Name: Vegan Pie Crust
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour ((*see note)); 1 tablespoon sugar; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 cup cold vegan butter (, cut into 1/2" cubes); 1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening (, cut into 1/2" pieces); 1/4 cup cold water (, (keep 2 additional tablespoons separated in case it's needed)); 1.5 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

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This Vegan Pie Crust is flaky, buttery and so easy to make! It calls for 7 simple ingredients and works perfectly for a variety of sweet and savory recipes. Plus, it's freezer-friendly! Check out my easy instructions and step-by-step photos for a successful homemade pie crust.

Overhead view of an unbaked pie crust in a pie plate.

If you haven't tried your own Vegan Pie Crust yet, you may want to give it a go. You'll be surprised at how easy it really is and it's SO delicious!

It's perfect for a simple vegan pot pie or a delicious vegan quiche and it's fancy enough for your holiday table. It'll totally impress your dinner guests with its rustic appeal and flaky-golden crust!

Plus, you don't need any fancy equipment either, just a pie pan, mixing bowl, rolling pin, pastry cutter (or 2 butter knives). That's it!

Ingredients Needed

Here are the 7 basic ingredients that you'll need:

Ingredients for vegan pie crust on a marble table.

All-Purpose Flour - To make this crust gluten-free, just replace the all-purpose with 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of 1.1 gluten-free flour and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
Vegan Butter - I like to use Miyoko's or Country Crock for my pie crusts.
Vegetable Shortening - Crisco baking sticks work well.
Salt - Just a bit for overall flavor.
Sugar - This helps tenderize the crust but will also enhance its flavor.
Apple Cider Vinegar - This helps to slow the formation of gluten resulting in a crust that is easier to handle, flakier, and tender. You'll have less shrinkage too.
Cold Water - Make sure to use very cold water to prevent the butter and shortening from melting.

How to Make a Vegan Pie Crust

Before you begin, It's important that the butter, shortening, and liquids are very cold to avoid melting. You can stick the cut butter/shortening and liquid in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to ensure it's really cold (no longer though). Also, I like to put my bowl and pastry cutter in the freezer for 15 minutes before using it too.

3 process photos of whisking flour and cutting butter into it.

Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt together.
Toss the butter and shortening in the flour to coat.
Cut the butter and shortening into the flour until you have a coarse meal with pea-sized pieces.

4 process photos of making dough in a mixing bowl.

Slowly add ½ the cold water/vinegar mixture and gently stir to combine until a dough starts to form then add the remaining liquid.
Squeeze the dough to see if it holds together. You want it to just hold and not be overly wet or sticky. Some loose crumbs are fine.
Gently knead 2-3 times into a ball.
Form into a disc and wrap it in cling wrap. Chill in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

How to roll out

4 process photos of rolling out a pie crust.

Let the chilled dough sit out for 5-8 minutes. Flour your work surface and rolling pin, then place your dough onto your work surface.
Starting in the center, firmly roll away from you in one stroke. Rotate dough clockwise and repeat. Keep repeating until the dough is about 2-3 inches longer than your pie pan and about ¼" thick.
Brush off any extra flour and roll the dough onto your rolling pin.
Place over your pie pan and gently unroll the dough on top. Fit the dough evenly into the pan using your hands, but don't stretch it.

2 process photos trimming pie crust and fitting into pie plate.

Trim dough evenly around the edge, leaving 1 ½ inches of overhang.
Fold the edges downwards and press together evenly along the pie plate. You can leave it like this and place it back in the freezer for 15 minutes or you can flute the edges.

How to flute

To flute the edges, press the dough into your thumb, using your index finger and thumb of your other hand. Continue this method until it's completely fluted around the edge. If a spot is too thin, you can use a piece of scrap dough to patch it up. Place it in the freezer for 15 minutes and from there, you can follow the instructions of your recipe.
If you want to blind bake your vegan pie crust, you'll need to prick the bottom and sides with a fork and then freeze it for 15 minutes.

Unbaked pie crust in a pie pan with rolling pin on the side.

Blind baking is a technique used primarily for making pies and tart crusts. The purpose is to partially or fully bake the crust before adding the filling. This is done to ensure the crust is fully cooked and crisp and doesn't become soggy when the wet filling is added.

2 process photos of docking a vegan pie crust and preparing it for blind baking.

Prick the bottom of the dough and sides with a fork. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes and preheat your oven to 425 °F (220 °C).
Crumple up a piece of parchment paper and fit it into your pie crust. Place pie weights or 1.5 lbs of dried beans or sugar into the paper and across the bottom of the pan. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden.
Remove the weights and paper and reduce heat to 400 °F (200 °C). Bake for 4-6 minutes more until the bottom is dry and somewhat flaky. Remove from the oven and let cool before adding pie filling.

It really depends on the recipe you're making and the instructions will usually advise you. Typically, you would blind bake a crust with no-bake fillings, pumpkin pie, cream pie, pudding pie, and sometimes quiche.

Blind baking gives the crust a strong structure and will prepare it for liquid fillings. The crust will stay crisp and flaky instead of uncooked or soggy. Want to learn more about blind baking? Here's an informative article by Sally's Baking Addiction that you might like.

Fully baked vegan pie crust on a cooling rack.

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5 from 3 votes

Vegan Pie Crust

This Vegan Pie Crust is flaky, buttery and so easy to make! It calls for 7 simple ingredients and works perfectly for a variety of sweet and savory recipes. Plus, it's freezer friendly! Check out my easy instructions and step-by-step photos for a successful homemade pie crust.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 175kcal

Author: Melissa Huggins

Ingredients

▢ 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour (*see note)
▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
▢ ½ teaspoon salt
▢ ¼ cup cold vegan butter , cut into ½" cubes
▢ ¼ cup cold vegetable shortening , cut into ½" pieces
▢ ¼ cup cold water , (keep 2 additional tablespoons separated in case it's needed)
▢ 1.5 teaspoons apple cider vinegar , add to cold water and place in the freezer for 10 minutes. Keep chilled in the fridge after that.

Recommended Equipment

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt to combine. Add the chilled butter and shortening and toss in the flour to coat well.
Cut the butter and shortening into the flour using a pastry cutter (a fork or two butter knives will also work). Stop when you have a coarse meal with pea-sized pieces of butter and shortening (some larger/smaller pieces are fine).
Slowly pour ½ of the cold water/vinegar mixture into the flour while gently stirring with a spoon or spatula to combine. Add the remaining water/vinegar mixture and gently stir again. The dough should start to come together with loose bits of flour at the bottom. Squeeze some dough in your hands to see if holds together. It should feel somewhat dry, but moist enough to stay together when pinched (some falling crumbs are fine) The dough shouldn't be sticky or wet. If it needs more moisture, add 1-2 teaspoons of cold water at a time until it comes together. Gently knead the dough just 2-3 times in the bowl into a ball. The loose crumbs should stick, but if they don't, you can sprinkle cold water on them with your fingers.
Form the dough into a 1-inch thick disk and wrap it in cling wrap. Chill for 3-4 hours or up to 3 days. Before rolling, let the dough sit on the counter for 5-8 minutes to slightly soften (as long as it's not hot in your kitchen).
Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Place your dough onto your work surface. Starting in the center of the disc, firmly roll away from you in one stroke. Then rotate dough clockwise and repeat. Keep repeating until the dough is about 2-3 inches longer than your pie pan and about ¼" thick. Lightly flour pin as needed and check under the dough to see if you need more flour to prevent sticking.
When finished, brush off any extra flour and roll the dough onto your rolling pin. Place over your pie pan and gently unroll the dough on top. Fit the dough evenly into the pan using your hands (don't stretch). Trim dough evenly around the edge, leaving 1 ½ inches of overhang.
Fold the edges downwards and press together evenly along the pie plate. You can leave it like this or you can flute the edges by pressing the dough into your thumb, using your index finger and thumb of your other hand.
Place the pie pan back in the freezer for 15 minutes. From here, you can follow the instructions of your recipe or you can wrap your crust and store in the fridge or freezer until ready for use. See note for blind baking instructions.

Notes

Yields: 1 pie crust that fits an 8-9" pie pan.

Tip: It's important that the butter, shortening, and liquids are very cold to avoid melting. You can stick the cut butter/shortening and liquid in the freezer for 10 minutes to ensure it's really cold (no longer though). Also, I like to put my bowl and pastry cutter in the freezer for 15 minutes before using, too.

Measuring Flour: For accurate results, don’t scoop the flour with a measuring cup directly from the flour container. Instead, scoop the flour out of your container with a spoon and then into a measuring cup. Don’t pack or tap the cup. After filling, lightly sweep a butter knife across the top to remove the excess flour.

Blind Baking: before placing pie crust in the freezer, prick the bottom of the dough and sides with a fork. This will release steam during baking and prevent the crust from puffing up. Place in freezer for 15 minutes and preheat your oven to 425 °F (220 °C). Crumple up a piece of parchment paper and fit it into your pie crust. Place pie weights or 1.5 lbs dried beans into the paper and across the bottom of the pan (this prevents bubbling). Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until lightly golden. Now remove the weights and paper and reduce heat to 400 °F (2o0 °C). Bake for 4-6 minutes more until the bottom is dry and somewhat flaky. Remove from the oven and let cool before adding pie filling.