Vegan Pie Crust

This buttery, flaky, and tender vegan pie crust has been my go-to recipe for years and years and comes complete with all of my tips and troubleshooting.

In this post:

“Shortcrust” refers to the baking term “short”. This means that there is a high proportion of fat to flour and very minimal gluten development. When the fat gets cut into the flour, the gluten strands get coated in it, which along with minimal handling, keeps them very short. This ensures that the pastry is flaky and tender enough to cut easily, but that it will be fairly sturdy and won't disintegrate into crumbs when cut.

As well as coating the gluten strands, the tiny pieces of fat melt into the hydrated flour, creating flakiness and crispness. And that is why it is really important to keep everything cold when making pastry. We need to keep the fat in a solid state until the crust goes into the oven so we get tender flaky layers when it is baked, in a similar (but less evident way) to when we bake biscuits.

Here are the ingredients you need at a glance:

This vegan pie crust is made with 4 ingredients. Each ingredient has a very specific job, so when making this vegan pie pastry it is important to not make any subs and to be precise with your measurements. I highly recommend the use of a digital scale for measuring the flour and butter. Cups are not accurate enough for the best and most consistent results when baking.

1. Flour – Use all-purpose flour, and if you are in the UK use plain flour. The recipe will also work with wholewheat flour but the pastry won't be as short or flaky and there will be that signature "wholewheat" taste.
2. Salt – For flavour. Use fine salt instead of coarse salt so it disperses evenly throughout the dough.
3. Vegan butter – This vegan pie crust is made with no shortening. Butter gives it an unbeatable buttery flavour and a flaky texture. The butter must be very cold and hard. Soft margarine-style vegan butter like Becel and Flora in a tub won't work well. It must be hard when cold like my butter recipe, Earth Balance, Miyokos, or the Flora block butter. Refined coconut oil can also be used but it doesn't give as good a flavour as butter. Note that if you use coconut oil, it must be refined so the pastry doesn't end up tasting/smelling like coconut.
4. Ice water – The amount of water needed varies every time. Add plenty to a jug or glass and add a big handful of ice to really chill it. Use just enough of the icy water so the dough holds its shape but will be easily rollable. By using iced water you keep the fat in the pastry very cold which will make the pastry easier to handle and give it a better texture once cooked.

OPTIONAL Sugar – White sugar or cane sugar is best. Add this to the recipe if you are making a sweet pie or tart and would like a sweetened pie crust.

Vegan Pie Crust is really easy to make in just a couple of steps. Using a food processor, the dough takes just a few minutes to make but you can also make it easily by hand.

Here's how it's done:

1. Add the flour, salt, and butter to a food processor or a bowl if you don't have a food processor.
2. Pulse (or cut in) until you have a coarse breadcrumb texture.
3. Add iced water very gradually until the vegan pastry dough has enough moisture to come together.
4. Roll out carefully.

Once the dough is made:

1. Gently place the pastry over the pie dish or tart/quiche pan. Press in tightly with a little ball of excess dough to avoid touching with your hands, then trim the edges with a knife. By using the ball of dough, the heat from your hands won't be in contact with the pastry so won't melt the fat in the dough.
2. If using a pie dish crimp the edges. If using a tart/quiche pan use the ball of discarded dough to push the sides up a few millimetres above the rim. This is insurance against any shrinking.
3. Prick the bottom all over with a fork so you don't get any bubbles when it bakes.
4. Scrunch up a sheet of parchment paper and line the pie crust with it, then fill with baking beans, dried rice or dried beans and blind bake or completely bake depending on what type of filling you are using.

When the pie is being filled with a no-cook filling it is essential to fully bake the pie crust and cool it completely before adding the filling. For pies that will go back in the oven, like quiche or pumpkin pie, the crust can still be warm when you add the filling.

For the very best results when making this recipe follow these tips:

1. Use ice-cold water. Fill a glass or jug with water and add a good handful of ice cubes.
2. Use very cold vegan butter or coconut oil.
3. Don't handle the pastry dough with your hands any more than absolutely necessary. They are warm and will melt the fat.
4. Use a piece of balled-up scrap pastry dough to mould the pastry into the sides of the pie dish rather than using your fingers. This helps to keep it cool.
5. Prevent crumbly pastry by making sure you use enough water when mixing it up. Too little water will make your dough very difficult to work with.
6. If it's summer or your kitchen is particularly warm, chill the flour and all bowls/utensils before starting.
7. Roll the dough so it is a bigger circle than the diametre of your pie dish. You can lift up your dish over the rolled pastry to see if it is big enough. It should be at least 2 or 3 inches wider all around so there is plenty to cover it and go up and over the sides.
8. Once you have lined your pie dish, chill well before blind baking or baking. This step is absolutely essential to avoid shrinkage.
9. When lining the pie crust with parchment paper, cut a piece the size you need then screw it up in your hands really tightly like you are going to throw it in the trash. then straighten it out and push it gently over and into the pie crust. It makes it much easier to fit it in there without damaging the pastry.
10. Prevent a tough baked pie crust. This can be caused by not using enough fat in the crust (be sure to weigh and measure accurately with a digital scale) and/or by overworking the dough. Handle as little as possible and keep the dough cold.
11. Before pouring a wet filling into a blind-baked crust, brush the entire surface of the pastry with a very thin coating of oil. This forms a protective barrier and stops the liquid from seeping into the pastry.

If the pie recipe you are following calls for a fully baked pie crust, you need to fully bake this vegan pie crust recipe. If it calls for a blind-baked or par-baked shell then you need to blind-bake (par-bake) it. Instructions are included in this recipe for both methods.

Recipes where the filling going into the pie is wet and has a tendency to make the bottom soggy, like my vegan pumpkin pie and vegan quiche recipe, or recipes where the filling needs a shorter bake time than the crust, require a blind-baked pie crust. By blind-baking, you get a nice crisp crust and reduce the chances of a soggy bottom.

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