3-Ingredient Vegan Pie Crust

This 3-ingredient vegan pie crust is flaky, ‘buttery’, and made with just flour, vegan butter, and salt (plus ice water to bring it together). It takes about 15 minutes of hands-on time (by hand or in a food processor), and it’s ready for every pie on your holiday table, starting with my easy vegan pumpkin pie!

I’ve shared over a dozen vegan pie recipes on my site, and many of them use a pre-made crust to save time. Store-bought crusts are handy, but many contain palm oil, and making your own is simpler than you might think. With a few cold ingredients and a couple of easy tricks, this dairy-free and egg-free crust bakes up tender, flaky, and lightly crisp every time.

It works for sweet and savory pies alike, from my apple pear pie and mixed berry crumb pie to apple pie bars with streusel and vegan vegetable pot pie.

Vegan Pie Crust Ingredients

You only need a handful of simple pantry staples for this easy pie crust. You’ll find the full amounts in the recipe card below.

• All-purpose flour: I recommend all-purpose flour for the best texture. A gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (like Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur) should work too, though the crust tends to be drier.
• Unsalted vegan butter: Use a block-style vegan butter (like Miyoko’s or Earth Balance sticks) rather than a soft spread. It’s what makes this crust flaky and ‘buttery’. Salted vegan butter works in a pinch if you leave out the added salt.
• Sea salt: Just a little balances and enhances the flavor of the crust.
• Ice water: Ice-cold water keeps the vegan butter cold and gives the dough the right amount of moisture.
• Cinnamon: Optional, for sweet pies. Leave it out for savory pies.

PRO TIP: For a sweet vegan pie crust, add 2 to 3 Tablespoons of sugar with the flour. It also helps the crust brown.

How to Make Vegan Pie Crust

Before you start, pop the vegan butter in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes so it’s firm enough to grate. Here’s a quick overview of the steps, and you’ll find the full instructions in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and cinnamon (if using).

Step 2: Grate in the vegan butter. Grate the frozen vegan butter into the flour mixture, then use a fork or pastry cutter to mix until it looks like coarse crumbs. Small, pea-sized pieces of butter are what make the crust flaky, so don’t break them up too much.

PRO TIP: Try not to touch the dough too much with your hands, since the warmth melts the vegan butter. Once kneaded, the dough should be smooth, not sticky.

Step 3: Add the water and chill. Stir in the ice water with a spoon until a dough forms, then knead it for about 10 seconds. Shape it into a ball, wrap it tightly, and refrigerate it for 3 hours (or up to 2 days) so the butter stays cold and the crust doesn’t shrink as it bakes.

Step 4: Let it rest. Unwrap the dough and let it rest on a lightly floured surface for 10 minutes so it’s easier to roll.

Step 5: Roll it out. Lightly flour a large piece of parchment paper and roll the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick and 10 to 12 inches wide, depending on your pie dish.

Step 6: Shape the crust. Lift the parchment and flip the dough into a lightly greased pie dish, then peel away the paper. Gently press the dough into the dish and pinch or crimp the edges with a fork.

PRO TIP: You can also roll the dough loosely around your rolling pin, then unroll it over the pie dish.

How to Blind Bake a Vegan Pie Crust

Some pies, like cream pies and no-bake fillings, need a pre-baked crust. Here’s how I do it (and King Arthur has a helpful guide on why and how to blind bake a pie crust if you’re new to it).

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Prick the bottom of the unbaked crust with a fork so it doesn’t puff up, then fill it with pie weights, dried beans, or rice.
3. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes to par-bake it (or follow your pie recipe’s directions), or 50 to 60 minutes for a fully baked crust.

Prefer a no-roll crust for cheesecakes and cream pies? Try my vegan graham cracker crust.

Toni’s Vegan Pie Crust Tips

• Use very cold ingredients: Frozen vegan butter and ice-cold water give you the flakiest crust.
• Don’t overwork the dough: Pea-sized pieces of vegan butter in the dough are completely normal, and they’re the key to a flaky vegan pie crust.
• Handle it as little as possible: Overworking the dough can make it tough, and the heat from your hands can melt the vegan butter.
• Use just enough water: Start with 3 to 4 Tablespoons and add the rest a little at a time, just until the dough holds together when you squeeze it.
• For a covered pie: Double the recipe so you have a top and bottom crust.
• If the crust browns too quickly: Loosely cover the edges with foil while it finishes baking.

What to Make With This Vegan Pie Crust

Use this homemade crust anywhere a recipe calls for a pre-made one. Here are a few of my favorites:

• Classic vegan apple pie (double the recipe for a top crust)
• Easy vegan cherry pie
• Vegan peach crumb pie
• Vegan coconut pineapple pie
• Zucchini mock apple pie
• Vegan banana cream pie (fully blind bake the crust first)
• 4-ingredient vegan chocolate pie (fully blind bake the crust first)
• Rustic plum galette

Storage and Freezing

Refrigerator: Store the unbaked pie crust, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before using it.

Room temperature: Wrap a pre-baked crust and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Freezer: Freeze the dough or the shaped, unbaked crust, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight, then let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling or baking.

Vegan Pie Crust FAQs

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If you tried this easy vegan pie crust or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks!