The homemade vegan shortcrust pastry is a simple and quick solution for making rustic pies, quiches, and tartlets suitable for everyone.
The idea came to me almost by chance, while I was making my usual egg-free shortcrust pastry: I thought why not make it completely plant-based, so I can use it even when cooking for vegan friends and family?
So I replaced the butter with a completely plant-based margarine and the result surprised me: a shortcrust pastry that is soft, velvety, and very easy to roll out, ready in just two minutes in the food processor. After a short rest in the fridge, it works effortlessly and maintains a perfect consistency, without breaking.
This vegan shortcrust pastry is made with only 4 ingredients – flour, plant-based margarine, water, and salt – and is ideal for countless preparations: from classic rustic pies to single-serving tartlets, to bases for vegetable, legume, or savory vegetable cream fillings.
A smart, quick, and versatile recipe, always handy, especially when you have little time but don’t want to give up on homemade dough.
Before moving on to the recipe, other ideas for appetizers and aperitifs:
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup plant-based margarine
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (level)
Tools
- 1 Food Processor
Preparation
All ingredients in the food processor: flour, plant-based margarine in pieces, water, and salt.
I set the processor to the highest speed and in less than two minutes I get a smooth and compact dough.
The shortcrust pastry is ready: I wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
After resting, it rolls out easily with a rolling pin on a work surface even without flouring; if you’re less experienced, you can lightly dust with flour and use it for rustic pies, tartlets, or your preferred preparations.
Final Notes
This homemade vegan shortcrust pastry is a practical and versatile base, perfect to prepare in advance and keep ready when needed.
It keeps in the refrigerator for 2–3 days, well wrapped in plastic wrap, or it can be frozen and used when needed after a slow thawing in the fridge.
You can use it for vegan rustic pies, vegetable quiches, savory tartlets, or bases to fill according to your tastes.
The advice is to roll it out always after resting: this way it will remain elastic, won’t break, and will maintain a perfect consistency even when baked.
A simple, quick recipe without animal ingredients, ideal to always have on hand in the kitchen.
FAQ
Can I substitute plant-based margarine with oil?
Yes, it’s possible, but plant-based margarine makes the vegan shortcrust pastry more similar to the classic one: more crumbly, velvety, and easy to roll out. With oil, the texture will be different.
Should the vegan shortcrust pastry be blind-baked?
It depends on the recipe. For very moist fillings, a short blind bake is recommended; for rustic pies with pre-cooked vegetables, it can be used directly with the filling.
