Description
This flaky vegan pie crust recipe provides a perfect, buttery base for both savory and sweet pies without using any animal products. Made with chilled vegan butter and a touch of apple cider vinegar to mimic buttermilk, the crust is tender, flaky, and easy to prepare either by hand or with a food processor. This versatile dough can be blind-baked or filled and baked, making it an essential recipe for vegan baking enthusiasts.
Ingredients
Scale
Vegan Buttermilk
- 80 ml non-dairy milk (chilled)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Pie Crust
- 320 g plain flour
- 235 g vegan block butter (chilled, cut into cubes)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
For Glazing
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter (for glazing)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Recipe Yield Advice: This recipe makes enough dough for a 9″ double pie crust. For just a single bottom crust, make ¾ of the recipe or freeze leftovers.
- Make Vegan Buttermilk: Combine chilled non-dairy milk and apple cider vinegar in a bowl. Place it in the freezer for 10-15 minutes until very cold and slightly thickened to simulate buttermilk.
- Prepare Pie Tin: Lightly grease a 9-inch pie tin with oil or vegan butter. Dust it with flour and tap out excess. Optionally, add a parchment round to the base for easier removal.
- Mix Dry Ingredients (Food Processor Method): Add plain flour and sea salt to a food processor and pulse until evenly combined.
- Add Vegan Butter (Food Processor Method): Add chilled vegan butter cubes and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with small pea-sized pieces.
- Incorporate Vegan Buttermilk (Food Processor Method): Slowly pour in the icy vegan buttermilk while pulsing briefly to bind the dough. Avoid overmixing.
- Form Dough and Chill (Food Processor Method): Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Mix Dry Ingredients (By Hand Method): Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Rub in Vegan Butter (By Hand Method): Add cold vegan butter cubes, rubbing with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some lumps remaining.
- Add Vegan Buttermilk (By Hand Method): Gradually add vegan buttermilk in two parts, gently bringing dough together without overmixing. Add flour if too wet. Shape into two discs, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat Oven: Heat oven to fan 190°C / 374°F or conventional 210°C / 410°F. Place an aluminum baking tray or sheet inside to preheat.
- Prepare Dough for Rolling: Remove dough from fridge and let sit 5 minutes at room temperature. Divide into two if using both crusts, reserving a slightly larger portion for the bottom crust.
- Roll Dough: On a floured surface, roll dough to approx â…› inch thickness. Fold and roll dough four times, dusting with flour as needed, then roll to fit pie tin with some overhang.
- Line Pie Tin: Transfer rolled dough to pie tin using rolling pin to lift. Gently press into base and sides without stretching. Trim excess with scissors.
- Crimp Edges and Dock Base: Press edges down with a fork for a simple crimp. Prick base several times with fork to prevent bubbling.
- For Top Crust Pies: Roll second dough disc and add filling of choice. Cover with top crust, trim and crimp edges. Brush melted vegan butter over top and sprinkle with sugar. Bake according to your pie filling recipe instructions.
- Blind Bake for No-Bake Fillings: Cut parchment paper circle slightly larger than pie tin, scrunch it and flatten onto dough. Fill with pie weights (or dried beans/rice/lentils). Bake on preheated tray for 20 minutes, remove weights and paper, then bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden. Allow to cool completely before removing from tin.
- Storage: Freeze uncooked dough tightly wrapped in airtight container for up to 3 months; thaw overnight in fridge. Store in fridge wrapped for up to 3 days before baking.
Notes
- This recipe is perfectly suited for vegan diets and can be adapted for gluten-free by substituting the flour.
- Do not overwork the dough to ensure flakiness; some lumps of butter in the dough are desirable.
- Chilling the dough for at least one hour improves texture and handling.
- Use ice-cold vegan buttermilk to keep the dough cold and flaky.
- Blind baking is necessary for no-bake fillings to avoid soggy crusts.
- Optional sugar glaze adds a subtle sweetness and enhances browning on top crusts.
- Adjust thickness and rolling to accommodate specific pie tins and desired crust thickness.
