This easy Homemade Pie Crust is a go-to, tried and true pie crust recipe that is perfect for pies, tarts and pot pies! Made with real, simple ingredients that can be prepped ahead of time to meal prep for an easy dinner or make your favorite dessert pie recipes!
The Best Homemade Pie Crust Recipe
Our whole family loves pie season! My mom and I have been using this traditional pie crust recipe for YEARS! As in over 30 years of using this same exact recipe every summer (and winter) for all the various types of pies. So I am incredibly excited to share our own homemade pie crust with you for making today or save it for later! It is the perfect pie crust recipe that can be used in any of your favorite recipes or meal prep the crust for using later in the week. It will quickly become a family favorite at your house too!
Need a gluten-free pie crust? We have a great recipe for making a homemade crust that is also gluten-free.
What You Will Need
- all-purpose flour – any kind or brand of all-purpose flour will work that you can find at your local grocery store.
- kosher salt – make sure it is kosher salt, not table salt!
- vegetable oil – this oil works the best in this particular recipe card. Do NOT use olive oil – it just doesn’t work as well.
- water – make sure that the water you are using is very cold!
How To Make A Homemade Pie Crust
The first steps to making this easy pie crust recipe are to gather all of the ingredients.
Now combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine.
In another small bowl, combine the water and oil (do not stir).
Then pour the oil mixture on the flour mixture and combine everything with a fork or pastry cutter.
Next, form the pie dough into 2 equal sized balls. For best results, use your hands for this process.
Place one dough ball in between two sheets of wax paper and roll out to desired size with a rolling pin. If the edges initially crack, don’t worry, just keep rolling out and they will become smooth. Typically most pie crusts are spread out to be approximately 1/4 inch thick. Repeat this process with the other ball of dough.
Peel the top layer of wax paper off the crust and then carefully flip it over on to your pie pan making sure the pie plate is centered. Peel of the remaining wax paper.
Gently push the dough down the sides of the pie plate to mold the dough to it. Crimp the outside rim with your fingers so the edges are all even.
Option 1 (if you need a pre-baked pie crust): Poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust dough with a fork and place a piece of parchment on top. Place dry beans or pie weights in the center of the parchment paper and bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes. Remove parchment and bake the bottom of the crust for an additional 5 minutes. When it becomes golden brown you have a delicious pie crust to use in your favorite pie recipe!
Option 2 (using unbaked pie crust): no need to do anything further. Just use the crust in your favorite pie or pot pie recipe!
Best Way To Use A Homemade Pie Crust
There are so many different ways to use this easy homemade pie crust! Here are a few of our favorites:
- Dessert pies: in the summer months we love to make Peach Blueberry Pie, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, or other fresh fruit pies. And in the cooler, winter months we love to make a classic pumpkin pie, using a single pie crust, for Thanksgiving Day!
- Savory pies: if you are looking for a family favorite dinner recipe, you have to use this crust to make Chicken Pot Pie or Turkey Pot Pie.
- Other: there are so many different recipes you can make, like tarts, cinnamon rolls, and other pastries.
Recipe FAQs
- Wax Paper Moving: get your work surface just a little wet before putting your first piece of wax paper down. This will help prevent it from sliding while you roll it out!
- Oil Substitutes: Olive oil does NOT work in this recipe. I have not tested every other kind of oil so I would recommend not substituting the vegetable oil.
- Pie Plate Size: use a 9-10 inch pie plate.
- Blind baking a pie crust: Here is a great article from Sally’s Baking Addiction on How to Blind Bake Pie Crust! So informative!
- Storage: when making a pie crust ahead of time you can store the pastry dough in the fridge for up to 3 days, just wrap in parchment paper.
- Freezer: to keep the pie crust for longer, place it in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Homemade Recipes You Might Like
Homemade Pie Crust Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 2 pie crusts 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Homemade Pie Crust Recipe – your go-to homemade pastry crust for making pot pie, pies and tarts!
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 5 tablespoons COLD water
Instructions
- Place flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- In a separate small bowl, combine the water and oil (do not stir).
- Pour water/oil mixture into flour mixture and mix with a fork.
- Use hands to form into 2 equal sized balls of dough.
- Place one ball of dough in between two sheets of wax paper and roll out to desired size. If the edges initially crack, don’t worry, just keep rolling out and they will become smooth. For pie crust, roll out until dough is approximately 1/4 inch thick.
- Repeat this process with the other ball of dough.
- Peel off the top layer of wax paper and then carefully flip over onto your pie plate making sure the pie plate is centered. Peel of the remaining wax paper.
- Gently help the dough fall down, pressing as needed, to mold the dough into the pie plate. Crimp the rim with your fingers so the edges are all even.
- Baking (Option 1): Poke holes in the bottom crust with a fork and line with a piece of parchment. Place dried beans or pie weights in the center and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove parchment and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Pie Recipe (Option 2): Use the uncooked pie crust in your favorite pie recipe (we love to make Chicken Pot Pie).
Notes
- Wax Paper Moving: put a little water on the counter before putting your first piece of wax paper down to prevent it from sliding!
- Oil Substitutes: Olive oil does NOT work in this recipe and I have not tested every other kind of oil so I would recommend not substituting the vegetable oil.
- Pie Plate Size: use a 9-10 inch pie plate.
Keywords: homemade pie crust recipe, homemade pie crust
Monica says
Made this with my daughter for a pumpkin pie. It was easy and so good.
★★★★
Erin says
That’s so awesome to hear, Monica! We use this recipe every year and it is a family favorite. Thank you so much for the feedback – I really appreciate it!