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Home » Baking and Desserts

Homemade Refrigerated Pie Crust

by Beth Lee · Published: Mar 8, 2019 · Modified: Nov 17, 2022

924 shares
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Homemade refrigerated pie crust -- learn how to make your own pie crusts, refrigerate or freeze the dough, and you'll be ready to make pie anytime!

For ease of browsing, find all of my baking and dessert recipes in one place.

Pie crust in a pie pan with a fluted edge.

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Acrophobia, claustrophobia, doughaphobia. Until I started writing this blog in 2010, I was definitely doughaphobic. If there was yeast, butter or a rolling pin involved, I froze up. With the help of a food friend and my very own dormant chef, I faced the pie dough and did not let it crumble me.

Keep reading and I promise you too can learn to make homemade refrigerated pie crust with great success and no fear involved!

Why you'll love this post and recipe

Do you cringe at the thought of making your own pie crusts? Do you run for the frozen aisle to grab pre-made pie dough or dial the emergency Marie Callender’s 911PIE number? If you do this out of fear and not necessity, then this post is for you!

I include my top tips for pie dough novices and those suffering from an acute case of doughaphobia. If you have been asked to bake pies for a holiday dinner, such as Thanksgiving, and haven’t slept since the request came in, read this post.

For those of you who are pie crust experts already, please just head straight to the comments section and leave us your favorite tip or words of encouragement. We will appreciate your experience and support!

Ingredients you'll need

You only need 5 ingredients to make pie dough: flour, butter, salt, sugar and ice water. If you are planning to use the pie crusts for a savory recipe such as turkey pot pie, you can reduce or leave the sugar out.

Ingredient shot for pie crust showing butter, sugar, flour, salt and ice water.
  • All-purpose flour: I use either Gold Medal or King Arthur's all-purpose unbleached flour. I have not experimented with any other kind of flour ... yet.
  • Unsalted butter: I use whatever brand is the most affordable, generally, to be honest! The key with the butter is for it to be cubed and cold.
  • Sugar: I just use standard granulated white sugar.
  • Kosher salt: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt for all of my recipe testing. If you use Morton's Kosher Salt, the guideline is to use about ½.

How to make pie dough

I use my stand mixer to make my dough BUT you can use your food processor or your hands or a manual pastry blender device that many of us remember from our childhood. Do not let your equipment or possible lack thereof stop you!

In fact, many experienced bakers would tell you to start with your hands so you can feel how the butter and flour come together to create the marvel that is pie dough!

1. Prep your ingredients - I like to start by cubing the butter and refrigerating it. It's crucial that you add it to the flour when it is chilled.

Cubes of butter over flour mixture in mixer bowl.

2. Mix the dry ingredients together - the flour, salt and sugar.

Dry ingredients mixed together in the stand up mixer bowl.

3. Add the butter cubes to the flour mixture and continue to let the paddle attachment work its magic (if you are using the stand mixer). The flour and butter will begin to mesh together and you'll see varying pea sized pieces of flour and butter emerge.

Pie dough in a mixer bowl showing that the butter is being incorporated and pea size pieces are emerging.

4. Add ice water starting with the least amount in the recipe. Put a pinch of dough between your fingers and feel the texture. If it's still sandy or not staying together, add more water a tablespoon at a time.

Hand pinching a piece of dough to see if it's ready.

5. Once it comes together, remove it to a clean surface (I use parchment), divide the dough in two, roughly form two disks. Wrap and refrigerate.

Disk of pie dough on parchment with a wrapped disk to the side partially showing.

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Expert Tips and FAQs

Here are my best tips I learned over the years while preparing homemade refrigerated pie crusts.

1. Cut up butter ahead of time and put in fridge so it’s ready to go. Using chopsticks to put the butter in the mixer works great if you know how to use them.

Butter cut into cubes in a white bowl.

2. Have ice water ready before you start preparing the pie crust.

3. If using a stand mixer to make your pie dough, watch closely once you put the butter in. The transformation into pea-sized pieces happens all of a sudden - you will hear a change in the sound of the mixer as the transformation is about to happen. So stand by the mixer and watch and listen!

Pie crust in the stand mixer turning into pea size pieces.

4. Once you add the ice water, the dough comes together quickly - as quick as 10 seconds.

Pie dough in the stand mixer bowl after water was added and it came together.

5. When you form the dough into two disks after it comes together, don't work the dough. Just divide the dough, roughly form two disks, wrap and refrigerate. No need for perfection here.

Two disks of pie dough on a piece of parchment - one wrapped in plastic wrap and one not.

6.The depth and diameter of your pie plate matter. Always note what size pie dish the recipe you are using calls for. Cheryl told me to get standard depth (about 1.25") 9" diameter glass pie plates. At the time, I couldn't find them anywhere. I have 9.5" diameter pie plates that are closer to 2" deep. So I need more dough and filling if I'm making 2 pumpkin pies. Measure what you have so you won't be surprised that you have too little or too much pie crust dough!

Now for the Frequently Asked Questions! Professionally-trained chef, cookbook author and friend, Cheryl Sternman Rule answered so many questions for me when I learned to make pie crust. Here are the invaluable answers she shared with me:

Can I make the dough the day before and refrigerate it?

Absolutely! You can even make them the weekend before, roll the crust out, line the pie plate (she recommends 9-inch glass), then wrap it in a double layer of plastic/foil and freeze the whole crust/plate combo. You could add a piece of parchment on the dough so the foil doesn’t stick.

Remove the frozen pie crusts from the freezer the night before and put the whole thing in the refrigerator to temper the glass so you’re not putting a rock-solid frozen pie crust and plate directly into a hot oven.

OR, just make the dough a day or two or three before, refrigerate it, and roll out and bake it the day you need the pies.

If refrigerated overnight, how long should the dough sit out of the refrigerator before you roll it out?

The actual temperature of your refrigerator and your home will affect how long you need to leave the dough at room temperature before it's malleable enough to roll out. I would start with 5-minute increments.

If it's just a bit too hard and you are in a rush, Cheryl said to whack it with your rolling pin. I've never had to do that (though it does sound fun!). Just use your warm hands to begin to flatten the dough and that will likely move it right along to a softer state.

Cheryl added: "I'm guessing the whacking compresses the layers in a way that's not optimal, but I figure, hey, I'm rolling it out anyway, how much additional harm could I really inflict?"

Do I need to pre-cook the pie crust?

Many pie crusts do have to be “blind-baked” or par-baked before the filling is added. Every recipe should instruct whether you should pre-bake or not. I keep a bag of beans that I use over and over for when I do need to blind bake a crust. Line the crust with parchment paper and then pour the beans in to weigh down the crust so it doesn't expand. Many pumpkin pies call for pre-baking and many do not.

Cheryl suggested if not blind baking the crust, bake the pie on the bottom rack of the oven and the glass pie plate ensures thorough baking, too. Always check the pie about 15 minutes before it’s scheduled to come out, and cover the edges with a little foil if they’re getting too dark.

Where should I roll out my dough?

Roll out your dough on a very well-floured countertop or board, then use a pastry brush to lightly brush off excess flour before you place the refrigerated pie crust in the pie dish.

What tools do I need to prepare my pie crust?

Invest in a bench scraper if you don’t have one. They’re cheap. It will help you move your dough around or cut your dough in half, etc. A pastry brush is handy and of course a rolling pin and pie plates!
Tools that are helpful for making pie crust including a bench scraper, pastry brush, marble rolling pin and wooden rolling pin.

Recipes using homemade refrigerated pie crusts

Mini Cherry Pies

Turkey Pot Pie

Butterscotch Pie

Balsamic Cherry Pie

Vinegar Pie

Pumpkin Pie

Want to make a non-traditional nut-crusted pie? Try this key lime pie!
 

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P.S. If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating and/or a review in the comment section below. I so appreciate your feedback! AND find more inspiration on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Signup for my email list, too!

Pie crust in a pie pan with a fluted edge.

Homemade Refrigerated Pie Crust

Beth Lee
This classic butter-based pie dough is very closely adapted from a recipe called Pie Dough with Water from Emily Luchetti's book Classic Stars Desserts and has been my go-to since 2010. It will yield 2 pie crusts if using standard depth 9" pie pans.
4.66 from 23 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prevent your screen from going dark
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
1 hour hr
Total Time 15 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 16 people
Calories 401 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2.5 cups all purpose flour
  • 1.5 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 20 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into cubes
  • 3.5 to 4.5 tablespoons ice water
  • flour for dusting
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions
 

  • Prepare your butter by cubing it into about ½-inch size pieces and keep this refrigerated. This can certainly be done ahead of time and be waiting in the refrigerator for your next steps.
    Butter cut into cubes in a white bowl.
  • Using your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl and mix it together briefly on low speed to combine.
    Dry ingredients mixed together in the stand up mixer bowl.
  • Add the cubes of butter to the bowl of the stand mixer.
    Cubes of butter over flour mixture in mixer bowl.
  • On low speed, mix the flour and butter together until they resemble small uneven size peas. If you listen while the mixer is working, you will hear it change tone as the butter becomes incorporated into the flour.
    Pie dough in a mixer bowl showing that the butter is being incorporated and pea size pieces are emerging.
  • At small pea stage, add in 3.5 tablespoons of the ice water and mix for 10 more seconds. Then take a small bit in your fingers and squish it. Does it hold together? Then you probably added enough water. Is it a bit crumbly? Add in another tablespoon of the ice water. 
    Hand pinching a piece of dough to see if it's ready.
  • Once the dough has formed, remove it to a lightly floured surface or parchment paper. Split it in two, wrap each piece separately. Weigh them out to be precise if you’d like. Wrap well and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least an hour before you roll them out. Even better leave them overnight or for as long as 3 days. If you need to wait longer, then freeze them and they will last for at least a month.
    Two disks of pie dough on a piece of parchment - one wrapped in plastic wrap and one not.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 401kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 4gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 323mgPotassium: 50mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 875IUCalcium: 14mgIron: 1.8mg
Keyword pie crust, pie dough, pies
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  1. Michael Spatafore

    November 22, 2018 at 4:26 am

    He Beth, My pie dough is still like a rock after sitting on the counter for the last half hour. What should I do.
    By the way I'm making my first attempt at pear,apple, cranberry pie.

    Thanks,
    Mike

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      November 22, 2018 at 5:53 am

      Hi Mike - my friend Cheryl told me not to be afraid of it - she would grab her rolling pin and pound it a couple of times to get it going. Also your hands have a lot of heat so once you start rolling it, turning it, it is going to warm up. You have to believe!

      Reply
      • Charlotte Peralta

        May 27, 2020 at 8:32 am

        Can I use cake flour instead if all purpose flour ?

        Reply
        • Beth Lee

          May 27, 2020 at 9:15 am

          Hi Charlotte. Cake flour has less protein in it than AP flour. I don't think a one for one substitution will yield a dough that you will be able to work with. I researched a bit and found some recipes that use 1/2 cake flour and 1/2 AP. But all cake flour could be dicey. I have never tried it but think the lower gluten level will be a problem. Do you have any other type of flour in the house you can mix with it?

  2. Jennifer Kular

    November 21, 2018 at 1:30 am

    Hi Beth,

    Do you have a recipe for a pumpkin pie filling to go with this lovely dough?

    Thanks,
    Jennifer

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      November 21, 2018 at 7:34 am

      Hi Jennifer - are you using canned pumpkin puree? If yes, this is what we did last year (I haven't published it but happy to share). We did one version with homemade puree and one with canned:

      One can pumpkin
      ¾ cup brown sugar
      1.25 cups half and half lactose free organic valley
      2 teaspoons cinnamon
      ½ tsp kosher salt
      ½ teaspoon ginger
      ¼ teaspoon cloves
      ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
      ¼ teaspoon Maya special spice (optional)
      2 whole eggs
      One egg yolk

      Baked about 50 minutes at 350 degrees convect, covering the crust edge for the last 5 minutes

      Reply
  3. majella

    May 11, 2018 at 4:50 pm

    could i just use my fingertips to work the butter/lard instead of the mixer?

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      May 12, 2018 at 5:05 am

      Yes! In fact many believe a pastry blender or fork or your hands is the best method!

      Reply
  4. laura@motherwouldknow

    November 22, 2016 at 2:13 pm

    Love the tips, but even more so with your story of last minute shopping for a pie plate. That's me in a nutshell - running around for the one item I should have bought weeks ago:) Have a wonderful holiday.

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      November 29, 2016 at 10:00 am

      Thanks Laura - sometimes the simplest things are not so easy to find! Easy tasks become hard and the ones we dread somehow are easier than we expect. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving

      Reply
      • Rory

        August 01, 2021 at 11:29 am

        I'm making a pie where the dough needs to rest in the fridge for two hours.
        Could I put it in the freezer to rest instead, if so how long for?

        Reply
        • Beth Lee

          August 02, 2021 at 7:40 am

          Hi Rory, The reason you rest the dough is to let the gluten relax and make the dough easier to work with. So if you are hoping the freezer will make it "rest" faster, I don't think so. But if you only have an hour to let it rest, give it a go. It'll probably be fine. In general, you can freeze dough, especially pie dough but it sounds like you weren't asking if you could freeze it for later use but rather hurry along the resting. If I've answered the wrong question - let me know! Thanks for stopping by and let me know how it came out!

  5. Srividhya

    November 22, 2016 at 7:28 am

    Bookmarking this. A much needed post for me. 🙂 Thanks

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      November 29, 2016 at 9:59 am

      Maybe I should start a "doughaphobic" support group 🙂

      Reply
  6. Kristen

    November 22, 2016 at 4:57 am

    I saw this post and knew I had to read it!! I am pie crust challenged. This really helps~

    Reply
    • Beth Lee

      November 22, 2016 at 7:00 am

      It's an early post but all the advice holds true! And this post still gets a ton of traffic. Hope it helped!

      Reply
  7. Kris Piatt

    November 10, 2012 at 4:18 am

    I’m still working on overcoming my 'fear of baking'. Watching an old Julia Child & Co. rerun this summer (on PBS for Julia's 100th birthday) on making a French Apple Tart (not to be confused with a Tarte Tatin) I became inspired. I bought myself a hand-made maple French rolling pin and felt empowered. We grew and harvested our own apples for the applesauce base and sliced apple topping. I found a 'butter-free' pie crust recipe on Epicurious using beer, oil and baking powder that was workable (with the addition of small amounts of salt & sugar). I repeated, in French of course, "Courage" and... "Voila", a tart I was proud to serve!

    kp in Boston

    Reply
    • Beth

      November 11, 2012 at 5:20 am

      Hi Kris - So glad you stopped by and what a great story! Pie dough w beer and oil and baking powder and you made it work. Though after taking the tour of the North End w you and hearing your endless food knowledge, I am not surprised.

      But there is just something about baking that is a bit daunting, even for those of us skilled in savory preparation. The more you try, the less scary it becomes. I just wish I had more time to practice.

      I just started reading "Dearie" - the biography of Julia - nice read so far and so fascinating. She is still such an inspiration to so many of us. I grew up watching her on PBS - a strong memory from my childhood.

      For more inspiration, consider downloading Dorie Greenspan's cooking app - Baking w Dorie - it's worth it just for the video of her making a Tarte Tatin (not French Apple Tart). The excitement in her face and voice when she succeeds in taking it out of the pan, is just delightful. She is, by the way, just as lovely in person, as she appears in the videos.

      Thanks for stopping by - look forward to staying in touch.

      Reply
  8. Carlo/Carlo At Your Service Productions

    March 01, 2012 at 10:49 pm

    Glad you could do it. I too doughaphobic!
    Ain't that a shame? For me it;s like, why bake it when you can just buy it?
    Although, truth be told... We all know that there's nothing like homemade.

    Reply
  9. dramaqueensmum

    February 06, 2011 at 12:14 pm

    I need to get 1 of those mixers. Someday. We don't have the counterspace for it. I've never made homemade pie crust.

    Reply
  10. Mommyof2Girlz/Steph

    January 03, 2011 at 11:24 am

    Hey SITStah, thanks for popping by today...loving your blog! And yes I am a doughaphobic but have always wanted to give it a try, with your post maybe I will now..yay..lol.

    Reply
  11. Sunflowerdiva

    December 29, 2010 at 9:23 am

    Thanks a lot for the tips, and for the funny post. 🙂 Happy New Year!

    Reply
  12. rebecca

    December 25, 2010 at 7:53 pm

    wonderful post so helpful for folks bet your pies are amazing

    Merry Christmas Rebecca

    Reply
  13. Cheryl

    December 22, 2010 at 10:14 am

    So glad the tips were helpful and that your foray into the terrifying underbelly of the pie world was a success. Let me know when you're ready to conquer croquembouche.

    Reply
    • omgyummy

      December 22, 2010 at 3:15 pm

      How did you know I was planning on serving croquembouche for dessert at my daughter's Bat Mitzvah in February? NOT! But if I ever hallucinate long enough to believe I can create one of those baking works of art, you'll be the first one I'll call. Thanks again for all the help.

      Reply
  14. Jun Belen

    December 22, 2010 at 9:04 am

    Two Thanksgivings ago, Dennis and I made our very first pie dough. OK, it was more like Dennis made his first pie dough while I watched. I've always felt intimidated by it. This year when I made my pumpkin pie from scratch I still asked Dennis to make the dough for me. I'm going to try to bite the bullet and make my own from scratch on Christmas Eve. Wish me luck!

    Reply
    • omgyummy

      December 22, 2010 at 3:19 pm

      Courage, Jun, Courage. In case you didn't notice the man's hands in the rugelach post, go take another look and you'll see that dormant chef is doing all the dough work. I'm still in recovery, not fully recovered. But when we made the pumpkin pies, I really did it all by myself from the mixer to the rolling out. My rolling out was not fabulous but use a lot of flour and then the pastry brush to get the excess off and you'll be fine. Good luck and report in on your success!

      Reply
  15. Stephanie M at Together In Food

    December 22, 2010 at 8:58 am

    Great post offering humor on a potentially fearful topic! I love the Tartine cookbook's flaky tart dough recipe; it's been foolproof for me. It uses more water than many recipes but is, indeed, flaky and tender every time. I also prefer a food processor to mixer.

    Reply
    • omgyummy

      December 22, 2010 at 3:22 pm

      Hmmm - food processor. Will give that a try, although I have taken a liking to my mixer of late. It's located in a great spot in my kitchen on a pull-up shelf and I love pulling it out and putting it back (not a good reason to use it but if it gets me baking, it's all good). This is the second time today someone has recommended the Tartine book - will have to add that to my list. Thanks for the tips!

      Reply
      • Georgia Bibeau-Lampel

        August 12, 2017 at 6:42 pm

        I'm looking through old posts because I obviously have missed all of the Thanksgiving posts and was thinking about it tonight. I know -- I'm weird thinking about Thanksgiving in August. Can't wait to use both the bread cubes and stock recipes.

        I swear by the Cooks Illustrated method in the food processor. And their recipe for pre-baked pie crust is the best I've ever had and use it for everything (pre-baked or not). I freeze my butter (can't remember if it's part of the recipe) and Crisco cubes (tho Crisco doesn't really freeze). I consistently get good marks every year from a big table of non-bakers. 🙂

        Reply
        • Beth Lee

          August 13, 2017 at 9:53 am

          Love that you're thinking about Thanksgiving in August. Maybe you should be a food writer :-). So many variations on pie crust - if you've got one that works - don't mess with it! Love the pre-baked detail - good to know. And great to hear from you!

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Hi, I'm Beth!

I'm a cookbook author, cooking teacher and preserved lemon lover. My family is a mix of Jewish, Hawaiian and Korean heritage. My virtual multicultural kitchen is always open. Let's cook together! 

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