Crisco Pie Crust
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This classic Crisco pie crust is an old fashioned, all-shortening pie crust recipe that yields a tender, flaky crust and tastes delicious with sweet or savory fillings. This is a tried and true Davis family recipe that’s the easiest crust pie to make, and delivers a perfect pie crust every time!
Use this pastry in my Brown Butter Apple Pie or Banana Cream Dream Pie.
Quick Look: Crisco Pie Crust
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Servings: 6-8 people (makes one 9-inch pie crust)
- Dietary Info: Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy Free
- Method: Oven Baked (to cook pastry)
- Technique: Blend flour and salt, then mix in the Crisco and add water-flour paste. Mix to form a dough, then roll out and bake.
- Flavor & Texture: This Crisco pie crust bakes up beautifully golden and crispy with a flaky texture and incredible flavor.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This recipe has been passed down from generation in my husband’s family–for a good reason! You will love how easy it is to make and delicious it is to eat.
If you’re looking for the lightest and flakiest pie crust, then this Crisco pie crust is all you need! With just 4 simple ingredients, this recipe comes together quickly and easily; no food processor needed.
Baking with Crisco is also less temperamental than butter, as you don’t have to worry about the melting temperature when you touch the dough (like when you make Ultimate All Butter Pie Crust).
This crust tastes like none I’ve ever tasted, and countless people say the same. It will leave you wanting more after every bite, and is a must-try for your next pie! This pastry works beautifully in my fresh peach pie or blueberry galette.
Made With Amore,
“I had a recipe like this one that I always used when my kids were growing up. Somehow I lost it and I’ve been looking for something like it for years and years. Yours is it!!! You have made my day!!”
– Judy
Table of Contents
Simple Ingredients
There are only a few very simple ingredients for this easy pie crust recipe. Grab these key ingredients, and you’ll be ready to start baking.
- All-Purpose Flour: Regular all-purpose flour is all you need for pastry. This flour has just enough protein to hold the pastry together without making it tough.
- Salt: You’ll need a little salt to add flavor to the pastry. Use fine table salt so it incorporates easily into the dough.
- Crisco (Vegetable Shortening): This fat has a higher melting point than butter, making this crust beautifully flaky. If you don’t have any shortening on hand, an equal quantity of lard will work beautifully in this recipe.
- Ice Cold Water: This binds the crust together. Use ice cold water to keep the pastry cold!
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Don’t have shortening on hand? Substitute with lard; it behaves identically to shortening in pastry.
- Want to add richness? Replace ⅓ of the shortening with chilled, cubed butter instead.
- Want to make a sweet version for desserts? Add a couple tablespoons of superfine sugar to the flour mixture. Be careful not to add too much, though, or the pastry will be very delicate and will tear easily.
How to Make Crisco Pie Crust
This pie crust couldn’t be easier to make–even without using a food processor. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions.
- Remove ⅓ cup of flour from the 2 cups of flour and set aside in a small mixing bowl. Mix the remaining flour and salt together in a medium-large mixing bowl.
- Add Crisco shortening to the flour mixture and mix thoroughly with your hands until all of the Crisco is well incorporated. (“Over-mixing” the dough is what you want to do here, which is the opposite of what you do when making dough for a butter crust.)
- Add cold water to the ⅓ cup of flour and whisk together with a fork to form a paste.
- Add this mixture to the dough and mix with your hands until fully incorporated and just until the dough is not sticky anymore.
- Separate dough into 2 equal-sized balls and chill until needed, or roll out right away between two sheets of parchment paper.
- Use as directed with your recipe and enjoy this flaky and delicious Crisco pie crust in all your favorite sweet and savory pies! You can use it for dishes like maple pecan pie without corn syrup or even torta pasqualina.
Crisco Pie Crust FAQs
It’s all a matter of personal preference, as both Crisco and butter pie crusts are delicious and flaky. However, pastry made with lard or shortening (aka Crisco) typically is flakier, as these types of fats have a higher melting point than butter. The tradeoff is that lard and shortening don’t have quite as good of a flavor as butter. You can use a mixture of both fats in your pastry to get the best of both worlds.
Pie crust often falls apart when there has been too much flour added or not enough liquid (it’s too dry), or if the pastry has been chilled or frozen, and is too cold. Also, be careful not to stretch the pastry to fit the pan, as this can cause it to tear. Chill it for 1 hour before rolling out for the best results.
Measure the ingredients accurately, preferably using a kitchen scale for solid ingredients (especially for the flour). Add enough liquid to hold the pastry together, but not so much that it becomes sticky. Handle the dough gently to prevent it from becoming tough and rubbery. Chill for about 1 hour before rolling out the pastry so it doesn’t shrink as much in the oven.
Inaccurate flour measurement, not adding the right amount of liquid, and over handling the pastry are the most common mistakes when making pie crust.
I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to measure the flour, not measuring cups. If you need to use cups, fluff the flour first, spoon it into the cups, and level the top with the sweep of a butter knife. Add just enough liquid to hold the pastry together, but add it slowly, or the pastry may be tough. Handle the dough gently, especially when rolling it out, to keep it light and flaky.
Serving Suggestions
One of the best parts of this Crisco pie crust recipe is that it can be used for either sweet or savory fillings! If you’re looking for savory pies that taste great with this crust, try my Italian pea frittata, classic spinach quiche, or this Italian pizza rustica for Easter.
This crust also is perfect for sweet pies with baked fillings or for cream pies. Try it in my chocolate pudding pie (instead of using a graham cracker crust), Italian Easter rice pie, Italian crostata (jam tart), or old fashioned rhubarb pie.
My Pro Tips
Expert Tips
- Use a kitchen scale to measure the solid ingredients, especially for the flour. This ensures quick and accurate measurements every time.
- Need to blind bake (partially cook) the pastry? Line a pie plate with the pastry and poke the bottom with a fork all over. Chill for 10 minutes, then line it with parchment paper and fill with dried beans (or pie weights). Bake at 425°F for 8-10 minutes, or until it has a slight gold tint but is not fully browned.
- If you need a fully baked crust, blind bake as above, then remove the paper and beans and cook for 5 minutes more, or until the crust is browned and cooked through.
Other Pie Recipes You’ll Love
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Crisco Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, remove ⅓ cup and set aside
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup Crisco, vegetable shortening
- ¼ cup cold water
Instructions
- Remove ⅓ cup of flour from 2 cups of flour and set aside in a small mixing bowl.
- Mix the remaining flour and salt together in a medium to large mixing bowl.
- Add Crisco to the flour mixture. Mix together thoroughly with your hands until all of the Crisco is well incorporated into the flour mixture. (“Over-mixing” the fat into the flour is what you want to do, which is the opposite of what you do when making dough for a butter crust.)
- Add cold water to the ⅓ cup of flour and whisk together with a fork to form a paste.
- Add this mixture to the dough and mix with your hands until fully incorporated and just until the dough is not sticky anymore.
- Separate dough into 2 equal balls and chill until ready to use (or preferably at least 1 hour before rolling out).
- Roll out each ball between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment paper to your desired thickness and bake according to your recipe's instructions. This pastry works beautifully for any sweet or savory pie, and can be blind baked (either partially or fully baked) for cream pies. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use a kitchen scale to measure the solid ingredients, especially for the flour. This ensures quick and accurate measurements every time.
- Need to blind bake (partially cook) the pastry? Line a pie plate with the pastry and poke the bottom with a fork all over. Chill for 10 minutes, then line it with parchment paper and fill with dried beans (or pie weights). Bake at 425°F for 8-10 minutes, or until it has a slight gold tint but is not fully browned.
- If you need a fully baked crust, blind bake as above, then remove the paper and beans and cook for 5 minutes more, or until the crust is browned and cooked through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I had a recipe like this one that I always used when my kids were growing up. Somehow I lost it and I’ve been looking for something like it for years and years. Yours is it!!! You have made my day!!
YAY! So happy you landed on this one. It is a tried and true family favorite.
I use butter flavored crisco when I make this and it just adds an even more in depth buttery goodness. This is an absolute family favorite!
Yes! So happy you love it as much as we do.
This pie crust was AMAZING! So easy to make and perfect because I can’t use butter due to a dairy allergy. Crust was super flaky and light. Dough was really easy to work with. I used them to make mini pumpkin pies and and they came out perfectly.
It is an old favorite that everyone loves. The texture turns out perfect every time!
I love the mini pie idea!
I had a tried and true all shortening ( Crisco) recipe that made fabulous crust every time. Since they changed the Crisco formula by removing the Trans Fat I can no longer make an edible crust. I am an experienced baker and am not doing anything different. The dough won’t hold together, it crumbles when baked and if you add more water to mix the crust gets really tough. Curious if others are having the same issue? If so, has anyone found a solution?
Hi Gigi, are you referring to this pie crust recipe? We do not have any of the issues you mention and all others that I know make it haven’t either. Happy to help you find a solution.
Best,
Elena
This recipe has been a really special recipe for me. Those who haven’t tried the recipe should try it now.
It is a tried and true family recipe!
Prawdziwy z Ciebie talent i mistrz pióra z ogromną łatwością przekładasz myśli na słowa… trzymaj tak dalej, dbaj i pięlęgnuj swego bloga… Skąd czerpiesz tak ciekawe inspiracje ?
I finally made this crust last weekend and it is amazing! I’ve tried for a few years to get better at making pie crusts and this recipe was it! Just the perfect balance of flaky and yummy!
So happy you loved it! We use it all the time. It is a staple in our home.