How to make easy vegan pie crust in the food processor (or by hand) in 15 minutes or less! This pie crust is flaky, tender and delicious. No one would guess it’s free of animal products!
Don’t be intimidated by pie crust! I’ll show you how to make homemade vegan pie crust from scratch in no time at all.
This is a classic pie crust recipe, vegan and perfect for all your baking needs! I’ve made the process easier by utilizing the food processor, but you can make it by hand if you prefer.
How do you make vegan pie crust in the food processor?
It couldn’t be easier! First off, you must measure 1/4 cup (or 4 tablespoons) of vegan butter and vegetable shortening. Refrigerate it ahead of time, at least 30 minutes, so that it is very cold when you’re ready to begin. The cold fat is very important to achieving a tender, flaky pie crust, so don’t skip this part!
- First, add the flour, sugar and salt to the food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the cold cubed vegan butter and pieces of vegetable shortening.
- Process about 10 seconds, until it looks like a coarse meal.
- While the processor is running, add a few tablespoons of ice water, until it begins to clump together.
On a lightly floured surface, work the dough into a ball, but don’t use your hands too long or it will warm up the fat, which you don’t want.
Roll it out to about 12 inches in diameter.
Transfer the dough to pie plate. I do this by wrapping the dough around my rolling pin, and then quickly and carefully transferring it.
Don’t worry if it’s not perfect! Mine usually looks something like the photo below, kind of a mess. Simply push it into the pie plate, gently. Trim off any excess, and replace any broken areas.
Flute the edges or make another special edge. This tutorial is so helpful!
My Best Tips for a delicious vegan pie crust:
- Make sure everything is very cold when you start. You can even put the pieces of the food processor that will touch the dough in the fridge for awhile before you begin. The cold fat is essential to a delicious pie crust!
- Use a combination of vegan butter and vegetable shortening – The vegan butter gives a buttery flavor, while the shortening helps the structure of the crust. I recommend Earth Balance brand of vegan butter, it has the best flavor.
- Don’t use your hands too much at all! Again, you don’t want to warm things up. And don’t over mix.
- Use just enough ice water to where it comes together, not too much or you will have a mess. When you can squeeze it in your hand it’s done, though it will look a bit crumbly.
That’s it! For a gluten free crust, check out my Gluten Free Pie Crust made with almond flour.
Use this pie crust for Vegan Pumpkin Pie.
Easy Vegan Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup vegan butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cold and into a few pieces
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- Make sure your vegan butter and shortening are very cold before starting. Refrigerate along with the shortening for at least 30 minutes.ย
- Add flour, sugar and salt to food processor with the "S" blade. Pulse a few times to combine.
- Add cold vegan butter and shortening. Process for about 10 seconds, until it looks like a coarse meal (see photos above for reference).
- Now while the food processor is running, drizzle in 3 tablespoons of ice cold water. When it begins to clump together, stop. You may need to add 1 more tablespoon ice water for it to come together.
- Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball. Don't use your hands too much or it will warm the dough, which will make your pie crust less flaky and light.
- Roll the dough with a rolling pin to about a 12 inch circle, and transfer to a pie plate. I usually wrap it gently around my rolling pin and then carefully transfer it. Don't panic if it's not perfect, you can fix it in the pie plate!
- Gently push the pie crust all around the dish, trimming off any excess and replacing any spots that need repair. See this tutorial for fluting the edges and making other special pie edges.
- It's now ready to use immediately, or refrigerate until you are ready to use. Simply double the recipe for 2 pie crusts (top and bottom).
To make by hand:
- If you don't want to use a food processor, you can make the pie crust by hand. Simply whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the cold butter and shortening. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut it in, then drizzle in the ice water and stir until the dough comes together.
How to pre-bake a pie crust
- For a recipe that calls for a pre-baked pie crust, follow these instructions. If possible, freeze the pie crust lined in the pie plate for 30 minutes. This will help it not shrink down when it bakes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Once the crust has been frozen for 30 minutes, line it with aluminum foil or parchment paper (foil is easier to work with). Fill the crust to the top with sugar, or dried beans, pie weights or rice.
- Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes for a pie that will cook further in the oven. For no-bake filling pies, bake for 60-70 minutes. Cool before filling.
- Instructions for baking pie crust will depend on the pie's specific recipe, but these are general instructions for pre-baking pie crust.
Notes
- Nutrition information is for 1/8th of the crust.
- Make ahead - After making the dough, roll into a ball or shape into a patty and wrap well in plastic wrap or other food wrap. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or place in the freezer for up to 3 months (if going in the freezer, also place in a freezer bag or container). Make sure to let the dough come to room temperature before rolling out so that it doesn't crumble.
Hellooo Nora, Just made Pumpkin Pie using both your pumpkin pie recipe and your Pie Crust recipe. The results was terrific. The pie has great texture and taste. The crust turned out beautiful as well, but it did not start out that way. I used very chilled vegan butter and shortening and three (3) tablespoons of drizzeled ice water in the food processor. I even put my rolling pin in the freezer and floured it before starting. I placed the dough ball on a lightly dusted counter, but the dough wanted to stick to counter, rolling pin. with a bit of effort I rolled it out, but ultimately I was unable to successfully roll it onto the rolling pin. It was addheared to the counter. Using a dough scraper I did get it onto the rolling pin but it just fell apart. Hahaha I didn’t panic, well maybe a little, but regrouped and basically just spackled it into the pie pan pushing the flattened pieces togthter. All said an done, I popped the pie into a preheated 350 degree oven and baked it for an hour per your instructutions. The crust cooked beautifully to a golden brown and the pie had a rich brown color as well. I cooled and chilled it over night and this morning I tried a slice. Perfection! Thanks for all of your tasty recipes. Any crust making suggestions!
I’m so glad everything worked out! It sounds like your pie crust was too wet, and your counter/rolling pin, etc weren’t floured enough. Have super cold butter and shortening helps. As well as only using as much water as needed for it to come together. Also, don’t use your hands too much or it will get very wet as the butter melts.
Can I use this dough to make hand pies?
Sure!
Hi Nora what brand of shortening do you use? Are all shortening vegan? I will be making this crust for your pumpkin pie recipe.
I believe unless it’s lard of course, vegetable shortening is vegan. I like Spectrum brand. I often use all vegan butter nowadays and it works great too!
Hi Nora, I I have a question about the ingredients in the vegan apple pie crusts. You ask for shortening. I donโt have any and I was wondering if coconut oil that is solidified would work in place of it.
Thanks
Hi Irene. Yes, cold coconut oil should work instead of the butter and shortening. 1/2 cup should be fine. Happy cooking!
Hi Nora. I am tweaking the recipe using gluten free flour
(1 to 1). Can I roll this crust uncooked, refrigerate and bake the next day?
Hi Norma. Yes, you can refrigerate it or freeze before baking. It will only keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days before using. Hope this helps!
How did the GF crusts turn out?
I’ve been making way-too-crisp vegan pumpkin pie crusts for years and this is recipe is perfection, so pleasantly surprised. Will be saving the recipe for Thanksgiving
Hi Cody. I’m thrilled the pie is what you’ve been looking for! It will be a great addition to Thanksgiving! I appreciate your positive feedback! Thank you!
Can I use oat flour instead of all-purpose? And coconut oil instead of shortening? I donโt want to completely change the recipe but Iโm baking for a bunch of health nuts!
Hi Sara. I’ve never tested this recipe using only oat flour, and am not sure how it would hold up. It may be best to try a mix of the two flours, if possible. You can use 1/2 cup cold coconut oil in place of shortening. I hope this helps!
I am making your pumpkin pie and pie crust, you said in your pumpkin pie recipe you don’t pre cook your pie crust?
Hi Lisa. I do not pre-bake it, except for a no-bake pie. There may be some instances where you would want to pre-bake the crust, but for apple or pumpkin pie, for example, I do not.
Amazing recipe! Came out perfectly crisp after 1 hour of baking (for the pumpkin pie recipe). I was able to cut this by chopping it with a pie cutter and it broke apart perfectly for slices. I used Nuttelex (Australia) for the vegan butter and coconut shortening, and the flavor was great! Definitely my go-to vegan pie crust recipe now.
Thank you for your amazing feedback and review, Tara!
Hi! I love all your recipes Nora! Will be making this one for sure! You always have notes on GF flour options. How would it work with this one?
Thank you! Keep them all coming!
Ana Maria
I’m so glad you are enjoying my recipes! Thank you! I have not tried this with gluten free flour, however, I think it should work!
I want to try your vegan pumpkin pie recipe with this pie crust this Christmas. Does it only yield one crust? I’m pretty sure I have to make at least 3-4 of these. ๐
Thank you.
Hi Gabriele. Yes, this yields one pie crust. I hope you enjoy the pie!
Question: ย can I make this double crust, roll it out, layer with waxed paper, roll up and freeze until needed? ย I tried to make a pie crust once and it was a disaster. ย With all the great comments, I want to give this one a try.ย
Hi Marjorie. Yes, you can refrigerate it or freeze before baking. It will only keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days before using. Hope this helps!
We donโt have shortening here. Would I use 1/2 cup of butter instead? Thank you!ย
Yes, more vegan butter will work!
I made this crust and it was the best tasting flaky crust I’ve ever had! This will always be my “go-to” crust now!
Thank you Nora! โฅ๏ธ
Hi Julie. You are welcome! I’m thrilled this is now your go to crust! I appreciate you taking time to share you great feedback!
BEWARE: When you change the recipe to 2x or 3x, the instructions change the amount of cups but still says 4 tablespoons.
This is my go-to pie crust. ย I have made two blueberry pies in the past week using this crust and am reminded of how easy and delicious it is. ย I use Earth Balance sticks and no shortening. ย Love it!
I’m so thrilled you are loving the crust! Thank you for sharing your wonderful feedback!
Hi Heather. I don’t have shortening either. How much vegan butter did you use? Thanks in advance.
Victoria
I just wanted to note that if you are using a glass pie plate, you shouldn’t put it in a preheated oven if it is frozen. I did that once and the pie plate shattered as soon as I set it on the rack. It was an incredible waste of effort and ingredients, and a huge mess.
Hi Nora,
This pie crust looks SOOOO nice,ย but can I use substitute coconut oil for butter and shortening? Because I can’t buy vegan butter and shortening.ย
If I use coconut oil, what is the total ratio of butter and shortening?
Thank you!!!
Hi JY. Yes, cold coconut oil should work instead of the butter and shortening. 1/2 cup should be fine. Happy cooking!
I have believed for way too many years that I canโt make pastry and have tried a ton of vegan recipes over thirty years! This is incredible โฆ. Made my blackberry and apple pie twice now without fail! Itโs the best and I canโt wait to try a savoury version!!! I even used half whole meal and it was perfect!!!! Thank you for enabling me Nora โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ???
Hi Winter. You are welcome! I’m so glad you have had great success with my pie crust recipe! Thank you for sharing your great feedback! Wishing you lots of happy pastry cooking!
Found this recipe to make for my sonโs vegan girlfriend. It was super easy and very delicious! Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved it! You are welcome! Thanks for sharing your encouraging feedback!
I think you may have a measurement error under the double and triple recipe amounts for EB butter. I think you mean to say “8 Tbs” and “12 Tbs”, in the parenthesis, instead of “4 Tbs” each time. ๐
GREAT recipe though! I really enjoy your vegan recipes, as they are delicious and help me to make ‘yummies’ for my kiddo with food allergies to dairy and eggs! ๐
Thanks for pointing that out, Molly! And thanks so much for sharing your feedback and review!
Outstanding. Better and easier to work with than any non vegan pie crust I’ve made.
If I am using this for mini fruit filled pies, do I still bake before baking them?
I haven’t tried it, but I’m pretty sure you don’t want to bake the crust before baking the filled fruit pies.
When you double recipe 2x it doesn’t double the butter or shorting! Bummer should have realized it!!!!
I’m so glad I read these comments. I’m about to make two pie crusts so I was going to adjust it to the 2X recipe, but now I see that you are right. The butter and shortening do not change when doing that. Good catch!
This is my go to vegan pie crust I’ve made this non stop this fall/winter for vegan pumpkin pie, pecan pie, apple pie it’s just perfect and so easy to make.
I just have one question:ย
I’m making pecan pie for Christmas and I was wondering if I can make this crust 2 days in advance and store it in the fridge since I’m making Christmas dinner and I want to start doing what I can in advance.ย
Thank you so much for this recipe.
I’m so happy to hear that! Yes, you can make the crust and store it in the fridge 2 days in advance. Merry Christmas!
Hi Nora! This pieย is so delicious!!! Itโs now my husbandโs new favorite. He ate almost the whole pie in 2 days, and has been asking me to make another every day since! Iโd like to make this pie for Christmas, and Iโm wondering what your thoughts would be on reducing the almond milk and adding some peppermint extract or orange extract to both the filling and coconut whip. I wasnโt sure whether the almond milks main purpose was to thin the filling or if it plays another role such as helping the filling to set which might be affected by subbing in extract. Thank you again for this delicious recipe. ย Sooo many of your recipes have become staples in our household, and everyone, vegan or not, adores them.
Hi Allie! This is under the pie crust recipe, what pie exactly are you talking about? ๐ I’d love to help!
Can I use more butter instead of the shortening?ย
Yes, it works fine.
Hi! I am so excited to try this! Can I used gluten free 1-1 flour?
Hi Jenna. I havenโt personally tried it, but I think it should work fine. Enjoy!
Best pie crust recipe ever!! I used it for a vegan Thanksgiving a few years ago but I use it for all my pies now. I always used to have trouble with my crusts but this one is foolproof and delicious. When you’re rolling it out, it might seem breakable or too crumbly at first, but after it’s baked it will have the strength and texture of a regular crust.