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!
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
Follow me for more great recipes
Recipe
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
Follow Me
UPDATED November 2016, March 2018 and November 2022 and October 2024.
This post contains affiliate links.
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 am stranded at home with no wax/parchment paper, can I use thin foil instead? And this will be for blind baked crust.
Hi Nikki, foil will likely tear and you don’t want small pieces getting into your crust. I would recommend using your counter top. Just lightly flout the surface before placing the dough on the counter to keep it from sticking!
I like the shortening/butter combo. Makes perfect crust! I roll the chilled dough between two pieces of wax paper without flouring. When completely rolled I peel off the top wax paper layer; lay the bottom layer over the pie pan and gently peel off second layer. I fit the dough in the pan, crimp, trim and bake!
Can I use Lard in place of shortening or Unbleached Organic white all purpose flour? I don’t buy shortening.
Yes. I think it should work.
I have made my first 3 pies ever with this recipe. It’s the bomb. My inlaws think I’m a godamn pastry pie chef. Thanks. I do however wish that you would give me the best temp to bake fresh apple pie at. Thanks
Hahaha, that made my day! Thanks for sharing. For fresh apple pie, I’d suggest baking it at 375 degrees.
Hahaha, that made my day! Thanks for sharing. For fresh apple pie, I’d suggest baking it at 375 degrees.
You can half the crust.
I love this recipe! Our results have been a little inconsistent, however… is there any chance you have measurements by weight for the flour? Thanks again for the awesome recipe!!
It’s been a very long time since I have made my own pie crust…been purchasing it from the store. Was pushed to shoved to make a pie today and no pie shell in the fridge…. Decided to go for it, I will never purchase a pie shell again.. It was perfect
That’s what I love to hear! Thanks so much for sharing!
First time making this recipe and it’s perfect!! I love it. My family and I are obsessed
I made this recipe twice and failed both times. I’m really in no position to rate it. I’m brand new to making crust and relatively new at baking in general. While the crust tasted good , both times it came out so that it would make a ball, but I couldn’t roll it out. It behaved almost like sand. I pressed it into the pie plate, but when it was finished baking it still was like sand. I made a coconut cream pie so I blind baked a single crust. I used the other half of the crust to make mini chocolate cream tarts, and while they were delicious, they exploded into crumbs in your hand when you took off the wrapper. The pie was also delicious, but there was work involved trying to get the sandy crust onto the fork. I did not use much water because it seemed to make a ball after just one or two tablespoons. The water and the fats were ice cold. I confess I used the food processor to mix it all. Could I have overworked it? I was very careful to limit the processing on the second batch. Same result. I have not yet made anything with my second batch, but I formed a sample of it into a thin cookie and baked it to see how it would come out. It’s still like sand. Having little to lose at this point except time, should I try adding a little more water to the dough I have yet to use. Or would that definitely be a waste of time and maybe I should just quit and cut my losses, or maybe try it still again. I hate to walk away from s challenge, but this is becoming my white whale. Do you know what I probably did wrong so if I try again I won’t repeat the same mistake? Btw, I tried following another crust recipe that I found on line and it came out great. So there’s nothing mysterious lurking in my kitchen other than an inexperienced baker.?
It sounds like the dough definitely needed more water. Hope you get to try it again 🙂
You need to do the blending by hand. Food processor blend it too much. And yes definitely add more water. The whole thing about the using fork is to keep the ingredients loose that way when u add water it will not form until ready. Good luck!! And never give up, make it into your own. You can change any recipe I to your own.
Hi I am new at making pie crust and had the same result as you. It all seemed ok until I baked the pies and the crust crumbled. It was only for home so no big deal, but I was going to look for another recipe. Next try I will use more water also.
The taste was worth the crumbled mess.
The best!