All you need is four ingredients to make this easy, flakey vegan pie crust! Flour, sugar, salt, coconut oil, and water is all you need to make a versatile pie crust for all your favorite pies!
Is there anything better than a perfectly flakey pie crust?
Well, one that’s vegan of course!
I’m here to show you all the tips and tricks on how to make your own pie crust from scratch and get great results.
Ingredients for vegan pie crust
- All-purpose flour
- Coconut oil (I use refined coconut oil)
- Cane sugar
- Salt
- Water
What makes it a vegan pie crust?
Typically, pie crust calls for butter, shortening, or even more traditional recipes use lard. Instead of these, we use coconut oil which is much healthier and yields great results.
Refined vs Unrefined coconut oil
Refined coconut oil has very little coconut taste making it great for vegan baking. While refined coconut oil is processed more than unrefined, the nutritional values are about the same.
How to make vegan pie crust
I love using my nifty food processor to make pie crust.
- Add flour, sugar, and salt to the food processor and pulse a few times until blended (fig. 1)
- Add solid coconut oil and pulse until coconut oil breaks down to pea-size pieces (fig. 2-3)
- Add 4 Tablespoons of water to the food processor and pulse until combined. Add more water if needed (I used 6 Tablespoons total) (fig. 4)
The dough will look crumbly and come together when you form it in your fingers (fig. 5-6)
How to make pie crust without a food processor
If you do not have a food processor to make vegan pie crust. Here’s an alternative:
- Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl
- Add solid coconut oil and use the back of a fork or a pastry cutter to blend the coconut oil into the flour mixture
- Add water and mix with a rubber spatula until dough begins to come together
Transfer dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and wrap the dough tightly, forming into a ball. Be careful not to touch the dough (I form the dough into a ball after it is wrapped in the plastic wrap)
Place the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to set.
Once the dough is chilled, remove from the plastic wrap and roll out to 1/8″ on a lightly floured surface. Notice the marbling in the dough pictured above? This is what you want to get a flakey pie crust.
How to make a flakey pie crust
I think it’s universal that everyone loves a flakey pie crust. Here are some tips to achieve that.
- Use solid coconut oil and ice-cold water. I like to pop my coconut oil in the freezer for a few minutes to firm it up and I place a cup of water with ice cubes in the freezer as well to make sure it’s chilled.
- Don’t over pulse the pie crust in the food processor. You want those pea-size clumps of coconut oil in the dough
- Try not to handle the dough too much. The warmth from your hands will melt the coconut oil clumps
If you stick by all these tips, the coconut oil will create air pockets in the dough as it cooks, creating flakey layers! Pretty cool, right?
How to crimp pie crust
To make the pretty edges on pie dough, it’s called crimping. There are a few different ways to do this (and I’ll admit, I’m not the best at it!). I use the “pinch method”
I’ve found this tutorial to be a good visual on how to crimp the edges of pie dough.
How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust
For a lot of recipes, pies call for baking the pie crust first before baking the entire pie, known as blind bake. The reason you pre-bake a pie crust is to prevent a soggy bottom and ensure the pie is evenly cooked.
To pre-bake a pie crust, you will want to use pie weights or my favorite, parchment paper and dry beans to prevent the dough from rising when baking.
How to make pie crust gluten-free
I like to substitute the all-purpose flour with Bob’s Red Mill 1-1 GF Flour. This gives me great results when making pie crust and tastes very close to the pie crust made with all-purpose flour!
Tips for prepping ahead
You can make pie dough up to 3 days in advance. Wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge until ready to use. You will need to let it thaw on the counter until it’s soft enough to work with. Make sure it doesn’t get too soft though!
How to freeze pie dough
If you really want to get ahead of the game, pie dough can be stored in the freezer. Make the pie dough and blind bake, then cover the top and freeze in the pie pan. When ready to use, simply add your filling and bake (no need to thaw out!). Pie dough will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
This vegan pie crust recipe can be used for all your favorite pies – including this delicious pumpkin pie!
If you tried this vegan pie crust, let me know in the comments below and share a photo using #mindfulavocado. I’d love to hear from you! Want to see more recipes? Let’s get social! CONNECT WITH ME on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest to see what I’m currently cooking up!
Vegan Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 Tablespoon cane sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil solid (can substitute with cold butter)
- 4-6 Tablespoons ice cold water
Tools:
Pie Supplies:
Instructions
- If coconut oil is not solid, put in the fridge to solidify. Put a cup of water with ice cubes in the freezer.
- Add flour, sugar, and salt to the food processor. Pulse.
- Add solid coconut oil and pulse until there are pea-sized pieces of coconut oil.
- Add 4 Tablespoons of ice water to the food processor and pulse. The dough should be crumbly but form together like playdoh when you play with it in your hand. Add 1 Tablespoon of water at a time until dough-like consistency is reached (it took me 6 Tablespoons).
- Using a rubber spatula, transfer the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Wrap the dough into a ball and place in the fridge for 30 minutes to rest.
- Remove dough from fridge and place on a lightly floured countertop. Knead the dough a few times. Using a rolling pin, roll out into a 1/8" thick, 8-10" diameter circle. Transfer to pie pan and crimp the edges.
- If the pie recipe calls for blind bake, line the pie crust with a parchment paper circle and fill with pie weights or dry beans. Follow the pie recipe for cooking instructions.
Notes
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Roll out the dough and place it in a pie pan. Cover and freeze for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
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