Before you begin, make sure your vegan shortening or vegan butter is cold. You can even cut it into small cubes and place it in the freezer for a few minutes. Also, ensure your water is ice-cold. Add ice to your water and allow it to cool down for 5-10 minutes before using.

In a mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, salt, and sugar (if using). Whisk these dry ingredients together thoroughly.

Add the cold vegan butter or shortening to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry cutter or two forks to blend it into the flour mixture. Continue until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You should have small pea-sized pieces of fat throughout the dough.

Gradually add the ice-cold water to the mixture. Start with about 2 tablespoons of water and mix gently. Add more water, a tablespoon at a time, until the dough begins to come together. Be careful not to overwork the dough; it should be just moist enough to hold together.

Turn the dough out onto a clean, floured surface. Gently knead it a few times until it comes together into a ball. Flatten it into a disc shape.

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least 10-20 minutes. Chilling the dough allows the fats to solidify again, making the crust flaky.

After chilling, remove the dough from the refrigerator. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle slightly larger than your pie pan (about 12 inches in diameter). Roll out from the center, rotating the dough a quarter turn after every few rolls to prevent stretching the dough too much in one direction. Specks of butter in the pie dough are expected and help to make the flaky layers.

Carefully lift the rolled-out dough and place it into your pie pan. Gently press it into the bottom and sides of the pan, trimming any excess dough hanging over the edge. You can flute or crimp the edges of the crust with your fingers or a fork as desired to create a finished look.

Place the shaped pie crust in the refrigerator for another 10-20 minutes before baking. This allows the dough to rest which helps prevent shrinkage during baking.

Prebake (Optional): Depending on your pie recipe, you may need to prebake the crust. If your pie recipe requires a prebaked crust, prick the bottom and sides of the crust with a fork then line it with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights, rice, or dried beans. Bake it in a preheated oven at 375°F for about 14-15 minutes for partially baked crust. If your recipe calls for a fully baked crust, carefully remove the aluminum foil and pie weights and return the pie crust to the oven to allow the bottom of the crust to cook for another 14-15 minutes. For a no-bake pie filling, allow the crust to cool to room temperature before adding your filling.