If you're looking to "veganize" your favorite, classic pie recipe or you simply want to learn how to make a vegan (dairy and egg-free) pie crust, you've come to the right place. This Vegan Pie Crust is so perfect that no one will ever be able to tell the difference. It is flaky, buttery and great for double and single pie crust recipes alike. Let's learn how to make it!
Having a great vegan pie crust recipe in your arsenal is important if you want to make phenomenal pies and pastries. This recipe uses simple methods and easy to find ingredients.
It is the perfect crust recipe to use when making our Vegan Pumpkin Pie, Vegan Chocolate Fudge Pie and even our Nectarine Galette!
While vegan pie crust has its own tips and tricks for success (which can be found below), the tried and true traditional pie crust tips apply as well. Read as much as you can!
What is vegan pie crust?
Vegan pie crust is simply pie crust made without any animal products such as butter, lard, or eggs. Instead, it relies on plant-based fats and binders to achieve a flaky and tender texture.
It can be used to make a variety of sweet and savory pies, such as fruit pies, pumpkin pies, quiches, and pot pies. Vegan pie crust is suitable for those following a vegan diet or for anyone looking for a dairy-free alternative to traditional pie crusts.
Vegan pie crust ingredients:
Each ingredient in a vegan pie crust recipe has a specific purpose to create a balanced, tender, and flaky crust:
- All-Purpose Flour: The main structure of the crust comes from flour. Its gluten provides the framework that holds the crust together, while its starches give the crust its desired texture.
- Sugar: Sugar adds a hint of sweetness, helps with browning, and enhances the overall flavor of the crust.
- Salt: Salt further amplifies the flavor of the crust by balancing the sweetness and highlighting the other ingredients' flavors.
- Vegan Butter: Vegan butter contributes fat, which is crucial for tenderness and flakiness. Its flavor also mimics traditional pie crust made with dairy butter.
- Non-Hydrogenated Shortening: Shortening adds additional fat and ensures a sturdier product. Unlike vegan butter, shortening has a higher melting point, which helps maintain the crust's structure while baking.
- Ice Water: Ice water brings the dough together while keeping the fat cold, which is essential for creating a flaky crust.
How to make a vegan pie crust (with pictures!):
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page for full instructions and ingredient measurements.
Start by whisking together your dry ingredients. These include the flour, sugar and salt. Be sure to distribute the sugar and salt throughout the flour as evenly as possible.
Add chunks of cold vegan butter and cold shortening to the bowl. Cut fat in using a pastry cutter and continue to work the mixture until the texture is fine and crumbly.
Pour the ice water into the bowl and stir together using a wooden spoon. The dough will start to clump up in places.
At this point you will trade out the spoon for your hands. Use your hands to pull the dough together into a ball. If you are making a double pie crust you will need to break the ball in half.
Form your ball(s) of dough into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes but up to 2 days.
What is a vegan substitute for butter in pie?
There are several excellent vegan substitutes for butter in pie crusts, each with unique qualities:
- Vegan Butter: Widely available in stores, vegan butter is designed to mimic the flavor and texture of traditional butter. It works well for pie crusts because it can be used cold and produces a flaky texture.
- Non-Hydrogenated Shortening: This is a great option for achieving an ultra-flaky crust. It has a neutral flavor and a higher melting point, making it easier to handle in warmer kitchens.
- Coconut Oil: Solid coconut oil can replace butter, offering a rich and flaky texture. Choose refined coconut oil for a neutral taste and be sure to chill it.
- Olive Oil or Other Neutral Oils: These can be used in pie crust recipes that call for oil instead of solid fats. They won't produce a flaky crust like butter or shortening but work for press-in crusts or softer pastries.
- Mashed Avocado or Nut Butters: These options add moisture and fat but can alter the flavor and texture. They're better suited for specific types of pies or when a healthier alternative is desired.
For best results, keep your substitute chilled and follow the recipe instructions carefully to maintain the desired texture and structure.
Tips for making vegan pie crust:
Dough Preparation
- Choose the Right Fat: A combination of vegan butter and shortening works best. Vegan butter provides great flavor while shortening provides sturdiness. Be sure to purchase high quality, name brand vegan butter!
- Keeping Ingredients Cold: Cold fat is essential for creating a flaky crust. Chill the mixed dry ingredients, vegan butter and shortening before using. Use ice water.
- Don't Overwork the Dough: Mix the fat into the flour until you get a texture resembling coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces of fat. Add water gradually and stop as soon as the dough holds together. Over-mixing develops gluten, leading to a tough crust.
- Roll Out the Dough Properly: Chill dough before rolling. Roll from the center outward, turning the dough frequently to prevent sticking. Use a lightly floured surface or roll between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll from the center outwards, using gentle pressure to prevent the dough from tearing.
- Patch Tears and Cracks: If the dough tears or cracks while rolling or transferring, don't worry! Simply patch it up with a small piece of dough and press gently to seal. The dough is forgiving, and small imperfections won't affect the final result.
Baking
- Prevent Soggy Bottoms: Blind baking or par baking is important for double crusted fruit pies. Lay the bottom crust in the pie pan and poke in several places with a fork for ventilation. Lay a small sheet of parchment paper in the crust and fill with ceramic pie weight. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 F before filling the pie.
- Protect the Crust Edges: Wrap the edges in tinfoil. This will keep them from blackening while the pie bakes. You can unwrap then for the final 10 minutes of baking if needed.
Frequently asked questions:
Sometimes! If you're lucky, you might stumble across a pre-made pie crust in the wild that is completely free of dairy and eggs. Be sure to read the ingredients carefully as many store bought crusts will contain dairy, lard or beef tallow.
All-purpose flour is the most common choice because it strikes a good balance between tenderness and structure. For a whole-grain option, you can use whole wheat pastry flour, but it may result in a denser crust.
Absolutely! Vegan pie crust dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 3 months. If frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight before using.
This usually happens if there’s not enough water or the fat wasn’t evenly incorporated. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together without being sticky. Avoid over-mixing.
Over-working the dough can develop too much gluten, resulting in a tough crust. Handle the dough gently and stop mixing as soon as it comes together.
Yes, you can substitute all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend. Adding a binding agent like psyllium husk, flaxseed meal, or xanthan gum can help improve texture and workability.
No. Blind baking is necessary for pies with no-bake fillings (like cream pies) or custards to prevent sogginess and for some double crusted fruit pies.
Brush your unbaked pie crust lightly with nondairy milk and sprinkle generously with coarse sugar. This will give you the desired, golden color.
What is the secret to a great vegan pie crust?
- COLD ingredients. Ice cold butter and shortening are super important but freezing your dry ingredients for 15 minutes before using them isn't a bad idea!
- Don't add too much water! Start with the smaller amount of water specified in the recipe card. Use your hands to bring the dough into a ball. You don't want it to feel wet.
- Chill prepared dough as a disk before rolling out. Chilling the dough after preparation is done to re-solidify the butter. The disk shape makes for easy rolling.
- Roll out on a heavily-floured surface! Your rolled out dough will stick to a lightly-floured surface and you will end up over-handling it when you attempt to transfer.
- Chill your pie again once assembled. This isn't 100% necessary but it definitely doesn't hurt. Chill your whole pie for another 30 minutes before putting it in the oven.
- Bake until deeply golden. Brush your crust with nondairy milk and sprinkle generously with sugar before baking to achieve this beautiful color and flakiness. Do not take your pie out when it is only starting to yellow.
Tools for making vegan pie crust:
Making vegan pie crust requires some basic kitchen tools. Here's a list of essential tools you'll need:
- Mixing Bowl: Use a large mixing bowl to combine the dry ingredients and fats for the pie crust.
- Pastry Cutter: A pastry cutter is used to cut the vegan butter or shortening into the flour. This tool helps incorporate the fats evenly into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Rolling Pin: A rolling pin is essential for rolling out the chilled pie dough to the desired thickness before fitting it into the pie dish.
- Pie Pan: Choose a pie dish that is the appropriate size for your pie recipe. Pie dishes come in various materials such as glass, ceramic, or metal. Make sure the pie dish is oven-safe and suitable for baking.
- Plastic Wrap or Parchment Paper: After making the pie dough, you'll need plastic wrap or parchment paper to wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator. This helps prevent the dough from drying out and makes it easier to roll out later.
- Ceramic Pie Weights: If blind baking the pie crust, you'll need pie weights or dried beans to weigh down the crust and prevent it from puffing up during baking.
- Silicone Baking Mat : Use a silicone pastry mat to provide a non-stick surface for rolling out the pie dough.
- Pie Crust Shield or Foil: To prevent the edges of the pie crust from over-browning during baking, you may need a pie crust shield or aluminum foil to cover the edges while the pie bakes.
Storing homemade pie crust:
It is so easy to store this vegan pie crust! Once your dough comes together, shape it into a disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. It will keep like this in the fridge for 48 hours. You also have the option of assembling a pie and then chilling it whole for the same amount of time.
If you make this recipe, please tag @censoredbaker on Instagram!
PrintVegan Pie Crust
The BEST Vegan Pie Crust. Buttery, flaky perfection achieved without any dairy or eggs. Single and Double Pie Crust measurements included.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 Single or 1 Double Pie Crust 1x
- Category: How To
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Single Pie Crust
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoons salt
⅓ cup vegan butter, cold
3 tablespoons non-hydrogenated shortening, cold
4-5 tablespoons ice water
Double Pie Crust
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons salt
⅔ cup vegan butter, cold
⅓ cup non-hydrogenated shortening, cold
6-8 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- Make the Piecrust Dough: Add all purpose flour, sugar and salt to a bowl and whisk together. Cut in cold vegan butter and shortening using a pastry cutter until texture is crumbly with a few larger pebbles remaining. Pour in the smaller amount of ice water and stir with a wooden spoon until shaggy dough begins to form. Bring the dough into a ball using your hands and shape into a disk. Add an additional tablespoon of water at a time if the dough is too dry to come together. If you are making a double pie crust, break the dough in half and form two disks. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours (up to 2 days) before using.
- Use Piecrust According to Recipe: When you are ready to use your pie crust, remove it from the refrigerator and set it on a heavily-floured surface. Roll out crust with a rolling pin and use according to your recipe instructions. If your crust is too cold to work with, let it sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before trying again.
Notes
*Unbaked pie crust will keep as a disk tightly-wrapped in plastic in the fridge for 48 hours. It can also be frozen for up to 1 month. To accomplish this, roll out a disk of pie dough into an 11 to 12-inch circle that is about ⅛-inch thick. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the top of it and gently roll up the dough like a fruit roll up. The plastic will keep the dough from touching itself. Once rolled, wrap the outside in an additional sheet of plastic and place in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag.
*This pie crust recipe works great in a food processor! Simply add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor fit with the dough blade and pulse until a ball of dough comes together. Form into a disk and wrap in plastic as described above. If you are making a double pie crust, you may need to work with half of the ingredients at a time depending on the size of your machine.
*The colder your ingredients the better. Every time we handle unbaked pie crust, we begin to melt the butter in the dough. Chilling after handling re-solidifies the butter. This will produce the flakiest result.
Recipes to Make with Your Vegan Pie Crust
- Vegan Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
- Vegan Apple Pie
- Vegan Chocolate Fudge Pie
- Vegan Pumpkin Pie
- Vegan Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
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