Let us show you how to make Flaky Vegan Pie Crust! It's easy, it's delicious and tender, and it's completely plant-based.
Are you afraid to make your own pie crust? Don’t be, it’s not hard, in fact, it’s actually really easy. Besides, you shouldn’t take even the tiniest bite of most store bought pie crust, especially if you’re a vegan, because many are made with lard or trans fats. Yuck!
I want you to be healthy and eat really good pie, so I’ve created a how to make flaky vegan pie crust step-by-step video tutorial for you. This is huge you guys! First, I hate seeing myself on camera, second, I had to teach myself how to edit this movie, and third, I had to talk to a camera. Do you know how hard it is to talk to something that doesn’t give you a response?
I hope this video will inspire you to make your own flaky vegan pie crust this holiday season. Trust me, you’re going to be so happy that you did.
Here are a few tips:
- Cut your refrigerated vegan butter and shortening ( I use Earth Balance brand because it’s free of trans fats) into small cubes and stick them in the freezer while you’re measuring the flour, salt, sugar, apple cider vinegar, and ice water. The colder the butter and shortening the better.
- Don’t over beat the flour, butter, and shortening. You want to see pieces of the butter and shortening, they shouldn’t melt into the dough.
- You can use a food processor but I prefer using my mixer. It just makes a flakier crust.
- For some reason my camera stopped recording when I cut the edges of the pie crust away from the pie plate. Use a sharp knife to trim away the dough that hangs over the pan.
- Whether you make a lattice crust or a solid crust on top, pinch the bottom and top crusts together all the way around the pan to seal. If you make a solid top, slice a few slits on top to allow steam to escape.
- Brush a little olive oil and sprinkle some sugar on the top of the pie for the last ten minutes of baking for a nice golden crust.
- Don’t eat all of your pie in one sitting. 😉
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8C-SqVt9Z4
Look for my apple pie recipe tomorrow!
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Laura says
What are the exact amounts of vegan butter and shortening? Thank you!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Laura, One stick of Earth Balance is approximately 7 tablespoons, so you would use 7 tablespoons of vegan butter and 3 and 1/2 to four (either one will work) of vegan shortening. Thanks for asking.
Bridgett says
I should have read this comment before proceeding with the recipe bc mine came out like cake batter. From what I found online, 1 veg shortening stick is usually equal to 1 cup (16 tbsp.) and 1 stick of butter is usually 1/2 c. (8 tbsp.) so I used those measurements. Back to the drawing board.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Bridgett, I'm sorry your crust didn't work out. I'm not sure that 4 more tbsp of shortening or butter would have made the dough turn out like cake batter. It sounds like maybe there was too much water added to the dough. Add 1 tbsp at a time until it forms a solid ball. Sometimes I need to add 6 and other times 10, it depends on the flour. I hope you try this recipe again because it's such a tender and flaky crust. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Bridgett says
Hi Linda, I just remade it the way you told the lady above with 11 tbsp and it worked out great. My previous dough turned out like cake batter before I used 1 c butter and 1 c veg shortening (32 tbsp), since those are standard measuring when using sticks and was wondering why there was so much more than the other crusts ive made. lolol Thank you =)
Linda Meyer says
Yay! I'm so happy it worked. Cooking, especially baking, is a science. One error and it's ruined. Enjoy! 🙂
K says
I’ve had this recipe pinned on Pinterest for months waiting to try it, I’m finally making it today! But I couldn’t find shortening so would all butter still work?
Linda Meyer says
Hi! Thank you so much! I ran into the exact same issue this week so I can confidently tell you that you can use all vegan butter to make the crust. I'm going to put a note in the recipe now. Enjoy!
K says
Turned out great and was a success with everyone!
Thanks so much.
Linda Meyer says
So good to hear! Thanks for letting us know. We made three batches of crust just today. 🙂 Have a happy Thanksgiving.
Amy says
I could not roll this out to save my life. I eventually gave up and just pressed it into the pie plate. Guess what though? Turned out delicious! (albeit a bit ugly). The baked crust is truly the best pie crust I've even tried vegan or not.
Linda Meyer says
Hi Amy, I'm sorry that it didn't roll out for you. We've never had that problem. Sometimes, if it's too cold, you might need to let it sit for a while before rolling, other than that I can't figure out why it didn't roll out. Having said that, I'm happy it was good. LOL! Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know.
Madhvi says
Would it be possible to use all vegetable shortening instead? I couldn't find any vegan butter at the grocery store today.
Linda Meyer says
We haven't tried it, so we can't be sure that it would work out. We like to use the mix because of the flavor of the butter. Shortening has a lot more fat in it, which is why we use both. If you try it, please let us know how it turned out. 🙂
Madhvi says
Just tried it out and it was delicious! Super flaky! But I think I added too much shortening so I would recommend using less. Maybe around 250 grams or less?
Linda Meyer says
Excellent! Thanks for letting us know. 🙂
Amanjit says
Thank you for this recipe! This is now my go-to pie crust... and I'm no expert baker.
Here in Australia, the only shortening I could find was 'Copha', a rock-hard hydrogenated block available in most supermarkets. I'm not such a fan of hydrogenated fats, but on special occasions, health rules go out the window!
Anyway, the little cubes of Copha didn't work well in the mixer. I *did* want tiny pieces of Copha left behind, because those tiny pieces of shortening are the trick to achieving that 'flaky' crust. But my weak-ass mixer left behind full-size pieces of Copha - too big! - so I threw the dough in the food processor for a bit. As a result, the dough was slightly over-worked (the gluten in the flour started developing and being more stretchy), but it still turned out beautiful and delicious.
Time time, I'll go straight to the food processor when I'm using Copha, rather than use both the mixer and the processor. And hopefully, the dough will be more 'short' and less 'gluteny' (if that makes sense) and will be even more perfect.
Thank you for this amazing, forgiving, delicious recipe. 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Hi Amanjit! Thank you for taking the time to let us know. Yes, we can imagine how frustrating that must have been. Good on you for not giving up!! 🙂 As you probably know, you could have used all vegan butter, but it would have been less flaky because shortening has more fat, and you need that to create the flaky pockets.
We are with you on the hydrogenated oils. YUCK! Although, like you said, sometimes special occasions call for letting go and eating it. LOL!
Julie says
Love this recipe! made it many times with country crock butter. For those of you who have used country crock you need less water (I normally used 4-6 tablespoons) first time ever doing earth butter, used 9 tablespoons but I think next time I'll do 10.
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Julie! We're so happy you like it, and appreciate your detailed information about the butter. It's so important to realize that every brand will yield a different result, especially when it comes to baking. You're awesome!
Kat says
Hi! Maybe I've missed it, but how long do I cook the crust for?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Kat, it depends on the pie that you're baking. If you're only baking the crust, then we suggest lining the bottom with a layer of parchment paper and evenly cover with dried beans. This will prevent the bottom of the crust from bubbling. Bake it in a 350F oven for approximately 40 minutes, or until it's a golden brown. Thanks for your great question. Will update the recipe card to include this note.
Lori says
Can you make this gluten free?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Lori, unfortunately we haven't had any luck using gluten-free flour. The crust always turns out tough and crumbly.
kate s. says
i like this recipe and have made it several times. it seems the youtube video has gone kaput!
Linda Meyer says
Hi Kate! Thank you so much, we're happy you like it. Yes, we're in the process of updating our old videos. We'll have a new one up in the next few months. 🙂
Genevieve says
This is the best pie crust I’ve ever made (including pies I baked before becoming vegan)! It was easy and delicious and flaky and held together beautifully.
Linda Meyer says
Thank you so much, Genevieve! We're so happy you liked it, and appreciate that you took the time to let us know. 🙂