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Vegan pie crust in deep dish pie plate.
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5 from 4 votes

The BEST Vegan Pie Crust

Master the art of making a perfect vegan pie crust in minutes, with just three ingredients and with no special equipment needed! This versatile crust bakes up golden and flaky and crispy and you can use it as your go-to recipe for baking all sorts of delicious sweet and savory vegan pies, tarts and pot pies.
Prep Time20 minutes
Resting time15 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 2 pie crusts (serves about 16)
Calories: 1376kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • cups all purpose flour (preferably unbleached)
  • ¼ cup cornstarch (this helps cut gluten in the flour, making the crust flakier. You can leave it out and just add another ¼ cup all purpose flour)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 16 tablespoons vegan butter (cut into small, roughly ¼-inch cubes)
  • Ice cold water (Fill a cup with cold water from the fridge and add a few ice cubes to it to make it extra cold. You will need approximately ½ cup water, but have more on hand just in case.)

Instructions

  • Place the flour and cornstarch in a bowl. Add salt and mix. Then add in the cold, cubed vegan butter.
  • Use a fork or a pastry cutter to "cut" the butter into the flour. This is fancy speak for breaking the butter into smaller, pea-sized particles so it mixes evenly and gives the flour a grainy texture. See pro tips above for more details.
  • Drizzle ice cold water, a tablespoon at a time, into the flour-butter mixture while mixing with a fork. Stop as soon as the dough begins to come together and you don't have any dry flour remaining in the bowl.
  • Divide the dough into two. Wrap each half tightly in cling wrap, shaping the dough into a disc with your hands as you do so. Refrigerate the dough for at least 15 minutes before rolling it out. This will give the butter time to harden up again before you bake it.
  • Roll out the crust. Flour a cool surface, like a marble or granite countertop or a large baking sheet that has been refrigerated for at least 15 minutes. Place one disc of the pie dough on the surface and, using a floured rolling pin, roll it into a circle two inches larger than the diameter of the pie plate.
  • Transfer the crust to the pie plate. Fold the crust in half and, if you wish, fold it once more. Lift the folded crust carefully and place it in the pie plate. Unfold gently and fit it into the pie plate.
  • Tuck any overhanging dough under the edges. Don't trim away any excess dough! This is tasty stuff and you want all of that flaky crust you can get, so just tuck the excess in until you have an even edge. Then use your fingers to flute the edges in a decorative pattern, or press the tines of a fork into the edges.
  • Refrigerate the pie crust for 15 minutes before baking. This will help the butter harden up again and ensure a flakier crust.
  • Bake the pie according to directions. This will vary slightly for different pie fillings but should roughly be around 50 minutes to an hour. For my strawberry pie, for instance, which is a double crust pie, I bake the pie at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, and then at 400 degrees for 30 more minutes.

Notes

  • This crust will fit any standard size pie pan (9 inches wide and 1 inch deep) or any deep-dish pie pan (about 9-10 inches wide and 1 ½ inches deep. It will also fit a 9-10 inch tart pan. You can also use this crust for smaller sized pies and tarts.
  • You can make the dough or crust and refrigerate up to three days ahead of making the pie.
  • You can freeze the dough for up to six months. Wrap the dough tightly in cling wrap, then place inside a freezer-safe bag or container. If freezing the pie plate with the crust in it, wrap tightly in two layers of freezer safe wrap, then freeze.
  • For directions on making the pie dough in a food processor see the FAQs above.
  • Read the pro pie crust tips above for more ideas on making your pie crust foolproof.

Nutrition

Serving: 1pie crust (serves 8 people approx) | Calories: 1376kcal | Carbohydrates: 123g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 92g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 28g | Monounsaturated Fat: 44g | Trans Fat: 17g | Sodium: 1027mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 0.4g | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 7mg