Pie Crust Without Palm Oil is Easy to Make

I’ve learned to make my own pie crust without palm oil. We avoid palm oil in my house. Because palm oil is common in prepared pie crusts and pies, I make them at home. Making pie crust is easier than I thought it would be.

This recipe uses real butter instead of shortening. You can make it ahead of time and use it when you need to. This pie crust recipe makes two pie crusts. You can make two pies with filling just the bottom crust, or bake one pie using a top and bottom crust. 

Pie Crust 

You can use this pie crust to make any type of pie. Some of my family favorites include pot pie, walnut pie, peanut butter and chocolate pie, apple pie, and this cherry pie recipe. It will stand up to any filling and give you a beautiful pie that tastes delicious.

Homemade pie crust is easy to make. Using butter instead of shortening means you can make it palm oil free. Most all shortening contains palm oil. Also, many premade pie crusts contain it as well. 

Follow these step-by-step directions to make pie crust from scratch. If you have a food processor, it makes it really easy. I have a Vitamix but any food processor will do. You can still make it even without a food processor. You can use a hand mixer, or mix it by hand. A rolling pin comes in handy too. 

What You Need to Make this Recipe

• 2 ½ cups pastry flour or all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, very cold
• 4 to 8 tablespoons ice water

How to Make Pie Crust

Prep time: 10 minutes

Dough rest time (before using): 60 minutes

Making the dough for the pie crust:

1. Combine 1 ½ cups of the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Pulse several times (2 or 3 should do it) until combined. If you don’t have a food processor, you can mix by hand.
2. Cut the butter into ½ inch cubes.
3. Add the butter cubes into the food processor. Process for about 15 seconds until it forms a paste or dough. All flour should be coated.
4. Scrape the sides of the container, making sure the flour-butter dough is evenly distributed.
5. Add the remaining 1 cup of flour. Pulse the food processor 4 or 5 times until the flour is blended into the dough. The dough should look crumbly.
6. Take the dough out of the food processor and put it into a medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of the ice water. If you need more as you go along, you can add it.
7. Use a rubber spatula to press the dough into itself. Continue pressing until the dough comes together, forming large clusters. Pinch the dough. If it holds, it is ready. If it crumbles, you need to add more ice water.
8. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface. Work it just until it forms a ball. Divide the dough evenly into halves. Form each half into a disc. Wrap the discs separately in plastic wrap.
9. Refrigerate dough discs for at least an hour before using. The dough will last in the refrigerator for about 2 days and in the freezer for about 3 months.

When You Are Ready to Use the Dough

1. When you are ready to use the dough, let it thaw in the refrigerator (if frozen) or remove from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes.
2. Dust the work surface with flour. Also dust the top of the dough and the rolling pin. Roll out the dough using your rolling pin. You want about a 12 inch circle that is around 1/8 inch thick. Check periodically to make sure it isn’t sticking to your work surface. If it is, add some flour.
3. You can check the size of your dough round by placing an inverted pie pan on the round. There should be about an inch or so of dough all around the pie pan.
4. Start at one end of your dough round, and gently roll it over your rolling pin. Unroll the crust over your pie pan.
5. Press the dough gently into the dish, making sure that it lines the sides and bottom of the pan. Avoid stretching or pulling the dough.
6. Trim the dough with a pair of kitchen scissors or a knife. You want it to be within about ½ inch of the edge of the pie pan.
7. Fold the dough edge underneath itself so that the crust is thicker and forms a nice border that’s about ¼ inch thick, resting on the lip of the pie pan. Use a fork to crimp the crust or use your fingers. If you are making a double crust, do this part after you have filled the pie and placed the top crust. Then you can trim the edges and crimp or flute.
8. Refrigerate the pie crust for about 20 minutes or freeze it for about 5 minutes before filling and baking.

You can fill it with delicious and easy cherry pie filling. Another option is to wait until the butter pie crust cools and fill it with chilled chocolate mousse. Try this chocolate mousse recipe for a delicious pie filling. It uses just three ingredients.

Baking the Crust

Let the pie crust dough rise, and then preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the butter pie crust for 20 – 30 minutes. A partly baked crust is ideal for pies with heavy fillings. One tip is to prick the bottom of the crust with a fork to prevent bubbles from forming during the pre-baking process. Reheat the crust for 20 – 25 minutes or until it is golden brown on all sides. Remove from oven and cool before serving.

Making Homemade Pie Crust

A lot of people are intimidated by homemade pie crust. It has a reputation for being a lengthy, difficult process. Try this recipe. It’s easy to follow. There are a lot of steps but that’s because I went into detail about how to roll out the dough and how to set it in the pie pan.

This versatile and delicious pie crust is flaky, light, airy, and not soggy or dense. It’s slightly crisp but not hard. Use it for fruit pies or any type of pie.

If you are using only a bottom crust, you’ll likely want to add some sort of topping. You can top with berries, shaved chocolate, homemade whipped cream, or meringue. For a simple pie, bake the crust, let it cool, and then fill it with chocolate mousse or pudding. Top with berries and whipped cream.

A pie with only a bottom crust will almost always have some topping, whether baked into the pie or served on top of it. Meringue and whipped cream are two of the most common toppings.

I’ve learned to bake almost everything from scratch because my son has a palm oil allergy and palm oil intolerance. This means, I don’t buy any pies or other prepared desserts because most all of them contain palm oil. 

Once I learned how easy it is to make pie crust, it opened up a whole new world of possibilities. In addition to making dessert pies, I also use it for pot pies and quiches.

The great news is we eat more real ingredients and our desserts have less chemicals and preservatives. See some palm oil free desserts I make. 

If you make this palm oil free pie crust recipe, please let me know how it went in the Comments. What type of pie did you use it for? 

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Pie Crust

Making pie crust from scratch is easier than you may think. This recipe makes two crusts. This is a palm oil free pie crust that calls for butter instead of shortening or lard. It's ideal for pie or quiche.

Course Brunch, Dessert, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword easy pie crust recipe, homemade pie crust, palm oil free pie crust, pie crust, pie crust from scratch, pie crust recipe, pie crust without palm oil

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 0 minutes minutes

Chill time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Dawn Head

Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups pastry flour or all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup 2 sticks unsalted butter, very cold, cut into ½ inch cubes
• 4 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Instructions

Making the Pie Crust Dough

• Combine 1 ½ cups flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Pulse 2 - 3 until combined.
• Add the butter cubes. Process for about 15 seconds until it forms a paste or dough. All flour should be coated.
• Scrape the sides of the bowl and make sure the flour-butter dough is evenly distributed.
• Add remaining 1 cup of flour. Pulse the food processor 4 or 5 times until the flour is blended into the dough. The dough should look crumbly.
• Put the dough into a medium bowl. Sprinkle with 4 tablespoons of ice water. If you need more as you go along, you can add it.
• Use a rubber spatula to press the dough into itself. Continue pressing until the dough comes together, forming large clusters. Pinch the dough. If it holds, it is ready. If it crumbles, add more water.
• Turn the dough out onto a clean surface. Work it until it forms a ball. Divide the dough evenly into halves. Form each half into a disc. Wrap the discs separately in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least an hour before using. The dough will last in the refrigerator for about 2 days and in the freezer for about 3 months.

Using the Pie Crust Dough

• When you are ready to use the dough, let it thaw in the refrigerator (if frozen) or remove from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
• Dust work surface, the rolling pin, and the top of the dough with flour. Roll out the dough using rolling pin. Be sure it isn’t sticking to your work surface. If it is, add some flour.
• You want about a 12 inch circle that is around 1/8 inch thick. You can check the size of your dough round by placing an inverted pie pan on the round. There should be about an inch or so of dough all around the pie pan.
• Start at one end of your dough round and gently roll it over the rolling pin. Unroll the crust over your pie pan.
• Press the dough gently into the pie pan, making sure that it lines the sides and bottom of the pan. Don't stretch or pull the dough.
• Trim dough with a pair of kitchen scissors or knife. You want it to be within about ½ inch of the edge of the pie pan.
• Fold the dough edge underneath itself so that the crust is thicker and forms a nice border that’s about ¼ inch thick, resting on the lip of the pie pan. Use a fork to crimp the crust or use your fingers. Don't crimp if you are adding a top crust.
• If you are making a double crust, set the top crust dough on top of the filling. Then you can trim the edges and crimp.
• Refrigerate the pie crust for about 20 minutes or freeze it for about 5 minutes before filling and baking.