How To Make Vegan Hot Water Crust Pastry

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Hot water crust pastry is incredibly easy to veganise and it makes the most delicious savoury pie crust.  I don’t know why it is not used more often!  This vegan hot water crust pastry is beautifully crisp, flavoursome and holds its shape – making it perfect for deep-filled pies, both small and large.  

There will not be a ‘soggy bottom’ in sight with this pastry, it bakes to perfection and is very therapeutic to make.  Instead of needing to keep it cold like normal pastry the opposite is true for this hot water crust pastry – you make it and shape it whilst it is warm and pliable.

It’s made with vegetable shortening which gives it the most beautifully crisp texture but if you’re in a bind you can substitute with coconut oil – in fact the pie pictured here was made using coconut oil, although I recommend vegetable shortening for the optimal hot water crust texture.

This beautiful vegan pastry can be used for a wide variety of pies – why not try filling it with your favourite curry?  I did just that and adapted my Vegan Katsu Curry Sauce recipe into a Curried Chickpea & Potato Pie using this pastry, which was absolutely delicious.  The recipe is coming soon to the blog!

A woman shaping a vegan hot water crust pastry pie in a baking tin

The top of a vegan hot water crust pastry pie, crimped and decorated with a plaited pastry circle, glazed and ready to go in the oven

This vegan hot water crust pastry is:

Quick and easy to make

Beautifully crisp

Deliciously seasoned

So versatile

Dairy free, egg free and vegan

I have no doubt that you will LOVE this recipe – be sure to tag me on Instagram when you make it @aveganvisit 🙂

A vegan hot water crust pastry pie on a stand with a large slice cut out of it and placed on the table in front

The Video Recipe:

The Written Recipe:

Hot Water Crust Pastry sq

How To Make Vegan Hot Water Crust Pastry

How to make a quick and easy vegan hot water crust pastry that is beautifully crisp and stands tall; holding it’s shape without a soggy bottom in sight! Perfect for homemade, rustic, savoury pies.
4.91 from 11 votes
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Course: Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: British
Prep: 20 minutes
Total: 50 minutes
Serves: 8 people
Calories: 433kcal
Author: Tara

Ingredients
 
 

  • 420 g plain flour
  • 80 g strong white bread flour
  • 100 g dairy free margarine
  • 200 ml water
  • 120 g vegetable shortening (*see notes)
  • 2 tsp salt

Instructions
 

Make the pastry:

  • In a large bowl rub together the two flours and dairy free margarine until the mixture is the consistency of fine breadcrumbs.
    420 g plain flour, 80 g strong white bread flour, 100 g dairy free margarine
  • In a saucepan over a low heat, add the water, shortening and salt. Heat gently until the shortening has melted but don’t let the mixture boil.
    200 ml water, 120 g vegetable shortening, 2 tsp salt
  • Once the shortening has melted into the water, bring the mixture to the boil. Once the liquid is in a rolling boil (about 1 minute), take it off the heat and pour it over the flour mixture straight away.
  • Mix the flour and liquid together with a spoon and once it is cool enough to handle, knead it gently for two minutes to bring the mixture together fully.
  • Lightly flour a surface and roll the dough out to 1/4-1/2 cm (1/4 - 1/8") thick. You want to work relatively quickly because the dough is much easier to roll out and handle when it is still warm.
  • Select a baking tin - ideally a non-stick springform cake tin (20cm / 8") for a large pie or a large muffin tin with removable bases for small pies. As long as you are using a good non-stick tin with a removable base you should not need to line the tin with parchment paper.
  • Cut out the pastry to fit your baking tin and gently shape it to the tin, leaving a 1-2 cm (1/2-1") overhang around the edge to join the lid to later on. Hot water crust pastry is very forgiving so you can patch, press and stretch it as necessary to fit your tin.
  • Cut out a lid with a small steam hole in the middle and place it on a tray. Put the lid in the fridge along with your pie case for 30 minutes to chill and firm up.

Bake the pie:

  • Once your pastry has chilled, fill it with a cold filling and attach the lid by pinching it together with the overhang from the pie crust. You may need to leave the pastry out of the fridge for 5 minutes before it’s pliable enough to pinch together.
  • If you’re not quite ready to bake your pie then put it back in the fridge whilst you preheat the oven to 190°C fan (210°C conventional / 400°F / gas mark 6).
  • Bake your pies - for a large pie you’re looking at around 50-60 minutes and for smaller muffin-sized pies 30-40 minutes until the pies pies are golden all over and around the sides (carefully pop it out of the tin slightly to check).

Video

Notes

Vegan / Dairy Free / Egg Free
* For the optimal crisp texture, use vegetable shortening in this pastry (Trex from UK supermarkets works well), however if you can’t find it you can substitute with coconut oil.
Recipe inspired by:  England, UK
Please check the allergens on the ingredients you purchase before use. The allergen information provided in this recipe is intended as a guide only and is based on the specific ingredients and brands used at the time of creating the recipe, therefore we cannot guarantee that the same will apply to the ingredients you use.  Nutritional values are estimated.
We highly recommend you use the metric and 1x options on this recipe card for the best results. Please note that this recipe has not been tested using US measurements or increasing ingredient quantities to 2x or 3x, therefore results may vary.

Nutrition

Calories: 433kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Sodium: 674mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Net Carbohydrates: 45g
Have you tried this recipe?Tag @aveganvisit on Instagram or hashtag it #aveganvisit!
Tara

Hi, I’m Tara! I’m taking you on a trip around the world in vegan cuisine and bringing the world’s most delicious dishes to your kitchen.