Vegan Puff Pastry Recipe (with Video) - From The Comfort Of My Bowl (2024)

Making vegan puff pastry from scratch is easy using this fool-proof cheat method. Enjoy some crispy, flaky goodness in half the time it takes to make traditional puff pastry!

Homemade vegan puff pastry is much cheaper than storebought, and it only requires four ingredients.

Traditional pastry dough is made by encasing a slab of butter in a basic dough (or détrempe) made from flour, water, butter, and salt.

This method for this recipe was adapted from Paul Hollywood’s rough puff pastry recipe. Using frozen instead of chilled vegan butter allows more time to roll and fold the dough without chilling too many times.

Ingredient Notes

• Vegan butter or margarine – Use the stick form and not the spreadable ones in a tub. Freeze the vegan butter ahead of time to make it easier to shred.
• All-purpose flour – Bleached or unbleached.
• Salt
• Extra vegan butter – For the basic dough, soften to room temperature.
• Water

Step-By-Step Instructions

Prepare the vegan butter:

1. Using the largest side of a box grater, shred the frozen vegan butter. Alternatively, use the shredder attachment of a food processor to grate the frozen vegan butter.
2. Place the shreds back in the freezer while making the dough.

Make the basic dough (détrempe):

1. In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.
2. Add the softened vegan butter and mix with a fork or fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs.
3. Gradually stir in the water, and continue mixing until a dough begins to form.
4. Use your hands to help the dough form. It will look dry at first but press the dough together until the sides of the bowl look clean.

5. Lightly flour a clean surface and knead the dough with clean hands for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until it is soft and smooth. Shape into a ball, and cover with plastic wrap. Rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Layer in the margarine shreds:

1. Roll out the dough into a rectangle about ¼ inch/6mm thick.
2. Take the vegan butter shreds from the freezer. Lightly dust clean hands with flour and add half the shreds to the left two-thirds of the dough. Return the remaining butter shreds to the freezer.
3. Fold over one-third of the dough (the right side with no butter shreds).
4. Next, fold the left side, forming a wallet fold. Always brush away excess flour while folding.
5. Make a ¼ turn with the dough.
6. Roll out the dough lengthwise into the shape of a rectangle about ¼ inch/6mm thick.
7. Add the remaining vegan butter shreds to two-thirds of the dough, and repeat the wallet fold step.
8. Press the openings to keep the butter shreds from falling out of the dough, then cover with plastic wrap. Rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Laminate the Dough:

1. Once the dough has rested, repeat the rolling and folding step twice to create more layers in the dough, called lamination.
2. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and rest it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Tips for Success

• If the margarine or dough gets warm at any point during the process, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Keeping the vegan butter extremely cold keeps the layers intact.
• When ready to use, thaw the pastry dough in the fridge overnight if it was previously frozen or at room temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes until it is pliable enough to roll out.
• This recipe makes approximately 1 lb/500g of dough. This is roughly enough to make two 9-inch pie crust tops.
• It is not recommended to use puff pastry for the bottom layer of baked pies, as the heavier fillings could weigh down the crust and not allow the pastry to puff.

Storage

Wrap the puff pastry dough tightly in plastic wrap, or place it in a zip-top bag and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. The dough can also be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.

FAQs

Can I use coconut oil instead of vegan butter?

Coconut oil melts or softens much easier than vegan butter. The fat remaining as cold as possible before cooking is essential to creating perfect layers in puff pastry. Coconut oil will not produce the desired results.

Stick-style vegan butter or margarine will make the best and most consistent results, as it has less water content than the spreadable type and will result in the flakiest layers.

What temperature is the best to bake puff pastry?

The temperature at which to bake puff pastry will vary by recipe, but it is generally best to bake puff pastry at a high temperature (400°F/200°C) for at least 10 minutes for the best results.

The higher temperature will allow the butter to melt quickly and release steam, creating the signature layers in puff pastry.

The pastry can fall flat at lower temperatures, resulting in a tough texture. Always preheat the oven, and avoid opening the door while the pastry is cooking.

Vegan Recipes with Puff Pastry

Sweet:

• Galette de Rois
• Vegan Tarte Tatin

Savory:

• Vegan Sausage Rolls
• Mushroom Pot Pie

Vegan Puff Pastry Recipe (with Video)

4.94 from 32 votes

Prep: 25 minutes mins

Resting Time: 2 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

Total: 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Servings: 12 (makes 1 lb/500g dough)

Calories: 190kcal

Print Pin Rate

Making vegan pastry from scratch is easy using this fool-proof cheat method. Enjoy some crispy, flaky goodness in half the time it takes to make traditional puff pastry!

Author: Jhanelle Golding

Equipment

• Grater

• Mixing bowls

• Rolling Pin

Baking Recipes: For more accuracy, use Metric measurements and measuring spoons.

Ingredients

• ▢ 5 oz (150 g) vegan butter or margarine (not unsalted), stick form NOT spreadable (frozen)
• ▢ 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 3½ tbsp (50 g) vegan butter, softened
• ▢ ½ cup (130 ml) water, plus more if needed, lukewarm

Instructions

Prepare the vegan butter:

• Grab a box grater and using the largest side, shred the frozen vegan butter onto a plate. You can also use a food processor with a shredder attachment.

  5 oz (150 g) vegan butter or margarine (not unsalted)

• Place margarine shreds in the freezer while you make the dough.

Make the basic dough (détrempe):

• In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt. Add the softened vegan butter, mixing with a fork until it resembles breadcrumbs.

  2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour ,½ teaspoon salt ,3½ tbsp (50 g) vegan butter

• Gradually stir in the water and continue mixing until all the flour comes together.

  ½ cup (130 ml) water

• Use your hands at this point to help form the dough. It will look dry at first but keep pressing the dough together until the bowl looks fairly clean. Only add more water if necessary.

• Lightly flour a clean surface and knead the dough with your hands, for about 2 to 3 minutes or until it is soft and smooth. Shape into a ball and cover with plastic wrap. Rest in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Layer in the margarine shreds:

• Roll out the dough into a rectangle about ¼ inch/6mm thick. Remove the vegan butter shreds from the freezer.

• Lightly dust your fingertips with flour and add half the shreds to the left two-thirds of the dough. Add the remaining butter shreds back into the freezer.

• Fold over one-third of the dough (the right side without any butter shreds). Next fold the left side, forming a wallet fold. Always brush away any excess flour while folding.

• Make a quarter turn with the dough and roll lengthwise into the shape of a rectangle about a ¼ inch/6mm thick. Add the remaining vegan butter shreds to two-thirds of the dough and repeat the wallet folding step.

• Seal the openings to keep the butter shreds from falling out of the dough then cover with plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour. It can also be left overnight.

Fold or Laminate the Dough:

• Once rested, repeat the rolling and folding step twice to create more layers in the dough. Then wrap the dough with plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

• At this point, the dough the ready for use. But if you’d like to create even more flaky layers, you can repeat the rolling and folding step two more times. The dough must be refrigerated (not frozen) for at least 1 hour after rolling and folding to relax the gluten or it will be tough when baked.

Full Recipe Video

Notes

• The times in the written recipe will vary from the times in the video since this is a more updated post but the technique remains the same.
• If the margarine or dough gets warm at any point during the process, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
• Wrap the puff pastry dough airtight in plastic wrap or place in a zip lock bag and store in the fridge for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• When ready to use, thaw in the fridge overnight or at room temperature for about 20 to 30 minutes until it is pliable enough to roll out.
• Check the post for Step-by-Step Photos and FAQs. Feel free to ask any other questions!

Tried this recipe? Upload a photo in the comments below!If you enjoyed it, please consider leaving a rating. It really helps the blog.

Nutrition

Calories: 190kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 2g | Sodium: 202mg | Potassium: 25mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: French

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

This recipe was originally published on April 29, 2020, and updated in May 13, 2022.