Homemade Pie Crust Recipe
An easy tutorial on how to make your own homemade pie crust! This recipe uses just a few simple ingredients and turns out perfect every single time. This post also includes several different ways that you can use this pie crust recipe!
Making your own pie crust should never be intimidating. In fact, if you have a good recipe and instructions it’s actually pretty easy.
If you’ve been following me for a while you’ve probably seen this pie crust recipe at some point. But today I wanted to share this simple recipe with you again because it’s one that I use all of the time! You’ll absolutely love this recipe because it’s:
- Super flaky
- Ridiculously easy to make
- Uses simple pantry staples you likely have on hand
- Tastes better than anything that you can buy at the store
Trust me when I say that you’ll never go back to buying store-bought pie crust again once you learn how to make your own!
Recipe Ingredients
To make this easy pie crust recipe you’ll need some all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, unsalted butter, shortening, and ice water. Each of these ingredients plays a crucial role in creating a delicious pie crust, so let’s break them down.
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour when making this homemade pie crust because it creates the perfect crust. One important thing here, make sure to measure your flour correctly. Too much flour in your pie crust can take your crust from flaky and tender to dry and crumbly. Here’s my post about how to measure flour with the spoon and level method. Or even better, use a food scale to measure your flour! You’ll need 315 grams of all-purpose flour for this recipe.
- Salt & Sugar: The salt and sugar help to enhance the flavor of the pie crust. Salt is a very important ingredient when it comes to making your own homemade pie crust, so don’t leave it out or cut the amount down. As far as the sugar, you can leave it out if you prefer.
- Fat: Some pie crust recipes call for all butter, a combination of butter and shortening, oil, etc. For this recipe, I use a combination of cold butter and cold vegetable shortening. The butter gives your pie crust a delicious buttery flavor and the shortening gives the crust structure and keeps it tender.
- One important thing – Make sure your butter and shortening are cold. Not soft, not warm, I’m talking straight from the refrigerator right before you add it to the flour mixture. Why? When you put the pie crust in the oven, you want little bits of cold fat in the crust. The little bits of fat will melt as the crust bakes and create little air pockets, which is what gives you a beautiful flaky crust.
- Ice Water: You’ll also need some ice water to help bring the dough together. Measure out some water, add some ice to it, and stir it around so it’s nice and cold. Then measure out the exact amount of ice water the recipe calls for and add it one tablespoon at a time. Too much water in your pie dough and you’ll end up with a sticky mess, too little water and you’ll end up with a crumbly dough that won’t hold together. I suggest gently mixing in one tablespoon of ice water at a time.
How To Make A Pie Crust
To start, you’ll whisk together the all-purpose flour, salt, and sugar. Then add the cold cubed butter and cold vegetable shortening and cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter. If you don’t have a pastry cutter you can also use a fork to cut the fat into the flour mixture.
If you want to make this step even easier, feel free to use a food processor. If you do use a food processor, I recommend just pulsing the mixture. You want to see pea-sized pieces of fat, but a few larger pieces are fine too.
Next, you’ll slowly mix in your ice water. One tablespoon at a time is the perfect amount, so you don’t end up with too much water in your dough and a sticky mess. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of ice water, but you may not need the full amount. Just use enough ice water to get the dough to come together.
Once you add enough water, the mixture will start to look like the picture above and when you squeeze it in your hand it will hold together. Just try not to use your hands too much when making the dough because your hands are warm and can quickly melt the fat in your dough.
Once the dough comes together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pack it into a ball. Cut the dough in half and flatten it out into two discs. Wrap each disc of dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate them for at least one hour. You may also store these in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If it’s too hard to roll, just let it sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.
Once you’re ready to roll out your dough, lightly flour your surface and rolling pin. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place it on the lightly floured surface. Using your rolling pin, apply even pressure and gently roll it from the center out, turning the dough about a quarter turn after a few rolls. Make sure to lift your dough and flour your surface and the top of the dough as needed to prevent it from sticking.
It’s best to roll the dough out to about 12 inches in diameter. I suggest using a ruler to measure the dough and make sure it’s the right size. This is the perfect size for a 9-inch pie plate, so you have a little overhang and have enough dough to decorate the edges. I like to cut off the excess, leaving about 1 inch of overhang. Then, just fold the overhang under and decorate the edges.
FAQ’s
Can I make it without shortening and use just butter in this recipe?
Yes, you can replace the shortening with the same amount of butter. Just keep in mind that this will slightly change the taste and texture of the pie crust.
Can I use salted butter instead of unsalted butter?
If using salted butter, reduce the salt in this recipe from 1 teaspoon to 3/4 teaspoon.
How long do you bake the pie crust?
This will depend on if you’re needing a partially baked crust or a fully-baked crust. I have a full tutorial to show you how to blind bake a pie crust here.
Can I cut this recipe in half?
Yes, absolutely! You may cut the recipe in half to make just one pie crust.
Baking Tips
- When measuring your flour, make sure to use the spoon and level method. Too much flour can lead to a crumbly, dry pie crust.
- Be sure to use cold butter and cold shortening for best results.
- Only add the ice water one tablespoon at a time and stir gently until the mixture starts to come together and you can squeeze it together in your hand.
- Want to make a lattice pie crust topping? You can find my full tutorial for how to make a lattice pie crust here.
Different Ways To Use This Recipe
- Homemade Pumpkin Pie
- Mini Pecan Pies
- Classic Apple Pie
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Mini Apple Pies
- Classic Pecan Pie
Video Tutorial
![A finished pie crust ready to make a pie.](https://i0.wp.com/www.livewellbakeoften.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Pie-Crust-6.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1)
Homemade Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/2 cups (315 grams) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) cold unsalted butter cubed
- 1/2 cup (95 grams) cold vegetable shortening cut into a few pieces
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) ice water
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt until well combined. Add the cold cubed butter and cold vegetable shortening. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut them into the dry ingredients until you have small pea-sized crumbs (some larger pieces are okay).
- Slowly drizzle in one tablespoon of ice water at a time (you may not need the full 1/2 cup) and gently mix it in until the dough starts to come together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pack it into a ball. Cut the dough in half and flatten it into two discs. Cover each one tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- To bake the pie crust: Roll the dough out to 12 inches in diameter, transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate, gently fit it in, trim any excess dough, and decorate the edges. Line the pie dough with parchment paper or foil, making sure to cover the bottom and the sides, then fill with pie weights (dried beans or dry rice work well too!). Bake with the pie weights at 400°F (190°C) for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the parchment paper (or foil) and the pie weights. Prick the bottom of the pie crust with a fork to prevent bubbling and return to the oven. For a partially baked pie crust: Return the crust to the oven and bake for another 5 minutes or until the bottom of the crust looks dry. For a fully baked pie crust: Return to the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.
Notes
Adapted from Better Homes & Garden New Cookbook 15th Edition
hi! I’m keen to try this pastry recipe for your apple pies, How far will the pastry go for 12 mini pies?
Thank you. 🙂
It really depends on the size of your mini pies. For a mini muffin pan, one crust would probably be enough. For a regular muffin pan, you may need about 2 pie crusts (depending on how large you cut them).
Hey Danielle,
About a month ago I pretty much gave a thumbs down to your pie crust recipe. I felt it was too much shortening (I use lard, old fashioned that I am). After going through my baking needs to update for the coming season, I found that the lard was outdated! So, far is far and I gave your crust recipe another try (still using lard, lol) and voila! Excellent! I will be using your recipe but with the lard as I believe it gives the crust an even flakier texture.
No worries, Timothy! Glad to hear that the pie crust turned out well for you this time around!
Timothy, did you replace the shortening with lard, or the butter with lard? I don’t have shortening but do have butter and lard, and am still searching for the perfect pie crust recipe.
Hi, Beth! You can use lard, just keep in mind that it make change the taste of the pie crust. You can also replace the shortening with butter.
I am 67 years old and until using your recipe for homemade pie crust as well as the instructions for blind baking a pie crust, I have been unable to make crust that was flaky and light. I was able to get it right on the first try using your well written directions and your visual tutorial when making a pecan pie this afternoon. I’ve always wanted to be able to make good pies and now believe with practice that I can. I’ve decided to try to make a pie a week this next year to make sure I get plenty of practice. Fresh peach pie is definitely the most difficult for me. You will probably receive lots of questions from me during the 2021 peach season!
Thanks so much for publishing such clear, detailed instructions. Sincerely, Gerry
So glad the post was helpful for you, Gerry! Happy to answer any pie questions you have too!
My crust came out perfectly! Thank you for the great recipe and detailed instruction. I did one full recipe and got 22 mini pie crusts in a regular muffin pan. We also did one recipe substituting all purpose flour with “Cup for Cup” gluten free flour—it also came out perfectly. Next time I may add another tablespoon of water to gluten free, as the rice flour is a little drier. But both came out perfectly and your explanations, science and recipe make me excited to make pies again!!
Hi there! I have a question. For the ice water, do you just want to add ice cold water (while only using the ice to make the water cold), or should you add actual ice into the batter as well? I feel like the obvious answer is “just ice cold water,” but I wanted to make sure before jumping in since I’ve never made any kind of dough from scratch before.
Hi, Kris! You just want to add the cold water, not any of the ice.
Hi I’m new to making pie crust from scratch I’m using this recipe to make hand pies I wanted to ask if this recipe makes 4 pie crusts or would I have to double the recipe?
This recipe will make 2 regular pie crusts. If you’re needing 4, I would double it.
Hello and thank you for sharing your recipe for all.
My name is Debbie, I was wondering if this could’ve used for both savoury and sweet pies. Would you be able to use them for hand held pies like a pastor for example.
Thank you once again and take care.
Regards
Debbie
Yes, this works well for both sweet and savory pies! If you’re making it for a savory pie, I would omit the sugar.
Can you omit the salt?
You can reduce it by 1/4 to 1/2 teapsoon, but I wouldn’t recommend omitting it completely.
Found this dough recipe while researching mini apple pies. Looked easy enough, and with the help of my food processor, it truly was! Thank you 🙂
Danielle,
Would you suggest baking this at all before making a lemon meringue or a pumpkin pie? I’ve only ever used the frozen crusts for pumpkin pie, but my brother asked for a lemon meringue this year so I figured I’d go ahead and make the crusts for both.
Thank you!
Hi, Audrey! It depends on the filling that you are adding to the pie crust. If your lemon meringue pie filling is fully cooked first in a saucepan, like my coconut cream pie recipe here, then you will fully bake the pie crust. I do recommend partially baking the pie crust for a pumpkin pie, like my pumpkin pie recipe here. I also have a video in that pumpkin pie post that shows how I roll out and bake the pie crust.
I am just making homemade crust. Can you really put rice in the oven without it burning?
Yes, I’ve tried it and it works fine.
I’m a firm believer that to make a homemade pie you need to make the crust too! I’ve gone through a few recipes and I have to say yours is the best I’ve found!! It’s so easy to make and it comes out perfect every time!! My coworkers thank you too!! I’ve been making so many pies for the holiday seasons!! I’m about to make 6 more tonight! All apple this time but I can’t wait to see them take that first bite!! They always get a smile no matter how many times they’ve eaten my baked goods
Thanks for this recipes. My question is that don’t we need baking powder in this recipe?
No, you don’t need any for this recipe.
I am using this for chicken pot pie! Do I need to bake the crust first then fill with the chicken pot pie ingredients and cook for the pot pie recommended time? This is my first time making pie from scratch 🙂
It will depend on your recipe, but with most chicken pot pies, you don’t typically pre-bake the pie crust.
I just Made this crust and hands down, the BEST crust I have ever made in my 67 years.
THANK YOU!
You never said how much salt, sugar or butter.
The ingredient measurements and instructions are in the recipe card in the post. There’s a jump to recipe button at the top of each post if you’re having trouble finding it.
If you make half of the recipe do you need to cut it in half?
Yes, if you only want one pie crust you can just cut all of the ingredients in half.
I made your dough exactly as your directions said but I cut it out for the baby apple pies you have the recipe for. They turned out fabulous. For years I have been looking for a good pie crust recipe and I finally found one. I have avoided making pies because every recipe I tried turned out too doughy. Thanks for this one. I know you have a recipe for the filling of your pie but I already know how to make that. Thanks again for this great recipe.
Will this be enough to cover the top of a pie and do I have to blind bake before making a cherry pie
Yes, it makes two pie crusts so it’s enough for a bottom and a top pie crust. I don’t personally blind bake my pie crust if I’m making a cherry pie.
Hello, can you fry this dough?
Yes, you can fry it.
It is in the oven now however I don’t have pie weights, rice or beans. I sat a small cake pan on top to hold it down. This is my first attempt EVER making homemade pie crust. I usually use the pre made store bought popular brand however for whatever reason it shrunk completely up. So found this recipe and figured I would try it! Just to be sure I bake it 15 mins with the “weight” and another 10-15 mins without?
The smaller cake pan should work just as good as the pie weights! If you’re wanting a fully baked pie crust, bake for 15 minutes with the weights and 15 to 20 more minutes without them.
So helpful!
Thank you so much your recipe is wonderful
I am go going to try your pumpkin pie for thanksgiving monday like this is will be like st home calgary alberta where all my girls are we live in france (work) but I MISS my family and my friends so here my news friends would be able to eat my favorite recipe thank you
I’ve gone through many pie crust and some require refrigeration DO I have to refrigerate the pie??
Yes, it needs to be refrigerated. If the butter and shortening are not cold enough, the pie crust won’t turn out flaky.
I do not see exact measurements for all ingredients.
Hi, Michele! You can find the full list of ingredients and instructions in the recipe card towards the bottom of the blog post. If you can’t find it, there’s a jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
Beautiful
Hi Danielle, I’m making a cherry pie the filling is cooked on stove top do I cook the pie crust first or put the filling in raw pie crust & bake ?
Thank you, Patti
Hi, Patti! You will need to put the filling in a raw pie crust and bake it. Just make sure the filling has cooled completely first. I have a homemade cherry pie recipe here if you’d like to skip cooking the filling on the stove.
I have a question: I am making an apple pie using an 11” pie pan. Should I double your recipe?
You may need to only increase the recipe by half and divide it into two crusts, but without testing it myself, it’s hard to say.
Anxious to make this pie crust for your pumpkin pie recipe. Do you think refrigerated coconut oil could be substituted for the vegetable shortening?
Thank you.
I haven’t tried it, so I’m not sure. You can replace the shortening with the same amount of butter, I’ve done it several times and never had any issues.
Hi there! I’m going to use your recipe for a pumpkin pie crust. However, I don’t have any shortening. I read your note about substituting butter for the shortening and I’m curious if we use the same amount of grams that are listed for the shortening, or do we use the same amount of grams that are listed for the butter? Thank you kindly for your help and I’m so excited to give this recipe a try!
Hi, Lisa! You will want to use the same amount listed for the butter, 115 grams. So you will need to use a total of 1 cup or 230 grams of butter.
I have a large family. 9” pies are too small. I always make deep dish pies.
Will this recipe be enough for a deep dish apple pie? Or 2 deep dish pumpkin pies?
Thanks
MaryP
How wide and deep are your pie dishes? I’ve used this in 9-inch pie dishes that are 2-inches deep without any issues.
In the process of making this now! Can I bake this crust completely and leave out over night before filling with my pie filling in the morning?
Yes, you can! Once it’s cooled completely, just cover it with plastic wrap.