Easy Vegan Pie Crust
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How to make easy vegan pie crust in the food processor (or by hand) in 15 minutes or less! This pie crust is flaky, tender and delicious. No one would guess it’s free of animal products!
Don’t be intimidated by pie crust! I’ll show you how to make homemade vegan pie crust from scratch in no time at all.
This is a classic pie crust recipe, vegan and perfect for all your baking needs! I’ve made the process easier by utilizing the food processor, but you can make it by hand if you prefer.
How do you make vegan pie crust in the food processor?
It couldn’t be easier! First off, you must measure 1/4 cup (or 4 tablespoons) of vegan butter and vegetable shortening. Refrigerate it ahead of time, at least 30 minutes, so that it is very cold when you’re ready to begin. The cold fat is very important to achieving a tender, flaky pie crust, so don’t skip this part!
- First, add the flour, sugar and salt to the food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the cold cubed vegan butter and pieces of vegetable shortening.
- Process about 10 seconds, until it looks like a coarse meal.
- While the processor is running, add a few tablespoons of ice water, until it begins to clump together.
On a lightly floured surface, work the dough into a ball, but don’t use your hands too long or it will warm up the fat, which you don’t want.
Roll it out to about 12 inches in diameter.
Transfer the dough to pie plate. I do this by wrapping the dough around my rolling pin, and then quickly and carefully transferring it.
Don’t worry if it’s not perfect! Mine usually looks something like the photo below, kind of a mess. Simply push it into the pie plate, gently. Trim off any excess, and replace any broken areas.
Flute the edges or make another special edge. This tutorial is so helpful!
My Best Tips for a delicious vegan pie crust:
- Make sure everything is very cold when you start. You can even put the pieces of the food processor that will touch the dough in the fridge for awhile before you begin. The cold fat is essential to a delicious pie crust!
- Use a combination of vegan butter and vegetable shortening – The vegan butter gives a buttery flavor, while the shortening helps the structure of the crust. I recommend Earth Balance brand of vegan butter, it has the best flavor.
- Don’t use your hands too much at all! Again, you don’t want to warm things up. And don’t over mix.
- Use just enough ice water to where it comes together, not too much or you will have a mess. When you can squeeze it in your hand it’s done, though it will look a bit crumbly.
That’s it! For a gluten free crust, check out my Gluten Free Pie Crust made with almond flour.
Use this pie crust for Vegan Pumpkin Pie.
Easy Vegan Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) vegan butter, earth balance brand preferred, cold and cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) vegetable shortening, cold and into a few pieces
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- Make sure your vegan butter and shortening are very cold before starting. If you only have the tub of earth balance vegan butter, measure 4 tablespoons, then refrigerate along with the shortening for at least 30 minutes.
- Add flour, sugar and salt to food processor with the "S" blade. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Add cold vegan butter and shortening. Process for about 10 seconds, until it looks like a coarse meal (see photos above for reference).
- Now while the food processor is running, drizzle in 3 tablespoons of ice cold water. When it begins to clump together, stop. You may need to add 1 more tablespoon ice water for it to come together.
- Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball. Don't use your hands too much or it will warm the dough, which will make your pie crust less flaky and light.
- Roll the dough with a rolling pin to about a 12 inch circle, and transfer to a pie plate. I usually wrap it gently around my rolling pin and then carefully transfer it. Don't panic if it's not perfect, you can fix it in the pie plate!
- Gently push the pie crust all around the dish, trimming off any excess and replacing any spots that need repair. See this tutorial for fluting the edges and making other special pie edges.
- It's now ready to use immediately, or refrigerate until you are ready to use. Simply double the recipe for 2 pie crusts (top and bottom).
To make by hand:
- If you don't want to use a food processor, you can make the pie crust by hand. Simply whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the cold butter and shortening. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut it in, then drizzle in the ice water and stir until the dough comes together.
How to pre-bake a pie crust
- For a recipe that calls for a pre-baked pie crust, follow these instructions. If possible, freeze the pie crust lined in the pie plate for 30 minutes. This will help it not shrink down when it bakes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once the crust has been frozen for 30 minutes, line it with aluminum foil or parchment paper (foil is easier to work with). Fill the crust to the top with sugar, or dried beans, pie weights or rice.
- Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes for a pie that will cook further in the oven. For no-bake filling pies, bake for 60-70 minutes. Cool before filling.
- Instructions for baking pie crust will depend on the pie's specific recipe, but these are general instructions for pre-baking pie crust.
Notes
- Nutrition information is for 1/8th of the crust.
Nutrition
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214 Comments on “Easy Vegan Pie Crust”
When you double recipe 2x it doesn’t double the butter or shorting! Bummer should have realized it!!!!
This is my go to vegan pie crust I’ve made this non stop this fall/winter for vegan pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie it’s just perfect and so easy to make.
I just have one question:
I’m making pecan pie for Christmas and I was wondering if I can make this crust 2 days in advance and store it in the fridge since I’m making Christmas dinner and I want to start doing what I can in advance.
Thank you so much for this recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that! Yes, you can make the crust and store it in the fridge 2 days in advance. Merry Christmas!
Hi Nora! This pie is so delicious!!! It’s now my husband’s new favorite. He ate almost the whole pie in 2 days, and has been asking me to make another every day since! I’d like to make this pie for Christmas, and I’m wondering what your thoughts would be on reducing the almond milk and adding some peppermint extract or orange extract to both the filling and coconut whip. I wasn’t sure whether the almond milks main purpose was to thin the filling or if it plays another role such as helping the filling to set which might be affected by subbing in extract. Thank you again for this delicious recipe. Sooo many of your recipes have become staples in our household, and everyone, vegan or not, adores them.
Hi Allie! This is under the pie crust recipe, what pie exactly are you talking about? 🙂 I’d love to help!
Can I use more butter instead of the shortening?
Yes, it works fine.
Best pie crust recipe ever!! I used it for a vegan Thanksgiving a few years ago but I use it for all my pies now. I always used to have trouble with my crusts but this one is foolproof and delicious. When you’re rolling it out, it might seem breakable or too crumbly at first, but after it’s baked it will have the strength and texture of a regular crust.