This vegan puff pastry is oh so flaky and much easier to make than you might think. Sometimes referred to as a rough puff pastry, this method utilizes shredded frozen butter to speed up the process.
A traditional puff pastry takes FOREVER to make and requires at least an hour of refrigeration between steps. Personally I just don't have that kind of patience so this method works perfectly for me.
This recipe makes about one pound of pastry dough which is equivalent to the frozen puff pastry you can buy.
The key to remember is that you want to work quickly and keep everything as cold as possible. If you have warm hands you can run them under cold water for a bit ahead of time.
Table of Contents
Ingredient Notes
- vegan butter - I used Earth Balance, but any stick butter should work. You want to avoid using the butter that comes in tubs for baking if possible because it has a higher water content.
- all-purpose flour
- ice cold water
Step By Step Instructions
Start by grating ½ cup of the butter and placing it in the freezer for 30 minutes. You won't want to take it out until you are just about to use it.
Cut the remaining ⅔ cup of butter into cubes.
If using a food processor add flour and butter cubes and pulse several times until you get a rough pebble-like texture.
Then add in the ice cold water and pulse a few more times. At this point, you should be able to get the mixture to come together if you squeeze it.
If not using a food processor add flour and butter to a bowl and quickly use your hands to break apart the butter cubes and mix into the flour. Then add the ice cold water and mix with your hands until it starts to come together.
Turn the dough onto a flour surface and working quickly use your hands to gently shape into a rectangle. Then use a floured rolling pin to roll into a rectangle measuring roughly 8" x 12". I like to use a metal ruler or dough scraper to help maintain the shape.
Now get your frozen butter shreds out of the freezer and quickly spread them in an even layer across the dough.
The key here is to work quickly so that the heat from your hands doesn't start to melt the butter.
Now fold the right side of the dough ⅔ of the way towards the left using a bench scraper to help if it's sticking.
Then fold the left side over top of the right.
Turn the dough 90 degrees to the right.
Roll it out to a 12" x 8" rectangle.
Then fold it ⅔ of the way from the left to right and then fold the left side over the right. Same as before.
Then turn the dough 90 degrees to the right. Continue to fold and roll turning each time until you've gone all the way around. This will be a total of 4 times.
Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.
Then roll out and use as you would a store-bought pastry dough.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's best to use butter that comes in stick form. Tub butter has too much water in it which may affect the final outcome of the dough. I've used both salted and unsalted butter and it doesn't seem to matter.
This dough can be used any way a traditional or store-bought frozen pastry dough can be used - tart crusts, cheese straws, palmier cookies, pot pies, sausage rolls, hand pies....
Storing and Freezing
This keeps well in the fridge for a 2-3 days wrapped so that it doesn't dry out.
The vegan puff pastry dough also freezes really well. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or a ziploc bag and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to use place in the fridge until it thaws completely.
Related Recipes
Recipe
Vegan Puff Pastry
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 lb 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This vegan puff pastry is oh so flaky and much easier to make than you might think. Sometimes referred to as a rough puff pastry, this method utilizes shredded frozen butter to speed up the process
Ingredients
- ½ cup vegan butter
- ⅔ cup vegan butter
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup ice cold water
Instructions
- Butter: Start by grating ½ cup of the butter and putting it in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Then cut the remaining ⅔ cup of butter into cubes.
- Process: Add flour and butter cubes to a food processor and pulse several times until you get a rough pebble-like texture. You can also do this in a bowl using your fingers to break the butter up into small pieces. Now add in the ice cold water and pulse a few more times. At this point, you should be able to get the mixture to come together if you squeeze it.
- Shape: Turn the dough onto a flour surface and working quickly use your hands to gently shape into a rectangle.
- Roll: Then use a floured rolling pin to roll into a rectangle measuring roughly 8" x 12". Get your frozen butter shreds out of the freezer and quickly spread them in an even layer across the dough working quickly so as not to melt the butter.
- Fold: the right side of the dough ⅔ of the way towards the left using a bench scraper to help if it's sticking. Then fold the left side over top of the right and turn the dough 90 degrees to the right.
- Roll: Out dough to a 12" x 8" rectangle and then repeat the process of folding the right side about ⅔ of the way across and then overlapping the left side on top of the right. Then turn 90 degrees to the right and repeat this process of rolling and folding a total of 4 times until you are back where you started.
- Refrigerate: Wrap the dough tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using.
Notes
- You don't want the butter to warm up, so the key is to start with everything cold and work quickly. If you have warm hands you can run them under cold water before starting to work with the dough.
- This makes roughly 1 lb of dough which is the same as the store-bought frozen pastry dough. However, the frozen dough is usually in two rolls so you may want to divide this dough in half if you plan on freezing it for later use.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Chill Time: 1 hour
- Category: pastry
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: French
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/10 recipe
- Calories: 251
- Sodium: 177
- Fat: 17.9
- Saturated Fat: 4.8
Keywords: vegan, puff pastry, dairy-free, rough puff pastry
Jac says
Great recipe! Was on the lookout for a vegan puff pastry! Would love to see a photo of the cooked pastry before I try the recipe out? Will pin the recipe for later. Thanks!
★★★★★
Emily Flint says
I love making my own puff pastry and your recipe is going to come in handy when my vegan sister-in-law comes to town. Yay!!
★★★★★
Cindy Mom the Lunch Lady says
I love this tutorial! I've always been too intimidated to try making puffed pastry dough, but it doesn't really seem all too difficult.
★★★★★
Jean Paul says
I was very impressed with this puff pastry. I made it a couple of weeks ago and used it for the top of a pot-pie-type dish and it was perfect. Thanks!
★★★★★