Vegetarian & Vegan Pie Crusts for Historical Recipes: A Practical Guide
Whether you're preparing a Lenten feast, accommodating modern dietary restrictions, or simply looking for a period-adjacent alternative to lard and suet, this guide offers reliable crust options for historical pies and tarts. While medieval and early modern sources often rely on animal fat for pastry coffins, cooks would have adapted as needed—especially on no-flesh days. These vegetarian and vegan-friendly options draw inspiration from that adaptability while meeting modern expectations for taste, texture, and practicality.
🕯️ Pastry in Period: What the Sources Say
In medieval and Renaissance cookery, the pie crust—often referred to as a "coffin"—served multiple roles: cooking vessel, storage container, and edible wrapping. Crusts could be thick and structural (especially for meat pies), or more refined and flaky for sweet dishes and subtlety presentations.
While many crusts were made using lard, suet, or animal drippings, there are examples of simpler pastes using oil, butter, or no fat at all—especially in dishes served during Lent or on Fridays, when meat (and by extension, animal products) was restricted. Butter-based pastes are more common in late period and early printed cookbooks, such as Robert May’s The Accomplisht Cook (1660).
Unfortunately, few cookbooks from the SCA period (pre-1600) offer detailed pastry ratios. Recipes tend to say things like “make paste of fine flour and water” or “take butter and yolks to make a tender crust.” This vagueness gives us flexibility—but also calls for informed interpretation.
🥧 Option 1: Ovo-Lacto Vegetarian Pie Paste
Suitable for late period recipes, meatless feasts, and sweet or savory pies.
Ingredients:
2½ cups flour (unbleached all-purpose or a blend with spelt for a nuttier flavor)
½ tsp salt
½ cup cold butter, cut into cubes
¼–½ cup cold water
Optional: 1 tsp cider vinegar or rosewater/orange flower water for structure and aroma
Method:
Mix flour and salt in a bowl.
Cut in cold butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
Slowly add water (and optional flavoring) until dough comes together.
Chill for 30 minutes before rolling out.
Notes:
This crust bakes to a tender, slightly flaky finish.
Ideal for fruit pies, herb tarts, and vegetarian coffins.
Can be egg-enriched (common in late Tudor and early Stuart crusts).
🌱 Option 2: Vegan-Friendly Oil-Based Crust
Inspired by fasting-day pastes and Mediterranean-style doughs.
Ingredients:
Method:
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.
Add oil and stir until evenly coated.
Gradually add water until the dough just comes together.
Form into a ball, wrap, and chill before use.
Notes:
Produces a firm, short pastry—excellent for hand pies or savory coffins.
Less flaky than butter crusts but still satisfying and historically plausible.
Can be flavored with herbs, wine, or citrus zest.
🧾 When to Use These Crusts
Use these pastry options when:
You’re serving a Friday or Lenten menu
Cooking for vegetarians or vegans at an SCA event
Making fruit pies, greens tarts, or dairy-based fillings without meat
Looking for a make-ahead crust that holds well at room temperature
These crusts are particularly well-suited to dishes like:
🧁 Sample Recipes & Pairings
These crusts work beautifully in a wide range of dishes. Here are a few examples where you can put them to delicious use:
🏺 Period-Inspired Flavor Variations
If you'd like to add a little extra flair that feels appropriate to the time:
Use orange flower water or rosewater in place of some water
Blend in a little ground almond for richer pastes
Sprinkle the crust with sugar and cinnamon for fruit pies
Add saffron-infused water for a golden hue
