This vegan gf shortcrust pastry recipe is short and buttery just like a normal tart base! This vegan and gluten free shortcrust pastry requires just 5 ingredients and comes together in just 20 minutes!
This guide will also go through your most FAQ’s such as, “how much flour for shortcrust pastry”, “shortcrust pastry how long does it last” “why does shortcrust pastry shrink” “can shortcrust pastry be frozen” and so much more!
If you’re looking for more desserts with shortcrust pastry to add to your baking list check out my Vegan and Gluten Free Apple Pie and my Vegan Lemon & Raspberry Layered Tart
Expert Baking Tips for shortcrust pastry
Although this gluten free vegan shortcrust recipe is super easy, here are just a few expert tips i'd recommend:
- Mix your vegan butter into your flour until it reaches a crumb texture, before adding the milk.
- Roll your pastry between 2 sheets of cling film to prevent the pastry from sticking to the table and tearing.
- Make sure the tart case is fully covered in pastry patching up any gaps with leftover pastry.
- Grease your tart with vegan butter and then dust with flour to create a non-stick layer so your tart slides off when baked. Here is my foolproof guide
- This is a gluten free shortcrust pastry xanthan gum - this is necessary to prevent the pastry from crumbling when baked.
Master the art of baking GF, DF & Vegan
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Ingredients list for the vegan gf shortcrust pastry
Here's everything I used for this vegan gluten free pastry crust :
- Vegan butter - You can use either vegan block butter or margarine.
- Caster sugar - This is a very refined sugar, refined granulated sugar also works well here. You only need to add this if your making a sweet dessert/pie.
- Gluten free plain flour - Be careful not to use self raising flour here as we dont want the pastry to raise/be cakey.
- Plant-based milk - This is necessary to bind the dough together, you can also use ice cold water instead
Non Vegan alternative.
If you didn't want to make this vegan simply substitute the vegan butter for regular block butter/margarine.
Recipe for vegan gluten free pastry
How to make vegan gluten free pastry - Step by step instructions
How to make vegan pastry dough - Begin by mixing together your dry ingredients, then add the vegan butter and rub the butter into the flour until it reaches a crumb consistency. Finally, pour in your water/milk gradually while mixing unit it comes together into a dough. [it shouldn't be wet/sticky]

Then roll the dough between 2 sheets of clingfilm or on a floured surface. Until it's the diameter of the tart tin. Carefully move the pastry and place it onto the tart tin.

Press the dough into the crevices and patch up any holes with leftover dough.
Finally prick the dough with a fork to prevent the dough from rising and bake in the oven for 10-15mins. You can tell the pastry is baked when it moves away from the tin and is slightly golden.
Once cooled fill the tart with your chosen filling like a lemon curd. And enjoy!
FAQ’s
How much shortcrust pastry do I need ?
This recipe covers 9 inch tin with a little extra pastry. and covers a 10inch tin perfectly. Use this as a guide to divide or times the recipes ratio's for the amount you need.
Baking time ?
This pastry should only take 10 mins to bake, and should be golden in colour and should move away from the tart tin when baked.
What to do when shortcrust pastry keeps breaking ?
The same question ‘ What to do when shortcrust pastry keeps cracking’ applies here. If you notice that your pastry dough keeps breaking because, simply patch up the cracks with extra pastry and once it's baked and filled, you will hardly notice the patches. But if you add the right amount of liquid you shouldn't notice any breaking.
Storing and freezing
How long to refrigerate pastry ?
The most googled search was ‘How long shortcrust pastry fridge’ hahaha. So let me address it. As this is a gluten free pastry theres no need to refrigerate the dough as we don't require the gluten to relax and as there is no gluten so this step can be skipped altogether.
Can shortcrust pastry be frozen ?
The answer is yes, it can be frozen for up to 9 months! But you must thaw it properly before using it again.
Make sure to tag me @whiskmefree on Instagram and leave a review below if you madethis vegan gf shortcrust pastry. To pin this recipe and save it for later, you can use the button on the recipe card or on any of the photos above. Happy baking!
Gluten free vegan sweet pastry recipe

Equipment
- Tart tin
Ingredients
- 235 g Vegan butter
- 400 g Plain Gluten Free flour
- 1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum
- 55 g Sugar
- 1 tablespoon Ice cold water / Plant based milk
Instructions
- Begin by preheating your over to 180°c/356fh and grease and flour your tart tin.
- Start by mixing together your dry ingredients, then add the vegan butter and rub the butter into the flour until it reaches a crumb consistency. Finally, pour in your water gradually while mixing unit it comes together into. a dough. [it shouldn't be wet/sticky]235 g Vegan butter, 400 g Plain Gluten Free flour, 1 teaspoon Xanthan Gum, 55 g Sugar
- Finally, pour in your water gradually while mixing unit it comes together into. a dough. [it shouldn't be wet/sticky]1 tablespoon Ice cold water / Plant based milk
- Then roll the dough between 2 sheets of clingfilm or on a floured surface. Until its the diameter of the tart tin. Carefully move the pastry and place it onto the tart tin.
- Press the dough into the crevices and patch up any holes with leftover dough.
- Finally prick the dough with a fork to prevent the dough from rising and bake in the oven for 10-15mins. You can tell the pastry is baked when it moves away from the tin and is slightly golden.
Notes
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© Leena. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.
Rahuls says
This article has so much amazing information. Today I learned so many things in this blog post.
Leena. says
thank you, so glad you found this helpful!