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This easy Pie Crust recipe is made with only 4 pantry ingredients and takes 20 minutes to prep! It's flaky, buttery, and elevates every single pie! You'll never buy store-bought pie crust again!
Homemade pie crust always tastes better! Make sure to try Graham Cracker Pie Crust and Oreo Pie Crust.
Anyone can master our easy homemade pie crust!
If you're taking the time to make any sort of pie, you really owe it to yourself to pair it with a homemade crust. Store-bought crusts are bland, dry, and overcook quickly for many baked pies (like apple pie or pumpkin pie), plus it's so EASY to make homemade pie dough. The taste is incomparable. My secret is using both butter and shortening, since they have different melting points. The shortening provides stability and tenderness while the butter gives it the yummy buttery flavor we want.
This recipe makes enough for 2 crusts , in case you need a top and bottom crust. You can freeze the second crust for months, if not using it right away.
How to make Pie Crust:
Combine: Whisk flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut the cold shortening into small pieces, grate the frozen butter into the bowl. Use a pastry blender or forks to cut the fats into the flour until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
Add Water: Add a Tablespoon of ice water at a time, mixing it in until the dough starts to come together in a ball. You might not need all of it. Form into a ball then divide in half and shape each half into a flattened disc. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. The disc can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Refrigeration is mandatory as you need the fats in the pie dough to be cold when it enters the oven, to yield tender, flakey layers.
Roll Out Pie Crust: Roll out crust on a lightly floured countertop. Or, if you're new to pie making, you could dampen a thin hand towel and lay it on the countertop. Place a large piece of parchment paper over it. (The towel will help keep the parchment paper in place while you roll out the dough, and you can use the parchment paper to easily flip the crust into your pie dish). Lightly dust with flour, then roll out cold pie dough into a large circle.Start at the center and work outwards, it should be thin and at least 1-2 inches larger than your pie plate.
Transfer to Dish: Carefully lift the crust by placing a hand underneath the parchment paper. Gently flip the crust, guiding it into the pie pan. Guide the crust into the bottom and sides of the pan, then carefully peel off parchment paper. Use kitchen scissors to trim excess overhanging crust, so that 1 inch hangs over the edges. Fold the crust behind the outer edges to create a thicker border around the pie, then crimp or flute the edges, if desired.
For Pies requiring an unbaked pie crust (like pumpkin, apple, or even chicken pot pie): Fill the unbaked crust with pie filling and Bake according to recipe instructions.
For Pies requiring a Baked Pie Crust (like lemon cream, german chocolate or coconut cream), pre-bake this flaky pie crust, called blind baking. To blind bake a pie crust, you need pie weights, or use dry beans or dry rice. (Without pie weights the crust will shrink into the pan as it bakes). Place a large piece of parchment paper inside the homemade pie shell then pour the pie weights, dry beans, or rice into an even layer on top. Bake at 375° F for 15-20 minutes. Remove pie weights by carefully lifting up on parchment paper. Prick the bottom of the pie crust with a fork, then return to oven for 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden.
Freezing Instructions:
To Freeze Pie Dough: Wrap the pie dough discs tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the refrigerator before rolling out.
To Freeze Blind-Baked Pie Crust: Allow the crust to cool completely, then cover well with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw completely at room temperature before filling.
Use Pie Crust for:
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Apple Pie
- Cherry Pie
- Blueberry Pie
- Pecan Pie
- Pumpkin Pie
- Lemon Cream Pie
- Chess Pie
- Quiche Lorraine, Spinach and Bacon Quiche, Broccoli Cheese Quiche
- Savory Pies: Tomato Pie, Chicken Pot Pie, or Garden Vegetable Pie
Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup vegetable shortening, , chilled
- 1/2 cup ice water
Instructions
- Mix flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add ice cubes to a measuring cup and fill with ½ cup cold water. Set aside.
- Add fats: Grate frozen butter into the bowl, or cut it into very small pieces. Add chilled shortening and use a pastry blender or fork to cut the fats into the flour until well combined and resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add ice water a spoonful at a time, mixing until the dough begins to come together into a ball. Be careful not to over mix, and you may not need all of the water. Gently mold the dough into a ball.
- Divide dough into 2 pieces and press each to flatten into a disk.
- Refrigerate: Cover dough discs with plastic wrap and refrigerate the dough for 2 hours (or freeze for 30 minutes). Refrigeration is mandatory as you need the fats in the pie dough to be cold when it's rolled out and placed in oven).
- Roll out dough on a floured countertop. If you're new to pie making, it may be helpful to use this method: dampen a large cloth and lay it flat on your countertop, with a large piece of parchment paper over it (the damp towel will keep the parchment from moving). Lightly flour the parchment and dough and roll the dough into a large circle, about 1-inch larger then the diameter of your pie dish. Always start at the center of the crust, and roll outwards.
- Place in pie pan: Gently turn the dough into your pie dish and remove the parchment paper. Settle it smoothly into the bottom and sides of the pan. Trim and crimp the edges of the crust.
- For Pies requiring an unbaked pie crust (like pumpkin, apple, or even chicken pot pie): Fill the unbaked crust with pie filling and bake according to pie recipe instructions.
- For a blind Baked Pie Crust (pre-baked crust) you need pie weights, dry beans or dry rice. (Without pie weights the crust will shrink into the pan as it bakes). Place a large piece of parchment paper over the unbaked crust and add pie weights, (or 1-2 cups dry beans, or dry rice) on top. Bake at 375° F for 15-20 minutes. Remove pie weights by carefully lifting up on parchment paper. Prick the bottom of the pie crust with a fork, then return to oven for 10-15 minutes, until lightly golden. Allow crust to cool before adding filling.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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UPDATED November 2016, March 2018 and November 2022 and October 2024.
I use this recipe every time I make a pot pie or dessert and it has never failed me. If you are looking for a good crust recipe, this is the best imo. Flakey, tastes absolutely stellar.
I have tried this recipe for the first time and it turned out great. I will always use this one. Flakey, delicious. My pot pie was so good.
I only substituted gluten free flour and it was like sand. It never cooked, and I had the pie in the oven for 1 hour & 45 minutes.
Hi Dee,
Gluten free flour is not a good substitution for this recipe. Here’s a gluten free pie crust that might turn out better for you.
I used this pie crust recipe to make my pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving Year and they came out so good!! Thank you for this easy, perfect pie crust recipe!
I’m about to use your recipe now with some alterations for dairy intolerance and fridge-hardened oil in place of shortening–people need to remember that hardened oils that come that way, like Crisco, are hydrogenated oils which can literally kill you, if your body is short on omega oils needed for every cell in the body, which get replaced by hydrogenated oils. This causes cell death by repelling oxygen.
Anyway, off to use your recipe with adaptations.
I have quite a large pie dish (10 inches, 8 on the bottom). Do you think this recipe would work with that size? Or should I make some extra? Thank you so much! Can’t wait to make this! (Making the triple berry pie for thanksgiving tomorrow!) 🙂
If you do a lattice crust on top I do think it will work 🙂 Enjoy!
All I have is salted butter..could I use it instead of unsalted ?
Yes of course, just cut down a little on the amount of extra salt you would add.
Lauren, do you think I could do this in the food processor? I have carpal tunnel and pie crust is hard when I have to use the pastry cutter. It looks easy enough and I may give this a try. Thanks for the video — it always helps and I hate myself but when I see a video, I’m more than likely going to try that recipe because I know I should be able to accomplish the goal of a great pie crust!
Yss, that would work well (just don’t over-mix it)! Hope it turns out great 🙂
Hi Lauren,
This is a first time recipe for me to use. I have never been a great pie baker but want to try and make a home made crust. How long would I bake a cherry pie using this recipe for crust?
Thanks for your help,
MaryAnne
Hi MaryAnne, that really depends on your recipe for cherry pie. Are you using store-bought or canned filling? Is the filling made from scratch? Use this unbaked pie crust for your crust and then follow your cherry pie recipe instructions for baking.
I would like to use this crust for my peach cobbler. Any suggestions. I want to use it as strips, you know the lace look. I need to make three layer of crust. Will this one batch be enough or do I need to double it?
Hi Brudy, I’ve never used a pie crust with my peach cobbler so I couldn’t say for sure, but this recipe should be plenty big enough, depending on what size of pan you use. (My peach cobbler recipe is here and has it’s own type of crust made from a batter: https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/peach-cobbler/ )
I did your recipe for perfect pie crust, it rolled well but when I tried to put it in the pie dish I couldn’t lift it up it cracked – could it be too much water – I used the 1/2 cup – thanks
wow thanks for all these nice recipe I’ll try them