Author: Pie crust is possibly one of the worlds most difficult things to make. That and oxygen. That seems super complicated, but luckily plants have oxygen covered. Thanks plants! Now I will eat you... muhahah.
Ehem, getting back to pie crust: every now and then over the last few years I have tried to make an Easy Vegan Pie Crust recipe. I tested other people's Easy Vegan Pie Crust recipes. I tried experimenting with techniques and ingredient ratios and every time I failed miserably. It would fall apart, look terrible, and become wooden when cooked. Not at all the Easy Vegan Pie Crust of my dreams... or even my nightmares, just completely un-rememberable...
Then genius struck! By genius I mean my Nana. My mom has used my Nana's pie crust recipe since... well since I remember existing. I asked my mom to send me the recipe, and it turns out it's basically an Easy Vegan Pie Crust recipe except for the milk which is a super-easy sub. I gave it a go, and hot dang, it worked perfectly! It was quick, all the tips and techniques were there, and it was easy as pie! (Yeah I nailed that pun, you know it.)
I guess you could consider this Easy Vegan Pie Crust recipe a family secret. Hopefully, Nana will be smiling down on me and cool with me sharing this slightly adapted version and praising her awesomeness. Yes? My spidey senses say yes.
That's how much I love you guys! I am sharing family secrets with you, because you're my family. Aww shucks, group world hug.
So why does this Easy Vegan Pie Crust recipe work perfectly where my other attempts failed? 3 reasons, the correct ratios of ingredients, and two super-secret tips that I swear made all of the difference. 1 tip from my Nana, and 1 tip from my Grandma. Now that's collaboration!
This Easy Vegan Pie Crust recipe turns out the perfect pie crust, easily and quickly. It's flaky and delicious without much effort. This recipe makes one pie crust, but if you want two pie crusts, feel free to double or triple the recipe as needed.
NEW VIDEO: I made a video for my Easy Vegan Pumpkin Pie, and if you scroll down to the recipe card, you can watch me make this pie crust followed by the pumpkin pie, and topped with Vegan Coconut Whipped Cream.
For step by step photos follow along below ↓
Nana's Pie Crust Secret Tip:
Chill your tools! Put your bowl, fork or pastry cutter, rolling pin and anything else you might be using in the fridge or freezer (if they are freezer safe) to chill. Cold tools means the vegetable shortening won't melt and the pastry won't get too soft.
When you are ready to make your pasty, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. Cut the vegetable shortening into cubes and sprinkle over the flour. Use a fork or a pastry cutter to slice the shorting into the flour.
Keep on forking the pastry until you reach a crumbly consistency like this. Now drizzle the plant-based milk over top, and use the fork to continue to mix the dough.
When the plant-based milk is mixed in and everything comes together like this, you are good to go. Don't over mix.
Grandma's Pie Crust Secret Tip:
Spread a clean tea towel over your work surface. Lightly sprinkle the tea towel with flour. You are going to roll your dough out on top of the floured tea towel. I promise it won't stick as long as you flour it. This just makes it much easier to pick up the pastry and get it in the pie dish in one piece.
Roughly gather the dough into a ball and put it in the center of the floured towel.
Roll your pastry out. You may wonder why there is a bottle in this picture, you see, I don't have a rolling pin, never have! So I always just use a glass bottle... and since I am wine drinker, I tend to have those lying around. If you have a real rolling pin, perfect! If not feel free to wash a round bottle and remove any labels and use that instead, they work just as well.
Lightly flour the rolling pin and roll out the pastry. If the dough starts sticking sprinkle some more flour across the surface of the dough.
Roll the dough into a rough circle that is several inches larger than than your pie plate to allow for room for the sides and edges of the pie crust.
Use the tea towel to help you flip the dough into you pie pan. It's ok if pieces fall off. Use a knife to cut around the edges and cut off any excess pie crust. If there are any holes, use some of the extra dough to fill them in. Pinch the sides to make a decorative crust. Voila! Nana's pie crust. Or should I say: Easy Vegan Pie Crust!
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
(click stars to vote)
Easy Vegan Pie Crust
Servings: 9" pie crust
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour, (plus more for rolling)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- ¼ cup plant-based milk, (such as oat or soy) plus more if needed
Instructions
- Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the cold vegetable shortening and use a fork or pastry cutter to cut it into the flour until the mixture looks crumbly, with pea-sized pieces.Drizzle in the plant-based milk and gently mix just until the dough comes together. If it feels dry, add 1 tablespoon more milk at a time until it forms a soft dough. Do not overmix.
- Roll out the crust: Lightly flour a clean work surface or tea towel. Shape the dough into a rough ball and roll it into a circle a few inches larger than your pie dish.
- Transfer to the pie dish: Carefully flip the dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the excess dough around the edges, patch any cracks with scraps, and crimp or pinch the edges as desired.
- (Optional) Pre-bake the crust: Only pre-bake if your recipe calls for it. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Prick the crust all over with a fork and bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven to 400°F (205°C) and bake 2–5 minutes more, until lightly golden.
Notes
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕
Flo likes baking says
How genius Nana and Grandma are! And how sweet of you to you!
I'm going to do this ASAP.
I'll tag you on Insta.
Thanks.
Merci from France ^^
Sam Turnbull says
Right!? I hope you love it to Flo!
Emily says
The first time I tried this I was baking at my Grandma's house and didn't have my usual recipe for pie crust with me. I figured I'd just look up an easy recipe for vegan pie crust and make do. I've been "making do" ever since, because I can't go back to that other recipe when I could make this tender, flaky, and delicious recipe in half the time. Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha that's amazing! So happy your "making do" has become such a success 😀
Shannon says
thanks for the awesome pie crust! I used this pie crust for my pumpkin pie recipe that I just put up on my blog 🙂 I put a link to your recipe recommending it to my readers 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! So happy you loved it! I too have a vegan pumpkin pie recipe if you are ever interested. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Lesley Sz says
If making a closed top pie, what do you use to glaze the pastry with? Normally it would be egg. . . . .
Sam Turnbull says
Just a little non-dairy milk works great 🙂
Monique G says
I use Aquafaba (the juice of a chickpea can) and a bit of sugar. It really browns up nicely!
Sam Turnbull says
Great idea!
Gabra says
I'm very excited to try this recipe and I love that it came from your grandma! I wanted to find out if this is something that can be frozen. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Gabra,
Yes, it should freeze fine when raw. Then thaw before filing or baking. I hope you love the recipe 🙂
Sara says
This is such an amazing recipe. It rolled out absolutely perfect! I just used water instead of milk since I didn't have any on hand, but it didn't make a difference. Thank you so much, this is my new go to!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy it worked perfectly for you too! Isn't it just so easy!? Makes me so happy 🙂
Malkah says
This looks amazing!
I want to use this for recipe I've found, but it says to "bake at 425 F for 25 minutes, then reduce to 375 F and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes". Won't it burn?
Also, would this recipe work for making a lattice on top?
Thanks so much!
Sam Turnbull says
You can definitely make a lattice, just double the recipe so there is enough dough to do that.
As for your recipe, it sounds like they are using an unbaked pie crust, so just make the filling as directed and pour into the raw unbaked pie crust. It should bake just fine. I bake my pumpkin pie recipe for 60 minutes and it is perfect.
martina says
once i've made the raw pastry, can i pour my berry mixture in and bake it or do I have to to bake the crust till golden then put in a berry mixture and cook again. Won't it burn?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Martina,
It would depend on the recipe you are following. Some recipes require pre-baked crusts, and others require un-baked. Hope that helps!
Miffed vegan says
She's offering a FREE recipe to the world, and you are extraordinarily rude to her!
There's no reason for that at all!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha thank you for your support 🙂
Sarah says
Could you use a vegan butter as a substitute for the shortening? Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Yes that should work, the crust may be a slightly different texture and I would omit the salt. Let me know how it turns out for you 🙂
Veronika says
Hi Sam!
I was wondering if you could make the crust and leave it in the fridge a couple of days or does it have to be made immediately?
Thanks !
Veronika Gadow
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Veronika,
Yes that should be fine. You could just collect the dough into a ball, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and I would say it would be good for about 3 days. Enjoy!
Kelsey L says
Hi! I made my dough this morning and put it in the fridge for use tomorrow. I just checked it and it's pretty hard. I packed it into a ball and wrapped it with syranwrap then put into a ziplock. I'm worried it won't roll flat. I'm sending it to preschool with my son for a baking project they're doing. Should I send along some dairy free milk to help loosen it up??
Thanks!!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Kelsey,
The dough will indeed get very firm in the fridge, it just has to rest at room temperature for a bit to warm up and soften. So as long as your pastry was nice and soft before you put it in the fridge, then it should return to that texture. Hope that helps!
Kelsey L says
Ok great thanks!
Kerry says
I made a strawberry rhubarb pie with this crust this weekend, and it was wonderful! You are my go-to person for new recipes. I just want to add that I find stories like yours very useful. They help me decide whether a recipe is trustworthy, what the purpose of certain steps is, whether it'll work for me as-is, and, if not, what kinds of tweaks I can make without ruining the whole thing. I love the way you write!
Sam says
Aww thanks so much Kerry! I am so happy you loved the crust and that the story as well. I know not everyone reads the whole story, and I am totally fine with that, but for those who want to, I like sharing the love behind the recipes 🙂
Rachel Wolf says
Hi there,
I noticed the shortening measurements are not equal. A half pound is 8oz and a half cup is 4oz. Which is the correct measurement?
Sam says
Oh thank you so much for that catch Rachel! It's the 1/2 cup (or 1/4 lb) for one pie crust. It's fixed in the recipe now.
Sam says
Hi Ken, That's how I write on my blog. If you don't like it, you can either skip directly to the recipe, or go read other blogs that suit your taste better.
Miranda says
I love the stories on recipe blogs! I am probably the worst cook ever but having the story gives the recipe a bit of history and makes me excited to cook! No one is forcing you to read it if you don't want to!!
Franziska says
Hey Sam, I tried pie crust recipie and the texture was fluffy, crumbly, melty, buttery (though vegan) and perfect! so good!
its everything one would want from a pie crust 🙂
Sam says
Yay!!! So happy you loved the crust so much 🙂
Anne E. McGuigan says
Hi Sam,
Thanks for the recipe. I may give it a try if I can get my act together. It could come in handy this Xmas. As you said pastry is not a health food, so for the few times I make it every year, I am looking for taste over health.
Take care, Anne.
Sam says
I hope you enjoy the recipe Anne! I know I will be getting my pie on this Christmas. Enjoy! 🙂
Heidi @ Food Doodles says
I was cracking up over "it's pie crust, it's not health food" haha, awesome. But seriously, your pie crust looks amazing!
Sam says
Haha! Thank you Heidi! 🙂
Beckie says
God this looks amazing! & Such low calories! Thank you! x
http://www.beckieeschle.com
Sam says
Thank you Beckie!
Jill Aaron says
I made a cherry pie the second I read this email. This crust is going to be amazing as a "chicken" pie. There is a wild mushroom that grows on trees, called "chicken of the woods," that has mild flavor and texture similar to that of chicken. It's going to be fabulous with veg and vegan gravy in this lovely crust. I'd better go mushroom hunting asap, bc I'm not sure how tree mushrooms do in the winter. I'm so excited! Your emails make me so happy.
Bethery says
I'd heard of chicken in the woods, but didn't realize it gives a somewhat "chickeny" experience. That sounds amazing.
Sam says
Wow! That was fast!!! I love chicken of the woods mushrooms. So yummy! I'm so excited your so excited! Your comments make me happy Jill 🙂
Anne E. McGuigan says
Hi Sam,
I made a peach pie just last weekend for my son's birthday. He is not a fan of cake. I used up the last of my vegetable shortening and barely had enough dough to make the crust. I am in a quandary because any commercial hydrogenated shortenings that I have seen and bought have mono and diglycerides in them. This special little ingredient can be a by product of animals. It can also be plant based, which I have just found out and I will definitely contact the companies to find out which they use. The hydrogenation part is not a big issue for me because I rarely use shortening-special occasions only!!!!
The non hydrogenated shortenings, such as Earth Balance have palm oil as its main ingredient. I decided some time ago, not to use this product for this very reason, even if they claim that the palm oil is sustainably sourced. So, I am stuck!!! It is not a big issue because we can certainly live without pastry,
i was going to try fair trade coconut oil, but I do not always have success substituting.
Take care,
Anne
Sam says
Hmmm a bit of research, and I think I solved your problem! Try this recipe to make your own shortening. A few extra steps but if you make a big batch it will last a long time. I've never tested it myself so I don't know how well it works, but it is guaranteed animal and palm oil free. Hope that helps! 🙂
Arlene says
Very interesting. Your shortening recipe is what the owner of 4 Life Health Food store in Kensington market told me to make instead of using Earth Balance. He claims it is hydrogenated, even though the company claims all their ingredients are non hydrogenated. I have no problem using non hydrogenated vegetable shortening, however. Looking forward to trying both.
Bethery says
My mother-in-law has used frozen coconut oil, (not made into shortening) with great success, but I do always taste a bit of coconut when it's not always wanted. It does work well, but shortening might give a flakier crust. So, if you're not picky, choose frozen coconut oil. If you're more of a connoisseur, use a shortening.
I am loving these basic-tools type recipes like tofu crumbles and pie crust. I don't have time or patience to experiment in the kitchen, and these recipes let me get on with a vegan life.
THANKS!!
Sam says
You're so welcome Bethany!! So happy you are digging my recipes. I will keep that in mind and keep focusing on the basic tool recipes. 🙂
Sam says
The truth is pie crust isn't healthy for you, unless it's some health version. So it's up to you which product you use.