Our flaky, buttery pie crust is a delicious basis for pies, quiches, and pot pies. With only 3 ingredients plus water, this bulk pie crust recipe is all-natural and contains none of the lard and preservatives found in most commercially prepared crusts.
With our adjustable recipe, you can make just one or several at a time. The recipe as written makes dough for 6 crusts for the freezer, giving you the convenience of prepared crusts without the time investment each time you need one.
❓ Homemade Pie Crust for the Freezer FAQ
You can easily freeze pie crust either in a ball or rolled out into a circle. Rolling out the crust before freezing means less work when you thaw and use it, but it does make for more difficult storage and possible breakage in the freezer.
You can have 6 pie crusts in the freezer in about 20 minutes with this recipe.
The pie crust ingredients are simple: flour, butter, salt, and water. Start by mixing the salt into the flour.
Next, cut the butter in a little at at time. I use my universal stand mixer for this, but you can use a fork or a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the dough. The flour and butter mixture does not have to be completely uniform; it's actually good to leave a few larger bits of butter mixed in.
When all the butter has been added and the dough looks course and crumbly, start adding the water a little at a time, mixing either with your hands or, if using a mixer, pulsing on high. If your dough starts to get greasy because the butter is melting, place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before working with it further.
When the dough starts to clump together, turn it out onto a floured surface and separate it in half, then separate each half into thirds. Form each section into thick circles.
Once you have prepared the pie crust according to the instructions and formed the thick circles, you can freeze the dough or go ahead and roll it out into flat circles ready for a pie plate before freezing (I do not do this). If you want to do that extra step, place each section of crust on lightly floured parchment paper to roll it out, then, starting at one end and moving toward the other, roll the parchment paper up gently with the pie crust inside.
If you are freezing without rolling, place each section of dough between parchment paper and freeze in a freezer container. With the parchment paper between each crust, you should be able to easily remove one pie crust section at a time when you are ready to use them. If you do not have parchment paper, you can individually freeze the crusts before combining them in a freezer container.
If you are rolling first, place the rolled pie crusts on a cookie sheet or other flat surface and freeze for a couple of hours. Once the crusts are individually frozen, you can combine them and place in a freezer container or wrap with freezer paper.
If you are struggling with the consistency of your pie crust, check out these tips from professional baker Erin McDowell.
A well-wrapped pie crust should last 6 months or more in the freezer. The crust will not "go bad" if it is frozen for a longer time, but it may get freezer-burned, lose optimal texture, or have an off taste if it is frozen for too long.
Because pie crust relies on solid fats (butter in this recipe) for the consistency of the dough, you should thaw the pie crust overnight in the refrigerator if possible. If that is not possible, thaw the crust on the counter at room temperature until pliable. Never defrost a frozen pie crust in the microwave.
Margarine has a higher water content than butter and should not be substituted in pastry recipes such as pie crusts.
Absolutely! For a double crust pie, simply use one portion for the bottom crust, add the pie ingredients, then top with another rolled out portion. Seal the edges of the top crust to the bottom crust all the way around the pie, and pierce air vents with a fork or knife after sealing the edges to allow hot air to escape.
A simple egg wash can be brushed over the top of the crust to create a lovely golden color. Separate the white from the yolk of one egg, placing the white into a small bowl with high sides. Add water a teaspoon at a time, whisking well, until the egg white is light enough to be easily spread with a brush. Brush over the pie crust. For a deeper golden color and more shine, you can include the yolk as well.
Recipe
Freezer-Friendly Bulk Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 6 cups flour
- 1 pound butter, softened (4 sticks)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1¼ to 1½ cups cold water
Instructions
- Mix 6 cups flour and 2 teaspoons salt.
- If mixing by hand, use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in 1 pound butter a little at a time until mixture is crumbly. If using a stand mixer, use the pulse function to mix. The flour and butter mixture does not have to be completely uniform; it's actually good to leave a few larger bits of butter mixed in.
- Add 1¼ to 1½ cups cold water a little at a time and mix until mixture forms a ball.
- If your dough starts to get greasy because the butter is melting, place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before working with it further.
- Add water as necessary to get correct texture, but try to add as little water as possible. You only need enough water so that the dough holds together; the final product will not look like a smooth ball.
- Divide dough in half, then divide each half into 3 equal parts.
- At this point roll each section out to be ready for a pie plate before freezing, or you can freeze it in discs to be rolled before use. If you want to do the extra step of rolling it out, place each section of crust on lightly floured parchment paper and roll it out to your preferred size, then starting at one end of the parchment paper, gently roll it up with the pie crust inside.
- If you are freezing without rolling, form each section into a slightly flattened disc and place parchment paper between each disc of dough. Freeze in a freezer container.
- If you rolled the pie crusts out and rolled them up in parchment paper, place them on a cookie sheet or other flat surface and freeze for a couple of hours. Once the crusts are individually frozen, you can combine them and place them together in a freezer container or wrap them with freezer paper and freeze.
Notes
- The dough can be mixed by hand or with a sturdy stand mixer.
- Nutrition data is per pie crust.
- Freshly ground whole wheat flour may be used in this recipe instead of white flour at a one to one ratio.
- To bake an unfilled crust, cook at 475ºF for about 8 minutes. For filled crusts, bake according to recipe instructions.
Nutrition per serving
📌 Pin this recipe
Katherine K
If I have lard that in a box from the grocery store “Snow cap” is the brand - can I use it instead of butter?
Thanks!
Can’t wait to do for the holidays!
Mary Ann
Hi Katherine - I have not tested the recipe with lard, but it should work. The lard might affect the flavor, but many commercially prepared pie crusts use lard.
Nancy
Can you use this right away.... after a few hours in the fridge?
Mary Ann
Yes, you can use it right away. I often make this recipe when I need a crust that day; I save one out to use and freeze the rest. You can chill it until needed.