The fall and winter holidays are all about pies.
But if you don’t consume any animal products, what are you to do if you crave a crust that is free from all that butter?
Easy! Use my recipe for a vegan version that doesn’t include any eggs or dairy – it tastes just like the real thing!
With tons of rich flavor, heavenly flaky layers, and amazing versatility to use as the base for so many different recipes, you might be half-convinced that this doesn’t actually exist. That it’s just some romantic, fantastical dream.
There’s no need at all for me to give you a painful pinch – you’re not dreaming!
And, lucky you, my very real recipe is very easy to put together.
My trick for a pinch-me-I’m-dreaming dough is simple: use a medley of dairy-free fats for the best flavors and textures.
I use a combination of half vegetable shortening to give it lots of flakiness, and half margarine for all of the great flavor you usually get in a traditional crust made with butter.
I also like to mix a few different flours together, as well. While you can use all-purpose flour as the only ingredient, try a mix of all-purpose flour and oat flour.
Oats are a type of whole grain that you can easily grind at home, if you have the right equipment for milling! If not, you can purchase oat flour at most grocery stores in the baking aisle.
This dough is definitely my go-to recipe for a pie base, even when I’m using a traditional filling with eggs and dairy. I’ve used it for blueberry and chocolaty French silk.
And the small amount of sugar in the ingredients list balances well with any savory fillings, like curried chicken or cheesy egg and vegetable quiches for a hearty breakfast everyone will love.
With this recipe, you’ll be ready for a delicious holiday season. Happy baking, one and all!
Stay tuned for a vegan pumpkin pie recipe coming later this week!
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The Tastiest Vegan Pie Crust
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: One 9" deep dish pie crust 1x
Description
The fall and winter holidays are all about pies. But what if you consume a diet that’s free of animal products, or you have friends and family who are vegan? Try this tasty pie crust that offers a bite of tradition without any eggs or dairy.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp oat flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp vegan granulated sugar or coconut sugar
- 6 Tbsp cold vegan margarine, cut into 1/2″ cubes (I used Earth Balance)
- 6 Tbsp vegetable shortening
- 5 Tbsp ice water, divided
Instructions
- Fill a small bowl with water and add a few ice cubes.
- Combine the flours, salt, and sugar in a large bowl or the bowl of a food processor. Add the cold margarine and cut the margarine in with two knives or a pastry cutter, or pulse a few times to break it up a bit. Add the shortening continue to cut in or pulse again about 10 times until the margarine and shortening pieces are about the size of peas.
- Measure 3 tablespoons of very cold water into the food processor and pulse a couple times to mix, or toss with a fork. Add the remaining water and pulse or toss just until the dough sticks together when pressed between your fingers.
- Dump the dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Gather into a ball, then flatten into a disc. Wrap in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Place the wrapped disc on a large smooth surface (cutting board, smooth countertop, etc). Unwrap, but leave the dough on top of the plastic. Place another large piece of plastic wrap on top of the dough so it is sandwiched between the two pieces.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into a circle 13 inches in diameter (it may go beyond the plastic wrap a bit).
- Generously grease a 9-inch pie dish.
- Remove the top piece of plastic wrap and invert the crust into the pie dish. Carefully remove the other piece of plastic, then fit the crust into the dish.
- Lightly press the dough around the edge of the pie pan, then use scissors to cut excess dough from the edge, following the edge of the pan.
- Fold the dough over to make a double-thick rim of the crust. Use your thumb and two fingers to crimp along the edge. Blind bake or fill and bake according to directions in your favorite pie recipe.
Notes
- I highly recommend using Earth Balance butter sticks. They perform much better in baking than the tub variety.
- You can use all-purpose flour instead of the oat flour, but I’ve found that the little bit of oat that’s included makes the crust more flaky and gives it a better flavor. If you have it, use it!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Pies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Keywords: vegan, pie crust, holidays, Thanksgiving
Photos by Raquel Smith, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published April 16th, 2016. With additional writing and editing by Nikki Cervone. Last updated: October 18, 2020 at 22:38 pm.
Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.
About Raquel Smith
Raquel is a whole foods enthusiast, an avid mountain biker, and a dog lover. She works by day at Food Blogger Pro and formerly maintained her food blog "My California Roots" (now merged into Foodal).
I would love to see more recipes with an Earth Balance alternative. It is ruining animal habitat with its use of palm oil.
Hey Heather! Me too! I’ve been using Earth Balance for so long that it’s just my go-to, but I would also like to do some testing with alternative butter-like products. I really want to try it with Miyoko’s Cultured Vegan Butter, but I haven’t been able to find it around here. 🙁
Has anyone ever tried making a vegan crust without oils, of any kind? Have a vegan oil restricted diet. Have worked around many other obstacles but crust is truly a tough one, no pun intended.
Certainly a tough one, Lynn. The alternative that my mind automatically goes to is a crust made with a combination of ground pecans and dates, or one that uses a combination of flour or starch and almond meal. But nuts obviously naturally contain a pretty high percentage of oil and fat. If you’re able to consume nuts, maybe this is something that you’d like to explore?