Homemade Flaky Pie Crust

Learn how to make Flaky Pie Crust with this easy, step-by-step guide. It’s tender, flaky, and perfect for using with all of your favorite pie fillings. Below you will find instructions, tips, tricks, advice, and our answers to your most frequently asked pie crust questions.

If you’re looking for more of the best pie recipes, you can try this classic Apple Pie, Cherry Pie, Butterscotch Coconut Pie, or this delicious Caramel Pecan Pie.

The Best Flaky Pie Crust Recipe

This guide will teach you how to make perfect flaky pie crust in no time, even if you have never made a pie in your life. Nothing beats a homemade pie crust; luckily, the ingredients you need are flour, salt, Crisco (or butter), and water. With a few simple steps and a little practice, you’ll be a pro before you know it.

Use this recipe for all of your favorite pies, tarts, quiche, pizza roll-ups, homemade pop tarts, and oh so much more.  Give it a try and be sure to let us know what you think.

Ingredients You Will Need

• Flour – we like to use regular unbleached all-purpose flour for this pie dough recipe.
• Salt – use your favorite finely ground salt.
• Crisco – Crisco works great because it won’t melt as quickly during the mixing process.  You can also substitute an equal amount of super cold butter.  The best way to do it is cut your butter into small cubes then toss into the fridge or freezer until it is incredibly cold again.
• Water – you want your water to be as cold as possible.  Often times, we will add an ice cube or two to make ice water, adding almost all of it to the dough, then adding bit by bit as necessary until all of the flour is moistened (but not wet).

How to Make Flaky Pie Crust

1. Mix the dough.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the four and salt.  Add the Crisco (or cold butter) and use your fingers or a pastry cutter to combine.  Once the mixture resembles coarse meal, make a well in the center and add the cold water.  Carefully bring the flour mixture from the sides of the bowl into the center with the water and gently mix until combined and the flour is all moistened.  Do not overmix or knead!
2. Chill.  Form the dough into a flat disc and wrap in plastic. Let the dough rest in the cooler for about 30 minutes – 1 hour. Note: if you don’t have time, don’t worry about chilling the dough.  It’s a good practice, but not 100% necessary with this recipe.
3. Roll out the dough.  Once the dough has rested, remove from the plastic wrap and transfer to a lightly floured surface.  Use a rolling pin, start in the middle of the dough and roll outwards to make a circle.  Roll into an evenly thick, round, circle large enough for the dough to hang over your pie pan at least 1/2″. 
4. Line the pie plate.  Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to a 9″ pie plate.  Cut the excess dough off leaving a 1/2″ dough to hang over the side of the pie plate.  Tuck the dough under to create a smooth edge, then use your fingers to crimp the dough into a decorative design and set aside.
5. Finish.  Fill and bake your pie as directed.

How to Blind Bake Pie Crust

There are some times when a pie recipe will call for blind baking your pie crust.  Blind baking is when you parbake the pie crust without the filling and is generally recommended for pies with very juicy fillings or pies where the filling is apt to bake up more quickly than the crust. Some common pies that often call for blind baking are pumpkin pie, fruit pies (like apple pie) and other custard pies.

In order to blind bake, all you need is some aluminum foil or parchment paper and something to weigh down your pastry (the most inexpensive things to use are dry beans or rice).  Here’s what you need to do:

1. Make your pie dough, line the pie plate and chill for at least 10 minutes in the freezer.
2. Add pie weights. Cut a piece of foil or parchment paper into a circle that is slightly larger than your pie plate, then carefully press it down into the chilled and formed pie shell, making sure to press it into the edges and corners. Fill the lined shell with your pie weights, beans, or rice.
3. Bake in a preheated 425 degree oven just until the edges start to turn golden, or about 15 minutes.
4. Remove pie weights. Remove the pie crust from the oven and carefully lift out the foil or parchment with the pie weights.
5. Bake again. Put the pie crust back into the oven for another 5-8 minutes, or until the bottom of the crust no longer looks wet.
6. Cool. Remove from the oven, cool, and finish the pie as directed.

Tips and Tricks

• Keep your ingredients cold.  One of the keys to flaky pie crust is making sure that your fat (i.e. Crisco or butter) doesn’t melt as you mix it.  You want those little pockets of fat because as they heat and the water evaporates, you end up with flakey crust.  If your fat melts into the crust, it’s going to be tough.
• Do not overmix the dough.  The best way to get a tough, hard pie crust is to overmix.  Not only are you potentially melting the fat but you are creating more gluten as you work the dough.
• If you have the time, chill your pie dough before rolling it out.  This not only chills the fat back down, it also relaxes the gluten and helps to keep your dough tender and flaky.
• Roll your dough to about ¼” thickness, or slightly thinner.  Any thicker and the bottom just is not going to bake.
• There’s no need to grease your pie plate.  The dough has plenty of fat in it to ensure that it will not stick.
• Keep all of the rolled pie dough scraps that you trim off, then use cookie cutters and add cute shapes to decorate the edges of your pie.

Frequently Asked Questions

More of the Best Pie Recipes

• Pumpkin Pie
• Butterscotch Coconut Cream Pie
• Coconut Cream Pie
• Cherry Pie
• Caramel Pecan Pie
• Blackberry Pie
• Vegetable Quiche
• Bacon and Asparagus Quiche
• Spinach and Feta Quiche
• More Pie Recipes
• More Easy Dessert Recipes

This easy step-by-step guide will have you making the perfect Flaky Crust in no time. Use this recipe to make any of your favorite pies, tarts, quiche and more.