A perfectly flaky, buttery pie crust that is easy to make and work with. Whether you’re making something savory or sweet, this pie crust is for you.
Perfect, flaky, vegan pie crust
Making a flaky, buttery vegan pie crust at home is not only possible, but it’s easy to do.
This vegan pie crust calls for familiar ingredients that you probably already have on hand. It doesn’t take much effort to make, and the majority of the “prep” time is just letting the dough chill.
Some of you might feel intimidated by the thought of making your own vegan pie crust from home. I know, making pie crust tends to have a bad rap.
I think the only reason home made pie crust is seen as troublesome to get right is because a good pie crust is purely reliant on technique.
It’s not that the technique is hard, or the details are difficult to get right. It’s simply that they’re skipped over, or never mentioned at all.
So if you want your home made pie process to end with a perfect pie dream, be sure to read all of the details in this post.
That way, YOU won’t be like the rest. You’ll get the details right.
… And making perfect pie crust will be a breeze for you.
Keep the ingredients cold
Rule #1: Keep your ingredients cold.
Heck, keep the tools and room your working in cold too.
The cold will keep the butter and shortening from melting into the dough. The cold will keep them separate. And it is this separation that creates the flaky layers you’re looking for, and creates micro pockets of lifting air.
Keep your butter, shortening, and plant milk in the fridge ahead of time to ensure they’re cold before use.
Chill your pie dish, pastry cutter, and mixing bowl in the fridge ahead of time too, if you can.
All of these will just work in your favor.
Chilling your pie crust also helps it keep its shape during the initial baking process, and will help prevent it from shrinking back.
don’t over mix
Rule #2: Never over mix your dough.
This rule kind of goes in hand with the keepin’ it cold rule. At least, the reasoning is the same.
When you over mix the dough, (especially when your are using your hands), you heat up the dough. When you heat up the dough, your shortening and butter start to meld into the dough, and we lose those precious layers and pockets of air.
Over mixing also builds up the gluten in the flour, which will make for a tough, not so flakey crust.
It’s ok, if not ideal, to have lumps of butter and shortening in the dough.
So overall, try to handle the dough as minimally as possible. The more times you have to re roll it out, the more flaky layers you lose.
Baking the vegan pie crust
Rule #3: Bake it just right!
Depending on what type of pie you’re making, you may need to par or fully bake your crust ahead of time.
Ultimately, it just depends on how long your filling will need to bake.
Fruit fillings, like berry, apple, or peach pie, will require an unbaked crust before filling.
Fillings that just need a bit of setting, like pumpkin, require a shell that is partially baked before filling.
Creamy or no bake fillings, like banana cream pie or chocolate mousse, don’t require any baking at all. Their crusts should be completely done and baked before you fill them.
Each method requires different bake times, and I’ve outlined them a bit in the recipe below.
Leave me a comment if you need help deciding which method is right for your pie.
Fill it with dreamy deliciousness
If you haven’t guessed already by some of the apples in these pictures, I used this particular crust for an apple pie.
What are some of your favorite pies and tarts? Let me know in the comments below. If you want to see a veganized recipe of a certain favorite pie of yours, reach out and let me know. I’d love to come up with something for you!
Please, please, please take a picture of your beautiful pie and share it with me! Tag @alderspirit or use #alderspirit so I can see what you come up with. I can’t wait!
Perfect Vegan Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup vegetable shortening (high ratio is best)
- 1/4 cup vegan butter
- 1/2 cup plant milk
Instructions
Pie Crust
- Measure out the shortening and butter. Cube them into small bits and spread them on a plate. Set the plate in the freezer and allow the butter and shortening to chill for 30 minutes. Measure out the plant milk and return to the fridge to chill.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
- Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter and sugar into the dry ingredients. The butter and shortening will have broken down into pea to quarter sized crumbles when your done. Don't break them down too small.
- Make a well in the center of the flour/butter mixture and add the plant milk. Mix with a wooden spoon until a dough ball starts to form. Pour the dough and any unmixed flour out onto a floured surface and knead for just a minute to finish mixing.
- Break the dough into two balls. Flatten the balls out into 1.5" thick pucks and wrap them in plastic wrap. Allow to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
- Remove one of the pie dough circles from the fridge and set out onto a floured surface. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out into a circle. Keep the dough turning and floured to prevent sticking. For a 9" pie, roll out to at least 12" in diameter.
- Using a sharp knife, trim the pie dough into a perfect circle. Flour your hands and gently pick up the circle, laying in half over your hand. Set the crust into the pie dish and tug around as necessary to center. Press the crust into the from the center out to remove any air bubbles. Trim any excess crust with scissors as necessary.
- Flute the edges of the pie crust or use a fork and crimp. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before baking or filling. Reserve any excess dough in the fridge to make the top part of the pie.
To "Blind Bake" (do only if necessary for your recipe) :
- Preheat your oven to 400° F.
- Line the chilled pie shell with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. This can be beans, rice, or actual pie weights from the store.
- Bake the crust for approximately 10 – 15 minutes, or until the edges just start to brown.
- Remove the crust from the oven. Take away the parchment and pie weights. Using a fork, dock the bottom of the crust by poking several small holes. Return the crust to the oven. FOR PAR BAKED CRUST: Bake for 5 – 7 minutes. The crust will just begin to brown. Fill immediately and return to the oven to finish baking.FOR FULLY BAKED CRUST: Bake for 7 – 12 minutes. The crust will be a pale golden brown. Allow to cool completely before filling.
Notes
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