 8-in baking dish or aluminum pan (as shown above). Using a piece of wax or parchment paper, smush into the pan and pour desired filling on top or refrigerate until ready to use. (Notes: I like Sunmaid dates, as they’re softer. Also, you can probably use a blender, but I haven’t personally tried it and therefore cannot vouch for it. And feel free to double or triple the healthy pie crust recipe for a bigger pie.)
I can’t show you what went on top of this particular healthy chocolate pie crust, as it’s scheduled to be Mothers’ Day dessert, and my mom reads my blog.
Happy Mothers’ Day to the most compassionate, selfless woman I know.
(Do you think we look alike? Just a little?!)
Pie crust: Love or Hate?
If we’re talking about that traditional flaky stuff, I’m going with yucky. When I lived in China, we frequented a restaurant that made really good apple pie. Except… I dislike crust, and my sister loathes apple pie. (Really. I don’t know how.) So we’d save money by sharing a slice: I’d eat all the filling and leave her the crust. Win for me, win for my sister, and big win for my mom who was paying!
Also, are you making anything for Mothers’ Day? I just took breakfast out of the oven: Fat-Free Banana Bread.
I love pie crust :3
For mother’s day we made our mother a novelty cake in the shape of our toy poodle — unfortunately because it was our first time baking a shaped, novelty cake we didn’t really feel comfortable altering any of the recipes to make them healthier, so it was full of butter and sugar. It tasted good, but so, so bad for us. We made it work, though, I was so happy!
Yessss! Homemade pie crusts are the only way to go!
I was spoiled growing up in Belgium where nothing was pre-made, so my mom always did them from scratch. Even so, I’m going to have to say I really only like cookie crusts… like graham crackers! Yummmm
What would happen if I used roasted nuts instead of raw? Would it taste too nutty, or just be less healthy?
Sorry, I haven’t tried it so I don’t know.
I think it would work… I’ve done a cheesecake crust (non-vegan) using toasted almonds and sugar before. Roasting makes a huge difference in the nut flavor, but often for the better! I would probably just suggest letting the nuts cool completely before combining with the other ingredients. Let us know if you do try it!
I don’t usually have dates on hand (these are something I loathe!)…is there a suitable substitute you could suggest? I have no problems using sugar if that would work. Thanks!
I personally use prunes without any problems but I don’ t know how they compare to dates or if they are so similar in taste that you would loathe them too. 🙂 (I really need to buy one bag of dates and do a taste comparison!)
In the substitution notes :raisins, figs, or prunes 🙂
Prunes always causes such a giggle. I buy them by the 3.5 pound bag at Costco…and I swear it isn’t for digestive issues! I buy them with my 3 pound bag of walnuts. 🙂
Figs! Now there is another one I haven’t a clue what the taste is like.
I have NEVER tasted a fig! must try. ANd i didn’t know we could sub prunes for dates. That tidbit would have saved me from those i-dont-have-the-dates-to-make-this-recipe moments. Well, you learn something new everyday!
Lol i buy the huge bag of prunes from costco too! And i always feel weird about peopule seeing them in my cabinet hahaha
This looks great except both my girls have nut allergies so I can’t use any nuts at all. Do you think sunflower seeds would work? Any other ideas for substitutions?
I am also curious if seeds would work. My daughter has a nut allergy too.
Sorry, I haven’t tried any variations. But feel free to try and report back!
I have a nut allergy so I had to make some alterations to the recipe. I followed Katie’s recipe in her first cookbook which called for one cup of almonds and a third a cup of walnuts. I used one cup of sunflower seeds and a third a cup of pepitas. I also added two tablespoons of flaxmeal and two tablespoons of water in addition to the third a cup of cocoa powder, one cup of potato dates, and a quarter teaspoon of salt the recipe called for. The cross was a bit more crumbly than I expected to work with I had hoped that the flax meal and the water would stick together a little better but it didn’t quite hold up as well as I would have liked. I think next time I’m either going to add a little more water or try out substituting flax meal or hemp hearts for the pepitas. Or maybe I’ll do a tablespoon of sunflower butter in addition to the water? But I don’t know if it will set? The crust was very crumbly when I put in the chocolate infinity pie. I hope this is helpful to other people with nut allergies!
I’m completely with you on this one! I HATE pie crust (the traditional kind, and even some non-traditional ones). My mother-in-law and I have a similar arrangement to the one you have with your sister: I eat the filling, she eats the crust. She makes a pretty good vegan traditional pie crust, though, so I can usually stand a few bites of it. I don’t mind graham or almond-based crusts, but in general, I can do without the crust. Filling is where it’s at!
ooooohhhh that looks like a crust I would actually like! I’m not a fan of the traditional pie crust. I like graham cracker crust, and chocolate wafer crust, but the pasty dough just isn’t my thing.
Store pie crust is made with lard?? Yuck i dont know what i thought it was made with. Lard, butter its all yucky lol. But i am def casting yummy vote for this crust! Thank you!! 🙂
I don’t know about all of them. I’m pretty sure Pillsbury ones do, though.
Thanks so much for this lovely pie crust! I have been wanting a gluten free one and this sounds like “THE BOMB”!! You and your Mum or “Mom” look very sweet. It is a nice thing to see you both happy together.
I’m so glad to hear I am not alone in my dislike of pie crust! I am more willing now to eat some than I was when I was younger. I do love pie fillings usually! My mom used to say it was un-american to not like pie. Haha!
I made my mom PBJ Thumbprint cookies. They are Vegan, Gluten Free and Refined Sugar Free. I love making up recipes just like you. And I love it even more when they are sooo good that I can make them for other people.
Thank you for the pie crust recipe. I will definitely be trying something like this soon. I just need to figure out what I want to put inside the crust. I don’t like pudding or mousse, and I haven’t had a vegan cheesecake that I like yet… so I’ll have to figure out something else. Maybe something with peanut butter in it. YUM.
Haha I prefer the filling of apple pies and my sister prefers the pastry too! So funny. I think you and your mom really do look alike – especially your eyes. Can’t wait to find out what went on top of that crust!
My mom makes a great pie and very light crust (hardly any sugar in it). She does not eat pies with fruit in it (since her mom/ my grandmother gave her way too much processed/mashed/canned fruit glop as a small child and instead likes her fruit fresh), so when she makes a pie it is usually pumpkin or sweet potato. It’s always a special occasion when she makes a fruit pie, so I love pies! I don’t like the buttery-tasting crusts of other pies, though, so I’m with you on that one :-b
And me, my sisters, and my little brother have made every meal for my mother (and father) except for lunch (we went out to Trader Joes after our Latin Mass got out). She’s having a fabulous day.
Bet you can’t guess what we’re having for dessert……
….. your Strawberry Chocolate Truffle Pie!!!! 😀
Hi Katie, do you think you could come up with a pie-crust recipe that doesn’t involve a blender? Also, when you say ‘dates’, you mean fresh dates, right..? I only ever see dried dates in store here 🙁 (I’m from Belgium)
Thank you for the perpetual food inspiration you give us 🙂 I made the banana-pancakes for Mother’s Day and she loveddd them. x
Nope, dry dates! 🙂
What an awesome recipe! It looks absolutely fantastic.
yah! i actually do like pie crust but it seemed ridiculous to put a healthy pie into an unhealthy crust. but now i can do all healthy! thanks!! 🙂 lisa
p.s. now looking at heleen’s comment above mine, she’s making me wonder if they’re supposed to be fresh or dried. i too can only find dried. (i’m in italy)
Dried are perfect! 🙂
yah, perfect!