Vegan Pie Crust
This vegan pie crust recipe bakes up flaky, tender, and golden, and nobody at the table will guess it's dairy free. All you need is a handful of pantry staples, cold vegan butter, and about fifteen minutes of hands on time. It works perfectly for both sweet and savory pies.
Equipment
- Food processor Makes dough almost foolproof
- Pastry blender If making the dough by hand
- Rolling Pin
- 9-inch pie dish
- Bench scraper Helps lift and move the dough
- Plastic wrap
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Parchment paper For blind baking
- Pie weights For blind baking (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 315g
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar omit for savory pies
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup cold vegan butter 226g, cubed, firm and holds its shape when chilled
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 6 tablespoons ice water to 8 tablespoons, as needed
Instructions
- Cube the vegan butter and place it back in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. Fill a bowl with ice water and set aside. Chill your food processor bowl and blade or mixing bowl if your kitchen is warm.
- Add flour, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a food processor and pulse 3-4 times to combine. If making by hand, whisk together in a large mixing bowl.
- Scatter cold cubed vegan butter over the flour mixture. Pulse in short bursts 8-10 times until it looks like coarse crumbs with pea sized pieces of butter still visible. If using a pastry blender, cut in until you reach the same texture.
- Stir apple cider vinegar into the ice water. With food processor running, drizzle in ice water one tablespoon at a time. Stop when dough starts to clump when pinched, about 6-8 tablespoons. For hand method, sprinkle water over flour mixture and toss with a fork.
- Turn shaggy dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gently gather together and divide into two equal portions. Shape each into a flat disc about 1 inch thick.
- Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days, before rolling out.
- Let chilled dough sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes if too firm. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc from the center outward into a circle about 12 inches wide. Rotate the dough a quarter turn every few rolls. Use a bench scraper if it sticks.
- Roll the dough loosely around your rolling pin, then unroll over your 9 inch pie dish. Press into the bottom and sides without stretching. Trim overhang to 1 inch, fold under, and crimp the edges with your fingers or a fork. For a double crust pie, repeat with the second disc for the top layer.
- For a filled pie, follow your filling recipe's baking time and temperature. For a blind baked crust, prick the bottom with a fork, line with parchment and pie weights, and bake at 375°F for 15 minutes. Remove weights and parchment, then bake another 5-8 minutes until lightly golden.
Notes
- Keep every ingredient cold, including your flour if your kitchen runs warm, to ensure a flaky crust.
- Avoid overworking the dough since overmixing leads to a tough, dense crust instead of a flaky one.
- Add water gradually, since humidity and flour brands can change exactly how much you need.
- Always let the dough rest in the fridge before rolling it out.
- Roll from the center outward to keep an even thickness across the whole crust.
- For a whole wheat version, substitute up to half of the all purpose flour with white whole wheat flour.
- For a gluten free version, use a 1 to 1 gluten free flour blend in place of the all purpose flour.
- Store wrapped unbaked dough discs in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before rolling.
- Freeze wrapped dough discs for up to 3 months, then thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling.
- Store a fully baked, unfilled crust at room temperature, loosely covered, for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 145kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 2gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 150mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 1g
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