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Tender, buttery, and easy-to-make, my Grandma’s perfect pie crust is everything you need this Thanksgiving. It’s so foolproof, you won’t use store-bought ever again!
A Reader’s Review
“Thank you for posting Grandma’s Perfect Pie Crust recipe! I have tried dozens of recipes but could never get the crust to stay together. It makes me happy to be able to make a good pie crust that not only stays together but tastes fantastic!!!”
Super Easy Homemade Pie Crust Recipe
My grandma made the best pies for Thanksgiving—her crusts were always tender and flaky, and her fillings were divine! Every year, we looked forward to her cooking. She raised eight kids and still served home-cooked meals every night, all from scratch. I remember summers with her, enjoying freshly baked bread or peanut butter cookies straight from the oven. You can find that bread recipe here!
But the highlight of Thanksgiving was always her pies, especially the cherry pie—nothing compares! Her crusts were perfect, and I’m here to show you how easy it can be to make your own from scratch. This crust comes together in minutes with simple ingredients you likely already have. Trust me, it’ll take any pie to the next level! I’ve also included a printable graphic for your baking needs. Let’s keep this delicious tradition alive!
Ingredients to Make a Pie Crust from Scratch
Simplicity is key! The best pies start out with a flaky, golden crust with no frills. This pie crust will bring your whole pie together with just pantry staples! Measurements can be found in the printable graphic or recipe card at the end of the post.
- All-Purpose Flour: All-purpose flour works great for achieving a soft, flaky crust. It doesn’t have a high protein content, so it will keep the structure nice and light. You can also use a low-protein pastry flour.
- Salt: You need a little salt to enhance the overall flavor.
- Shortening: This is needed for fat content. You can also substitute it with butter, margarine, or even coconut oil!
- Cold Water: This is used to moisten the dough. Be sure to keep it cold! Cooler temperatures is the secret to a nice and flaky pie crust.
How to Make the Perfect Pie Crust
Making a solid pie crust isn’t difficult at all. All you need is a little love and attention to detail! You’re going to love it. It’s better than anything you can get from the store!
- Mix Dry Ingredients and Shortening: In a medium bowl, stir together flour and salt. With a pastry cutter, cut in shortening till pea-sized.
- Moisten: Next, we add some cold water. Sprinkle water on top one tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side. Mix until all flour is moistened. Don’t mix too much, or your crust will be hard.
- Shape and Roll Out: Form into a ball and roll with a rolling pin on a floured surface. Turn and flour the dough a few times till it’s the size you need. It’s now ready for all of your favorite fillings! If you are using this for a cream pie, check out this How To Blind Bake a Pie Crust post on how to cook the crust first.
Pie Filling Ideas
Whether you want a classic pie, or you’re looking to switch things up a little, I’ve got you covered! From chocolate to citrus, cinnamon to sweet, there’s a pie for everyone. And the good news is, it will taste amazing on your freshly-made pie crust! You can find more delish pie recipes here.
Tips and Tricks
Making a pie crust from scratch is both tasty and impressive! Here are a few simple tips and tricks to make your crust bakery-worthy. You’re going to love how it turns out!
- Use Chilled Ingredients: The secret to a flaky crust is to use refrigerated ingredients. Warm ingredients can make your dough tough and dense.
- Don’t Overmix: As with other homemade pastries, don’t overwork your dough. It can cause gluten to develop and make your crust chewy and hard. You only want to mix your dough until it sticks together, and you can start shaping it into a ball.
- Add Water as You Go: Add too much water, and your pie dough might be hard to salvage. Add too little water, and it will be dry and crack. To avoid these extremes, add a little bit of water at a time and mix gently until you have reached your desired consistency.
- Use a Food Processor: Instead of using a pastry blender to cut ingredients together, you can pop your mixture in a food processor and blend for short intervals. Once it is blended smoothly, you can remove it and add water to moisten it.
- Adding Flavors: One often overlooked tip is that you can flavor your dough! Whether it be a hint of pumpkin spice, fresh herbs, lemon zest, vanilla, almond extract, or sugar and cocoa powder, it can really take your pie up a notch! You’ve got a flavorful filling- why not add flavor to your crust, too?
Make Ahead of Time
You can easily store your pie crust and use it later if you’re not ready to bake! It will be just as flaky and delicious as the day you prepared it!
- In the Refrigerator: Wrap a ball of uncooked dough in plastic wrap and store it in an airtight container. It will stay good for up to 3 days. Let it come to room temperature before rolling out, or it may crack.
- In the Freezer: Pie crusts are great for freezing and using later. I recommend shaping your dough into a pie pan before freezing. This way, you don’t need to thaw it; it can go straight into the oven. If you’ve frozen a dough ball, allow it to thaw overnight and then come to room temperature before rolling it out. Both shaped crusts and balls of dough need to be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap before freezing.
More Homemade Baked Goods
Now that you’re familiar with making pie crust dough from scratch, you’ll have to give some of my other recipes a try! It’s a fun activity and leaves you with the most amazing breads and pastries! Warning: once you start making them from scratch, you’ll never go back! The flavor is undeniable!
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Grandma’s Perfect Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup shortening
- 4 to 5 Tablespoons cold water
Instructions
- In a medium bowl stir together flour and salt. With a pastry blender cut in shortening till pea-sized.
- Sprinkle water on one tablespoon at a time tossing with a fork. Push moistened dough to the side. Mix till all flour is moistened. Don't mix too much or the crust will be hard.
- Form into a ball and roll out on the floured surface. Turn and flour the dough a few times till it's the size you need.
Video
Notes
add 1 more cup flour
1 more 1/2 t salt
Double the shortening
Double the cold water
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
What do you mean by “shortening”
Shortening is a solid fat at room temperature that is often used in baking. You can substitute it with margarine or butter instead.
FYI – Crisco is “shortening”
The initial recipe says 1/4 t salt; when you double it the instructions say to add 1/2 t more salt. Don’t you mean and additional 1/4 t for a total of 1/2 t?
Will I need to blind bake?
Yes! Here is a recipe! How To Blind Bake a Pie Crust
If substituting with butter, is the amount the same as the shortening?
Yes! Your pie crust may end up a little less flakey if you make this substitution.
What size pie crust does this make? Is it for a single pie crust no or double?
This makes a single, 10 inch pie crust.
I am making this now and not clear on whether I pre-bake the crust at all. Seems like the answer is “no”.
Use this recipe to prebake the crust! How To Blind Bake a Pie Crust
Hi I was wondering what you would recommend for baking directions with this crust for a pecan pie?
Here is my pecan pie recipe with instructions on how long to bake it! Amazing Decadent Pecan Pie
Perfect recipe! I used butter instead. Even had some dough left over to do some cute leaves for decoration.
The best pie crust ever, I used butter instead of shortening —- amazing. Thank you
How much butter did you use? Thank you.
I made this pie crust recipe with my grandson. It was quick and easy. We were making a lemon pie. We got the pie crust all made but when we went to bake it we couldn’t find the baking instructions. Can you add the cooking temperature and time to the recipe if you are baking right away? Thank you. We love our grandmother’s recipes. They are the best!
Hello! The baking instructions will vary depending on what filling you cook in it! This recipe is to make the pie crust for any of your favorite pie recipes which is why it doesn’t offer baking instructions. If you are looking for a certain pie, in particular, I can help you out and send over my recipe to you! Let me know!
Can butter be used in place of shortening? If so would it be the same amount?
Yes, that is the best substitute.
How much sugar would you recommend adding to the dough if it’s doubled? I’m making a strawberry rhubarb pie and would like a sweater crust. Thank you!
I have this recipe you can try: https://therecipecritic.com/strawberry-rhubarb-pie/
My daughter loves pumpkin pie so I wanted to make her one homemade! I will definitely store this recipe in my collection it was amazing!! The crust was so good and the pumpkin pie was loaded with flavor! It was a total hit! Thank you for sharing!
Very close recipe to my little Italian Mommas recipe and we use 1 stick of butter in place of shortening and it’s the best pie crust!! Tender flaky and tasty 😋 we also make sure the water is cool.
Enjoy 😋🥧
Do you need to pre bake the crust before filling? If so, how long and what temp?
No, with this crust you can fill the pie crust with filling then bake.
This Grandma ROCKS!!! She is so humble and sweet and has the best recipe and technique for pie crust i have ever experienced. I wish i had discovered her sooner. You need to watch her video if you have not.
Can this recipe be doubled. I have the worst luck with pie crust so I’ll give yours a try.
Thank you
Betty L.
Arkansas
Yes, it can! I hope this recipe will keep you making pies! It is so delicious and simple to make. I love pies! Let me know how it turns out! XOXO