Olive Oil Pie Crust (Dairy-free)
This Italian olive oil pie crust is a game changer! It’s a super easy, dairy-free pie crust that’s light and crumbly. It works great for pies, tarts and cookies!
Calling for just 5 simple ingredients, and ready in less than 10 minutes, you can use this olive oil pie crust recipe to make awesome dessert pies, tarts and cookies.
I know it's easier to buy pre-made pastry dough at the supermarket, but believe me, making your own shortcrust pastry is totally life-changing.
It tastes SO MUCH better. Best of all, you know exactly what goes in, and in this naturally dairy-free pie crust recipe, no butter is involved!
This olive oil pie crust recipe follows the traditional Italian recipe for "pastra frolla" (which is Italian sweet shortcrust pastry dough), but swaps the butter for light, aromatic extra-virgin olive oil.
The result? A super light, crumbly and incredibly easy to make sweet shortcrust pastry that's just as delicious -if not even better- as the buttery classic version.
I use it often to make classic Italian jam tart or fruit tart, to make cut out cookies with my kids, and as a base for classic pies such as strawberry rhubarb pie.
Did I mention it comes together just by blending all the ingredients in a food processor? Trust me, it doesn't get easier than this!
Ingredients
The best part about this pie crust with olive oil is that you only need very basic ingredients, which you probably already have in your pantry!
Here are the 5 ingredients you will need:
- Extra-virgin olive oil: I like to use a light, fruity extra-virgin olive oil, but regular olive oil will work just as well.
- Eggs: Opt for medium-sized eggs.
- Sugar: I recommend using powdered sugar for best results, but very fine caster sugar will work just fine.
- Lemon zest: You'll need the zest, so I recommend using an organic lemon, you can also swap it with orange if you like.
- Flour: Use all purpose flour, or Italian 00 flour.
- Baking powder: A bit of baking powder give this pie crust a bit of extra structure.
How to make olive oil pie crust
Making this olive oil pie crust recipe is super easy and quick—just mix, roll and bake -It literally takes no more than 5 min of prep!
First of all, whisk the eggs together with the olive oil, sugar, and lemon zest. You can also combine all the ingredients in a food processor.
Then, slowly incorporate ⅔ of the flour and the baking powder.
Transfer the dough on a working surface, sprinkle it with the remaining flour and knead into a dough.
Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, then you can refrigerate it for 30 minutes, or use it immediately.
Now, you're ready to roll it on a lightly floured surface and bake whatever you like. Pies, cookies, tarts, you name it!
This is a fantastic dairy-free pie crust recipe for all kinds of fruit pies (apple pie, peach pie and so many more!).
And it works like a charm for tarts and cookies too. I've used it before to make this awesome nectarine tart, and to make dairy-free shortbread cookies, and they both came out incredibly delicious.
I truly hope you will give this delicate, Italian dairy-free pastry dough a try.
I promise it will become your go-to substitute for any sweet recipe calling for classic shortcrust pastry!
Baking tips
The secret behind a great olive oil shortcrust pastry is choosing a good quality extra-virgin olive oil.
Choose a light extra-virgin olive oil, not too acidic or fruity, so that it doesn't over-power the delicate flavour of the pastry.
To achieve the perfect melt-in-your-mouth crumbly texture, do not to overwork the pastry.
This will ensure that the crust remains flaky and delicate and doesn’t turn tough after baking.
Alway use eggs at room temperature. Using cold eggs in pastry dough can affect the texture and consistency.
Let the eggs sit on the kitchen counter for about 30 minutes before using them.
Do not add all the flour at once. Gradually incorporate two-thirds of the flour, then sprinkle the remaining flour onto a work surface and knead it into the dough.
Storage tips
To store your homemade pie crust, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or place it in an airtight container.
- Refrigerate: Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: For longer storage, freeze the wrapped dough for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before using.
Did you try this recipe?
Please let me know how you liked it! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #thepetitecook!
Don't forget to subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.
Recipe
Olive Oil Pie Crust (Dairy-free)
Ingredients
- 150 g confectioner sugar
- a pinch of salt
- 90 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium egg
- 1 medium egg yolk
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 280 g all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine the sugar, a pinch of salt, the oil, the whole egg and the yolk, and lemon zest. Stir with a fork, gradually add ⅔ of the flour and the baking powder until the dough begins to form.
- Transfer the dough onto a work surface and continue to add the remaning flour, whilst working the dough with your hands until you have a smooth even dough (you might need a little less than 280 g). Use the dough straight away, or flatten the dough into a thick disc (it will make it easier to roll after), cover with cling film and chill for 30 min.
- Use this dairy-free shortcrust pastry as you would use the traditional one, to make tarts, cookies, or pies.
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I have solve my sticky problem by warming the cases in the oven and the pastry came out of the tins very simply. So please ignore my first comment. I shall continue to use this recipe thank you.
I’ve tried so many olive oil pastries and all have ended up in the bin. After chilling they seem to be very oily and just didn’t work. I tried reducing the oil too but still no luck. Until I came across your great recipe which works beautifully. However, after cooling the pastry cases in their tartlet tins I found they had struck and that is after oiling the tins before hand.
Any tips on non sticking please.
This is so delicious! I used it when I was making a quiche and realised I didn’t have enough butter. I left out to the sugar and lemon and it was divine!
That's a brilliant way to use it!
Hi, is the confectioners sugar = powdered icing sugar (UK) it seems like a lot of sweetness 150g.
Can you use this pastry for savoury pies by omitting the confectioners sugar? Is there anything else that you would change in the recipe for the pastry if using in savoury recipes? Thanks.
Hi Nina, yes, confectioner's sugar is powdered icing sugar. Yes, it seems a lot, but the amounts are correct, and the pastry dough doesn't come out too sweet I promise! I haven't tried the same recipe without sugar to make a savoury dairy-free pastry dough, but if you do, please let me know how it goes!
OMG! This is one of the easiest recipe with the best dough outcome! I actually made this with Cup 4 Cup gluten free flour and it was so good! I made couple of different filling and it was delicious and had a great texture! Thank you!
Hi wanted to try this recipe but didn't know how much yeast to add. The instructions mention yeast but there is no yeast in the ingredients list.
Hi Patsy, there's no yeast in this recipe! You should add baking powder, and the amount is listed in the recipe card at the end of the post :)) I hope you like this super dairy-free pastry dough!
IT has eggs ????? It's not dairy free
Hi Maggie, I don't consider eggs as a dairy product. The definition of dairy refers to milk and any food products made from milk, such as cheese, cream, butter and yogurt. Here's a helpful article: https://www.delish.com/food-news/a21605943/are-eggs-dairy/
I made this for an apple pie...which my eleven turning twelve year old wanted instead of a birthday cake. Also found the mixture was too dry. I mixed it very gently by hand and it it was breadcrumb like - similar to normal pastry after mixing flour and butter, before adding the water or juice. So I dribbled in juice from an orange until it felt right to roll...and it worked perfectly. Better than normal shortcrust pastry........thanks!
Has anyone tried this recipe using wholewheat flour or any other non-white flour? I'm looking for a really nutritious but delicious pastry recipe and this sounds good but not sure how to adapt. Thanks!
Hi Janet! I've recently tried it with wholewheat flour and the dough was a bit on the dry side, very crumbly. I've added an extra egg white and it seemed to work well, so you might want to give it a try!
I wanted to made a dairy free pastry dessert for a friend and came across this recipe. I made this in a food processor and found it was a bit dry and didn't come together well so l added a little water. I refrigerated it for 24 hours then when l went to roll it, it kept crumbling. I managed to press it into the base of a baking dish and the top l basically patched up small pieces till it covered the filling. It didn't look the best but the taste and texture were amazing. So delicious and crumbly in the mouth. Will definitely use this recipe again but will try mixing by hand rather than food processor next time. Thank for sharing.
I can say that I made this recipe by hand and on the counter, but I did have to add quite a bit of hot water to it just a little at a time. When I added too much water I just added a pinch or two of flour until I got to the right texture.
Hi! I tried this recipe yesterday. It may have been because I used gluten free flour, but it was too crumbly for me to roll out to use as a pie crust. However, I ended up just crumbling it all up with my hands and making apple crumble instead, and it was delicious!
Hi Genevieve, thank you so much for your feedback! I'm sorry to hear the dough didn't come out quite right, I've never tried it with rice flour, but I've made this endless times with regular all purpose flour and never failed, so I suspect it's all down to the flour (or maybe you used small eggs?) 🙁 I'm glad to hear that at least it tastes good! Hope you give it another try! Andrea
Hey, did you try again and have better luck? I'm thinking to try it but my flour is glutenfree too. I wonder if adding an extra egg or more oil would help? I find the flour more dry and much heavier in general.
Oh, my gosh, I think this shortcrust pastry looks to die for, however, I am totally loving that rolling pin ! Beautiful!!!
I've never heard of shortcrust pastry made with olive oil before – it sounds so delicious! Perfect for savory tarts + dairy free needs! Yum 🙂
I have never tried making my own pastry, but this looks really simple.
Gotta try this! I also can't get over how absolutely adorable your rolling pin is!
I love ho simple and clean this recipe is. It sounds fantastic!
I am definitely intrigued I hate making pastry but this one does sound lovely.
The dough looks amazing. .suchicken an easy recipe..definitely one I will try
I like this olive oil short crust pastry because worried about butter amount in the recipes,Your roller is beautiful.
Love the idea of using olive oil in place of butter...the dough looks perfect!
Never tried shortcrust pastry with olive oil! It is a great idea! I make a lot of tarts during the cold season!
Olive oil would give amazing flavor to this pastry! It looks and sounds so delicious!
I think this is perfect, I've never tried this. I bet this would make perfect tart crust. I'm excited to try this the next time I am baking.
I feel like olive oil gives such a classy flavor to things. This would be awesome for a fruit filled tart!
This looks SO good! I love it!
I'm with Marlynn ... rolling pin jealousy over here! LOL
The pastry seems easy enough that I could make it ... and I usually buy crusts. sigh. Baker I Am Not. Might be changing my ways ...
Ahah thank you 🙂 Yes, the pastry is super easy, I used to buy pre-made crusts too, but the results you get with homemade crust is a million times better, give it a try!
I have never seen this type of crust before. Seems quite simple and delicious. I will give this one a shot for my next pastry!!
I love the idea of using olive oil as part of a crust. As an Italian I make lots of Italian dishes but didn't make a crust using the olive oil. Wonderful idea. Thank you!!
I love how simple and easy this is. Love the idea of replacing butter with olive oil. SO much more healthier. Can't wait to try.
I love how easy this recipe is, I usually don't make pastry crusts but I will definitely give this one a try.
WOW I love using olive oil in place of butter. I have printed this and will certainly be giving it a try. You are correct, store bought is easier...but does not compare to homemade!!
I love how easy this is - and I LOVE your rolling pin! 🙂 I think I'll have to give this homemade version a shot!
I really like the simplicity of this recipe. Few ingredients, and dairy free, for those with the allergy, or those that may not have any on hand.
To be honest, it is the first time I heard about this type of pastry. It does looks easy to prepare.
Such an easy recipe. I will definitely have to try it. I love your roller, by the way. It's super cute!
Thank you so much! I found that roller at a sunday fair in Rome, it's one of my favorite things in the kitchen 🙂