Gluten-free and Dairy-free Karelian Pies
If Finland would be famous for one food, it would definitely be KARELIAN PIES. Karelian pies (Karjalanpiirakat) are traditional savory pastries filled with rice porridge or vegetables like mashed potatoes, carrots, or parsnips! They are great for breakfast and snack! They also make a great light lunch paired with some good toppings and a warming bowl of delicious soup.
Traditionally they are made with a rye crust (a mix of rye flour and wheat flour) and rice porridge that’s usually cooked with full-fat milk. For these Gluten-free Karelian pies, I used buckwheat flour, which is the best GF flour to imitate the dark and malty taste of rye. I substituted the dairy milk with oat milk and the filling porridge is made with oat kernels!
This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan 🥰 And FODMAP friendly!!
This recipe is also available in Finnish
GLUTEN-FREE & DAIRY FREE KARELIAN PIES RECIPE
Cooking time 60 min+
Makes 15-20
Filling
- 2 dl or 0,8 cups gluten-free oat grains/kernels (can be substituted with short-grain rice if you want to make the traditional filling)
- 4 dl or 1,6 cups of water
- 8 dl or 3,2 cups plant-based milk
- A pinch of salt (to taste, I added about 1/2-1 teaspoon)
- 1 tablespoon margarine/vegan butter (optional)
Instructions
- Wash your oat grains thoroughly* (I soaked them in hot water for 10-20 minutes) and measure water into a large saucepan. Bring water to a boil and add oat grains. Boil until water is fully soaked (about 15 min) and add oat milk & pinch of salt. Let it simmer over low-medium heat for 45 minutes, giving it a mix every once in a while.
- Take the porridge off the heat and add margarine (optional). Let the filling cool down completely before making your pies.
*This step is optional, but I have found that it makes the oats softer, resulting in creamier porridge!
Crust
- 3 dl or 1 1/4 cup buckwheat flour + a generous amount of buckwheat flour for shaping the pies
- 2 dl water (cold-room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons psyllium husk powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Melted, dairy-free margarine for brushing
Instructions
- Whisk psyllium husk powder and water together and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Add flour all at once and mix quickly.
Making the pies
- Generously sprinkle your work surface with buckwheat flour and divide your dough into 15-20 pieces. Form them into small balls.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the balls into thin oval shapes. You can cover the rolled crusts with plastic wrap while you are filling the pies so they won’t dry out.
- Scoop the porridge filling in the middle of the pie (about 1 big tablespoon) and lift the corners on top of the filling and make small “crinkles” with your fingertips. Ps. it’s more than okay if each of your pies looks unique 😀 If you write “Karelian pies” to Google Search, you’ll see that they all look a bit different in shape and size 🙂
- Preheat your oven to 250 Celsius or 480 Fahrenheit. (The high temperature and short cooking time make the crust nice and crispy)
- Bake your pies for 12-15 minutes. Once you take them out of the oven, brush the pies immediately with melted vegan butter/margarine. Let them cool down for a moment and transfer to a bread basket (lined with parchment paper) and cover them with a tea towel (this will soften the crust so it’s more enjoyable to eat)
- If you don’t them in a few days’ time, you can throw them in the freezer! They freeze well and stay good for at least a couple of months. Defrost them by popping them into a toaster (this way they will stay crunchy!)
Tips for making Gluten-free and Dairy-free Karelian Pies
Prepare the porridge filling the day before to save time! Or if you know that you’ll be making the pies in the evening, you can make the porridge earlier that day 🙂
make them with the traditional rice porridge filling; swap the oat kernels for short-grain/porridge rice and use a little bit more milk! I would add maybe 1 dl or 1/4 cup more.
You can eat them cold or warm, but I love popping them up in the toaster so they get warm and crunchy. 😍
Karelian pie topping ideas
Karelian pies taste the BEST fresh out of the oven, with a light spread of vegan butter, thinly sliced cucumber, and sea salt flakes 😍 But here are more delicious topping ideas for your Karelian pies:
- Egg and butter mixture (2 hard-boiled eggs lightly mushed with 2 tablespoons vegan butter + salt)
- Sweet Potato Dip
- Tofu scramble
- Smoked salmon or carrot lox
- Different spreads like dairy-free cream cheese (topped with fresh chives for example)
- Marinated tofu slices