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!
Tools I’m Drooling Over Right Now:
- This Really Cute Pie Plate $20 | 4.3 Stars our of 145+ Reviews
- This Adjustable Rolling Pin $20 | 4.6 Stars out of 375+ Reviews
- This Elegant Pie Server $8 | 4.3 our of 25+ Reviews
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
Easy Vegan Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour, (plus more for rolling)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ pound vegetable shortening, *see notes
- ¼ cup plant-based milk, (or more if needed)
Instructions
To make the dough:
- Add the flour, salt and sugar into a large bowl and whisk to combine. Cut the vegetable shortening into cubes and scatter into the flour. Use a fork or pastry cutter to slice the vegetable shortening into the flour until you reach a crumbly texture.Â
- Drizzle the milk across the flour mixture and use the fork to combine. Mix until everything comes together and you will be able to form a ball of dough. Don't over-mix.
To roll the dough:
- Spread a clean tea towel over your work surface and lightly sprinkle flour over it. Scoop the dough into a rough ball, and put it in the center of the floured tea towel. Roll it out until you have a rough circle that is several inches bigger than your pie dish to allow room for the sides and edges of the crust.
To form the pie crust:
- Use the tea towel to help you flip the dough into the pie dish. If some pieces fall off that's fine. Use a knife to cut off the excess pastry around the edges. If there are any holes, fill them with some of the extra pieces. Pinch the edges to form a pretty crust.
To Pre-Cook Your Pie Crust (optional):
- Only do this if the recipe requires a cooked crust prior to filling it. Preheat your oven to 450F (230C). Pierce the crust all over with a fork. Bake the crust for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 400F and continue cooking until the crust is lightly browned, just a couple more minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Panna says
Hi Sam, I made this crust yesterday and it was awesome. It was quick and easy. I substituted the vegetable shortening to butter and it turned out great, I just had to add a bit more flour and I put it in the fridge to chill a bit. Made it in muffin pan because i couldn't find my pie plate and filled it with apricot jam. The recipe was just enough to make 12 little pies (if someone is wondering).
Thank you for this great recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful, thrilled you enjoyed it!
Gracie Benson says
Love this recipe!! Thoughts on making large batches with a stand mixer?
Elyse Noelle says
My gratefulness to find this recipe is beyond compare. I am working my first wedding as a baker this weekend and decided to do a mini tartlet for the guests who need a dessert that is both gluten free and vegan. I used the butter flavored Crisco and after experimenting heavily, I got ONE GF flour to work (and had disasters with the others) so I only had good luck with Bob’s Red Mill GF 1 to 1 baking flour. The other red mill gf didn’t work and the almond flour I had wasn’t working either. I tried it both with frozen crisco and room temp and it worked fine for both. They’ve held up so well without cracking or crumbling like the other floured shells did. THANK YOU. You saved my sanity this weekend.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy it worked for you 🙂
Cari says
I had too much homemade jam so I used this recipe to make tiny pies. I used grape seed oil instead of shortening and water instead of non-dairy milk (it’s what I had in my kitchen and I didn’t want to go to the store). I sprinkled granulated sugar on the little pies and then tossed them in the over at 350 until the corners browned. SO FLAKEY! SO LIGHT! Very happy with the result!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!! So happy you love it 🙂
Sue says
Hi Sam. Is the sugar absolutely necessary? I know it's only a wee amount but I'm not keen on a sweet crust.
Sam Turnbull says
You can omit it if you prefer
SweetSavory Me says
I’m giving it five stars for now because I’m anticipating I will love this crust (and the pie once I make that too!) I’ll comment again once I have the finished product. But I do have a quick question...in regard to the shortening, I’m not familiar with them and I’m hoping for something on the healthier side. Would Miyoko’s butter work? it is kind of expensive, but i can’t help but think it would be a bit healthier and great tasting. I hope to hear from you soon because Im supposed to make a few pies and. I really want them to come out great! Or, if you can recommend a better shortening that you prefer to use. I went to the store and was a little overwhelmed with the choices. You are a gem, and I appreciate your recipes and you. Thanks for helping to keep us healthy!
Sam Turnbull says
Shortening is usually best for this recipe, but a vegan butter should work fine. Just make sure to keep everything cold as vegan butters tend to be meltier.
Twila says
Hi Sam, I made this crust for a triple batch of your butter tart recipe this weekend and it turned out great! First time I ever attempted a pie crust! (Yes, tarts are almost gone.) Yup, we had to use a wine bottle to roll out the dough because I didn’t have my rolling pin at the cottage. I’ve made your pumpkin pie before but didn’t use this crust- used a store bought spelt one and also a whole wheat one. How do you think this would turn out if I subbed the white flour for either spelt or whole wheat? Thank you! Love your recipes, cookbook and emails!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoy the crust! Baking with alternative flours isn't my specialty so I would recommend looking up guides on how to substitute either of those flours. Enjoy!
Mike says
This crust and your pumpkin pie recipe are easily one of the best pumpkin pies my wife and I have ever eaten, vegan or not. I dont think I'll ever need to try another recipe because this is perfect and even if I was no longer vegan, I would still make this pie!!! Followed the recipe exactly and it was AMAZING!!! Thank you
Sam Turnbull says
Hah! Brilliant!! So happy it's your fave, Mike 🙂
Lorie says
I made this pumpkin pie last year for the whole family with only one member being vegan but I cheated and used premade crust haha it was so delish, the whole family loved. Tomorrow I am making the pie including the crust as we are doing Thanksgiving on Sunday because one member's work schedule
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful, Lorie!! So thrilled everyone loved it. Happy Thanksgiving 🙂
Lorie says
Thank you definitely an annual thing and probably for Christmas as well mmmm
Dana says
Four stars for now, as I followed the instructions carefully and it didn't turn out great. This is my second time trying this recipe, and I will try again, but I made a double batch keeping everything cold and trying my best not to overwork, and the crust was very undercooked on the bottom, so wondering if I should pre-bake? It's kind of gummy and raw. I made one pumpkin pie and used your butter tart recipe to make my own variation called "butter tart pie" (my partner's favourite) and in both cases, the dough was gummy and undercooked, even though they were in the oven for 40-50 minutes.
I did freeze the dough balls separately the day before, then took them out to thaw all day. I used No Name veg shortening and soy milk. Thanks.
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Dana, pre-baking the crust totally depends on the recipe you are using it for. Some recipes require pre-baked when the filling doesn't need to be baked, such as my lemon meringue pie, and others require raw crust as the pie is in the oven for a very long time, such as my pumpkin pie recipe. If your crust is still a little undercooked I'm guessing the problem may actually be with your oven. It's very, very common that oven temperatures aren't accurate so I always recommend picking up an oven thermometer (I have one), to make sure your oven reaches the correct temperatures. Hope that helps!
Jeannie says
I am wondering if you can freeze this dough or no? What are your thoughts on this?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, it should freeze just fine. Enjoy!
Felipe says
I bake a lot,and today is the first time I end up on your site. I have to say it, it's already one of my favorites! Being vegan doesn't mean we are health obsessed all the time, like some cooking sites make it looks like!
My question is the following: what to do with the excess dough... I usually bake it like cookies with some sugar and cinnamon or some salt and olive oil, but maybe you have more exciting ideas.
Love the site!
Thanks (:
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you, Felipe, and welcome 🙂 The cookie idea is great! You could alternativly do a savoury idea and instead decorate the cookies with nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper, mmmmm...
Deb Z says
Roll the dough out and make pumpkin or other shapes to put on top of the pie. Looks pretty and people love it. Get those little shape stamps.
Bob says
I guess vegan butter doesn’t work in this recipe?
Sam Turnbull says
Vegan butter is much meltier than vegetable shortening, so the shortening just holds up more reliably.
may says
is there a good substitute for the vegetable shortening? perhaps coconut oil?
Sam Turnbull says
Coconut oil could work but it has a very low melting point is it will be very very important to keep everything cold so it doesn't melt. Enjoy!
Jo says
I've been making pies from scratch for my entire adult life using our family recipe, which has an egg in it, and since going vegan, I was depressed with the quality of the egg-free dough recipes I had tried. Until now! This is every bit as good as my family's recipe (sorry to my own Nana!) AND you taught me something new with the tea towel trick. No looking back!
Sam Turnbull says
Amazing!!! So glad you found a pie crust recipe you can love, Jo 🙂
Lana Sawyer says
Jo I know what you mean! I had the best pie crust ever before I went vegan. Mine used and egg white and a tbsp of white vinegar and a whole stick of butter. Im going to give this a shot and see how it works out since you seem to have tried it and you previously had a recipe similar to mine.
peggy says
hi - i followed the recipe using spectrum shortening and the dough was hard to roll out and the pie came out kind of dry and a bit tough. It seems to be lacking moisture/fat. Any idea what could have gone wrong? I would like to perfect this....Thanks
Sam Turnbull says
Assuming you got the measurements exactly right, then I would just suggest adding an additional tablespoon of non-dairy milk as needed to get a softer dough. Enjoy!
Melissa says
This might be a silly question, can this be used as an apple pie crust? Double it and put a layer on top?
Sam Turnbull says
Absolutely! Enjoy!
Susie Vesper says
I made this pie tonight as a "trial run" for Thanksgiving. It was literally the best pumpkin pie I have ever had. And to be honest, I don't even like pumpkin pie. This is AMAZING. Thank you for sharing. I will make this over and over again.
Sam Turnbull says
YAY!!!! Thrilled you love it so much, Susie 🙂
Nicholas Broten says
Cool! Think I'll try this out tonight with roast Mediterranean veg in a nice pie! I've been struggling to find shortening (I'm in England) that doesn't contain palm oil. The best I can manage is Morrisons and Sainsbury's baking blocks which claim to use sustainably sourced palm oil. Exciting pies!!!x
Sam Turnbull says
I hope you enjoy it, Nicholas 🙂
Nicholas says
It was great! Just need to moisten the inside next time a bit. Roast veg with cumin and your excellent pastry. Gonna check out the Irish stew in your free book too. Thanks! Nx
Sam Turnbull says
You're welcome 🙂
Grace says
HI there! I’ve used this recipe many times, and love it! I just picked up a Rosette and Timbale set, and cannot find a vegan recipe for the dough. You are a wizard with these kinds of things, so if you have any suggestions on how to veganize an egg heavy frying dough, it would be much appreciated. Thank you!!
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you! I had to google what Rosette and Timbales are! Haha. I don't have a recipe for that type of dough but will keep it in mind. In the meantime, I did come across this vegan recipe. I have no idea if it's any good tho!
Kierah says
Could I use this crust as the top of a vegan pot pie? 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Absolutely! Enjoy 🙂
Carmon says
Hello! Great recipe. Question, should the butter be soft and/or cold and for the milk, cold? Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Thanks Carmon. Everything should be cold. Enjoy!