Coconut Oil Pie Crust

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Flaky Vegan Coconut Oil Pie Crust in muffin tins

Coconut oil pie crust has eluded me for a while now, but after many attempts, I’m so happy to have found a method that works!

Why Coconut Oil?

It’s natural, dairy-free, vegan, gluten free, easy to find, versatile, unrefined, and unprocessed. Some even argue it’s a health food we should be eating more of.

Plus, our readers have been asking for a replacement for vegan butter in pie crust for a while now, and I knew coconut oil would be the perfect fit.

Coconut oil yields a perfectly flaky crust that’s easy to work with, versatile, and somehow doesn’t taste like coconut in the finished product! It’s borderline sorcery, I know!

Jar of coconut oil for making delicious Vegan Pie CrustScoopable, not Liquid

First things first: The consistency of the coconut oil is extremely important to ensure the success of this recipe.

You want the coconut oil to be in the state it’s typically in when you buy it at the store: Scoopable (see photo below).

If the coconut oil is too runny or liquid, the crust can be difficult to work with. I include some tips in the notes if your oil is liquid to ensure you start off on the right foot!

Spoonful of coconut oil resting on a jarDoes it Behave Differently?

No! Other than paying attention to the texture of the coconut oil, this crust behaves just like any other typical butter or margarine crust (with the exception of fancy edges on pie crust sometimes falling slightly while baking).

You’ll start by mixing the oil into your flour with a pastry cutter, then add ice cold water a little at a time until a dough forms. As with other crusts, be careful not to overmix. Last but not least, transfer to a floured surface and immediately roll it out! No need to let it rest. It’s as simple as that.

Mixing bowl of dry ingredients with chunks of coconut oil resting on topUsing a pastry cutter to mix coconut oil and dry ingredientsCan you use other flours?

Yes and no. I haven’t tested this crust with other flours yet, but am confident it will work with most other finely-milled, gluten-containing flours (such as white whole wheat flour and spelt). However, I have not yet tested it with gluten free flours, so stay tuned for updates!

If you try it yourself with an alternative flour (gluten free or not), let me know how it goes in the comments. I’d love to make this a more thorough and complete resource.

Bowl of Vegan Coconut Oil Pie Crust DoughRolling pin beside a freshly rolled out Coconut Oil Pie Crust

I hope you all love this crust! It’s undetectably dairy-free, incredibly easy to work with, and insanely flaky and delicious. Enjoy!

Small circular-shaped piece of Vegan Coconut Oil Pie CrustPie pan of Mini Vegan Pumpkin Pies made with Coconut Oil CrustBite of Pumpkin Pie sitting beside several mini pies

Coconut Oil Pie Crust

Easy, delicious pie crust made healthier with coconut oil! Extremely flaky, delicious, and versatile. Perfect for use in place of any traditional pie crust (without any coconut flavor!).
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Mini muffin tin filled with Coconut Oil Pie Crust ready to be baked
4.50 from 120 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 12 (mini pie crusts // or 1 full pie crust per 12 mini*)
Course Dessert, Pie Crust
Cuisine Vegan
Freezer Friendly 2 Weeks
Does it keep? 2 Days

Ingredients

  • 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 2/3 cup coconut oil (scoopable // not liquid)*
  • 3-6 Tbsp ice cold water

Instructions

  • See notes about coconut oil to ensure it's the right texture before starting!
  • Add flour and salt to a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine.
  • Next add coconut oil in spoonfuls (see photo) and use a pastry cutter (or fork) to cut the two together, until it resembles wet sand - about 30-45 seconds.
  • Add ice cold water 1 Tbsp at a time and use a wooden spoon to gently mix. Add only as much water as needed to help it come together and form a dough - about 3-4 Tbsp (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
  • Use your hands to gently knead/form the dough in the bowl and gather any loose scraps. Then transfer directly to a well-floured surface and form into a disc with your hands.
  • NOTE: If using the crust for 2 pies (or 1 bottom crust and 1 top crust), divide the dough in half to roll out separately (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size). Otherwise, keep it in one piece.
  • Lightly flour the top of the dough, as well as a rolling pin, and gently roll into a circle the shape of your pie pan, about 1/8-inch thick. Add more flour as needed to prevent sticking. It’s fairly forgiving, so if it cracks, just patch it up with slightly wet fingers and reform.
  • NOTE: To make mini pies in a muffin tin, roll your dough about 1/4-inch thick (see photo), adding more flour if the crust sticks. Then use a large, round cookie cutter (~3 1/4-inch in diameter) to cut out as many circles as the dough will allow - you’re aiming for 12 (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size), and you should have more than enough dough. Dust a large wooden cutting board (or other surface) with flour, and use a spatula to scoop on one circle at a time. Lightly flour top of circle, then use your rolling pin to gently roll it out slightly larger and thinner - about 1.5 times its starting size. Be careful not to get it too thin or it will be difficult to work with. Use your spatula to lift the crust, then use your hands to drape the crust into your muffin tin, allowing the edges to fold and curl over itself to accommodate its shape (see photo). Use your hands to carefully form the crust into the tins, being careful not to stretch the dough, but rather fold and push it down to meet the tin’s shape. Repeat until all tins have been filled and most of the crust is used - reserve any leftover for future pies or other baked goods.
  • If using a standard 9-inch (or similar size) pie crust, simply use the rolling pin to roll up crust and drape it over the pan. Form the edges simply (avoiding too tall of edges or fancy designs as the coconut oil doesn't hold it as well as butter) and add filling of choice (such as apple or pumpkin). Roll out remaining crust, drape over the top of pie, and seal (optional).
  • Bake pie(s) at 350 degrees F - 400 degrees F for desired length of time (will vary depending on filling - 30 minutes to 1 hour or more). If browning too quickly, tent the edges with foil to prevent burning.
  • To save uncooked dough for future use, wrap in plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator for 2 days, or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Thaw before using.

Notes

*Make sure your coconut oil is scoopable (in the state it typically is when you buy it at the store), not liquid. If it's too liquidy and pourable, this will negatively affect the crust. To fix, set jar in refrigerator to firm up for 30 minutes, then stir and let rest another 30 minutes at room temperature. The oil should be consistently solid, not partially solid and partially liquid. Repeat this process (of chilling, stirring, resting), until the right texture is achieved (see photo of spoon with oil). This is key to ensuring the crust texture is just right and dough is easy to work with. (For best and most consistent results, be sure to store your coconut oil in a cool, dark place to keep it at the right texture/consistency.)
*Recipe (as originally written) yields enough for one 9-inch pie + enough crust for topping/sealing, OR enough for 12-14 mini pies (made in muffin tins).
*Cooking time will vary depending on pie filling.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate.
*RECIPE for the Mini Pumpkin Pies!

Nutrition (1 of 12 servings)

Serving: 1 mini pie crusts Calories: 184 Carbohydrates: 15.9 g Protein: 2.2 g Fat: 12.3 g Saturated Fat: 10.1 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.29 g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.79 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 98 mg Potassium: 22 mg Fiber: 0.6 g Sugar: 0 g Vitamin A: 0.42 IU Vitamin C: 0 mg Calcium: 3.47 mg Iron: 0.97 mg

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  1. Kathy says

    I am on a KETO diet and I made this crust substituting Almond flour for the wheat flour and it turned out great. Used it on a quiche and the flavor was nice and the crust was flaky. Also, I use 1/2 vodka and 1/2 water. The vodka will dissipate when it’s heated so no worries for people avoiding alcohol. Nice recipe, thank you.

  2. Diane says

    I found this while searching for using coconut oil in a pie crust. I realized after the fact that I don’t have enough vegan butter so I’ll be using part vegan butter & part coconut oil. AND since this is an AIP recipe I’ll be using cassava flour with a little tapioca flour & arrowroot starch.
    Wish me luck, I’ll let you know how it turns out! 😬🫣

      • Diane says

        The flavor was delicious, very buttery! The crust came out very short though, it probably needed more liquid, so the top crust was quite a challenge. I ended up using a series of rings & smaller circles joined together, which gave it a unique look. Thanks for the assist!

  3. Diana says

    This pie crust is great… when it works. I have baked professionally for many years. But I was thrown for a loop, thinking this recipe would be simple and straightforward. This recipe is very temperamental. If it is not done to a T, it will fail tremendously. It is nearly winter here and I was having trouble fully mixing the coconut oil in. (Having experienced this, my suggestion for those in colder seasons/climates is to mix the dough by hand. Not a pastry cutter. So the oil can soften a bit and mix in better. Or use a microwave to warm it up. Your call.) The next hiccup came when I was adding water to the dough. It needed twice the amount of water the recipe calls for. Following the recipe, I end up with dry, crumbly dough that is in no way rollable or possible for lining a pie tin. I did not use GF flour. I don’t understand how it worked for the creator of this recipe, but something as simple as a pie recipe should be relatively consistent and easily adapted for anyone who reads it. This is a major inconsistency in my book. I have a few tried-and-true pie recipes that work for whatever ingredient amount is listed, regardless of brand. I had this recipe work once and it was delicious and flaky. The other times, not so much. The dough became patchy during baking due to coconut oil blobs not being fully mixed in (after having used a pastry cutter for 10mins) and because of that the filling oozed out and soaked the bottom of the pie, giving me not just a soggy bottom, but also a RAW one. Upsetting when I am trying to juggle several things during the holidays and the simplest pumpkin and pecan pies I whip up are inedible… certainly not pies I would bring to a celebration. Now I am nearly out of time and need to remake pies with store-bought crust. The recipe does work at times. But don’t put too much stock and faith into it. Make sure you have a plan B. Or have made this recipe many, many times and know exactly what you are doing. Definitely not a foolproof recipe.

  4. Ivy says

    I’ve been using this recipe for years and it was one of my first crust recipes I ever tried. It’s so good for every type of pie. It’s even good with the vegan quiche I make! It is the absolute best with pineapple pie though. The coconut oil goes so well with the pineapple! Especially with some coconut whipped cream! Even after all these years I still never remember the recipe so I just google “coconut oil crust minimalist” and it pops right up! Thank you so much for introducing me to this recipe, which led to my love of making pies and baking in general!

  5. Katia says

    Followed the metric ingredients list and it turned out too salty, not even savoury but tastes like too much salt (0.5 teaspoon added). There may be a mistake in the recalculations.

  6. Claire says

    I would love to use this for a quiche. All the commenters appear to have used it for desserts. Do you think I could use it for a savoury dish? I’m also wondering if you’d have any idea about how it would go freezing the whole quiche and reheating in the oven?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Claire, we think it would work if using refined coconut oil so that it doesn’t have a coconut taste. The flavor of coconut goes better with sweet vs. savory dishes. Hmm, we’re not sure about freezing and reheating the quiche. The crust might get a little too browned when reheating.

  7. Beth says

    This was the flakiest pie crust I’ve ever made! I used refined coconut oil so the flavor of the crust would not compete with the flavor of my pie filling. I also added a bit more water and rolled it out between sheets of plastic wrap.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      You don’t have to, but if it starts to get warm, you could set it in the refrigerator for a short amount of time. Not too long or the coconut oil will get too firm to roll out!

  8. Rain says

    I’m going to be trying this recipe this weekend for our Canadian Thanksgiving. When I make non-vegan pie crusts, I always blind bake them for about 15 minutes because I find the bottom gets soggy. What do you think about blind baking your recipe? Thanks!

  9. Glen says

    Hello again,
    I left a comment a day or so ago.
    I think it would be best NOT to post it!
    I rolled them too thick!
    I believe that’s why they took so lo-o-o-ong to bake!!
    Good warm but too much pastry when cold.
    Would not want anyone else to follow my lead and have a disaster.

    As far as the 1/2 spelt and 1/2 whole wheat, it was a little “crunchy” when cold. The bran no doubt in the whole wheat. I liked it but that’s me.

    I stand by my appreciation for the basic recipe.
    And look forward to trying more of your ideas.
    Glen

  10. Pam Larson says

    I made this pie crust for apple pie turnovers. So delicious! The crust to me has a very slight coconut taste which I love. Maybe it was the coconut oil i used. Its very flaky and better than any crust I have made with butter. I am not the greatest baker, but this is a game changer. Thank you so much for this recipe!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      YUM! Now we’re craving apple pie turnovers :) Thank you for the lovely review, Pam! xo

  11. Christine says

    I used Einkorn flour and blind baked the crusts at 350 for 12 minutes. I used them for chocolate pudding pie and they turned out really well! So much better than bought gluten free crusts that I sometimes buy.

  12. Sunny says

    This is a fantastic recipe! I used a mix of KA measure-for-measure GF flour blend and whole wheat flour (weird combo, I know!) and it turned out perfectly. I made little tart cups in muffin tins and I got 19. Next time I’ll measure better and make 20 because a couple of them were a bit thick. I completely baked them first, then filled with quiche filling. They are so flaky and the perfect crispiness. Thank you for all your detailed, delicious recipes 😋

  13. Cathryn Creswell says

    I followed the recipe to a tee. I have been making pies for years using crisco. This time I tried coconut oil. (The solid kind) it turned way too brown on the bottom, + difficult to remove from my glass pie pan. I will try butter next time,not coconut oil.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re sorry it didn’t work out for you, Cathryn! If you’re up for giving it another try, we’d suggest reducing the temperature, bake time, and/or making sure to put it on the center rack vs. bottom rack.

  14. Pam Frierson says

    I had to use twice the water to get it to stay together, but then it rolled out beautifully. Very tasty as a cherry cobbler crust.

    Any special instructions for blind baking this?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Ariel, unfortunately coconut flour is very absorbent, dense, and would not create a traditional “pie crust” texture like all-purpose flour. You could possibly try this recipe with a gluten-free blend if you want it to be gluten-free, but we haven’t tried that with coconut oil. Hope this helps!

  15. Juliet says

    It works! I made a nice crisp pastry, no salt and filled my patties and tarts with mince meat and jam, some of each. I had a bit left over and made a covered tart, brushed it with yoghurt and commercial breadcrumbs – not the yellow ones and it came out extra crispy.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Yay! Thanks so much for the wonderful review and for sharing your modifications, Juliet!

  16. Marie says

    Oh goodness gracious- this crust is fantastic!!
    I usually buy a vegan pre- made crust and disappointed. Crust can be such a hassle sometimes- I try to avoid it or do a cookie crust. However, I wanted to make a coconut cream pie for a small gathering. I’m usually never disappointed with a recipe from minimalist baker and reviews were good, so why not. I like that it’s not a stick of butter and also some shortening. I made the recipe as is, it was a little messy to roll out, but not too bad. I could definitely eat the whole pie! I will always be making my own crust from now on!!!! Thanks for another great recipe!!!

  17. Abbey C. says

    As a proud country girl baker for over 50 years, 20 of which have been wheat-free due to a food allergy, here are the best tips I can pass along for a successful pie crust:
    1) Before you start baking, put your oil in the refrigerator for at least half an hour. Whether you’re using coconut oil, butter, margarine, or shortening, you want it cold. The little clumps of flour and oil and air pockets from the cold ingredients is what gives you the nice flaky crust. Warm ingredients just give you a globby mess that can bake up tough.
    2) Sift your flour into the measuring cup to get your two cups. For wheat-free flour, my favorite is Bob’s Red Mill 1 for 1 GF flour.
    3) You can mix in a food processor on pulse. First flour with oil. Then ice water a tablespoon at a time until the consistency you want.
    4) If your wheat-free/ gluten-free flour doesn’t want to stay together (a pain we deal with for losing the gluten) simply roll and place into the pie pan in pieces, but handle it as little as possible to keep your hands from warming up the dough.

  18. Florian says

    I love this recipe, and have used it many times. Most recently, I made mini currant pies. The simple ingredients and quick prep are ingenious, however sometimes the ratios are a bit off, making the dough fall apart while you’re rolling it out. If you’re having trouble with this, I recommend:
    1. throwing a few pinches of flour under and on top of the dough
    2. pouring some more water on top of the dough
    3. rubbing it in and balling up the dough
    4. rolling it back out
    Hope this helps!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the helpful tips, Florian! We’re so glad you enjoy it and have been able to troubleshoot when it’s giving you trouble!

  19. Barry says

    Hi. I am making a lentil pie with your crust. Do you recommend to parbake the bottom before filling it?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Barry! We haven’t tried making a lentil pie with this crust, but we think it should be fine without parbaking! Let us know how it goes! xo

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hi Chris, there’s no proofing needed with this recipe. Perhaps you meant to comment on a different one?

  20. Kelsey says

    The first time I made this recipe a few weeks ago, I think I followed the recipe as exactly as I could, however the crust came out super super hard! SO hard that when I tried to bite into my pie with a fork, I cracked the plastic container I was eating out of. However, a few days ago I tried the recipe again and the crust came out SOO nice and flaky! It broke apart really easily (which I think is good), and paired so well with my vegan chocolate mousse tart :). I’m not entirely sure how come the second time it worked out better, but I would say, even if it doesn’t turn out the first time, keep practicing :D- this recipe is a real gem!

  21. Jenn says

    Thank you so much for this recipe! My mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and now needs to avoid all soy. She is also dairy free and the shortening I would normally use to make pie crust has soybean oil in it and I had no idea what else to use!

    This crust came together so well.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad it turned out well. Thank you for sharing, Jenn! Wishing all the best to you and your mom! xo

  22. Erin says

    Hi! My family and I are doing Veganuary, so I am on your website daily for ideas. I made this pie crust in my KitchenAid mixer, like I do my normal butter pie crusts. I needed 8 Tbs of water instead of 6, but it came out perfectly. Thank you!

  23. Kristy says

    I tried this with Trader Joe’s Gluten Free flour and the pie looked perfect, but the crust was hard as a rock! It was so hard that we could pick the pie up out of the dish and transport it to a cutting board, and couldn’t even cut it with a sharp knife. I’m guessing gluten is needed with this recipe?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Kristy, gluten-free flours do make this more tricky. We’d suggest scanning the comments to see what others have tried (it seems to be hit or miss with GF blends in this recipe). If you press “ctrl+f” on a PC or “command+f” on a mac, a find bar should pop up that allows you to search for specific words (such as gluten) in the post and comments.

    • Michele says

      No problem using gf flour, although I’ve never tried TJs—may be that blend. I use Better Natter. But may be you didn’t hydrate enough or overbaked—recipe amounts just a guide!

  24. Nina says

    I really wasn’t expecting this to work, but I took you seriously about the fluffiness. I’m in Florida, if the coconut oil is out it is liquid, if it’s in the fridge it’s rock solid. I got silicone butter molds and poured the liquid in there and refrigerate. I measured out the amount and kept checking it until I could stir it to fluffy. Dumped in the flour, salt, and blended it with a pastry cutter. Put in a total of 5 tbsp. of ice water. Rolled it out on parchment paper and put it in the pie pan and into the fridge. I could tell the coconut oil was getting too warm. Made my pie and OMG a flakey crust! Thanks

  25. Wendy says

    you say they can freeze for up to 2 weeks. Have you tried longer? I would really like to get my crust for Thanksgiving done now

  26. Danielle B says

    I used gluten free flour (Anita’s Organic Mill Gluten-free flour). The interesting thing was that I didn’t really need the ice water… as a dough has already kind of formed with just coconut oil. The coconut oil wasn’t melted but maybe still too soft? So I added more flour and then some ice water but still didn’t need much. The result was fairly crumbly. I halved the recipe and used some to try to make muffin-sized pies. It was hard to get them out of the tin without crumbling. I put half in the fridge but it was too dry when I tried to use it today and just broke a part. Will be trying again – open to any suggestions! I am dairy, egg, and gluten free. I might try vegan butter next time.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Danielle! I’ve never used that brand of GF flour. Have you had any trouble with it before?

      • Mary says

        I made it gf with 1 cup almond meal and 1 cup Better Batter. I had to add extra water (3T). It rolled out pretty easily between 2 pieces of parchment paper, browned ok and tasted great! I’m trying not to eat grains so next time I will increase the almond meal.

        Dana, thank you for your amazing recipes!! You are my go to place for gf, no dairy and no egg recipes!! Also, I’m so happy you have been working on no refined sugar recipes!

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Aw, we’re so glad you enjoy our recipes, Mary! Thanks so much for your kind words and lovely review! xo

  27. Adi says

    I made it with whole spelt flour, turned out great! Had to add 30% more water. Made a vegan mushroom, onion and coconut cream pie

  28. Amy says

    THANK YOU! For years I’ve bought store ready made crust cause I was too intimidated to try to make my own. This recipe turned out beautifully and I’ll probably never by store bought crust again. Thank you for the tips. Very helpful. This dough does stretch back quite a bit when pre baking. I made it for your vegan pot pie recipe.

  29. Suekay says

    Yesterday I made four 9″ crusts for two chicken pot pies. It was my first time making a chicken pot pie and making pie crusts. They turned out great–almost perfect. The pies looked and tasted great. The top crust perfect–surprisingly flaky and really tasty. I say “almost” because the bottom crust was not fully cooked though I baked it first for about 8 mins. As it was my first, I though it would be cooked during another 30 mins of baking the whole pie. I guess I should have made the pie crust thinner. I read others say how theirs fell apart and was afraid. Good thing that I could perfectly roll it around the rolling pin and move it over to the pie pan. By the way, I used 11 tablespoons of ice water for two crusts. It worked great. I think maybe I will have just a top crust for the chicken pot pie next time.
    My questions are
    -Does a coconut oil crust behave the same even in a full size? Can I make it thin?
    -What would you recommend about pre-baking the bottom crust, like time and temperature?
    Thank you very much for sharing this terrific recipe.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Glad you enjoyed it! I find the larger the pan the more difficult it gets (more prone to shrinkage while baking and difficulty in working with pre-baking). As for pre-baking the bottom crust I’d say 350-375 for 10-15 minutes?

      • Suekay says

        Thank you so much, Dana, for your tips and giving me a quick answer! Yes, I saw that the bottom crust shrunk quite a bit.
        I guess it would be hard to make this crust thin when it is large? Or is it just up to your skill?

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

          It all depends on the type and consistency of coconut oil and the quality of flour you’re using. As well as the type and size of your pan. This crust is admittedly more finicky to work with on some ways than a traditional butter crust. If you try any experimenting, let us know how it goes!

          • Suekay says

            Actually I had some dough left from the other day when I made four pie crusts and had frozen it. I took it out from the freezer and waited it to defrosted on the countertop in an early summer weather. It was taking forever. I had to defrost it in a microwave. Soon I had a semi-soft crust dough and slightly kneaded it before rolling it. Just before, I had prepared a pie pan full of chicken pot pie filling without a bottom crust. I successfully covered it with the crust and baked it for about 35 mins at 375 degrees F. There also was some pie filling left and I put it in a small pyrex ball and made a small/ragged crust from whatever left from the dough, which barely covered the top.This time, the crusts were rolled thinner than the last ones and everything went perfect. I really love this recipe.
            Of course I had to put a large baking sheet under these. There was a some boil-over partly because the crusts were not big enough and did not stuck to rim well without a bottom crust.

      • Hilary says

        I made this yesterday for little bacon and egg pies and it came out perfect!! I was a bit worried as there were a few little lumps of coconut oil but they disappeared once cooked. I did have some issues with some sticking to the tins but maybe I just didn’t oil enough. Thanks for the recipe!

    • Glen says

      This is an excellent recipe. Clear directions. Thank you for posting it.
      I read through ALL of the comments before I started as I’ve never had much success with pastry. So I used a compilation of ingredients and method. It was a success!
      I made a 1/2 batch with half whole wheat flour and half spelt flour. Reduced the salt and used frig cold soda water with a little vodka as the liquid.
      I needed small prebaked shells and only have 4″ glass tart plates. A half batch made 3 of these. Baked at 345 degrees since one reviewer mentioned the smoke point of coconut oil being 350 degrees. Sorry – not sure how long it took but I kept checking at intervals – maybe 45 minutes?
      I prevented the sides from collapsing and shrinking too much by using inserted circles of parchment paper into the tart plates and using the overhanging paper to support the sides during most of the baking.
      The parchment circles were useful in rolling out the dough too as I did not have to move the dough off the paper when rolled out. Just inserted discs into the pieplates!
      Last tip: I toasted pecan pieces as blind baking weights during part of the baking and used them between the baked pastry and filling to prevent soggy bottom when filled with warm saskatoon and cranberry filling. Very good with a ramekin of Greek yogurt as topping! I liked the crust retaining it’s shape well for storage; that it was “short” and not overly sweet.
      Thanks again for posting it.

  30. Hashina says

    I made this with a savoury vegetable curry pie filling and it came out perfect. I first baked the mini pie crusts for 20 minutes and then added the filling and baked for another 10-15 minutes.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Jaz, we haven’t tried those substitutions, so we’re not certain. But we think whole wheat would work!

  31. Debbie says

    I just finished taking an apple pie out of the oven that I made using this coconut oil recipe and it turned out very well. I used the convection bake option hoping that it would help the crust brown and be flakey. One change I made was to use almond milk instead of water. Both my mother in law and my grandmother used to use dairy milk to make their excellent pie crust so I thought I’d use almond milk and see how it turned out. I’ll have try another pie to see what water is like for comparison – maybe one of those lovely blueberry pastry “packages” I watched in the little video that shows recipes being made, lol! Anyway, the pastry rolled out well, transferred to the baking dish well, didn’t collapse although there was room for it to do and was acceptably flakey. Yay! Vegan pie crust! Thank you so much! :-)

  32. Mary says

    This didn’t work for me, unfortunately. It was a crumbly mess. Fell apart as soon as I took a rolling pin to the dough. I put it back together and chilled for 30 minutes, and it still fell apart. I was about to just throw it out from frustration, but flour is scarce these days and food is expensive. I ended up adding way more water to make it gooey and just pressed it into the pie dish. Will see how it turns out.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Mary, if it’s crumbly, that typically means it needs more water. Hope it turned out well!

      • Jeanny says

        This didn’t turn out for me.. found it too sticky, so I added more flour, then chilled and it was really stiff and had solid parts. Once I started kneading it, it went sticky again so could not work with it. I ended up putting in oven in case it worked but it was just crumbly.. I have no idea why it didn’t work, the coconut oil seems the right consistency needed.. obviously not though…
        😢

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Jeanny, sorry to hear it didn’t turn out! It sounds like the coconut oil and flour mixture needed to be more of a crumb/sandy texture before adding the water. Hope that helps for next time!

    • Riele says

      I added a little more water when it was flakey. And I use parchment paper to roll out the dough so I don’t have to flour the pin or the counter. It you have silicone mats that should work too

  33. Kathy says

    Disaster…Followed the recipe (except for 1/2 c w.w. pastry flour, 3/4 c unbleached all-purpose). It seemed like 2/3 c coconut oil wasn’t enough. The whole thing just fell apart when trying to roll (ended up with 6 TBS ice cold water). I put the whole crumbling mess in 2 pie plates and patched it up as best as I could. I will be making a pecan pie later today, I wonder how it will hold together. Regardless, I wasn’t about to waste the ingredients (flour in short supply during pandemic!)

  34. Donna says

    Thanks so much for this excellent pie crust recipe! Have always used Crisco vegetable shortening only to find out its still comprised of hydrogenated oil so turned to coconut oil and went hunting for a recipe to replace my no fail dough and this one was perfect. Used the 6 TBSP water (noted someone said they used only 4 and had problems) and it rolled out easily with a floured pin. Coconut oil is so much better for a pie crust as unlike the Crisco which was absorbed into the apple filling causing it to become mushy, the coconut oil actually caused the apples to puff up and added great flavour to the pie. Wish I had tried it before and have now incorporated it into all my baking. Perfect recipe and wouldn’t change a thing.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Donna! Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo

  35. Alyssa says

    I tried this recipe for the first time today, and hooboy was it a drastic experiment! I’ve been making pies since I was a child and it was an utter disaster….I rolled it out between two sheets of floured wax paper as I normally do and it just fell apart at the edges and all but shattered when I laid it in the pie plate. I have a feeling I need to give it another try with more ice water (I did use 4 TBSP, having always been wary of using too much water with shortening crusts). I’m curious how much of the results depended upon the altitude here in Utah and/or the humidity levels today (about 40% humidity)? I’m currently dairy-free for baby, but always interested in discovering cooking methods that require less processed ingredients. I haven’t tasted the pie yet, but it does appear delectable. Just super beat up.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Alyssa, sorry to hear it didn’t turn out quite as expected! We aren’t familiar with baking at altitude, but it’s possible that was a factor.

    • Zaina Ammouna says

      I tried this pie crust with an apple filling. It was insanely good.
      Threw in 5 cups of sliced apples with a drizzle of lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, coconut sugar, and some all purpose flour.

      Thank you so much! Amazing as usual!

  36. Willow Baker says

    I love this recipe. It was super easy to put together and didn’t use any of the very little butter I have left! We made little apple pies (with top crust) and they taste so yummy. I mean this in the best best way. It reminds me of how McDonald’s apple pies used to taste. It’s sandy and flakey and a touch salty. Ahhh-mazing.
    I did use whole wheat pastry flour instead of AP and I mixed vodka in with my water (about half and half) before I scooped out what I needed. I would do the exact same thing again. So good.

  37. Caroline Dweck says

    I have made enough pie doughs in my life to say this is the best pie crust recipe out there. Tasters couldn’t believe the flakiness and delicious buttery taste- and not a dot of sugar. Perfection!! Thank you :)

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the lovely review, Caroline. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo

  38. Puja says

    I love how flaky the crust is! I have used buckwheat, all-purpose and combination of Indian flours. I have used the dough for a variety of recipes… including empanadas most recently. Yummy yum!
    I no longer put the dough in the fridge — haven’t tried the freezer — because it takes HOURS to become pliable again. I seal and put the prepared dough in the coolest part of one of my kitchen cabinets (temp around mid-50s in winter). Stays fine but I haven’t left it in there for more than 36 hours.

  39. Kristy Olney says

    So I made this and subbed the flour for Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free flour. I do NOT suggest this for someone who is unfamiliar with working with GF dough, because it WILL throw you off lol.
    GF dough does not come together like regular dough. It is impossible to roll it onto your roller and put it in the pan.
    I first attempted to make the mini pies, but when I would cut the dough and attempt to add it to the muffin tin it would break and I didn’t have time to mess with each (24 minis) one with the schedule I was on. I ended up making a 9″ pie.
    I have saved my entire recipe to my Recipe Keeper app. I made a GF, dairy free, AND sugar free pumpkin pie tonight for the dessert contest at my job’s company Christmas party and I didn’t tell anyone it with GF, DF, or SF and it WON. :D Thank you so much for this pie crust recipe. It will now be my go-to for pies.

  40. Zay says

    I swear I’ve made this before without a problem but this time around … well, let’s just say I tested my sister’s fire alarms at her new condo, I’m sure the neighbors loved that.

    Three things to learn:
    1. I typically keep my GF flour in the freezer (we use enough of it now I probably have no reason to do this anymore, but old habits for keeping rarely-used flours fresh die hard). Do not use frozen GF flour with this – it freezes the coconut oil and prevents adequate mixing in the first step. I had large chunks of coconut oil that just melted in the oven and dripped everywhere.
    2. Do not overtop the pie plate with this crust. It will drip everywhere. Put a pan underneath it, just in case.
    3. Coconut oil has a smoke point of 350*F. Set the oven at 345*F max.

    And finally, if you drip coconut oil all over your sister’s oven – be a champ and clean the oven thoroughly or she’ll never be able to use it again without setting off the smoke detectors.

    This is all at sea level.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Zay, so sorry you had trouble! We’ll see about modifying this recipe to specify which flours to use / not to use. We definitely have had the best success with all purpose flour.

  41. Rachel says

    I tried it with gluten free flour and although I could roll it out it wouldn’t hold together and I ended up patting it by hand into the pie shell. I used cherry pie filling. It browned up very nicely and was very crumbly when cut so it didn’t look at pretty as it might have but it tasted great! Everyone loved it. Next time I’ll try with regular flour.

  42. Kat says

    This will be my first time making crust butter-free. I’ll be making vegan pecan pie. I am so used to pre-cooking crust before you add the filling. Will it be soggy/not cooked through if I don’t pre-cook the crust for 20 minutes with weights?

    Or just follow the recipe as is and don’t precook? Thanks so much and with great appreciation from this new vegan.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Kat, we would say don’t precook as it might cause the crust to burn. But we haven’t tried this recipe with pecan pie and can’t say for sure. Let us know how it goes!

      • Kat says

        I made this with pecan pie and it turned out great! I had to use about 9 TBSP of ice cold water total to have it come together, but I followed your trick of measuring the coconut oil then putting in the fridge before I used it, and that definitely helped. I pre-baked it without the filling for about 5 minutes and no burning… definitely not the 20 minutes pre-bake I used to do with butter crust!

        I also had some non-vegans eat this and they said the crust tasted like it was cooked with butter. :) No coconut oil flavor at all.

        Delicious! Thanks again.

    • Margaret says

      I followed your recipe. I cook alot and I bake less often but I’m not a beginner. This was a disaster. Dough, if you could call it that, never came together. Who will reimburse me for the ingredients I now have to throw away? I fantasize about the day when people who post recipes have a money back guarantee. Then you don’t have to have “disposable” income to try a recipe. If you don’t like the taste, that’s one thing. Not working is another.

      Disappointed.

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hi Margaret, sorry you had trouble here. Did you modify any of the ingredients or methods? Gluten-free flour makes this one tricky (all purpose works best). We did find that this recipe works best in muffin tins as it can contract a bit more in large baking dishes.

    • Kathryn Dumaresq says

      Hi
      I was wondering if you have used this recipe for a vegie or chicken based pie at all? I am trying to make some foods for a friends birthday and her mum is gluten free and dairy free. I know gluten free can be tricky but was wondering taste wise if i was savoury pie

  43. Megan Devine says

    hello! can’t wait to try this! I am planning a black bottom pecan pie for thanksgiving -i have made this many times before and i always par-bake the crust (butter crust) so my bottom isn’t soggy. I have a feeling that this crust wouldn’t hold up with the coconut oil? thoughts?

  44. Mary says

    Love this crust! I can’t believe how easy it is to make something so delicious and flaky. I’ve made it twice now, once for sweet mini tarts and once for Minimalist Baker’s Simple Tofu Quiche (instead of the potato crust, which I’d still like to try someday), and both times, the crust worked beautifully. I like this recipe so much, I printed it out and stuck it in my copy of the Minimalist Baker cookbook. :-)

  45. Jason Nave says

    Must have been me because it was an ultimate disaster; I hate wasting quality ingredients and had to trash this batch. So, I don’t think I will be trying this again. It sure seemed simply. But then again I can’t tie my shoes without peeking.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Jason, sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you. Would you mind sharing what went wrong? We would love to help troubleshoot, if possible!

  46. NB says

    Really, really excellent crust. amazing flake and really tasty – sometimes I find coconut oil makes things taste a bit empty or greasy, but not here. I added a pinch of arrowroot powder to the flour/salt (egg stand-in), and a splash of lemon juice to the ice water, like I do with butter crust. I didn’t use a significant amount of either because I didn’t want to mess with the recipe too much, but old habits die hard. :) Not sure if it made any difference, but the end product was great.

    One issue: when I first made the dough it was the perfect balance of soft and firm, then I put it in the fridge overnight – don’t recommend. The dough took forever to get soft again and kept falling apart when I tried to roll it out. I added a bit of water to the really bad spots and it worked out fine in the end, but if I’d made the dough the day of, rolling would’ve been much easier.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing! It sounds like it dried out too much in the fridge overnight. If you aren’t able to roll the day of, freezing might work better? Otherwise, just make sure it is really well covered before adding to the fridge.

  47. Hannah Griffin says

    I wanted this to work so badly and I followed the recipe to a T but the dough was hard to work with. I could not get it rolled out and it stuck to the floured counter so much I finally just put it in the pie pan by hand piece by piece. I live in a humid, hot climate so maybe thats why.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hmm, that could be why. Perhaps you could try chilling the coconut oil a bit more before using next time? Coconut oil can be quite finicky in our experience unfortunately.

    • Ashlee says

      I love that this only has a few ingredients! I’m going to try this with a GF all-purpose flour :) Do you think this would work well with a meat pie as well as the dessert pies? I’ll be making a chicken and veg pie. Australians love savoury pies!

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

        I think so! Let us know how it goes, Ashlee! I have found that it behaves better in either ramekins or muffin tins vs a large pie pan, FYI.

  48. Steliyana says

    I used whole wheat pastry flour and turned out amazing! Didn’t really measured the water. I kept adding it until I had nice elastic dough that was very easy to put on big pie dish without tearing.

  49. Amy says

    I have recently gone vegan and I am trying to bring my 5 and 9 year old boys along with me. I have had some serious fails with vegan recipes I have tried for them – not tasting as good as the “original”. I am happy to report this crust turned out perfectly! I used the Target store brand of organic coconut oil and Bob’s Red Mill all purpose flour. I made berry hand pies with the main crust and then did simple cinnamon and sugar pinwheels with the pie crust scraps. My kids loved both. Yeah/phew.

  50. NC says

    This recipe saved my life (or the kiddo’s happiness, anyway)! The summer camp was making mini-pies using pillsbury. We’re vegan, so they checked the ingredients for me: no milk, they assured me.
    Not having had a good track record with Pillsbury, I double-check their package. Lard.
    Whipped this up, rolled it out on parchment paper and got it back to camp in time for the kiddo to cookie-cut and bake with everyone else. Thank you!

  51. Mingku says

    I made this with buckwheat flour & coconut oil for the first time using a brand new pie maker. It worked! I will do it even better next time. But I was very happy with the result.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the lovely review, Mingku. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo

  52. Phil Haggardy says

    I don’t know if it is just because I made this recipe at a higher elevation but it absolutely did not work… I tried it a few different times, in a few different muffin/pie/baking tins… the dough just sort of collapsed into a big doughy disk… The top layer seemed flaky enough… but not usable…

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Phil – I’m sorry you had trouble here! When looking through the comments some other readers did mention having issues as a result of elevation. That may be the issue. Otherwise, did you modify the recipe at all? Did you get the coconut oil consistency right before cutting into the flour?

      • Phil Haggardy says

        I didn’t modify the recipe at all… And The coconut oil seemed exactly as described… It just seemed all collapsed… I tried baking it longer after the first 2 attempts…The top most layer seemed flaky enough, and tasted fine…. The more I think about it the more I think it’s an elevation issue… but without traveling far and repeating it is hard to be certain… If I do, will update…

  53. Megan says

    I made this as the crust for a vegan pot pie I was making so I added some thyme and rosemary to dough. I was really impressed with how this came out. I have never used coconut oil before for a pie crust. It cooked really well and came out nice and flaky. I will be using this recipe again for sure. Thanks Dana!!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for sharing your lovely additions as well!

  54. Deedee Mann says

    Has anyone tried this recipe at high elevation? I recently moved to Mexico City (7,000ft) and I’m slowly learning to adjust all of my baking recipes. It typically requires increasing the temperature and liquid and decreasing the baking powder. I’d be grateful for any recommendations!

    • Phil Haggardy says

      Just tried it in Denver… It failed… As is this recipe the dough collapsed at this elevation… The taste was OK but didn’t hold a shape really turned into a disk

  55. Victoria Clutterbuck says

    Hello, I love this recipe! I’ve been using it for years. I do have one question though why is the shelf life in the refrigerator for extra dough only two days if Coke at all does not really expire? I ask because I have a Joe that’s been in the fridge for two weeks and it smells fine and would like to use it. Thanks and advance…And thank you for this excellent recipe!

  56. HealthyBakes says

    I’ve attempted to make this crust 3 times. The first time was for an apple pie and it turned out amazing. Flakey and crispy. The second attempt was for a vegan pumpkin pie and I made the dough according to the recipe so I can save half the dough for a second pumpkin pie I planned on making a couple days later. This time, the dough would not hold up well at all and I added so much water to make it stick together but it kept cracking and the cracks wouldn’t mold back together. My oil was stored in the kitchen pantry. After baking the first pumpkin pie the crust shrunk a lot in my dish and was very thick and stiff. The other half of the dough I left in the fridge for the next pie was a rock and I had to throw it out because I definitely couldn’t roll it out. I made a new batch of dough for my second pumpkin pie and I kept the coconut oil jar in my basement which was a bit cooler than my basement. It needed a lot more water again but turned out flakey and crispy.

    My recommendation is to ensure your oil is very cool, use ice cold water, and make your dough fresh when you’re going to bake it same day.

  57. Michaela Ellison says

    Bloomin supermarkets with all butter pastries. They don’t even do rubbish pies.
    Should have known to visit this page.
    Made for mince pies, absolutely delicious, perfect!!
    Short!

  58. Sarah says

    Love it! I used this recipe for Cbristmas Eve dinner — and it was my first time making a pie crust! I was scared for a second because it needed a lot more water than the recipe indicates but I persevered and just kept adding water. The crust was tasty and flaky! Thank you!

  59. Caitlin says

    I made four batches of this pastry for savoury curry pasties. Turned out flaky and delicious! Very easy too. I used half spelt flour for one of the batches and that was also yummy although required less water.

  60. Angelene says

    I made this with plain flour and chick pea flour because I ran out of plain flour and it turned out well. Thank you for the recipe :)

  61. Mary says

    I made this crust using ap flour and made a vegan French apple tart. While I am not vegan, my son recently became vegan so I am learning with him how to prepare vegan meals. I wanted to prepare a healthy dessert for him and thought this pie crust will be perfect for my tart and it was! This is definitely staying in my saved recipes for future reference!!

  62. Fran says

    My neighbor gave me some golden delicious apples and noticed this recipe on your site. Love the idea of coconut oil. The crust was easy to put together and roll out but I was not too keen on the final product. Although it looked good, I found the crust doughy in the centre under the apples. The rest of the crust was baked but not golden. I used a glass pie plate. If that part had cooked it would have been better.

  63. Debbie says

    Hey Dana!
    Do you think it would be OK to substitute a third of the flour with almond flour/almond meal? I just want a nutty SC pastry to make a quince and pear tart and your recipe sounds amazingly easy and yummy!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hmm we haven’t tried doing that, but another reader above had success in using almond flour! If you experiment with it, report back on how it goes. Good luck, Debbie!

  64. Brieanna A Soo says

    I made this recipe yet I used gluten free flour instead of all-purpose. To make up the GF flour I used
    1 1/4 cups GF flour blend (from the Minimalist Baker cookbook, plus I already added the optional xantham gum to my blend). I think my GF blend has a bit more texture than most since I made all the flours from scratch in my blendtec (ex. for rice flour I just ground up rice). I also used 1/4 cup homemade oat flour, 1/2 cup homemade almond meal, an extra pinch of xantham gum, and 1 flax egg. I only needed a couple tablespoons of ice cold water since my flax egg had some water in it.

    I chilled my dough for 15 minutes before rolling, and I used extra GF flour blend to roll out the dough. I had to be very gentle and re-flour my rolling pin a lot to prevent sticking. I wasn’t sure if the dough would stick to the muffin pan or not, so I coconut oiled the pan and dusted with GF flour blend first. I made fresh cherry filling, so I baked them at 350 degrees for 38 minutes total in my oven.

    I thought for sure they would fall apart since the dough kept crumbling, yet they actually held together! The crust had a nice flavour and it was a bit crunchy (I think that was due to the slightly coarser rice flour in the GF blend). I would call this a “rustic tasting crust” since there are so many different flours in the dough, it ends up looking a bit speckly and golden brown vs. buttery coloured pastry.

    I would love to know how to make the crust less crunchy and more like a “flaky pie crust” while still keeping it GF and vegan. Any suggestions would be appreciated! :)

  65. Tracy says

    I just made this for the second time because my gluten free, dairy free teenage daughter loves it and requested it for her “birthday pie.” No issues with rolling or consistency. Turned out great both times. Thank you!

  66. Selam says

    I made this with Bob’s Red Mill Whole Wheat Pastry Organic Flour and in order to get the right texture of the dough I had to add more ice water.