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    Home » Dessert Recipes

    Perfect Pie Crust Ina Garten

    Published: Jul 21, 2014 · Modified: Aug 14, 2023 by Jenna · This post may contain affiliate links · 39 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Making a pie crust from scratch can seem daunting, but with a little practice, it's actually quite simple! The key to a delicious pie crust is the right combination of ingredients and techniques. Here's a basic recipe to get you started:

    perfect pie crust 004

    Ladies and gentlemen, this is my new favorite pie crust recipe and will be my go-to pie crust recipe from now on. It comes from none other than Ina Garten, my favorite Food Network Chef.  Her new cookbook comes out in September and Food Network has been showing her new shows on Sunday mornings. I even made her Blueberry pie tonight and had a piece of that before dinner. Dessert always comes first.

    perfect pie crust 008

    If you have a food processor, pie crust is super easy to make. If you don't own a food processor you can use one of those pastry cutters and your hands to form the dough. The only thing I changed about this recipe was to leave out the Crisco that the recipe called for. I have made this recipe before with just the butter and added more water until the dough forms a ball in the food processor. Now that I'm good at making pie crust, I can focus on pie fillings like a quiche.

    If you love Ina Garten recipes check out Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken or Tequila Lime Chicken.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients Needed
    • How to make Perfect Pie Crust 
    • Equipment Needed 
    • Can I make pie crust ahead of time?
    • Other Recipes to Try 
    • Perfect Pie Crust Ina Garten

    Ingredients Needed

    • Butter   - is the most commonly used type of butter in baking, as it allows for more control over the amount of salt in the recipe.
    • Flour - is a type of wheat flour that is commonly used in cooking and baking. It is versatile and can be used for a variety of recipes, including bread, cakes, cookies, and pastries.
    • Sugar   -  Or  regular granulated sugar, I do not use sugar substitutes in any of my recipes but if you know the conversions feel free to do so
    • Vegetable Shortening - Very cold vegetable shortening. I usually keep mine in the pantry but place it in the fridge a couple of hours before making pie crust. 
    • See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

    How to make Perfect Pie Crust 

    Cut the butter in ½-inch dice and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix.

    Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out onto a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

    Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle at least 1 inch larger than the pie pan, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough so it doesn't stick to the board. (You should see bits of butter in the dough.)

    Fold the dough in half, ease it into the pie pan without stretching at all, and unfold to fit the pan. With a small sharp paring knife, cut the dough 1 inch larger around than the pan. Fold the edge under and crimp the edge with either your fingers or the tines of a fork.

    Equipment Needed 

    Here are some handy kitchen tools that will help you get through the process faster. Just a friendly reminder that some of these aren’t necessary and there are always other ways of getting the recipe done. All links will open up in a new window via Amazon.

    Food Processor - Hamilton Beach Food Processor and Vegetable Processor (10 Cups)

    Rolling Pin - Faber Ware Classic Wood Rolling Pin

    Plastic Saran Wrap 

    Can I make pie crust ahead of time?

    If you want to get ahead of yourself on the prep work for Thanksgiving you can make this pie crust ahead of time and freeze it. Just defrost it before ready to bake. Pie crust is a great keeper in the freezer. Wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap or store in freezer bags.

    Other Recipes to Try 

    • 5 Ingredient Sausage Hash Brown Casserole
    • Keto Chaffle Recipe (3 Ways!)
    • Crock Pot Salsa Chicken (2 Ingredients)
    • Baked Blueberry Doughnuts

    If you tried this Perfect Pie Crust any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you! Follow along on Tiktok @jennarecipediaries

    Print

    Perfect Pie Crust Ina Garten


    ★★★★★

    4.6 from 18 reviews

    • Prep Time: 20min
    • Total Time: 50min
    • Yield: 2 (10" crusts) 1x
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Ladies and gentlemen, this is my new favorite pie crust recipe and will be my go-to pie crust recipe from now on.


    Scale

    Ingredients

    • 12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) very cold unsalted butter
    • 3 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • â…“ cup very cold vegetable shortening, such as Crisco
    • ½ cup ice water

    Instructions

    1. Cut the butter in ½-inch dice and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out onto a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
    2. Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle at least 1 inch larger than the pie pan, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough so it doesnt stick to the board. (You should see bits of butter in the dough.) Fold the dough in half, ease it into the pie pan without stretching at all, and unfold to fit the pan. With a small sharp paring knife, cut the dough 1 inch larger around than the pan. Fold the edge under and crimp the edge with either your fingers or the tines of a fork.

    Notes

    This recipe is directly from her cookbook.

    • Category: Easy
    • Method: Mix
    • Cuisine: American

    Keywords: perfect pie crust

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jenna says

      March 14, 2022 at 4:37 pm

      Yes you can freeze shortening. A simple search would tell you how.

    2. Dorothy says

      March 14, 2022 at 2:41 pm

      Can anyone tell me, cause the recipe doesnt say, what to do about adding the shortening? She tells you to cut the butter into 1/2 inch dice, and when I tried it with the Crisco, it was hard to do, cause Crisco is so soft. I pzrtially froze my butter, in order to cut it into the dice , but can you freeze Shortening as well? I never tried to.

      ★★★★

    3. Jenna says

      February 19, 2022 at 6:05 pm

      Yes it is easy!

    4. Julia Lippa Benton says

      February 19, 2022 at 3:53 pm

      Love making this crust. So easy to follow Ina’s recipes!! Delicious when finished!!!

      ★★★★★

    5. Helen says

      November 25, 2021 at 1:16 am

      I’ve made this recipe since i was 10 years old. I’m now 56. It’s a classic recipe for success.. You can freeze this dough in flattened round wrapped disks ready to roll out. Defrost in freezer for a few hours. I usually make eight rounds so I’m set for a while. It’s a winner!

      ★★★★★

    6. Janet Young says

      November 24, 2021 at 12:17 pm

      I love this recipe it is so easy to make and taste great only pie dough recipe i use

      ★★★★★

    7. Caroline heminway says

      October 16, 2021 at 7:03 pm

      this is a really good pie crust i have made it more than once. i have made it so many times i don't remember how many times I've made it.

      ★★★★★

    8. Paula says

      November 25, 2020 at 1:41 pm

      Anything Ina makes always turns out great!,,

      ★★★★★

    9. Kim says

      November 21, 2020 at 12:52 pm

      I always keep the scraps in freezer then see if i have enough leftover for a pie crust. No waste and it save from having to make it if you want to have 1 pie crust for quiche.

      ★★★★★

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    Hey, I'm Jenna! I'm a graphic designer, photographer, and home cook from From Fargo ND. My air fryer is my favorite kitchen appliance to cook with. I created this blog to share recipe tips and tricks with everyone, enjoy!

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