Are you looking for vegan tart shells that bake up golden and flaky? This easy-roll pie crust recipe makes crisp pastry shells with a delicate crunch and is perfect for small tarts, large cream pies, and deep-dish fruit pies.
The pie crust recipe is made with nut milk and avocado oil or coconut oil with a pinch of sugar. Because you don’t have to worry about chilling or handling butter or shortening, it’s quick and trouble-free.
⭐ Why it works
- Crisp and flaky pastry - no soggy bottoms.
- Dairy-free and vegan.
- Easy to roll.
- Baking tips for flat-bottomed shells.
- Tart shells store and stay crisp in a canister at room temperature.
- Makes small tarts, large single crusts, or double crust pies.
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A little attention to detail while baking ensures that this simple pie crust makes lovely, thin vegan tart shells. Consequently, you won’t have any soggy bottoms for your most stunning desserts.
The best part is that they can be baked in advance and conveniently stored in an airtight jar or tin for a week. They will stay crisp until you are ready to fill them.
📋 Ingredients
- All-purpose flour - Unbleached organic all-purpose is best.
- Vegetable oil - Coconut oil or vegetable oil with a neutral flavor like avocado oil.
- Nut milk - Plain homemade nut milk yields the best taste.
- Powdered sugar - Vegan, organic powdered cane sugar. Other sugar is too coarse and will leave speckles in the pastry shells, though the taste will be fine.
🔪 Steps
Make pastry
- Whisk dry ingredients.
- Whisk wet ingredients.
- Combine with a fork to a moist, crumbly texture.
- Press into a ball of dough.
Roll dough and fill pans
The recipe card below gives full instructions on how to roll and bake small, large, and double crusts. Here's a preview of making vegan tart shells:
- Shape pastry into logs, mark, and divide.
- Roll each section into a disk.
- Cut parchment liners.
- Fill tart pans with pastry, parchment, and beans.
🥣 Equipment
If you don’t already own a set of small tart pans, you might be wondering where to get them. You'll be happy to know there are several suppliers online.
As an example, here is a steel set from King Arthur Flour.
Silicone molds also bake well and are handy for a quick release. I have a set of colorful ones from Wilton I use often.
Larger pie shells bake beautifully in affordable glass pie pans. I like how glass pans allow you to see if your bottom crust is golden or not.
👩🏻🍳 Baking secrets
The secret to creating that delicate, crunchy bottom crust is baking the pie shells on the oven’s lowest rack. Furthermore, you can bake well-shaped crusts with an old-school trick.
When you lay parchment paper over the top of your dough and cover it with beans, it prevents the crust from ballooning up as it bakes.
Remove the beans halfway through baking, and your vegan tart shells lay flat against the pie pan as they finish cooking.
Finally, you may want to know that, yes, you can absolutely use this recipe for 8 and 9-inch pies. The recipe below gives specific instructions for rolling and shaping tarts or a standard pie crust.
👩🏻🍳 Expert tips
- Recipe size - This recipe will make six 3 ½-inch vegan tart shells, four 4-inch vegan tart shells, or one 8-9 inch vegan pie shell. You can double the recipe if needed. When doubling the recipe, make two individual batches for the best results. To embellish a pie with cut-outs, make a half recipe extra.
- Adjusting ingredients -You may have to add a touch more flour or nut milk depending on your flour and climate. The pastry should just hold together when pressed into a ball and not feel overly wet.
- Baking time -Ovens vary, so baking times are approximate. After the first bake, you should have an idea of how long your oven takes and can make a notation if needed.
- Parchment and beans -You can reuse parchment paper cut to size and beans many times for future bakes.
Whether you are baking tiny tarts, giant, gorgeous cream pies, or lattice-topped fruit pies, this vegan tart shell recipe will serve you well.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Tart Shells & Pie Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup organic all-purpose flour 130 grams
- 1 ½ tsp. organic powdered sugar 5 grams
- ⅛ tsp. sea salt
- 3 TB plant-based milk 44 ml, preferably homemade
- 4 TB coconut oil or avocado oil 59 ml
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and adjust the rack to the bottom shelf.
- Have ready 1 cup of dry beans. Cut parchment paper to size for 6 tart pans or 1 nine-inch pie pan. Double recipe for a double-crusted or lattice-top pie.
Mixing Dough
- Measure 1 cup organic all-purpose flour (130 grams). A scale is best. Alternatively, scoop it into a cup and level it with a knife drawn over the top. Whisk flour, 1 ½ tsp. organic powdered sugar (5 grams), and ⅛ tsp. sea salt together in a medium-sized bowl.
- Whisk 3 TB plant-based milk (44 ml) with 4 TB coconut oil or avocado oil (59 ml) in a larger bowl until well blended. It takes a minute or two, but the mixture will emulsify.
- Stir flour into the wet mixture with a fork. The dough will be crumbly but should stick together enough to form a ball. Add nut milk a teaspoon at a time if the dough won't hold together. You want the dough to roll out easily without cracking. However, a too-wet dough won't be as flaky after baking, so go sparingly adding liquid.
Rolling and baking vegan tart shells
- Turn the dough out onto a smooth countertop. Press sides of dough together and shape to make 1 even log 6 inches long. Divide into 6 one-inch pieces, cut like a Tootsie roll.
- Keep pieces covered and roll them out one by one. Take a section out and flatten it with your hands to a 3-inch circle. Smooth the edges. Rub both sides very lightly with flour. A wide spatula or dough scraper is handy for lifting and flipping the pastry. It has enough oil to not stick easily to a counter.
- Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll pastry to a 4 ½ inch circle if filling 3 ½ inch pans. (Roll to 5 inches for a 4-inch tart pan.) Rolling the dough thin helps create light and crisp vegan tart shells. Lift the dough with a scraper and drape it into the tart pan. Tuck into the pan as much as possible and use fingertips tips to flatten the bottom. Use the side of your thumb to press dough into the inner ridges of the pan. Trim any excess from the top with a sharp knife.
- Once pans are filled with dough, lay parchment cut to size over top of the dough. Fill with 2.5 TB dry beans. You'll only have to cut parchment circles and measure beans for the first bake. Thereafter, you can reuse the paper and beans many times.
- Place all 6 vegan tart shells on a small cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees on the bottom shelf of the oven for 10-12 minutes. Remove parchment and beans. Bake another 5 minutes or until golden. Watch carefully the last few minutes so as not to burn. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.
Rolling and baking one eight or nine-inch pie crust
- Shape and flatten the dough with your hands into a 6-inch disk. Press the edges of the dough to seal and even the sides. Lay a sheet of parchment paper on the counter. Place dough on parchment paper. Dust the top side of the dough and a rolling pin with flour.
- Working from the center outwards, roll the dough from North to South. Then roll East to West. Turn parchment and dough 45 degrees and repeat rolling from the center outwards until the circle measures a half-inch larger than your pie pan. Using patience will result in an even crust that doesn't tear.
- Lay the pie pan upside down over the pastry dough and center it. Slip one hand under the bottom of the parchment paper. Use the other hand to steady the pie pan. Flip the pie pan and pastry dough in one motion, so the pie pan rests on the counter. Press dough evenly into the pie pan with parchment. Peel away the parchment paper. Fold any excess dough up onto the rim of the pie pan. Shape the edge as desired.
- Lay pre-cut parchment over top of the dough. It doesn't need to cover the sides completely. Fill the unbaked pie shell with beans, adding a couple of tablespoons as necessary to weigh the paper down.
- Bake the pie shell on the bottom rack of the oven for 12-15 minutes. Remove parchment and beans. Return the pie crust to the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottom of the pie crust is golden. A glass pie plate is very helpful in judging bake. If the sides and top of the crust brown before the bottom is crisp, cover the pie shell with a cookie sheet to finish baking.
Rolling and baking a double crust for an 8 to 9-inch pie
- Make 2 batches of the recipe. Mix them individually for the best results. Then follow the instructions for making the pastry dough.
- Follow instructions for shaping and rolling one nine-inch pie shell, but don't fill it with beans.
- Fill the unbaked pie shell with the pie filling of your choice.
- Repeat rolling for the second crust. Place the rolling pin at one end of the pastry. Without putting pressure on the pastry, roll it up with the rolling pin like a paper towel.
- Take the rolling pin wrapped with pastry and unroll it over the top of the filled pie. Shape the edge as desired.
- Bake the pie according to recipe instructions.
Notes
- Recipe size - This recipe will make six 3 ½-inch vegan tart shells, four 4-inch vegan tart shells, or one 8-9 inch pie shell. You can double the recipe if needed. Make two batches individually for the best results. To embellish a pie with cut-outs, increase the recipe.
- Adjusting ingredients -You may have to add a touch more flour or nut milk depending on your flour and climate. The pastry should just hold together when pressed into a ball and not feel wet.
- Baking time - Ovens vary, so baking times are approximate. After the first bake, you should have an idea of how long your oven takes and can make a notation if needed.
- Parchment and beans -You can reuse parchment paper cut to size and beans many times for future bakes.
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