Flaky Vegan Pie Crust

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This Flaky Vegan Pie Crust is the perfect base for both sweet and savory pies! It is easy to make with simple plant-based ingredients and has a buttery and tender texture that melts in your mouth.

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Chilling Time1 10

Total Time1 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: pie crusts

Author: Jenné Claiborne

Equipment

Pastry Cutter

Ingredients

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon granulated cane sugar
½ cup + 2 tablespoons vegan butter
¾ cup ice cold water

Instructions

Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine the ingredients.
Add the cubes of vegan butter and use a pastry cutter to incorporate them into the flour. Mix and cut with the pastry cutter until the mixture resembles a coarse, almost pea-sized meal.
Slowly add the ice water to the flour mixture, 2 tablespoons at a time, and stir with a wooden spoon or your hands.
Once the dough begins to hold together, form it into two tight balls. Flatten them a bit– making them easier to roll out later – and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper or plastic wrap.
Place the covered dough in the fridge for at least one hour.
Remove the chilled pie dough from the fridge and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes to soften slightly.
Flour a clean, smooth stone surface and place one of the dough balls on it. Place parchment paper down on a hard surface if you don’t have a stone surface. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin into an ⅛-inch thick circle or according to your recipe instructions.
Optional: Blind Baking. If your recipe requires pre-baked crust, you will need to blind-bake this recipe. With the crust in the pie dish, place a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil on top of the dough. Fill the center of the dish with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice–this prevents the crust from puffing up during baking. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 375ºF or until the edges turn golden brown. Remove the weights and parchment paper, then continue baking for another 5-10 minutes until the crust is fully baked. Allow the crust to cool completely before adding your filling.

Notes

Storage Directions

Refrigeration: Store unbaked dough tightly wrapped in plastic wrap then place in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Before using, let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes to soften before rolling it out.
Freezing: Wrap the dough securely in plastic wrap then transfer to a freezer-safe container and store for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then let sit for 20 minutes at room temperature before rolling out.

Recipe Pro-Tips

Chill the ingredients. Throughout preparation, keep the vegan butter and water as cold as possible. Cold fat is essential for optimal flakiness, making this vegetarian pie crust stand out.
Avoid overworking the dough. Mix the dough until just combined and the ingredients hold together; overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour and make the crust tough instead of tender and flaky.
Use a food processor. To speed up the dairy-free pie crust preparation. Pulse the flour, salt, and sugar until combined, then add the vegan butter and pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Slowly add the ice water and pulse until the dough just comes together. Then, continue the recipe as outlined.
Dust the rolling pin. Lightly flour the rolling pin before rolling out the dough to prevent it from sticking.

Nutrition