The Best Homemade Pie Crust Recipe Ever
Published April 7, 2020. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This is hands down the best homemade pie crust ever, and I’ll show you the secret to making it the flakiest, most tender pie dough out there.
We are huge pie fans in our house, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a key lime or a sweet potato pie. There’s always one lurking in the kitchen.
Homemade Pie Crust
Often a recipe calls for you to use a pre-made pie crust. If you ask me, in no way does that mean you buy the pre-made circle cut-out version from the refrigerated food aisle at the grocery store? Making it at home is incredibly easy and only takes minutes to prepare.
The best part of any pie is the crust, of course, and when you make it homemade, it enhances the flavor of everything else. If this is your first time making it, follow along with how easy it is.
What Makes It the Best
The absolute secret to making the flakiest most tender crust of all time is rendered bacon fat. I always tell you that whenever you cook bacon, you must keep the rendered fat. Back in the day, this was used for everything. In batters, to fry in, to coat with, it is gold, and you should treat it as such.
In addition, you want to ensure the butter and/or bacon fat you are using is ice cold. If it is room temperature, your dough will not hold together and fall while in the oven. Also, some folks chill the water and even the flour before making it.
How to Make a Pie Crust from Scratch
Add the flour, salt, cold butter, and cold rendered bacon fat to a food processor and pulse on high speed until the fat is about the size of rice.
Slowly pour in ice-cold water while continuing to pulse at high speed until it forms a meal.
I know it’s finished by pinching it and it sticking together on its own.
Roll the dough out using a rolling pin on a clean surface dusted with flour until it is about 1/8″ to 1/4″ inches thick. Do not overwork the dough.
Wrap the dough around the rolling pin to make it easy to carry and transfer to your pie pan.
Fit the dough into your pie pan.
Trim off any excess around the outside of the pan.
Fold in the outside extra pie dough to make the outer crust.
How to Make It Without a Food Processor
If you don’t have a food processor, don’t worry. You can cut the fat with the flour in a bowl or on a clean surface using the bottom side of a fork or, better yet, a hand pastry dough blender. It will take a little longer and be more labor-intensive, but it can absolutely be done. In fact, this is how they used to make pie doughs just 25-30 years ago.
Make-Ahead and Storage
How to Store: This holds very well covered in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
How to Freeze: Keep covered and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before using it.
Make-Ahead: You can make this pie dough up to 2-3 months ahead of time and place it in the freezer. If you want to use it relatively soon, you can make it and form it into your pie pan without filling it up to 2 days ahead. Be sure to keep it covered and in the refrigerator.
chef notes + tips
- If you want to make a pie crust to add to the top of your pie, simply double the recipe.
- It is critical to use very cold water, butter, and rendered bacon fat when making this. If you do not, you will have to let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before using it.
- You can use all rendered bacon fat instead of cutting the total amount in half with the butter.
- The dough may need more water when making it, so set aside 1/3 cup of cold water just in case.
- There will be a little leftover dough from your trimming around the outside when forming it into the pan. You can use it in a crostata.
Recipes to Use It In
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The Best Homemade Pie Crust Recipe Ever
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cold unsalted butter cut into chunks
- ¼ cup cold rendered bacon fat
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2-3 tablespoons ice-cold water
Instructions
- Add the flour, butter, bacon fat, and sea salt to a food processor and pulse on high until the butter and bacon fat is about the size of rice, which takes about 20-25 pulses.
- Slowly drizzle in the water while pulsing until the dough forms a meal.
- Remove the dough and place it on a clean surface dusted with flour.
- Dust the top of the dough with flour and roll it out using a rolling pin until it’s about 1/8” to ¼” thick.
- Transfer the dough to a pie pan and form it in the pan.
- Leaving about a 1” lip around the outside of the pie pan, remove any excess dough.
- Fold the outside dough in and form it to make the top of the pie crust.
- Use the pie crust or store it for a later date.
Notes
How to Freeze: Keep covered and in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before using it. Make-Ahead: You can make this pie dough up to 2-3 months ahead of time and place it in the freezer. If you want to use it relatively soon, you can make it and form it into your pie pan without filling it up to 2 days ahead. Be sure to keep it covered and in the refrigerator. If you want to make a pie crust to add to the top of your pie, simply double the recipe. It is critical to use very cold water, butter, and rendered bacon fat when making this. If you do not, you will have to let the dough chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before using it. You can absolutely use all rendered bacon fat instead of cutting the total amount in half with the butter. The dough may need more water when making it, so set aside 1/3 cup of cold water just in case. There will be a little leftover dough from your trimming around the outside when forming it into the pan. You can use it in a crostata.
Can I substitute cold organic lard for the bacon fat?
yes
I can’t wait to try this but have you ever heard of using ice cold
vodka instead of water?
yes
Can you use beef tallow instead of bacon grease?
you coiuld
I used this crust for my single serve chicken pot pies. I just divided the end dough into two. It worked great for a 6 in glass Pyrex dish. Also I didn’t have a food processor. So a few tips I did was grate the cold butter with a box grater and stuck it in the freezer. Second tip I didn’t want to make bacon so I used 4Tbsp of bacon up. It worked beautifully! Then the last trick I learned years ago is if you are warm natured use claw fingers to make little bits of fat and flour, then use a fork when incorporating the ice water. Just until it comes together. I’m not naturally a baker so it was so nice that this recipe turned out so fantastic.
Thank you
Love it!
Chef do you have to strain the bacon grease?I am new to this.I have unstrained bacon fat in my refrigerator.If I need to strain it,can I melt in now and strain it?
yes, strained.
You can use a fine sieve to strain it.
I will put mine in a pot and let the bits settle to the bottom. Once it’s melted I will gently pour so the bits stay at the bottom edge of the pot as I pour it through a sieve.
So if I make the pie crust the night before and put it in the pie form do I par bake it or do I do this the morning when I want to put the filling in Thank you love all your posts
either
The best pie crust! Thank you Chef Billy Parisi!
my pleasure!