Vegan Empanada Dough

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5 from 6 votes

This empanada dough is the same as my flaky vegan pie crust recipe.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4" empanadas

Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine the ingredients.
Add the cubes of shortening and/or vegan butter, and use a pastry cutter to incorporate into the flour. Continue to mix with the pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal, almost pea sized.
Slowly add the ice water, 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 (this will make it easier to roll out later), and wrap it in plastic wrap or parchment paper.
Place in the fridge for at least one hour.
Remove the chilled pie dough from the fridge. Let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes to soften.
Flour a clean, smooth stone surface and place one of the dough balls down onto it. If you don’t have a stone surface use parchment paper.
Refer to above vegan empanada instructions for rolling the dough and stuffing with empanada filling.

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 cruststand 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.