How to make vegan puff pastry from scratch! Don't buy store bought chemical laden rubbish. This recipe yields a wonderful golden flaky pastry. And below you'll find a video of complete step by step instructions to help ensure success at home!
I can't begin to tell you just how much time I've spent perfecting this recipe.
To say I've been obsessed with getting this recipe right is an understatement. For the last 2 months, I've slept, eaten and breathed this my vegan puff pastry.
I've tested it over and over and over, each time adjusting the measurements ever so slightly to get the end result I wanted - a homemade dairy-free vegan puff pastry that is flaky, golden and delicious.
(And if you think this is amazing too, be sure to grab a copy of my free 5-Day Vegan Meal Plan. It's packed with all my favorite vegan recipes - plus you'll get freebies like a handy cheat sheet for easy vegan cooking.)
Why you might ask, have I gone to so much effort when you can simply buy dairy free puff pastry from the freezer section of your local supermarket?
Obsession with making food from scratch has something to do with it. I like to make as much as possible myself because then I know exactly what has gone into it.
Every weekend I make liters of vegetable stock, and the other day I milled some wheat I had left over from a commercial I filmed and used it to make bread rolls.
But as much as I love knowing exactly what has gone into my food, what I love more is the act of cooking and creating something from scratch. It's relaxing and I find it so rewarding.
My journey down the dairy free puff pastry path began when I first made Nina's vegan butter about 12 months ago. I loved it and marveled at how - from a mix of a couple of ingredients - a wonderfully creamy emulsified butter was formed.
I enjoyed the butter on bread and toast.....and then forgot about it until a couple of months ago when I began planning my Christmas menu.
Top of my list was the fact I wanted to make my Mushroom Wellington but I wanted to make it dairy free and vegan so everyone could enjoy it.
But given that I'm trying to eat less dairy, all butter puff pastry was now out of the question. I needed a vegan puff pastry.
(This would be a good time to mention my vegan baking cheat sheet. If you love to bake like me, be sure to snag a copy. It's packed with all my favorite substitutions to vegan-ize just about any recipe.)
Then I remembered Nina's butter, made a batch and used it to make rough puff pastry.
The problem was that the weather at this time of year is unforgiving, and the week I decided to try my hand at making vegan puff pastry we were experiencing a relentless heatwave.
Even with the air conditioner at full blast and only taking the butter out of the fridge when absolutely necessary the butter quickly began to melt and pastry was soft and tore easily.
Even all butter pastry is difficult to work with in the heat we have here!
I knew I needed something more stable. A little more forgiving. And ultimately something that could cope with the hot summer days we have here in Florida.
I then spotted the cocoa butter (grab some here!) I have stashed away in my pantry, which I use to make vegan panna cotta and vegan ice cream.
Given it is a hard butter, that is solid on even the hottest summer days I thought I'd give it a try. I was close but still not there.
I replaced the vinegar and salt and I added miso to provide that slight tang that butter has, and also because it provides a wonderful umami flavor.
With each attempt, I upped the cocoa butter percentage ever so slightly, until I reached the recipe I'm sharing with you today.
It is not rock solid out of the fridge, but it holds itself well and it can be rubbed into the flour without completely falling apart and when the pastry is rolled out.
If you've chilled your butter for a couple of days before rubbing it into the flour it will be a little firmer. You'll just need to use a little extra pressure. 🙂
The end result is the vegan puff pastry you can see wrapped around my beautiful vegan Mushroom Wellington. Can you see how flaky and golden it is? And completely vegan from head to toe!
It's one of the most popular recipes on the blog today! And it's also included in my free vegan toolkit - grab a copy while you're here!
Admittedly vegan butter requires more care than regular butter, but I think it's totally worth it.
So I thought I'd share a few tips for vegan puff pastry success:
Make sure the melted coconut oil and cocoa butter has cooled to room temperature before using. Allow an hour for this. If you live in a hot climate, like me, your coconut oil will probably be liquid at room temperature and therefore not need melting.
Chill your aquafaba (otherwise known as chickpea water) and olive oil while your cocoa butter is cooling. To get aquafaba - you literally just take a can of chickpeas (like this!) and use the liquid from the can.
Chill the jug you plan to make your butter in. It is also important to use a jug with a narrow base. Ideally, the jug will be the same diameter from top to bottom. In the video below I've used my Pyrex jug so you can see what is happening, but normally I use a jug like this.
Make sure to foam up your aquafaba BEFORE drizzling in the oil. And make sure to blend ALL the oil you've added BEFORE adding more!
Go slowly! I can't reiterate the importance of this enough. The magic of this process relies on the aquafaba to emulsify the oils. Add the oil too quickly and your butter will split. And as you reach the end don't get excited and dump the rest of the oil in. This is when it is most prone to splitting.
Pour your thick emulsified butter into a shallow flat dish lined in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours before using. Don't cover it while you initially chill it. Once it has chilled for 2 hours, and if you don't intend on using the butter that day you can cover it.
Have I scared you? I hope I haven't, as I do feel it is a worthwhile process, especially for special occasion recipes. And what better occasion could there be than Christmas or Thanksgiving?
To help you along the way, and to understand the process I've put together a video of the process. If you don't already see it playing - scroll down to the recipe card or view it here.
Yes, my FIRST EVER video. As it is my first video please be kind. Depending on the feedback I might make more videos in the future. So if you'd like to see more videos PLEASE LET ME KNOW by leaving a comment!
FAQs from Readers about this Recipe
Help, my butter split!!!
This happens when you try to add the oil too fast or you didn't cool everything before hand.
If it happens, though, don't fear, all is not lost! Finish adding all the oil and refrigerate as normal.
You can use this split butter in place of regular butter to make cookies or cake. However, I wouldn't recommend using it to make vegan puff pastry.
Due to the fact that the oils haven't been completely emulsified, you're likely to find your vegan puff pastry will weep some of the oil while you are rolling it out and while it is being baked. If that doesn't bother you fine, but the end result won't quite be the same.
What can I use the butter for other than vegan puff pastry?
I've used it successfully in cookie recipes that don't require butter to be melted. If the recipe calls for melted butter simply use your favorite oil.
You can use it in cakes as well. However, I'd stick to recipes where the butter flavor is prominent otherwise I feel it is a bit of a waste.
How long will the vegan puff pastry keep?
The vegan puff pastry is best used within 3 to 4 days of being made.
How long will the butter keep?
The vegan butter keeps for up to 3 to 4 weeks in an airtight container.
More Vegan Recipes
If you're here planning your holiday menu, don't miss our new Vegan Christmas and Vegan Thanksgiving cookbooks. They're packed with all my favorite holiday-worthy recipes for a plant-based feast.
And if you love this vegan puff pastry recipe, be sure to check out these other delicious ideas:
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
VEGAN BUTTER
- 60 g cocoa butter, (¼ cup plus 1 tbsp)
- 70 g flavourless coconut oil, (⅓ cup)
- 30 g extra virgin olive oil, (2 ¼ tbsp)
- 36 g aquafaba, (the water from a drained tin of chickpeas or cannellini beans)
- 6 g miso, (⅓ tsp)
VEGAN PUFF PASTRY
- 160 g pastry flour, (1 ⅓ cups)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 160 g vegan butter, (5.6 oz) from this recipe or storebought
- 95 ml cold water, (⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp)
Instructions
TO MAKE THE BUTTER
- Start by melting the cocoa butter. Melt either in the microwave or using the double boiler method. Set aside to cool. It is VERY important that the cocoa butter completely cools to room temperature before using. Allow an hour for this.
- Melt the coconut butter if it is solid at room temperature. Again, allow for the coconut oil to cool completely BEFORE making the butter.
- Place the olive oil in a small jar or bowl and refrigerate while the cocoa butter is cooling. Refrigerate your aquafaba at this time if not already refrigerated.
- Combine the cocoa butter, coconut oil and olive oil in a jug.
- Grab a jug with a narrow base. The base should just fit your immersion blender. Add the aquafaba and place your immersion blender in the jug and blend the aquafaba until it is foamy.
- Keep the blender running and slowly drizzle in the oils and coconut butter a little at a time. The process is much like making mayonnaise as we want to emulsify everything. It won't work if you dump the oil in. Make sure the oil is fully emulsified before adding more. Slow and steady wins the race here. It should take about 5 to 7 minutes to add all of the oil. When you are close to the end, don't be tempted to rush. Keep it slow and steady as you don't want to split the butter.
- Once all of the oil has been added add the miso and blend until combined.
- Pour the mixture into a small rectangular baking dish lined with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Your butter should be usable in about 2 hours, depending on how cold you run your fridge.
TO MAKE THE PASTRY
- Place the flour in a medium bowl and add the salt and mix well to combine.
- Break the butter into chunks and add to the flour and rub it into the flour. Be careful here as you don't want to rub the butter in too much. You still want to see chunks of buttery goodness as this is what will make your pastry lovely and flaky.
- Add the water little by little and mix until you have a dough. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Form the dough into a rectangle and roll it out until it is 3 times its original length. Fold the top third of the dough onto the middle of the dough and the bottom third on top of that.
- Give the dough a quarter turn and roll it out again until it is 3 times its original length. Again fold the top third to the middle and the bottom third on top of that. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Repeat another 2 times and you're pastry is ready to use!
Video
Notes
Nutrition (estimated per serving)
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Jenn says
Wow, I am so intrigued by this! Sounds like it takes some work, but worth it for a show stopper dish I think. I saw your Mushroom Wellington the other day and instantly drooled - what a gorgeous recipe!
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Thanks Jenn (great name by the way 😉 ) It is a bit of work, but I do think its worth it. If you decided to try my mushroom wellington or puff pastry recipe I'd love to hear how you go.
Christine Baker says
Hi, I am just about to make this and can't see where the coconut oil and cocoa butter is used.
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Hi Christine. I've updated the recipe steps to make it clearer. But you need to combine the chilled oils together in a jug and then drizzle it into the aquafaba once you've foamed it up using the immersion blender. Check out the video as it shows every step in detail. I hope that helps but please feel free to let me know if you have any further questions 😀
Christine Baker says
Thanks, I am making this for Christmas lunch for me and my daughter just said she will have it as well, instead of turkey. Now just to convince the rest of the family.
Vanessa says
Can I just use vegan butter I find at the grocery store? Lol sorry but i can't find miso or cocoa butter around me but they do sell earth balance vegan butter.
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
You could, Vanessa, however, commercial vegan butters will act differently. As I have only tested this recipe as written, I can't say how it will turn out. My best guess is that it may be ok, however, you may have issues with the butter pooling and leaking out of the pastry and the pastry may not end up as flaky and golden as mine. As I said that's only a guess as I haven't tried it. If you do decide to give it a go I'd love to hear how it turns out.
Ruby & Cake says
Yassss I have been scouring the internet trying to find a vegan puff pastry I like! And i think i have found it 🙂
nina says
Can you estimate the weight if the puff pastry once it is made so I know how much this recipe produces, please? I am very excited to make this, and Nina's vegan butter!
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Hi Nina 😀 It makes about 450g (1 pound) of pastry. I hope you enjoy this recipe. I'd love to hear what you make with them.
Karla says
Hi! What a lovely recipie!!! Thanks for sharing something that took you so long to develop I just have a question, is it possible to substitute the miso? I'm allergic to dairy, and I haven't found chickpea miso in my country.
Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says
Hi Karla,I'm sorry to hear you are allergic to soy. 🙁 Miso adds a savoury flavour to the butter. In place of miso I'd try nutritional yeast flakes or coconut aminos. Vegemite or marmite could also be used.Best of luck with the pastry. Just make sure to have everything cold and add the oil really slowly. Let me know how it goes.
Amanda says
Turmeric, saffron and mustard powder are other alternatives for color and flavor!
Roslyn says
I’m so excited to try this recipe! I was searching for a vegan Thanksgiving recipe and only found vegan meatloaf or meatballs. This looks so fancy and I’m certain it will taste delicious as well. I love your video, it is perfect! Definitely do more!
Nicole says
Thank you so much Robyn! I hope you do try it. Come back and let me know how it works out!
Belinda says
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!! This pastry is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! I made it yesterday and used it tonight its so flaky and delicious, I've been looking for a vegan puff pastry recipe that doesn't use store bought butter for so long. You're a legend, I'm telling everyone about it
Nicole says
Thank you so much for your kind words. I am so glad you enjoyed it!!
Flan says
Can I use gluten-free flour? Or does this recipe need wheat gluten to work?
Nicole says
I haven't tried it with a gluten-free flour personally, but I've had a few readers tell me that it works just fine. Please let me know if you try it!
Eric says
I was able to use Rice Flour worked perfectly and I got high praise for how it turned out I used the pastry to make apple turnovers for a pot luck dinner
brenton thomas says
Interesting recipe.Have been trying to do much the same, but came at it from a different direction and ended up at much the same place. I was originally trying to make a cheese like thing that would melt under the grill, but be solid at room temperature. Idea being copha and soy milk emulsion with a bit of miso. (Soy milk is loaded with emulsifiers) Well the cheese sort of got forgotten - tasted ok but was brittle - until I wanted to make some rough puff pastry. For much the same reasons - needed to rub in the butter without it melting I ended up here. The difference is the aquafaba - or in my case the lack thereof.Will it work without the aquafaba - no idea - am filling in time commenting on your blog while I wait for it to set in the fridge . 🙂
Nicole says
I'm so glad you tried it! The aquafaba is really a key ingredient in this one, as it helps give that fluffy texture. So I don't think I would skip it.
Jill says
Love this! I use it when I make Cornish pasties and pot pie! It’s delicious!
Nicole says
Thanks - so glad you like it!
Peter Przylecki-Bruce says
Where is the video link on this page? I can't see it. Could it be emailed to me instead?
Nicole says
Hi Peter! I'm not sure why the video isn't loading, but here is a link to the same video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX0AJaCSyjU&t=36s.
Tamara says
Hi there, what can I use if I don't have an immersion blender to blend the oils? 🙁
Nicole says
You could pour them into a regular blender and combine that way, or just whisk them together as best you can.
Nina says
Hi! The recipe sounds amazing. Does it work for sweets as well or only savoury dishes?
Nicole says
Yes, you can certainly use it for sweets as well!
Shanna Spencer says
I have foodie dreams involving vegetarian puff pastry! Your aquafaba butter sounds yummy but time consuming. Can old fashion homemade vegan butter that is made from the basic recipe using coconut oil, olive oil, non dairy milk, Apple cider vinegar, salt, turmeric and/or (with or without) an emulsifier? After its chilled I find my recipe looks and acts like dairy butter. Does your butter recipe act different or do something extra? Thx
Nicole says
I don't see why you couldn't use a different vegan butter recipe. If you give it a try, let me know how it turns out!
Shuan says
I love this recipe simply because it takes account of the weather. I live in the tropics and I had tried another vegan shortcrust pastry using chilled solidified coconut oil and that was a failure. Then it occurred to me the weather made a big difference when it comes to sensitive pastry such as these. So when I saw cocoa butter on sale at the store I often visit, and it was soild at room temperature, I knew I have to give this a try.I took a bold step by using the same gram of soy milk instead of aquafaba. The reason is very simple - I just cannot find canned chickpea & I do not have time to boil chickpea from scratch. I made soy milk mayo before & I know it could work. I also use canola oil instead of coconut oil + olive oil, just to make sure the expensive oils do not get waste if it does not work. Half way when pouring in the oils & blending them with soy milk, a thick mayo like mixture start forming. It was the exact consistency shown in the video. Happy! However, towards the last quarter, the mixture got very thick & felt like it could not take in anymore oil. I made yet another bold move (or very wrong), I pour in all the remaining oils and blend. Right before my eyes, the thick mixture turn into a watery mess no matter how I blend it! I felt so mad at myself for doing that. By now my hand blender was quite warm & the heat transferred into the mixture. I put the whole jug into the fridge to chill it down. I waited for 15min, add about 2 tsp of lecithin granules as I figured it probably need more emulsifiers. As I blend the mixture, I saw hope, the mixture thicken up a bit. Back to the fridge for chilling, another 2 tsp of lecithin, blending. Back on track, it was thickening up more & more. I did not add anymore lecithin, but the chilling & blending continue for another 3 more rounds. Finally, the consistency was the same as in the video and I was so thrill! Rescue mission accomplished!I store the vegan butter uncovered overnight. Made puff pastry the next morning and baked it off as savory hand pies. The pastry was easier to handle, as least compare to my limited experience with butter based shortcrust pastry. The rolling & folding was not as difficult as imagined. What a beautiful sight to see the flaky pastry puffing up in the oven! When I bite into the pies, I did not miss the buttery taste associated with puff pastry at all! I use the leftover pastry to make pot pies the next day. And that was the end of my maiden puff pastry! If you ask me if the 4 tsp lecithin was necessary? Honestly, I do not know. I guess I just need to try the recipe without lecithin next time, and probably an ice bath for the jug while blending as I am staying in the tropics. I tasted the vegan butter. it is just like store bought margarine, without the nasty trans fat. I still cannot believe I have actually made zero trans fat margarine in my own kitchen.
Pamela says
Found your site while searching for a vegan puff pasty recipe to make Pastel De Nata. However, having little patience, instead of following your method for the butter I decided to take a gamble and use the 'stick blender mayo' method...AND IT WORKED!This involved melting the cocoa butter and immediately adding the other oils and stirring them together (no chilling). I then put the aquafaba, salt and miso paste in the bottom of a narrow container and carefully poured all of the oil mixture on top (NB: It's important to select a container that is a snug fit for the head of your stick blender). Placing the stick blender on the bottom of the container I turned it on full power, blitzed for about 30 seconds and then very very slowly drew the stick blender up through the oil layer. The whole process took about 60 seconds and worked beautifully. My butter is now cooling.Thank you for a wonderful recipe. Quick, delicious and my new 'go-to' vegan butter.I took photos but can't see an option to add them.
Mary says
I used the original Nina's butter recipe since I live in a cooler place. the pastry was amazing, flaky and crunchy! loved it. on my first try the butter split, so I put the bowl in warm water and used a hand mixer , it worked great and everything mixed again, then I put the bowl into ice water till the butter got the right consistency.
Stefaniw says
Made this puff pastry for a pizza. Delicious! So many compliments!
Question - if you were to make the pastry ahead of time. How long could it sit in the fridge or freezer? Trying to make my life easier on Christmas!
Oscar says
Followed the recipe exactly. The resulting "pastry" ended up resembling cat vomit. No structure, oily and disgusting. Would not recommend wasting your ingredients on this mess.
Nicole says
This recipe has been the top vegan puff pastry recipe on the internet for over a decade. Literally thousands of people have made it. So it's pretty safe to say that you did not, in fact, follow the recipe exactly. You messed it up. Try again. Read more carefully.