Easy Pie Crust Recipe

This easy pie crust recipe is great for beginners and turns out perfect every time! Flaky, crisp crust on the outside and soft in the center. Tastes amazing with just about any pie filling!

This is my go-to pie crust recipe when baking. It’s easy, quick and doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. Some of my favorite types of pie to make with it are coconut cream pie, pumpkin pie and chicken pot pie.

I really love a good, flaky pie crust! This recipe has a great flaky crust that turns out a little crisp on the outside but soft in the center. It’s so yummy and perfect with just about any filling.

It’s also a lot easier than you think to make your own pie crust…especially if you have a food processor. It will cut the time (and stress) in half! Plus, there aren’t a ton of ingredients needed to make it. Only 6 to be exact! Simple and delicious!

What are the ingredients?

This easy pie dough recipe only takes 6 simple ingredients and is quick to make. Check out the ingredients below to get started. I love to use both butter and shortening in my pie crust…it makes it nice and flaky!

• Flour (all-purpose)
• Sugar
• Butter (salted)
• Shortening (butter flavored)
• Vinegar
• Water (ice cold)

What does the vinegar do?

It may seem strange to add vinegar, but it’s definitely the secret ingredient! It’s important to add vinegar because it tenderizes the crust and makes a softer dough. The vinegar helps to prevent the development of gluten, which creates a tougher crust. So be sure to add the vinegar so that your pie crust develops the perfect, soft texture!

How to make homemade pie crust

Make the dough

1. Add flour and sugar to a food processor and pulse a few times to get any air out of the flour.
2. Cube butter and shortening, then add to food processor immediately. Pulse until the mixture has turned crumbly, about 10-12 times.
3. Next add vinegar and 1 Tablespoon of water. Pulse and then add another Tablespoon of water. Add one more Tablespoon of water and then pulse until the dough begins to form into a ball. The consistency should be similar to play dough.
4. Cut dough in half and wrap with plastic wrap. Place in refrigerator until chilled, about 30 minutes.

Roll it out

1. Once it has chilled, roll out on a floured surface.
2. Then carefully place dough in pie pan. Make the crust edges using your thumb and index finger.
3. You can also cut off the extra dough around the edges and press it down.

Bake in oven

1. Place filling in the crust and bake according to recipe.
2. For most typical pie recipes, I bake at 425ºF with foil for 15-20 minutes and then 3-5 minutes without foil.

Before baking my pies, I also like to pre-cook the crust a little. A trick to help it not get brown or bubbly is to place foil over the crust. I like to also place pie beads (dried beans work great too) in the center to help weigh the pie down and not bubble. If you don’t have foil, parchment paper will work too.

Favorite recipes to make with pie crust

This crust tastes amazing with just about any filling. Below are a few of my favorites:

• Coconut cream pie 
• Pumpkin pie
• Brown bag apple pie
• Apple cheesecake pie
• Fresh strawberry pie
• Chocolate silk pie
• Banana cream pie
• Razzleberry pie

Easy Pie Crust Recipe

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Easy pie crust

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 16

Calories: 209

Author: Jamielyn Nye

This easy pie crust recipe is great for beginners and turns out perfect every time! Flaky, crisp crust on the outside and soft in the center. Tastes amazing with just about any pie filling!

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Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 12 Tablespoons salted butter (cold)
• 6 Tablespoons butter flavored shortening (cold)
• 1 Tablespoon vinegar
• ice cold water (add a Tablespoon at a time)

Instructions

• Add the flour and sugar to a food processor and pulse a few times to get any air out of the flour. Cube the butter and shortening, then add to the food processor immediately. Pulse 10-12 times until the mixture has turned crumbly. Add the vinegar and 1 Tablespoon of water. Pulse and then add another Tablespoon of water. Add one more Tablespoon of water and then pulse until the dough begins to form a ball. It should have the consistency similar to play dough.
• Cut the dough in half and then wrap it with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
• Once dough is chilled, roll out on a floured surface and then carefully place in pie pan. Then make the crust edges using your thumb and index finger. You can also cut off the extra dough around the edges and press it down.
• Place filling in and bake according to recipe. For most typical pie recipes, I bake at 425ºF with foil for 15-20 minutes and then 3-5 minutes without foil.

Nutrition

Calories: 209kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 27mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 260IU | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1.1mg

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