Pie Crust Recipe

My basic pie crust recipe that I have been using for years. This is the best pie crust recipe that is flavorful and flaky – just like a pie crust should be!

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Perfect for the holiday season and beyond, look no further if you want to make the best pie. From Lemon Meringue to Pecan, this pie crust recipe will get you rave reviews!

If you know me, you’ll know that when asked what my favorite dessert is, the answer will either be donuts or pie. I could seriously live on both of them.

I guess that could be why Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. Especially since I have a family that is equally excited about pie as I am.

If you’re going to be a pie lover, you need the perfect pie crust. I get that sometimes you need a cheat and use a store bought crust, but a homemade crust will make the finished pie so much better.

I have tried so many different pie crust recipes, it’s ridiculous. But every single time, I come back to this recipe. It’s basically a family recipe, a version used by my grandma, then my mom, and now me. I have changed it up a little bit after finding what works best for me.

Pie crust tends to be intimidating to people, but the actual process is quite simple. It may take some practice to make it pretty (a skill I am still working on to this day) but making the crust is usually as simple as mixing ingredients together.

I’ve got a lot of photos and explanations below to help you make the perfect pie crust. If you just want the recipe, feel free to hit the Jump to Recipe button at the top or scroll down to the bottom for the recipe card!

Ingredients

Flour: I use all-purpose flour.

Salt: This helps to flavor the dough.

Sugar: You only need a dash of sugar. If I’m making a savory pie, like Chicken Pot Pie, I will only use a pinch. If I’m making a sweet pie, I’ll add a little bit more. It doesn’t have to be exact.

Vegetable Shortening: I like the mixture of shortening and butter. It’s best if all of your ingredients are cold, so if you remember to prepare ahead of time, stick this in the freezer for about 10 minutes before you need it.

Butter: I like to use unsalted butter. If you use salted, just leave the salt out of the recipe. And again, you’ll want to make sure the butter is cold. I like to cut it into pieces and then stick it in the freezer or refrigerator until I’m ready to use it.

Egg: A lot of pie dough recipes don’t include the egg, but I like the richness that it brings.

Water: Cold water is best. My mom would always put ice in her water to keep it very cold.

Vinegar: You don’t want flavored vinegar for this – just plain, distilled vinegar.

How to Make Homemade Pie Crust

1: Start by mixing together the flour, salt and sugar.

2: Add in the shortening and the butter. I like to use both – the butter brings great flavor, while the shortening gives it the texture that we all love. You want your ingredients to be cold.

3: Use a pastry cutter to cut the fat into the flour. You are going to do this until the butter and shortening looks like small pea sized pieces that are all coated in the flour.

4: Once the fat has been cut in, add a lightly beaten egg, water and vinegar.

5: Stir this together. The dough should hold together, but should not be extra sticky. If you need to add a bit more flour or a bit more water at this point, feel free to do so.

6: Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes, but preferably overnight.

That’s it! Proceed with your pie as stated in your recipe. If you need to blind bake the crust, follow the directions below.

How to Roll Out Pie Crust

There are 2 methods that I use to roll out my pie dough. The first is simply on a floured counter, and the second is with waxed paper or parchment paper. When I first started making pies, I always used the second method, because I find that it’s easier for beginners, plus you can roll the crust pretty thin. You also don’t have to add any extra flour.

Basic version:

1. Start by generously flouring your counter. Unwrap the pie dough and dust it with flour, as well.
2. Using a rolling pin, start flattening the dough, adding more flour as needed so that it doesn’t stick.
3. Use a bench scraper to keep the dough from sticking to the surface, adding more flour underneath, if needed. Rotate the pie crust to keep it in an even circle.
4. Continue to roll the dough out until you have a circle bigger than your pie dish.
5. Use your bench scraper to fold the dough in half, making sure that there is enough flour dusted on the outside of the crust to ensure it doesn’t stick to itself.
6. Fold the dough in half again, forming a triangle.
7. Transfer the dough to your pie dish.
8. Gently unfold the dough. Cut any edges, if needed, and flute the edges.

Using waxed paper:

1. Take one sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper and place the unwrapped disc of pie dough in the center.
2. Place another sheet of waxed paper or parchment paper on top.
3. Use a rolling pin and start rolling the dough into a flat circle, keeping it between the two sheets of paper.
4. Rotate, as needed, to keep the dough in a circle.
5. Once the dough is larger than your pie plate, carefully peel back the top piece of paper and discard.
6. Lightly flour the dough, so that it won’t stick to itself when you fold the dough.
7. As above, fold the dough in half.
8. Fold in half again, to form a triangle, and transfer to your pie dish.

How to Blind Bake Pie Crust

Blind baking basically just means you are baking the crust completely without filling in it. It’s quite simple and perfect for when you are making a pie that will not be baked (such as this Chocolate Cream Pie). Here is how you do it:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
2. Once your dough is in the pie dish, flute the edges. I think this is easiest using my knuckle on one hand and my thumb and pointer finger on the other hand to pinch.
3. Pierce generously with a fork.
4. Line the pie crust with parchment paper.
5. Fill with pie weights or dried beans, about half to 2/3 full.
6. Bake for 20 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the paper and weights.
8. Return the crust to the oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you put vinegar in a pie crust?

Don’t let the vinegar throw you off! The vinegar will not flavor your pie dough, but it will help to keep your pie dough tender. Overworking the dough will give you a tough crust. And you still want to make sure you aren’t overworking the dough. But that vinegar will help give you that tender pie crust that everyone wants.

Why do you use half shortening and half butter? Can I use all butter or all shortening?

My grandma and mom’s recipe uses all shortening, which is what I grew up on. You can use all shortening, and I feel like the pie holds together better, is nice and flaky, and doesn’t shrink when you use all shortening. But the flavor is more bland. I don’t like to use all butter because not only is the crust more finicky, but the butter flavor can be overwhelming. So I’ve gone to a half and half approach, which I love and have had really great luck with. You can use all shortening or all butter, but the results won’t be the same.

I only need 1 pie crust, can I halve this?

This is a hard recipe to cut in half because you are using an egg. If you only need one crust, wrap the other tightly and store it in the freezer until you are ready to use it.

Can this recipe be doubled?

I don’t recommend doubling the recipe. Instead, just make the recipe twice. If you double it, you are more likely to overwork the dough, which will give you a tough pie crust.

Can I make it ahead of time?

Trying to get ahead for the holidays? The crusts can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can freeze it for up to 3 months. If you freeze it, place it in the refrigerator to thaw – do not thaw at room temperature.

My Favorite Pie Recipes

Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Coconut Meringue
Coconut Cream Pie
Sour Cream Apple Pie
Banana Cream Pie
Lemon Chess Pie

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Pie Crust Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Refrigeration Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings: 2 pie crusts, 16 servings

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Print Pin SaveSaved!

My basic pie crust recipe that I have been using for years. This is the best pie crust recipe that is flavorful and flaky – just like a pie crust should be!

1x2x3x

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ dash of sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• ▢ 1/2 cup cold butter
• ▢ 1 egg
• ▢ 1/4 cup water
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vinegar

Instructions

• Whisk together the flour, salt and sugar in a medium bowl. With a pastry cutter, cut the shortening and butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea sized pieces of butter.
• Lightly beat the egg, then add it to the water and vinegar. Add the water to the dry ingredients and mix just until the dough comes together. Divide in half, then form into 2 discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 30 minutes.
• Once chilled, remove one disc at a time and roll out into a 12-inch circle. (I like to do this between 2 sheets of waxed paper so that I don’t have to flour the work surface.) Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie dish. Trim the edges and crimp. Poke the bottom of the pie crust with a fork several times.
• For a fully baked crust: Preheat oven to 350F. Line the pie crust with parchment paper. Fill with pie weights or dried beans, about half to 2/3 full. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the paper and weights. Return the crust to the oven and bake an additional 10 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe Notes:

*This recipe makes 2 crusts, but is hard to half since it only calls for one egg. If not using both crusts, you can freeze the second crust until needed.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/16 of recipe, Calories: 180kcal (9%), Carbohydrates: 14g (5%), Protein: 2g (4%), Fat: 12g (18%), Saturated Fat: 5g (31%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 27mg (9%), Sodium: 151mg (7%), Fiber: 1g (4%)

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