Easy Vegan Pie Crust
Based on my Nana's recipe, there are two family secrets that help you make the perfect crust every time. Quick and easy!
Based on my Nana's recipe, there are two family secrets that help you make the perfect crust every time. Quick and easy!
- Carbohydrate 0.0108016666666667 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.000543333333333333 g
- Fiber 0.00441666666666667 g
- Protein 0.001825 g
- Saturated Fat 0.000163333333333333 g
- Serving Size 1 1 9" pie crust (114g)
- Sodium 290.692333333333 mg
- Sugar 0.006385 g
- Trans Fat 2.33333333333333E-05 g
- Calories 0 calories
Step-by-step
- To make the dough: Add the flour, salt and sugar into a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Cut the vegetable shortening into cubes and scatter into the flour.
- Use a fork or pastry cutter to slice the vegetable shortening into the flour until you reach a crumbly texture.
- Drizzle the milk across the flour mixture and use the fork to combine.
- Mix until everything comes together and you will be able to form a ball of dough. Don't over mix.
- To roll the dough: Spread a clean tea towel over your work surface and lightly sprinkle flour over it.
- Scoop the dough into a rough ball, and put it in the center of the floured tea towel.
- Roll it out until you have a rough circle that is several inches bigger than your pie dis, to allow room for the sides and edges of the crust.
- To form the pie crust: Use the tea towel to help you flip the dough into the pie dish.
- If some pieces fall of that's fine.
- Use a knife to cut off the excess pastry around the edges.
- If there are any holes, fill them with some of the extra pieces.
- Pinch the edges to form a pretty crust.
- To Pre-Cook Your Pie Crust (optional): Only do this if the recipe requires a fully cooked crust prior to filling it.
- Preheat your oven to 450F (230C).
- Pierce the crust all over with a fork.
- Bake the crust for 15 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to 400F and continue cooking until the crust is lightly browned, just a couple more minutes.
A baked plant-based pastry shell shatters cleanly under the fork, revealing a pale, sandy crumb that smells faintly of toasted grain and rich fat. Historical baking traditions historically relied heavily on lard or butter to achieve this structural integrity. Modern cooks can successfully replicate traditional flaky results without animal products by understanding how fats behave within flour matrices.
The Science of Shortening
Vegetable shortening operates differently than butter because it contains zero water, resulting in fewer steam pockets during baking and a more predictable texture. Slicing the fat into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs ensures that distinct pockets of fat remain solid before baking. When those tiny pockets melt in a 450F oven, they leave behind microscopic layers that create the desired flakiness. Overworking the dough develops gluten strands, which transforms a tender pastry into a tough, chewy layer.Adapting Traditional Pastries
Historical pie recipes evolved across cultures to utilize whatever local fats were available, from tallow in medieval England to vegetable fats introduced in the early twentieth century. Substituting dairy fats with non-dairy milk requires careful observation of hydration levels, as plant beverages vary in protein and fat content. Pouring the liquid gradually prevents the dough from becoming too sticky to handle. Handling the mixture minimally preserves the tenderness expected from a classic pastry.Technique for Transferring Dough
Rolling pastry on a floured tea towel provides mechanical support for transferring fragile discs into a pie dish without tearing. Lifting the fabric allows gravity to gently drape the dough over the pan rather than stretching it manually, which prevents shrinkage during the baking process. Piercing the raw base thoroughly with the tines of a fork prevents large air bubbles from forming when baking an empty shell for fifteen minutes. Trimming excess edges with a sharp knife yields a clean perimeter ready for crimping.
