Deep Dish Pie Crust
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This homemade deep-dish pie crust is tender, flaky and buttery. Made with both butter and shortening, it’s an authentic bakery-style pastry. Assemble dough for a single pie crust in just 5 minutes. Chill it in the fridge before rolling and crimping. For a 2-crust pie, double the recipe.
⏲ Why We Love This Recipe
- It’s an easy-to-make homemade pie crust. Like our flaky quiche crust, it’s perfect for novice and accomplished bakers. After trying this easy recipe you’ll never want to reach for a store-bought pie crust again.
- Assemble the pie dough in 5 minutes with basic ingredients. We use butter and a few pantry staples. You may already have them on hand.
- It’s the perfect amount of dough for a deep-dish pie. Enough to line a pie pan 9-1/2 to 10 inches wide and 2 inches deep. Need a double crust? Just double the recipe. Use the scale-up function in the recipe card.
- This recipe is also ideal for small pies and tarts. If there’s any leftover dough, use the scraps to make pie crust cookies so there’s no food waste. Cut the dough into shapes 1/4-inch thick. Brush with butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake cookies at 350ºF for 8-10 minutes.
- We use a combination of butter and shortening for a pie crust that has the best of both worlds. Butter – for a rich, buttery-tasting crust that’s beautifully flaky. Shortening – for a pliable dough that’s easy to roll and crimp. It provides stability for the pastry as it bakes in the oven.
- The taste and texture of this homemade pie crust is amazing. The pastry is delicious and flaky. Family and friends marvel that this pie shell is even better than a Marie Callender’s pie crust.
- It’s perfect for pairing with apple pie filling, cherry pie filling, and blueberry pie filling. To make a 2-crust pie you’ll need 2 sheets of pastry – so double this single pie crust recipe.
🛒 Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour: It’s the main ingredient. It provides structure for the pie crust. I prefer King Arthur’s all-purpose flour for this recipe as it has a medium percentage of protein (11.7%) which creates the ideal amount of gluten for a tender flaky crusty. The dough that’s formed is easy to roll out and move around on the board and within the pie pan.
- Unsalted Butter: It must be very cold for a flaky crust. The brand I prefer is Kirkland from Costco. It has a higher fat content (less water) than many brands, and tastes delicious. I use unsalted butter to control the amount of salt. But if using salted butter, reduce the added salt in the recipe by 1/8 teaspoon. As butter has a low melting point, we use half butter, half vegetable shortening for this deep dish pie crust recipe.
- Granulated Sugar: Adds the ideal amount of sweetness to the pastry.
- Salt: An important flavor enhancer. If you leave it out your crust will taste like cardboard. You may want to use fine salt/table salt, rather than kosher salt as there’s not a lot of liquid to dissolve it. It’s harder for large crystals to get evenly disbursed throughout the dough.
- Vegetable Shortening: You can use plain (no flavor) or butter-flavored shortening. This ingredient has 2 jobs – to help keep the pie dough together, and to stabilize the crust so it hold its shape in the oven.
- Ice Water: This cold liquid helps create the dough. It hydrates the flour and activates the proteins that create gluten. Super cold water (not room temperature or slightly cold) is needed for a flaky pie crust.
📖 Recipe Steps
Make the Pie Dough
RECIPE PREP: Chop the butter into tiny pieces. Put it in the fridge or freezer to keep it cold while you’re pulling out your food processor, prepping your work space, and pulsing together the dry ingredients.
- Add flour, sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine.
- Add in cold butter and cold shortening.
- Pulse just until the mixture is chunky. It’s important not to overwork the dough. Some chunks should be the size of lima beans.
- Slowly add in ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Pulse just until the dough comes together. It should be tender and moist, but not wet.
WHAT HAPPENS IF DOUGH IS OVERWORKED: It will develop a tough texture. And this firmness will contribute to shrinkage of the dough while baking.
Chill & Roll Out the Dough
- Transfer dough to a lightly-floured board. Gather it into a ball. Turn it onto a sheet of plastic wrap. With the heel of your hand, flatten it into a hockey-style disk about 1-inch thick. Wrap it tightly in plastic. Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Roll out the dough. To keep it from sticking to the board as you roll it – keep the dough moving. Roll it. Flip it. Add a sprinkling of flour to the top. Repeat the process until it’s flat and the correct size. Let the dough rest on the board for 5 minutes.
- Drape the dough over the pie dish and adjust it into place. Don’t stretch it to fit the pie pan or it will shrink back during baking.
- Trim off excess dough, leaving an extra 1-1/2 inches of dough around the top edge of the pie plate. Fold the edges of the dough underneath to create some thickness.
WHY CHILL THE DOUGH: It gives the gluten strands in the flour time to settle and rest to prevent a tough crust. And the cold gives the fat (butter and shortening) a chance to solidify for a flaky crust.
Crimp & Bake a Single Pie Crust
For a 2-crust pie: Double the recipe. After adding filling to the bottom uncooked crust, drape the second piece of dough over the top. Seal, crimp and bake according to the recipe instructions for the pastry you’re making.
Below are instructions for blind baking a single crust without any filling. You can then fill the baked crust with fresh fruit, pastry cream, etc.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Flute/crimp the top border in a V-shape formation with your fingers. Put the crust in the freezer to chill for 15 to 20 minutes, or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Remove the crust from the freezer or fridge. To help keep the dough flat, prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork.
- Line the crust with an oversized piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill it with pie weights, dried beans, dried rice or granulated sugar.
- Bake the pie crust for 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven. Carefully lift up the parchment paper or aluminum foil with pie weights and set them aside. Continue baking the crust for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden blonde. Remove it from the oven. Cool it on a wire rack.
RECIPE TIP: Don’t worry if the crimping of your pie crust isn’t picture perfect. It’s those gorgeous imperfections that make a homemade pie crust beautiful and unique. It will look like it was made at a rustic French bakery.
🧑🏼🍳 Expert Tip: How to Keep Pie Crust From Shrinking
Most pastry shells will shrink a bit in the oven. But there are ways to prevent over-shrinkage, and to prevent the dough from slumping in the pan.
- Don’t overwork the dough in the food processor or while rolling. If the dough becomes tough or firm it can shrink.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and chill it for 30 minutes before rolling. And after rolling let it rest on the board for 5 minutes to relax the gluten.
- For best results, use a metal or ceramic pie pan. Glass pie pans are slippery, and the pastry dough can sag. Glass pie pans are great for a vanilla wafer crust, a graham cracker crust, or an oreo cookie crust.
- Do not stretch the dough to fit the pan. The dough will just spring back during baking. Instead, use a deep-dish pie crust recipe so you have enough dough to work with to drape the dough into the pan.
- Fold the rim of the dough under before crimping, leaving the dough a bit higher around the edges of the pie plate to account for shrinkage.
- Poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork to allow steam to escape during baking. Otherwise, pockets of steam will bubble up throughout the crust which will cause an even surface and shrinkage.
- Chill the crust in the pan for several hours or overnight before baking. A frozen crust will shrink less in the oven.
- Use pie weights if blind baking (pre-baking) the crust before adding the filling. Lay an oversized piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil over the crust that’s been pricked with a fork. Fill it with ceramic pie weights, beans, rice, etc., to weigh down the dough while it’s baking.
👉🏻 DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT: We know that chilling pie dough is a HUGE way to prevent shrinkage. As a busy person, I admit for single-crust pies I chill the dough for the minimum amount of time. I’m personally okay with a bit of shrinkage. Because sometimes “done is better than perfect.”
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQ
These are the most commonly-asked questions for making the BEST deep dish pie crust from scratch, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.
It’s a large-size pastry crust ideal for deep-dish pie pans – those that are 9-1/2 to 10 inches wide and 2 inches deep. The dough was draped into the pie plate without any stretching of the dough to try to make it fit, as a standard amount of pie dough is not enough to fill a larger pie plate.
A deep-dish pie crust can hold about 6 to 7 cups of filling. That’s about 2 cups more than a standard shallow pie crust.
It keeps the pieces of fat in the dough cold and together instead of soft and disbursed. In these oven, the tiny pockets of fat slowly melt down forming beautiful layers of flakiness.
Dribble in just enough water to bring the pie dough together and active the gluten. The less liquid in the crust, the more tender it will be. Here’s how to test the dough: Grab some of the dough and squeeze it in your hand. If it doesn’t crumble, you’ve added enough water.
Roll out the dough on 2 overlapping pieces of waxed paper. Place the pie pan upside down on top of the sheet of dough. Put one hand on the bottom of the pie pan. Slip your other hand underneath the waxed paper and flip it over. Gently peel away the waxed paper.
Trim the dough around the edges of the pie pan, leaving 2 inches of extra dough. Fold the edge of the dough under to give it thickness. From the outside of the pan, pinch the dough into a V shape with the thumb and pointer finger of one hand. At the same time – from within the pie pan, press the middle of the triangle with the knuckle of your other forefinger. Continue crimping around the entire rim of the pie pan.
🥧 Recipes to Make With Homemade Pie Crust
There are so many wonderful pastries to make with a homemade pie crust. Here are a few of my personal favorites.
- Mini Lemon Tarts
- Fresh Strawberry Pie
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Lemon Pop Tarts
- Pastry Cream Tartlets
- Pumpkin Pop Tarts
- Peach Galette
- Blueberry Pop Tarts
- Apple Galette
Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recipe testers gave this deep-dish pie crust a huge thumbs up. They loved the buttery taste and flaky texture of the pastry. They said hand down, it could rival any bakery’s pie crust. It’s that good.
If you agree this single pie crust recipe’s a keeper, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.
Deep Dish Pie Crust
- Total Time: 45 Minutes
- Yield: 1 Deep-Dish Pie Crust 1x
Description
This perfect deep-dish pie crust is buttery and flaky. Assemble the dough in just 5 minutes. Then chill it in the fridge before rolling and crimping. Never reach for a store-bought pie crust again.
Ingredients
Single Pie Crust (for a 2-crust pie, double the recipe)
- 6 tablespoons very cold unsalted butter, minced and re-chilled
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting/rolling
- 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons very cold vegetable shortening
- 3 to 4 tablespoons (about 1/4 cup) ice water, as needed
Instructions
Single Pie Crust (Need a 2-crust pie? Double the recipe.)
- Add flour, sugar and salt to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse briefly to combine. Add in cold butter and cold shortening. Pulse just until the mixture is chunky. It’s important not to overwork the dough. Some chunks should be the size of lima beans.
- Slowly add ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Pulse just until the dough comes together. It should be tender and moist, but not wet. Here’s how to test it: with the machine turned off, grab a handful of dough and lightly squeeze it together. If it stays together without crumbling, no more water is needed.
- Transfer dough to a lightly-floured board. Gather it into a ball. Turn it onto a sheet of plastic wrap. With the heel of your hand, flatten it into a disk about 1-inch thick. Wrap it tightly in plastic. Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Roll out the chilled dough. To keep it from sticking to the board as you roll it – keep the dough moving. Roll it. Flip it. Add a sprinkling of flour to the top. Repeat the process until it’s flat and the correct size. Let the dough rest on the board for 5 minutes.
- Drape the dough over the pie dish. Adjust it into place. Don’t stretch it to fit the pie pan or it will spring back during baking. Trim off excess dough, leaving an extra 1-1/2 inches of dough around the top edge of the pie plate. Fold the edges of the dough underneath to create a smooth edge and some thickness. Crimp the edges as desired, then chill the crust in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Blind Baking Instructions
IMPORTANT: This is for pre-baking the crust without any filling. This is done for fresh pies where you add fruit filling to a pre-baked crust. Please note that many recipes (like those for 2-crust pies) do not require pre-baking the crust. So be sure to follow your recipe’s instructions.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF. Flute/crimp the top border in a V-shape formation with your fingers. Put the crust in the freezer to chill for 15 to 20 minutes, or refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Remove the crust from the freezer or fridge. To help keep the dough flat, prick the bottom of the dough all over with a fork.
- Line the crust with an oversized piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil. Fill it with pie weights, dried beans, dried rice or granulated sugar.
- Bake the pie crust for 20 minutes. Remove it from the oven. Carefully lift up the parchment paper or aluminum foil with pie weights and set them aside. Continue baking the crust for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden blonde. Remove it from the oven. Cool it on a wire rack.
Notes
How many cups of filling does a deep-dish pie crust hold? It can hold about 7 cups of filling – about 2 cups more than a standard pie crust.
Make ahead: You can make the dough up to 4 days in advance. Wrap the disk of dough in plastic wrap and stick it into a zip-top bag with the air squeezed out – then refrigerate.
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Chill Time: 30 Minutes
- Cook Time: 0 Minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Food Processor
- Cuisine: American, French
Keywords: Homemade Pie Crust, Deep Dish Pie Crust, Single Pie Crust Recipe, Pie Crust Recipe
Deep Dish Pie Crust 👉🏻 Join the Convo
What do you think of this single pie crust recipe for a deep-dish pie? Are you excited to make it? Do you plan on doubling the recipe for a double crust pie? Share your thoughts on this homemade pie crust below.
Question: for a double crust pie would you just double the recipe? Thank you!
Hello April. Yes, just double the recipe! :-)
Worked out perfectly first time, I went with all butter but followed your instructions to the letter. Turned out amazing. Thank you
★★★★★
The dough looks great what can I use instead of shortening – more butter.
Good morning Susan! For an all-butter crust, try this pie crust recipe: 2+1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 cup unsalted butter (chilled and diced), 6 tablespoons ice water. Just follow the same preparation instructions as the original recipe and your pie crust will be beautiful, flaky and just a little bit sweeter than the original recipe. :-)
Oh my, that looks like the sort of pie crust my nan used to make, real comfort food.
★★★★★
Every time a make a pie crust I think of my own grandmother too! There’s something magical about a freshly-made pie that stirs up beautiful feelings of nostalgia.
Pie crust is something I have never even thought about making. I just buy the premade ones. But I never like them. This post makes me feel like I may actually be able to make a crust I love myself. Can’t wait to try it.
★★★★★
Oooo, yes! You can absolutely make a fabulous homemade pie crust that will turn out lovely each and every time. I hope you’ll try this scrumptious pie crust recipe for the holidays.
I love homemade pie crust, there is really nothing else that compares to it! Using wax paper to transfer the rolled pie dough is a great tip!
★★★★★
Sarah, you are so welcome for the waxed paper tip! It makes transferring pie dough from the board to the pan super easy.
Great tips! Love the step by step photos; that really helps!
★★★★★
Thank you Maryanne! I’m a very visual person too. I hope you’ll continue to visit me here for more yummy recipes. :-)
I’ve never tried to make it because I thought it’s not really easy but your recipe looks so good!
Once you begin making this recipe you’ll quickly find that it’s so incredibly easy to make a pie crust from scratch. :-)
Yes I totally agree that homemade dough is the best. I am so thankful for this recipe that you shared. That sounds really good!
You’re so welcome Angela! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
Homemade dough is the best! Love that you added butter and shortening. Beautiful pix, too!
★★★★★
Easy homemade recipes make cooking and baking from scratch really satisfying. I’m so happy you loved the recipe and my photos. :-)
This will be perfect for the holidays! Thanks so much for the recipe!
★★★★★
You’re welcome Kate! Thanks for stopping by for my pie crust recipe. I know you’ll enjoy the results. :-)
There is nothing like a homemade pie. I love to bake and have not been able to do as much baking because of the heat. I am excited for fall to come so I can get baking again.
Fall is just around the corner! This pie crust recipe is perfect for the holiday season. Thanks so much Claudia for popping by for a visit here at Confetti and Bliss. :-)
Oh my gosh this looks delicious! I definitely want to give it a try
★★★★★
Yay! Hannah you’re going to love making and baking a homemade pie crust! So perfect for the upcoming holidays.
These look like such great recipes. I will certainly be trying the pie crust. That looks yummy.
Thank you, Ankita. I’m so happy to know that you’ll soon be enjoying a homemade pie crust just like mine. I appreciate your comment!
Homemade pie crust is the best, especially made with Crisco. I wish we could get in the UK as I grew up with it in Canada!
★★★★★
Elizabeth, I can’t even imagine baking without Crisco! Four generations of women in my family have used Crisco. I wonder if you can order it online from Amazon? Fingers crossed you can import it that way!
this looks yummy I am not a good cook myself but I definitely want to try this pie.
Buddy, the great part about this homemade pie crust recipe is that it’s easy for all skill levels. And if you pair it up with my quick and easy recipe for fresh strawberry pie you’ll absolutely amaze your family and friends!
For some reason I’m not very good at making pie crust? This recipe looks great and easy enough for me to try.
★★★★★
I’ve never made this. It looks fun to make it though.
My mom always made home made pie crust. It is far superior to a store bought crust any day!
★★★★★
Oh yum. I need to try this. I admit, I always buy my crust at the store. I bet this tastes SO much better.
★★★★★
Refrigerated pie crusts are convenient, but making a pie crust from scratch is not only easy and quick to do, but it’s so satisfying just knowing that you did it yourself. And the taste – so incredibly delicious! Thank you Amber for stopping by and leaving a comment. :-)
Nothing better than homemade pie crust! So delicious!
Rachel, I couldn’t agree more about a homemade pie crust. There’s something very special and satisfying about anything made from scratch!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I’m bad about just grabbing ready made pie crust from the grocery store. This sounds a gazillion times better and now I’m without excuse! :)
Aww…you’re welcome Holly! I’m so happy you discovered my homemade pie crust recipe. When it comes to baking holiday pies it’s a real game changer!
I have this weekend for myself and I will definitely be trying this. I love banana tart and using your recipe for the crust will be really helpful. Quite easy to follow too!
★★★★★
Once you begin making this recipe you’ll quickly find that it’s so incredibly easy to make a pie crust from scratch. :-)
There is nothing like home made and from scratch treats. If it wasn’t so hot lately I’d want to make this recipe.i
I was just thinking about trying homemade pie crusts this year, thanks for sharing. Pinning this recipe so I can try it for sure.
★★★★★
Angie, you are so sweet! I’m so happy you found this homemade pie crust recipe. Thanks a million for sharing the love by pinning it to Pinterest! :-)
I used to bake all the time, and then I just stopped. You’re making me want to start up again.
★★★★★
Woo-hoo!!! Maggie, I’m so excited that you’ll soon be baking again. Your family and friends will be so excited too! I’m sure they’ll be ready, forks in hand. :-)
I have never made my own crust, I have always been lazy and got premade, but I should totally try making my own I bet it would be a wonderful feeling of yes I’ve done this.
It’s always so satisfying to make something delicious from scratch! Sarah, I hope you’ll try this pie crust recipe soon.
Simple. Fast. Easy. Perfect. Yes.
★★★★★
Thank you Mike! I hope you’ll enjoy a fresh strawberry pie very soon. :-)
Denay your crust is so pretty! Thank you so much for this post. I’ve always struggled when it came to pie crust. You make it look so easy!
★★★★★
Lynn, you are so welcome! Once you try this recipe, you’ll smile at just how easy it is to make a beautiful, buttery, flaky pie crust from scratch. You’ll love that it’s easy to replicate the results time and time again. :-)
This looks so delicious! I love homemade food! xx
Thank you Holly! :-)
I love a delicious, flaky homemade pie crust. Whenever I bake pies for the holidays, I always make my own crusts. Yum!
★★★★★
Hooray to making pie crusts from scratch! Thanks so much Heather for stopping by and leaving a comment.
I never can get my piecrust right. I might need to practice before the holidays! Thanks for the tips!
★★★★★
Melanie, you’re absolutely welcome! Luckily there’s plenty of time to practice before the holidays. You’re family will love eating your “practice” batches of homemade pies. :-)
I’ve never made homemade pie crust. I am one of those who just buy it to make my life easier. However, your recipe made it seem so easy that I will give it try.
★★★★★
I love that homemade pie crusts are really easy to make. As soon as you try this recipe I know you’ll agree. Making your own pie dough at home is not only satisfying, but it’s time saving and money saving too!