Chocolate Shortcrust Pastry (Vegan)
This chocolate shortcrust pastry is perfect for dessert tarts and pies. It’s sweet and flaky, and easy to make with just a few simple ingredients.
Shortcrust pastry is one of those staple recipes that every baker should know. It’s usually made with dairy but with a simple ingredient swap, it’s so easy to make it dairy-free!
I have a regular shortcrust pastry recipe on my blog already but today I’m sharing a chocolate one. I recently made this to go with a creamy ganache filling to make a chocolate tart.
To be honest, it did take me quite a while to get the hang of dairy-free chocolate shortcrust pastry. I made so many that were either really tough and chewy, completely crumbly and falling apart, too bland, or too sweet. But after a lot of practice, I’d say the recipe is pretty foolproof now! It’s perfectly sweet, crunchy, and sturdy with not an ounce of toughness!
Ingredients you’ll need
This is a super simple recipe with just 4 basic ingredients. You’ll probably already have them all at home if you’re a vegan baker!
- Plain flour. Also known as all-purpose flour.
- Vegan margarine. Although all vegan ‘butters’ are technically margarines because they’re made with oils, you’ll need to use the soft, spreadable type that comes in a tub for this recipe. Don’t use the blocky type or the dough will be too crumbly. I used Vitalite.
- Cocoa powder. For the chocolate flavour of course! Use an unsweetened cocoa powder, not Dutch processed cocoa or hot chocolate powder.
- Icing sugar. This helps to offset the bitterness of the cocoa powder and turns a savoury pastry into a sweet one.
Ways to use it
Use this pastry in place of regular shortcrust pastry for any sweet recipe that you like. Here are some ideas:
How to make chocolate shortcrust pastry
Step 1:
Add 200g of plain flour into a large bowl. Add 145g of vegan margarine and rub it into the flour. You’ll end up with a mixture that looks like large breadcrumbs.
Step 2:
Stir in 15g of cocoa powder and 30g of icing sugar, then use your hands to press it together into a ball of dough. It should come together easily.
If it’s still a little dry, add a SMALL amount of water at a time to help it come together, and if it’s too sticky, add more flour.
Step 3:
Wrap the ball of dough up and place it in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
Step 4:
Once chilled, roll the dough out on a floured surface until it’s around 1/4 cm thick. Drape it over a 9-inch tart tin or cut out small circles for mini tarts. Cut off any excess with a knife.
Blind baking
Step 1:
Preheat your oven to 200°C, or 180°C for fan ovens.
Step 2:
Dock the dough with a fork to allow steam to escape. This will prevent a soggy-bottomed pastry.
Cover the bottom of the tart with baking paper then place some baking beans or dried rice/lentils on top. This will act as a weight and will prevent the pastry from puffing up as it bakes.
If you’re making miniature tarts, there’s no need to blind bake- docking will be enough to prevent puffy pastry!
Step 3:
Bake the pastry for 15 minutes, remove the baking beans and baking paper, then bake for a further 15 minutes. For mini tarts, around 20 minutes total will be enough baking time.
Leave to cool completely before removing the pastry from the tin.
Top tips:
- Use vegan margarine over the blocky type of vegan ‘butter’. This will help the dough come together nicely without the need to add water, which can make the pastry tough if you add too much.
- Don’t knead or overwork the dough. Just press it gently until it comes together.
- Dock the dough before baking to help air escape. This will prevent the pastry from becoming soggy at the bottom.
- Blind bake the dough before adding your filling. Doing so will stop the pastry from puffing up as it bakes.
I hope you like this dairy-free chocolate pastry recipe! If you make it at home, please leave a comment to let me know how it goes and what you’re using it for. Happy baking! xo
Vegan Chocolate Shortcrust Pastry
Flaky, sweet chocolate pastry for pies and tarts.
Ingredients
- 200 g Plain flour
- 145 g Vegan margarine
- 15 g Cocoa powder
- 30 g Icing sugar
Instructions
-
In a large bowl, rub the margarine into the flour. Stir in the cocoa powder and icing sugar.
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Use your hands to press it together into a ball of dough. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour and if it's too dry, add a small amount of ice cold water to help it come together.
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Wrap the dough and chill for 30 minutes.
Baking:
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Preheat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan).
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Roll the chilled dough out on a floured surface to around ¼ cm thick. Drape it over a 9-inch tart tin and press into place.
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Dock the dough with a fork.
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Place baking paper over the bottom of the tart and cover with baking beans, dried lentils or uncooked rice.
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Blind bake the pastry for 15 minutes. Remove the baking paper and beans then bake for a further 15 minutes.
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Leave to cool completely before removing it from the tin.
Recipe Notes
- For mini tarts, you will need to dock the dough but there is no need to blind bake. Bake for around 20 minutes total.
