We’re coming up on KCRW pie season, which means our special kind of pie mania is approaching. Every year at the contest, I’m always interested to see the entries in the Vegan Pie category. It is a particularly challenging category because butter is often relied on not just for flavor but to create flakiness in the case of the crust, or binding with flour in the case of creamy filling. But I think people forget that a classic fruit pie is vegan except for that buttery crust, which is the easiest part of the pie to tweak. Several plant butters make an excellent crust. And perhaps it’s heresy to some pro bakers who pride themselves on using all-natural ingredients, but I first learned how to make pies with Crisco when I was a child.
I would love to hear from bakers who have perfected their vegan crust. Reach out to me on Instagram @kcrwgoodfood. What plant butter are you using? Coconut oil? Earth Balance? Miyoko’s? For the deepest dive, I recommend watching local baker Nicole Rucker (of Fat & Flour) in Miyoko’s YouTube series on using European Style Cultured Vegan Butter. Nicole explains the science of fat and takes you through making a Cherry Crumble Pie.
There is a new vegan butter that professional bakers can access made by Tourlami. Unfortunately, it isn’t available in retail, but the ingredients are a mixture of cocoa butter and coconut oil. People can experiment with making their own version.In the audio segment I (Evan) incorrectly stated that Tourlami was founded by two women and one of them worked at "Madison Park" - Tourlami is solely founded by Susannah Schoolman. Schoolman is also the CEO. She does not work for Eleven Madison Park - they buy Tourlami butters from her. In addition the correct pronunciation of Tourlami is Toor-Luh-Me. I apologize to Susannah for the errors.
I reached out to Jennifer Yee of Baker’s Bench, who has been lauded for her vegan croissants. I asked her how she would go about trying to make a home version of Tourlami. She said that although she hasn’t done this, she would begin by carefully melting together 75% coconut oil and 25% cocoa butter slowly in the microwave, then letting it sit out at room temperature until it solidifies (you want it “out of temper”), then refrigerating it. Cocoa butter has a higher melting point than coconut oil, which is what you want for a good crust or to bind a filling. Experiment with the ratio until you hit your sweet spot. Here is another recipe that adds almond milk curdled with vinegar and lecithin to the mix.
And for nut pies, like pecan, you can swap out the eggs and butter for tofu to bind your nuts and sugar. But the most important part of making a vegan pie is taste, so if you’re planning on entering KCRW’s PieFest, practice and taste over and over.
FAQs
Fruit pies are mostly vegan—just swap the butter
The one exception is the rare dotting of the filling with pats of butter (most often seen with apple pie). Swap the dairy butter for whatever vegan butter you have on hand, and you're golden.
What is vegan butter made of? ›
Vegan butter is a non-dairy butter substitute made from plant-based ingredients. It is typically made from a blend of vegetable oils such as coconut, palm, or soybean and other natural ingredients such as nuts, seeds, and even algae. This makes it a great alternative for those who: Follow a vegan diet.
Is Marie Callender pie crust vegan? ›
Not all Marie Callender's Pies are vegan, but you definitely have some options! On its own, Marie Callender's pie crust is vegan, so what's not vegan varies depending on the filling.
What brand of pie is vegan? ›
Freshly baked desserts are made easy with OG freezer brand Sara Lee. All fruit pies are vegan, so opt for a Dutch Apple, Lattice Peach, or Mince Pie.
Why is apple pie not vegan? ›
Apple pie filling is generally vegan friendly, but sometimes with storebought apple pie filling, it can be hard to know if the sugar used in that apple pie filling is vegan-friendly. Sometimes sugar is refined with bone-char, so there is no animal products directly in the sugar, but it's a part of the process.
How to make butter flavor without butter? ›
Read on to understand how the following 15 ingredients can act as butter substitutes for different recipes and dishes.
- MARGARINE. Margarine is a fat that is made mostly from vegetable oil that's flavored to taste like butter. ...
- SHORTENING. ...
- OLIVE OIL & VEGETABLE OIL. ...
- COCONUT OIL. ...
- PUMPKIN PURÉE. ...
- APPLESAUCE. ...
- GREEK YOGURT. ...
- BANANAS.
The best vegan butter should be smooth, rich, salty, creamy, and, most of all, it should taste like butter—delicate, sweet, and fatty. Plant based butter doesn't have to taste like vegetable margarine. Vegan butters that include almond milk, coconut oil, or olive oil are completely welcome here.
What is the best vegan substitute for butter? ›
What are good vegan butter substitutes? In baking, you can use vegan butter, applesauce, dairy-free yogurt, coconut oil, coconut butter, olive oil, nut butter, mashed banana and mashed avocado. In cooking, you can use olive oil, coconut oil, vegetable stock, or avocado oil to replace butter.
Which Costco pies are vegan? ›
Giant Apple Pie
We're in peak pie season, and Costco's cult-favorite, accidentally vegan apple pie is an immediate add-to-cart whether you're venturing through the endless aisles of your nearest location or ordering online for socially distanced delivery to your doorstep.
Are Mrs Smith's pies vegan? ›
Unfortunately, Mrs. Smith's reformulated their “Original” flaky pie crust, and it now contains dairy butter. Consequently, all of their pie and cobbler products are now made with milk. For other options, see our Dairy-Free Pie & Cake Reviews.
This one is a slightly complex one to answer. Whilst all of the pie's ingredients are vegan-friendly (including the crispy pastry casing) the oil that is used to fry the pies can't be guaranteed vegan-friendly.
What is surprisingly not vegan? ›
Beer and Wine
Isinglass, a gelatin-based substance derived from fish, is used as a clarifying agent in some beer and wine. Other non-vegan ingredients sometimes used are casein (from milk) and egg whites.
What percentage of a meat pie is meat? ›
Much of the interest in meat pies is about how much meat is in a pie and what kind of meat is used. The Food Standards Code stipulates that a meat pie must contain a minimum of 25 per cent of meat flesh.
Are Costco pies vegan? ›
Giant Apple Pie
We're in peak pie season, and Costco's cult-favorite, accidentally vegan apple pie is an immediate add-to-cart whether you're venturing through the endless aisles of your nearest location or ordering online for socially distanced delivery to your doorstep.
