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As the name suggests, this is honestly the butteriest, flakiest vegan pie crust I’ve tasted. This recipe makes a dairy-free double crust pastry that’s super flaky. The bottom never gets soggy and stays crisp even with fillings that tend to be on the runnier side.
This crust is the perfect base for all kinds of recipes…sweet or savory! I love using it for this vegan apple pie, a classic pumpkin pie and even hearty dishes like this vegan chicken pot pie.
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Pie Crust
- Flavor: Buttery, rich…just like traditional pie crust.
- Texture: So flaky, tender, never soggy.
- Difficulty: Easy.
- Time: Less than 10 minutes of prep!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes + Why They’re Important
All purpose Flour
I use King Arthur’s Unbleached All Purpose Flour which always provides consistent results. You can also use pastry flour if you have it.
Salted Vegan Butter
The BEST vegan butter brands for pie crust are Violife and Trader Joe’s Vegan Butter Sticks.
Always choose a vegan butter that is VERY firm straight from the fridge for the flakiest texture. Don’t use vegan butter from the tub as they are often too soft for pastry and pie crust.
You can learn more about which vegan butter brands are the best for baking here!
Vegan Buttermilk
The secret ingredient that helps make the flakiest texture. This is just 1 tablespoon of soy milk (or another dairy-free milk) mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar.
You can let this sit and curdle at room temperature for about 1 minute before adding it to the recipe.
Baking Powder
Just a tiny bit of baking powder creates a bit of lift and really improves the texture. Don’t omit this!
Tools You’ll Need
- Food Processor: To create the dough without melting the butter with our hands
- Plastic Wrap: For refrigerating the dough
- Rolling Pin: To roll the dough out
HOw to Make the Best Vegan Pie Crust
I use a food processor to combine all the ingredients quickly, so the butter remains cold and solidified. You could also use a pastry cutter if you don’t have a food processor.
Add the flour, baking powder and salt to a food processor bowl. Add cubed VERY cold vegan butter.
Pulse until the butter is evenly distributed. Then add the vegan buttermilk and ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough starts to form a ball.
Divide the dough in two and quickly shape into flat round discs.
Cover each disc with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Rolling Out the Vegan Pastry
Roll out the dough and place in the pie pan. To get a crispy, buttery bottom, poke holes in a radial pattern on the bottom of the crust.
Fold over the excess dough on the edges. Use your index and thumb on one hand and your index finger on the other to pinch the dough in a fluted pattern and crimp the edge.
Vegan Egg Wash For Pie Crust
Below are my favorite vegan egg washes for pie crust. All three help achieve that perfect golden brown finish!
- Apricot preserves: Gives a sticky sweet finish and the deepest color with a glossy sheen. Great for fruit pies.
- Maple syrup + Soy milk: Creates a light golden hue with a subtle sweet finish.
- Just Egg + Plant Milk: The best option for savory recipes.
Serving & Storage
This crust is so delicious I had to keep myself from eating all the edges off this pie before snapping some photos! I’ll confess… I’m a huge offender when it comes to tearing off and eating just the crust on pies that are sitting on the counter.
This crust can be filled immediately with fillings like caramelized apples or these stovetop peaches. Or it can be used in your favorite pie recipes.
- Fridge: Will stay fresh for 5-6 days wrapped in plastic.
- Freezer: The dough can be frozen for 2-3 months.
Recipes To Use This Crust With
Vegan Pie Crust – Buttery and Flaky
Rate this RecipeIngredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached – or pastry flour blend
- ¼ tsp table salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- ¾ cup + 1 tbsp very cold salted vegan butter, like Violife or Trader Joe's Vegan Butter Sticks- cut into ½ in cubes
- 1 tbsp soy milk, or other dairy-free milk
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
- 4-6 tbsp ice water
Instructions
- IMPORTANT: For best results, use a firm stick-style vegan butter like Violife or Trader Joe’s—avoid soft tub butters for pie crusts. See note 1.
- Add the flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar to a food processor. Pulse to combine.2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, ¼ tsp table salt, ¼ tsp baking powder
- Add in the cold butter cubes. Pulse until the mixture resembles an uneven crumble (about 15 pulses). There should still be some larger chunks of butter visible.¾ cup + 1 tbsp very cold salted vegan butter
- Mix the soy milk and vinegar together to make vegan buttermilk. Add the buttermilk in with 4 tablespoons of the ice water. Pulse until the dough is just combined. You should be able to squeeze the dough into a ball easily. If needed, add up to 2 more tablespoons of ice water.½ tsp apple cider vinegar, 4-6 tbsp ice water, 1 tbsp soy milk
- Transfer the dough onto a lightly floured surface and flatten into two discs about 4-5" in diameter. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll each disc of dough into a 12" circle. Carefully transfer the dough into the pie pan. Crimp the edges as desired. Keep the dough in the refrigerator while preparing the filling. Bake according the recipe's instructions. Makes 2 9" crusts.
Recipe notes
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