vegan pie dough

This vegan pie crust is flavourful, flaky, and made with vegan butter. It's perfect for making sweet and savoury pies.

Flaky Vegan Pie Crust

(240 grams) all-purpose flour

tsp (1.25 ml) salt

(170 grams) vegan butter (Earth Balance Buttery Spread)

4-8 tbsp (60-120 ml) ice water

Mix the flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl.

Cut the chilled vegan butter into the flour using a pastry blender or fork until the fat is in small pieces.

Slowly add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, while gently mixing with a fork. Keep adding the water and stirring until the vegan pie dough starts to clump together on it’s own. The dough should look crumbly, but hold together. The dough shouldn’t be wet or sticky.

On your countertop, lay out a piece of plastic wrap (I use 2, laid out in a cross shape.) Dump the crumbly vegan pie dough in the center of the plastic wrap. Very tightly wrap the dough into a flat disk so that the dough doesn’t appear crumbly at all. Refrigerate for 2 hours before rolling out.

After chilling the dough, unwrap it and place it on a liberally floured surface. Start rolling from the center of the dough, out to the edges. Roll out the pie dough in different directions to achieve a roughly circular shape.

Roll out the dough until the dough is at least 2 inches larger than your pie plate. Gently lift the pie dough from your work surface using your metal spatula, and transfer it to your pie plate.

Making sure the dough lays flush with your pie plate, all the way into the corners. Leave 1 inch (2.5 cm) of excess for folding and fluting the edges, and cut away the rest.

Use your fingers to gently mend any cracks by lightly pinching and massaging them to smooth them out.

Slowly and gently fold the excess dough under itself to make a smooth, clean edge, folded on the lip of your pie plate.

Use the thumb and index finger of your dominant hand and the thumb of your non-dominant hand to pinch/flute the edge of your pie crust. Use a fork to pierce holes in the bottom of the crust.

Chill or freeze your pie crust until ready to use.

I used Crisco vegetable shortening and made sure to add a small amount of salt into the flour. Vegan butter tarts anyone??

You’ll LOVE this vegan apple pie recipe. It has a perfectly flaky, crisp and tender pie crust, and a deliciously juicy and aromatic apple pie filling. It’s also super easy to make, and you couldn’t possibly tell that it’s vegan! I’ve also included all my top tips for knowing when your pie is done and for preventing a soggy bottom.

The Ultimate Vegan Apple Pie

batches Extra Flaky Vegan Pie Crust

lemon juice

200 g (1 cup) caster/superfine sugar

cinnamon

¾ tsp ground ginger

nutmeg

g (1 ½ tbsp) vegan butter ((I used the Stork baking block.))

g (3 ½ tbsp) cornstarch (US)/cornflour (UK)

maple syrup

milk

sugar,

Prepare a double batch of the Extra Flaky Vegan Pie Crust, divide it into two equal pieces (for the bottom crust and for the lattice top), and chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until needed. You can also prepare it a day or two in advance.

You will need a 9 inch (23cm) pie dish ready to have on hand. It should be about 2 inches (5cm) deep. I recommend using a metal pie dish.

Vegan pie crust:

Slice the peeled and cored apples into 4-5mm slices.Tip: This is the optimal thickness that will give you pleasantly soft apples that still have a small amount of bite to them after the pie is fully baked. If you cut them much thinner, they will turn into mush during the relatively long baking time this pie requires.

Transfer the apple slices into a large bowl, drizzle them with lemon juice and mix well.Tip: The lemon juice slows down the oxidation and browning.

Add the sugar and spices, and mix well.

Cover the bowl and allow the sliced apples to macerate at room temperature for 1-2 hours, or until they have slightly softened and have released a noticeably large amount of juices (you should get just over 1 cup or about 260mL of juices, but it will vary with the type of apples you&#39;re using).

About 30 minutes before you start assembling the pie, transfer the apples into a sieve or colander placed over a bowl to drain the juices.

Pour the apple juices into a saucepan and cook them over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, with occasional stirring, until syrupy. The juices will thicken further when cooled, so you don’t need to cook them all the way until they have the consistency of jam.

Once reduced, add the vegan butter and cook them for a further 30 seconds. Then, remove from the heat and allow to cool until warm.

To finish off the apple pie filling, add the cornstarch to the sliced apples and mix well until it&#39;s evenly distributed. Pour over the reduced apple juices. If they’ve thickened too much during cooling, re-heat them briefly until warm to loosen them up.Mix it all together. Note that the reduced juices will remain in clumps/streaks throughout the filling as they’re fairly thick – that’s perfectly OK.

Apple pie filling:

To make the bottom pie crust, roll out half of the vegan pie crust on a lightly floured surface into a rough circle about 3mm thin. The circle should be at least 2-3 inches larger than the pie dish.

Transfer it into the pie dish and trim the excess pastry so that you have about 1 inch (2.5cm) of overhang.

Transfer the apple pie filling into the bottom pie crust, making sure that the apple slices are tightly packed together.

Bottom pie crust:

Make the lattice top: roll out the other half of the vegan pie crust on a lightly floured surface into an approximately 9x12 inch (23x30cm) rectangle about 3mm thin. Cut out 1 inch (2.5cm) strips, you should get a total of 12. Tip: To get perfectly straight strips, I recommend using a long ruler as a guide and a pastry wheel or pizza cutter to cut them.

Assemble the lattice by weaving the strips together. Trim the ends of the lattice strips, so that they reach past the edge of the filling by a few millimetres.

Lattice top:

Fold the overhanging pastry inwards, so that it covers the ends of the lattice strips. Press it gently together along the fold, so that the layers of dough adhere to each other.

To crimp the edge, form a V-shape with the thumb and index finger of your non-dominant hand on the outside edge of the pie crust. Then, use either the thumb, the index finger or the knuckle of the index finger of your dominant hand to push the pastry into that V-shape. Move around the edge of the pie crust to create a fluted rim.

Crimping:

Chill the finished pie in the fridge for 30-40 minutes or in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.Tip: Chilling the assembled pie helps to achieve maximum flakiness and also prevents the vegan butter in the pie crust from leaking out during baking.

While the pie is chilling, pre-heat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC) with a large baking sheet or tray on the middle oven rack.Tip 1: Baking the pie on a pre-heated baking sheet starts the bottom of the pie baking straight away and helps to prevent a soggy bottom. It also has the extra benefit of the baking sheet catching any stray juices that might bubble up and out of the pie.Tip 2: If you struggle with soggy bottoms on your pies, you can bake your pie on the lower middle oven rack instead.

Chilling the pie &amp; pre-heating the oven:

Mix together the maple syrup and non-dairy milk. Lightly brush the chilled pie with this vegan &quot;egg wash alternative&quot; and sprinkle it with granulated sugar.

Place the pie onto the pre-heated baking sheet and bake at 400ºF (200ºC) for about 1 hour 15 minutes.If the crimped edge of your pie starts browning too quickly, cut out a circle from a piece of aluminium foil and use the remaining foil to cover the edge (shiny side up). This prevents the edge from burning, while still allowing the central lattice to continue baking and browning.If the whole top of the pie is browning too quickly, cover it all with a sheet of aluminium foil (shiny side up) and continue baking until done. I like to bake the pie uncovered for the last 5 minutes of so, to ensure that the lattice top is perfectly crisp as it comes out of the oven.

The pie is done when the apples have softened (check their texture with a toothpick or a thin, sharp knife), the juices are visibly bubbling through the vents in the lattice and the pie filling has reached an internal temperature of 195ºF (90ºC).

Allow to cool for at least 4 hours before serving.

Baking:

The pie is best on the day of baking, but you can keep it for up to 2 days at room temperature, covered lightly with with a clean tea towel or a sheet of aluminium foil. Don&#39;t wrap it tightly in cling film or keep it in a closed container, as that will soften the crust too much.

Storage:

This is the only vegan pie crust recipe you’ll ever need. It’s ultra flaky, crisp and tender, super easy to make, and you couldn’t possibly tell that it’s vegan! The secret to its next-level flakiness lies in using frozen, sliced vegan butter and in an extra laminating step, which also makes the pie dough easier to handle.This recipe makes enough pie dough for one single-crust 9 inch (23cm) pie, but is easily doubled if you want to make a double-crust pie (with a lid or lattice).

Extra Flaky Vegan Pie Crust

200 g (1 ⅔ cups) plain all-purpose flour

½ tbsp caster/superfine sugar

salt

g (⅓ stick) cold vegan butter, from the fridge

80 g (⅓ cup) cold water

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt.Tip: If you&#39;re working in a very warm kitchen, you can chill the bowl and your combined dry ingredients in the fridge for about 30 minutes before starting. This will reduce the chances of the vegan butter getting too warm and soft when you make the pie dough.

Add the cold vegan butter (from the fridge) and use your fingertips to work it into the dry ingredients until you get a mixture resembling breadcrumbs.Tip: This prevents gluten development in subsequent steps and ensures that your baked pastry will be nice and tender.

Add the frozen, sliced vegan butter. Toss it in the dry ingredients, and make sure that it’s all evenly covered in flour. If any pieces of butter have clumped together, break them up.Tip: Using frozen butter prevents it from melting too quickly, and maximises the  flakiness of the final, baked pastry.

Add the cold water, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. After each addition of water, gently toss all the ingredients together with your fingertips, ensuring that the flour is evenly hydrated. Tip: You might not need all the water listed in the recipe, as different brands/types of all-purpose flour absorb slightly different amounts of moisture. I’ve found that I usually use all of it.

When the dough starts clumping together, give it a quick knead (pressing it against the sides of the bowl) until it comes together in a ball. Don’t over-work the dough as that can result in gluten development and a tough pastry.The final vegan pie dough won’t look smooth: it might crack slightly in places and it will look a bit “shaggy” – that’s perfectly fine. As long as there aren’t any completely dry spots (all the flour should be hydrated) and you can see large pieces of butter, you can proceed with the next step. If you do see patches of dry flour, sprinkle them with some extra cold water. (See blog post for photos of what the pie dough should look like.)

Wrap the pie dough in cling film and chill in the fridge for 1-2 hours. I don’t recommend freezing the dough at this stage, as it can lead to cracking when you roll it out in the laminating step.

Making the vegan pie dough:

Lightly flour your work surface and the top of the chilled pie dough.

Tap on the pie dough with a rolling pin to make it more pliable.

Roll it out into a long rectangle. The exact dimensions don’t matter much, just make sure that you don’t roll it thinner than about 3-4mm. While rolling, make sure that it doesn’t stick to the surface, by occasionally sliding your hands underneath.

Turn the dough so that a short end is closest to you. Brush away any excess flour and fold the dough as you would an A4 letter – the top third down towards the middle and the bottom third up over it. This is called a &quot;letter fold&quot;.

Rotate the dough by 90 degrees (so that the open ends are closest and farthest from you). Roll out into a similar-sized rectangle and repeat the letter fold. Tip: If the dough becomes too soft at any point, chill it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes before proceeding.

After the two letter folds, wrap the dough in cling film and chill it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or until needed.

Use as instructed in the chosen pie recipe.This recipe makes enough pie dough for one single-crust 9 inch (23cm) pie, but is easily doubled if you want to make a double-crust pie (with a lid or lattice).

Laminating the pie dough:

The vegan pie crust keeps well wrapped tightly in cling film for 1 week in the fridge or 2-3 weeks in the freezer. When you want to use it, allow it to thaw at room temperature before using. If you press down on it with a finger, it should leave an indentation – but it should feel firm, not too soft to the touch.

Making the perfect pie dough is all about the technique, but this easy handmade vegan pie dough is straight forward to follow and makes a super flaky and crisp crust!

Easy Vegan Pie Dough

(330 grams) all purpose flour

tbsp (12 grams) sugar

tsp (3 grams) salt

oz (113 grams) cold vegan butter*, cut into 1/2" pieces

oz (113 grams) cold vegetable shortening, in heaping tbsp pieces

4-6 tbsp (60-90 grams) ice cold water, more if needed

Whisk together 1 1/2 cups (198g) flour, the...

Whisk together 1 1/2 cups (198g) flour, the sugar, and salt. Add the vegan butter and shortening and cut it into the flour using a pastry blender or with two knife cutting in opposition. Cut the fats into the flour until you have a well combined mixture. It should be pebbly and starting to clump together.

Add the last cup (132g) of flour and...

Add the last cup (132g) of flour and briefly cut into the dough to combine. Pour in 4 tbsp (60g) of ice cold water and use a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to combine and gently knead/press the dough together. If there are any dry crumbs left on the bottom of the bowl, sprinkle in the additional cold water, a tablespoon or so at a time until it's able to form a dough. Do not make a smooth dough at this point, you can leave it a bit crumbly.

Using your hands press the dough together and...

Using your hands press the dough together and cut in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and form a 1" thick disk. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours to chill before rolling out. You can refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze for longer storage, defrosting in the refrigerator before use.

Top 4 vegan pie dough recipes from across the web

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Flaky Vegan Pie Crust

The Ultimate Vegan Apple Pie

Extra Flaky Vegan Pie Crust

Easy Vegan Pie Dough

Top 4 vegan pie dough recipes from across the web

The most viewed vegan pie dough recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Flaky Vegan Pie Crust

The Ultimate Vegan Apple Pie

Extra Flaky Vegan Pie Crust

Easy Vegan Pie Dough

The most viewed vegan pie dough recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine