Homemade Pie Crust with Shortening – it can be the star of your Thanksgiving dinner or a complete disaster! I have the BEST recipe for homemade pie crust you will ever make. I found this one years ago from Cooks Illustrated and it change my fear of making my own pie crust into a love for it. It turns out light and flaky every single time. I make the pie dough days ahead of time, keep it in the refrigerator and roll it out when it is time to bake my pies for holiday dessert.
The Secrets to Flaky Pie Crust
I know there are homemade pie crust purists out there that believe the dough should only be made using real butter. While that may give you a great flavor, only using butter in your crust will result in a pretty dense end result.
You need a pie crust with shortening AND butter. You get the killer flavor from the butter, while the shortening gives you the flaky, individual layers of pastry.
Can you see the individual pieces of butter and shortening in my dough? That’s because I didn’t overwork the dough! Touch it and work it as little as absolutely possible.
Do you see how this dough hasn’t formed into a ball? It is still fairly crumbly and then once it is wrapped in the plastic wrap, I will form it into a disk before putting it in the fridge.
As it rests in the fridge, the glutens relax and the flour absorbs the moisture so it will be perfect by the time you roll it out.
Another key element to the perfect flaky crust is keeping the dough cold. Touch the dough as little as possible and when you do, use your fingertips instead of the palm of your hands which are hotter.
Don’t be afraid to put your assembled pie into the fridge to chill the dough before putting it into the oven. Remember, cold butter and shortening = light and flaky crusts!
Can I Make Pie Crust a Day Ahead of Time?
Not only can you make it a day ahead, you should make it a day ahead…if not two. Allowing the dough to sit, wrapped tightly in the fridge, will allow the flour to absorb the moisture in the dough, let the dough completely relax, and keep the butter and shortening very cold.
For Thanksgiving, I make all my pie crust dough on Monday and pop it in the fridge until Wednesday when I make all my pies. Pies are definitely better on day two so don’t hesitate one bit to make them early.
My favorite use of this amazing pie crust is my authentic Dutch Apple Pie recipe! Makes an appearance year-round at Casa Jones.
Homemade Pie Crust with Shortening & Butter Video
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Print Flaky Homemade Pie Crust with Shortening and Butter
A perfectly light and flaky pie crust recipe from scratch that is easy to handle. If you need a double crusted pie, just make a double recipe! If you don’t have a food processor, this recipe works well using a pastry cutter as well.
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 single pie crust 1x
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 cup shortening, chilled – (stick it in the freezer for 20 minutes)
- 6 Tb unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
- 3 Tb ice water
Instructions
- Process flour, salt and sugar in food processor.
- Add shortening and pulse until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds.
- Scatter the butter pieces over the top and cut into the mixture until butter pieces are no bigger than small peas, about ten 1-second pulses.
- Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture and pulse until small dough balls just begin to form, about 10 – 1 second pulses.
- Turn out onto two pieces of plastic wrap forming an X on the counter. Wrap ball in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk shape. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days before rolling.
- Roll out onto a lightly floured surface, turning often to keep it from sticking to the counter. Roll it about 1 1/2 inches wider than your pie plate.
- Transfer to your pie plate by rolling it onto your rolling pin
- Cut off any excess and turn under the edges. Then place in the freezer for 20 minutes before using in your recipe.
Notes
If you need a pre-baked shell, after it comes out of the freezer, line the inside with two pieces of aluminum foil lightly greased with nonstick spray, greased side on the dough. Add beans or pie weights to the foil and bake at 375 for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil, then bake for another 5-6 minutes for a partially baked crust, or 12 minutes for a fully baked crust.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8
- Calories: 209
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 147 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 23 mg
Keywords: homemade pie crust recipe
Erma Armstrong says
Sounds great. I always dread making the pies, but I make them anyways. Hopefully I won’t have trouble rolling out like usual.
Carole says
Good luck Erma! I love this recipe
Janis says
I cant wait to try and make pies again!
Thank you
I used to make wonderful tarts because less working the dough was good results
Carole says
I’m so glad you are giving them another try Janis!
Jennie Kinser says
So…I made this tonight for Young Women’s–and it seemed like the proportions were off a bit. Not enough flour? I’m not that great at making pies, so this could be me. But, yes….
Carole says
Hey Jennie 🙂 Tell me what was off. Was it too wet? If so, the water amount is very dependent on the moisture levels in the flour you are using, as well as in your butter. Unfortunately, they vary greatly by brand and by region. Please, please, please try it again and add just enough ice water until it comes together. I will change the recipe to show a range of water amounts as well. Thank you my friend!
Mari says
Oven temp and length
of baking time please I will be trying this recipe with banana cream pie as well as lemon merangue
Carole says
Howdy Mari! If you are going to pre-bake the pie crust, I would return the crust to the fridge after you roll it out and put it in the pie pan so it has time for the fat to become super cold again. Then, bake it at 350 degrees. I usually line mine with foil and pie weights for the first 30 minutes and then remove them and let it bake until golden brown, which is about 10 more minutes. Good luck!
Eileen says
I’ve tried this recipe for the first time last weekend. It turned out so beautifully that my mom thought that i dared buy a store bought pie!!! I am now making it again for another pie. It’s the best pie crust recipe I’ve tried that I’m sticking with this one. Thank you so much for sharing it! My whole family thanks you too
Carole says
That is awesome to hear Eileen! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know.
Heather says
Can you freeze the dough? If so, for how long?
Carole says
Hey there Heather! I haven’t ever frozen this dough, but if I were going to, I would roll it out into the pie plate and freeze it in that. If you give a try, I would love to know how it turned out for you!
Angie says
hi! I will make this recipe for the first time today, and I have a dump question, what does the TB stands for on the measurements?
Thank. You!
Angie
Carole says
Hi Angie! It stands for tablespoons 🙂
Mary Lou says
This was by far the best pie crust I have ever made. Love this recipe!!
Carole says
I am so glad Mary Lou! I made a double batch of it this year for Thanksgiving and it always works perfectly 🙂
Andrea says
This pie crust is a winner! I am a good cook, but have never had much success with pie crust…until this recipe. This made me look like a rock star on Thanksgiving. I will only use this one from now on. Flaky, easy to work with, delish! Thanks for posting!
Carole says
Awesome Andrea! I’m so glad it worked and made you a pie master 🙂
Fatima says
Can I skip the shortening?
Carole says
Hey Fatima! You can skip the shortening and use butter instead but I use of both is for a important reason. The butter gives that fabulous flavor while the shortening give the light and flaky texture. If you want the best, you have to use both 🙂
Maureen Moehr says
I Love this Crust recipe it’s easy to make !!! Thank You
Carole says
I’m so glad you love it as much as I do Maureen!
Maureen Moehr says
I LOVE THIS PIE CRUST RECIPE ❤
Sharon says
Never added sugar to my crusts…what does that do?
Carole says
Hi Sharon! It is for the flavor. Just a bit of sugar really does a great job rounding out the flavor and helps it brown well.
Serai says
Could someone PLEASE tell me how to avoid cracks in pie dough when it’s rolled out? Every time I chill the dough, when I take it out and try to roll it – CRACKS. All over. Big cracks. How do I avoid this? Just let the dough warm up? I’m confused! HELP.
Carole says
Hi! It could be two different reasons. Your dough could be too dry, or it could be a bit too cold. You do want your dough to be as cold as possible for the flakiest results so if you do let it warm up a bit, I would say no more than 10 minutes on the counter. If I had to guess, it is just a bit too dry. Try adding a bit more water next time.
Joanne says
Hi I was wondering if i can use salted butter in this recipe and omit the salt.
Carole says
You bet Joanne – but I would reduce the salt instead of omitting it completely.
Joanne says
Thank you. How much would u suggest to use?
Carole says
I wouldn’t use any less than a 1/2 tsp of salt. If you don’t have enough salt, your dough will be very bland.
Joanne says
Thank you. How much would u suggest to use?
Alaina says
Made homemade pumpkin pie (from real pumpkins!) last thanksgiving and I loved everything about this recipe. I’m wanting to make some wild blueberry tarts with it now, and just wondering how many tart shells the recipe might make? Also, have far ahead have you made your pie shells before, or do they not last unbaked in the fridge very long? Thanks!
Carole says
Hey Alaina! So glad you loved this pie crust recipe 🙂 If you are going to make your dough ahead of time, you should keep it wrapped up tightly as a ball instead of rolled out into shells. The shells will dry out pretty quickly. As far as tarts, that depends on what size your tart pans are so I can’t give you a specific number.
Paula Abell says
I was excited to try this until I saw you needed a food processor. I don’t have one. Rats . Was gonna make an apple pie fr Thanksgiving this year . .
Carole says
Hey Paula! While you don’t need a food processor, it definitely makes the process way easier! You can get the same results with a pastry cutter.
Kimberly says
How many days can I keep the dough in the refrigerator?
Carole says
Hi Kimberly! If you keep the dough ball wrapped tightly in plastic wrap in the fridge, it will keep for at least a week. Good luck! Would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Kimberly says
Oh well every since I found this recipe last year it is my go to crust. Love it. Icve made apple,butter chess,buttermilk and lemon pies with it. Tonight it is gonna be fried pies! Thank you so much!
Kathy says
Can you just double this recipe for a double piecrust?
Carole says
Hi Kathy! Yep 🙂