• About
    • Work With Me โ€“ Individuals
    • Work With Me โ€“ Businesses
    • In The News
    • Privacy Policy, Terms & Disclosure
  • Gluten Free Flour
  • Gluten Free Bread Mix
  • Free GF Bread Making Guide
  • Cookery Classes
    • Gluten Free Christmas Cookery Live Online Lessons โ€“ 2022
    • Gluten Free Christmas (Pre-recorded)
    • 1:1 Gluten Free Cookery Classes
    • How To Make Gluten Free Bread
    • How To Make Healthy Gluten Free Treats
    • Gluten Free Savoury Bakes Online Cooking Course
    • How To Make Gluten Free Puff Pastry โ€“ Video Lesson
  • Recipe Books
    • Gluten Free Christmas Recipes (Downloadable Book)
    • How To Make Gluten Free Pastry โ€“ Recipe E-Book
    • Gluten Free Easter Recipes (Downloadable Book)
    • Simple Gluten Free Breakfast Recipe Book
  • Recipes
    • Gluten Free Recipes
      • Easter
      • Vegan
      • Recipes Using My Flour
      • Breakfast
      • Main Meal
      • Vegetarian
      • Side Dishes
      • Snacks
      • Condiments
      • Desserts
      • Bread
      • Cakes & Bakes
      • Biscuits & Cookies
      • Birthday Cakes
      • Drinks
      • Seasonal
      • Cosmetics/Personal Care
      • Christmas
    • Dairy-free Recipes
    • Egg Free Recipes
    • Soya Free Recipes
    • Nut Free Recipes
    • Refined Sugar Free Recipes
    • Yeast Free Recipes
    • Low FODMAP Recipes
  • Online Courses
    • Gluten Free Diet For Beginners: Free E-Course
    • Say Goodbye To Gluten โ€“ Online Course
  • Shop
  • Blog
    • Health blogs
    • Gluten Free Eating Out
    • Vicki’s favourite things
    • Gluten Free Tips & Support
    • Gluten Free Book Reviews
    • Gluten Free Kids
    • Interviews
  • Podcast
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • 0 items£0.00
The Free From Fairy

The Free From Fairy

Home ยป Free From Recipes ยป Gluten Free & Dairy Free Shortcrust Pastry

21st October 2013 ·

Gluten Free & Dairy Free Shortcrust Pastry

Dairy-free Recipes· Free From Recipes· Gluten Free Recipes· Nut Free Recipes· Recipes Using Free From Fairy Gluten Free Flour· Soya Free Recipes· Sweet Gluten Free Recipes

This recipe for Gluten Free & Dairy Free Shortcrust Pastry can be made sweet or savoury, is made without xanthan gum and can be made vegan too. Once you make it you’ll wonder why you were ever scared of making pastry and I guarantee you’ll never buy it again!

Ball of pastry on a floured white surface with a rolling pin on top ready to be rolled.

This post contains Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Making a great gluten free shortcrust pastry is much easier than you might imagine.

My recipe does not use any unusual ingredients or strange techniques. This free from pastry recipe is also not dry or crumbly like many gluten free options are. I can tell you the secret to perfect gluten free pastry right now…

And it’s…Egg!

Rather than using water to bind the ingredients together as in traditional shortcrust pastry you need an egg for gluten free pastry.

Once you’ve combined the ingredients you may need to add a little flour or water (depending upon the flour blend and fat you use) to get a firm dough.

Don’t worry if you can’t eat egg either, I have a nifty vegan option which works just as well!

A slice of bakewell tart on a plate with 2 raspberries. The triangle slice is pointing towards the back to the gluten free pastry can be seen.

Making Vegan Shortcrust Pastry

Instead of using an egg to bind the ingredients together use a flax egg.

A flax egg is made by combining 1 tbsp ground flax seeds (or linseeds) with 3 tbsp water. After the ingredients have been mixed together they need to be left for around 5 minutes to thicken.

You then have a flax egg that you can use in this recipe to replace the egg, making it suitable for vegans.

If you do use a flax egg rather than a ‘real’ egg then the pastry will be more tricky to work with. I suggest pressing the dough into the dish you want to use rather than rolling out and trying to move it.

Overhead shot of gluten free pastry rolled out into a rectangle on a marble board. A wooden rolling pin is resting on top.

What Flour to Use for Gluten Free Shortcrust Pastry

You can make this pastry using Doves Farm plain flour. However, I highly recommend using my wholegrain, rice free, gluten free flour blend instead.

That’s because rather than being a white, refined flour blend it is a blend of 70% wholegrain flours. The flours I chose have nutritional benefits and are a source of protein and fibre thereby helping to keep you full for longer.

  • Free From Fairy wholegrain gluten free flour
    Gluten Free Flour (Plain)
    £5.25
    Rated 5.00 out of 5 based on 13 customer ratings
    Read more

In fact many of the flours that I chose to include in my flour blend are a source of resistant starch. If you’re not sure why that’s a good thing for your general health, check out this article.

And taking a step back, if you’ve no idea what a gluten free flour blend is and why they’re important for successful baking then read ‘What On Earth Is a Gluten Free Flour Blend‘. It will help you never have a gluten free baking disaster again.

For More Help with Gluten or Dairy Free Pastry Recipes:

  • Gluten free sausage rolls made using the Free From Fairy's gluten free puff pastry recipe
    How To Make Gluten Free Puff Pastry – Video Lesson
    £9.99
    More details & buy
  • How to make gluten free pastry. An ebook by Vicki Montague
    How To Make Gluten Free Pastry – Recipe E-Book
    £5.99
    Add to basket

How to Use Gluten Free Shortcrust Pastry

This recipe makes enough pastry for 1 big tart plus 12 small tarts if rolled thinly.

Like any shortcrust pastry, you can use this gluten free version in any recipe calling for shortcrust pastry. Here are some of my favourites!

  • Raspberry Bakewell Tart
  • Delicious treacle tart recipe that everyone can enjoy
    Gluten Free Vegan Treacle Tart
  • Mediterranean Savoury Tart
  • Gluten-free, Dairy-free Chocolate Tart
  • Decadent Gluten-free Chocolate Slice

Or how about trying a recipe from fellow blogger Rebecca, over at Glutarama. She used my flour to make a delicious looking gluten free and dairy free apple pie.

Gluten & Dairy Free Pastry Tips

  • Make sure you flour your work surface well before rolling the dough out.
  • If you’re making a large tart, line the tin with the pastry, then chill again in the fridge for 20 minutes before baking blind for approx. 10 – 15 minutes at 180 degrees or 160 degree fan.

Save Gluten Free & Dairy Free Shortcrust Pastry for Later

Pinterest graphic showing the pastry rolled out and flour spelling the word pastry on a wooden board with the recipe title in text across the centre.

How to Make Gluten & Dairy Free Pastry Video Tutorial

In my video below I show you just how easy this pastry is to make.

I created the video years ago, well before I’d developed my own flour blend so don’t laugh. It at least shows you how easy it is.

The Recipe in Full

Gluten Free & Dairy Free Shortcrust Pastry

This recipe for Gluten Free & Dairy Free Shortcrust Pastry can be made sweet or savoury, is made without xanthan gum and can be made vegan too. Once you make it you'll wonder why you were ever scared of making pastry and I guarantee you'll never buy it again!
4.58 from 21 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Save to bookmarks View Bookmarks
Prevent your screen from going dark
Prep Time5 mins
Resting time20 mins
Total Time25 mins
Servings 8
Author Vicki Montague – the Free From Fairy

Ingredients
  

  • 200 g Free From Fairy plain gluten-free flour
  • 50 g Trex - solid margarine
  • 50 g dairy-free margarine - or 100g butter if not dairy free
  • 1 egg - or 1 flax egg for the vegan option

Optional for Sweet Pastry

  • 50 g white sugar

Instructions
 

  • Place the flour and margarines into a large bowl and, using a knife or fork, mash the fats into the flour until you have fine breadcrumbs.
  • Add the sugar and mix through if using.
  • Add the egg to the mix and bring together to form a dough. If you need to, add a tiny bit of cold water or additional flour to bring it together into a dough. The flour blend you use along with the fat you use will affect this.
  • Wrap in cling film and chill for 20 minutes before using.

Notes

Makes enough for 1 big tart plus 12 small tarts if rolled thinly.
Nutrition facts are for guidance only.

Nutrition (Approx)

Serving: 1g | Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 39mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 505IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.6mg
Share by Email
Previous Post: « Perfect Gluten Free Dairy Free Scones
Next Post: Raspberry bakewell tart »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ann Donnelly says

    3rd October 2021 at 1:00 pm

    Sounds like fabulous receipes Vicki, my daughter is vegan so I want to bake & cook more nutritious & delicious bakes/food for her & possibly convert to vegan & gluten free cooking/ bakingโค๏ธ

    • Vicki Montague says

      4th October 2021 at 9:48 am

      What a wonderful mum! Give me a shout if you need help with anything ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. Chris says

    17th August 2021 at 1:17 pm

    Hi, for an Apple pie, shall I just double the amount of pastry?

    • Vicki Montague says

      25th August 2021 at 3:46 pm

      Yes if you want a top you’ll need double the amount.

  3. Paulette says

    18th April 2020 at 1:46 am

    Hi, I’ve made the short crust pastry but found it to fall to bit when trying to transfer to my dish ๐Ÿ™ any tips?
    Very short and tasted lovely once cooked ๐Ÿ™‚ easy recipe to follow.

    • Vicki Montague says

      21st April 2020 at 3:18 pm

      Hi Paulette, sorry to hear that. I roll it over my rolling pin and then gently place it in the dish I’m using. Hopefully that helps?

  4. Mandeep says

    28th March 2020 at 6:32 pm

    5 stars
    I made this recipe using the egg free option but used butter. The dough was easy to handle and I was able to roll it out to make individual pasties. It held well when baked and the pastry was really tasty too. A lot nicer than shop bought ones. I will try this again with dairy free margarine and trex (I’ve never used this before) and hope it will be just as good. So thank you so much Vicki for this recipe and your flour mix.

    • Vicki Montague says

      29th March 2020 at 11:46 am

      You’re very welcome ๐Ÿ™‚

  5. Kay says

    6th March 2020 at 10:58 pm

    Confused. This recipe claims to be dairy free yet in the contents you include butter with the comment not dairy free!!!

    • Vicki Montague says

      9th March 2020 at 1:27 pm

      I’m not sure what you mean? The recipe states the dairy free options and says it can also be made with butter?!

  6. Stephen D Adams says

    8th January 2020 at 7:06 pm

    AH! some-one who sounds sane in the Coeliac world. I have already changed from marg/butter when making GF sponges using Vitalite. Would that be O.K when using your dairy-free pastry mix? However, I will use your recipe.

    • Vicki Montague says

      9th January 2020 at 12:55 pm

      Hi Stephen, Vitalite is marg. It will work in making dairy free pastry but it may be rather soft and hard to transfer to your dish. I therefore suggest pressing the pastry into the dish/es you want to use. I use hard margarine because it produces a more robust pastry. Let me know how you get on!

  7. James says

    27th April 2019 at 7:25 pm

    Just made 4 mammoth meat and potato pies with this recipe leaving out the sugar.
    Had to try a bit of the pastry before it gets portioned up and goes in the freezer. Just managed to get my fingers out of the way before my missus brought the meat cleaver down on them.
    Happy days, tastes really good and i’ll be making some apple pies with this recipe and including the sugar when I do, thanks for this, I’m well happy.

    • Vicki Montague says

      30th April 2019 at 12:56 pm

      Oh James. This made me smile a LOT! Thank you so much for leaving such a joyful comment. Enjoy your pies!

  8. Karen Griffith says

    23rd April 2019 at 8:49 am

    Hi, if I was to use hard coconut oil instead of Trex would I need to reduce the amounts or substitute it as it is?

    • Vicki Montague says

      23rd April 2019 at 10:09 am

      Hi Karen, I haven’t used coconut oil and I’m not sure it would work although I’d love to know if you tried it and it did. I would keep the quantities the same. Good luck!

  9. Kelly Dean says

    31st March 2019 at 5:16 am

    Can this recipe be frozen?

    • Vicki Montague says

      2nd April 2019 at 9:30 am

      Hi there Kelly! Yes it can be frozen. Just defrost completely and then rework it. It may be crumbly to start with but it will come back together again as it warms up.

  10. Kim Davison says

    18th January 2019 at 4:00 pm

    5 stars
    I tried this recipe for the first time at Christmas for mince pies. It’s very easy and makes lovely pastry.

    • Vicki Montague says

      20th January 2019 at 9:34 am

      I’m glad you liked it! Thanks so much for letting me know ๐Ÿ™‚

  11. Denyse Buncall says

    23rd November 2017 at 9:36 am

    Can I just use dairy free spread instead of solid margarine

    • Vicki Montague says

      23rd November 2017 at 4:34 pm

      Hi Denyse, in my experience, no…it is too soft so if you are dairy-free I suggest you use the hard margarine. If not then use butter…

  12. Wendy says

    26th December 2016 at 6:27 pm

    Can I use this dough for biscuits?

    • Vicki Montague says

      2nd January 2017 at 8:41 am

      Hi Wendy, you could use this for biscuits if you like biscuits made from pastry. Sprinkled with sugar they would be pretty nice…

  13. Rachael says

    28th November 2016 at 3:04 am

    5 stars
    This recipe was excellent, thank you! I think the key is just to keep everything chilled while you are working the dough.

    • Vicki Montague says

      28th November 2016 at 11:08 am

      Hi Rachael, glad you liked the recipe. I find that gluten-free pastry is more forgiving than ‘normal’ and I don’t worry too much about things.

  14. Rebecca Smith says

    7th September 2016 at 5:47 pm

    Going to give this a go, thinking apple pie?

    • Vicki Montague says

      7th September 2016 at 7:46 pm

      Can’t beat a good apple pie this time of year. Especially with a load of cinnamon!

      • Christine says

        14th November 2020 at 11:32 am

        Looking forward to making this. Thanks

        • Vicki Montague says

          18th November 2020 at 11:21 am

          I’m looking forward to seeing what you bake!

Trackbacks

  1. Mediterranean Savoury Tart - Gluten And Dairy Free says:
    26th November 2014 at 11:57 am

    […] you could easily make my sweet shortcrust pastry recipe (without the sugar!), or you could buy some!ย  I think the DS pastry is really […]

  2. Clementine & Cointreau Mincemeat & A Link-Up - The Free From Fairy says:
    20th November 2014 at 1:00 pm

    […] is a winner in chocolate pastry!ย  Just follow my sweet shortcrust pastry recipe but substitute 20g of flour for 20g of […]

  3. Gluten-free and dairy-free treacle tart - The Free From Fairy says:
    23rd June 2014 at 12:15 pm

    […] can find my sweet short crust pastry recipe by clicking here.ย  And my video showing you how to make it can be found there […]

Primary Sidebar

Vicki Montague, the Free From Fairy

Welcome!

Hi. I'm Vicki Montague, scientist and mum to 'Roo' (15) and 'Sunshine' (13). I'm a freelance recipe developer specialising in 'free from' food and spend many hours in my kitchen experimenting to create exciting healthy recipes that are all gluten-free & mainly dairy-free. In July 2016 I launched the world's first wholegrain, gluten-free and rice-free flour blends. In May 2018 I launched my first online programme to help people adapt to a gluten free life. I can be found at food festivals giving cookery demos and I love nothing more than teaching people how to cook and lead a positive wholesome life. Find out more about my story...

Follow me…

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Footer

"Let food be thy medicine. And let medicine be thy food".

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Roo’s Recipes
  • Shop
  • Vicki Recommends
  • Useful Websites
  • Full Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 ยท Free From Fairy