This Marie Callender's Pie Crust recipe is as close to the real thing as you'll find. It's simple to make and yields a perfectly tender and flaky crust every time. So get your pie dish ready and let's get baking!
Why You'll Love Marie Callender's Pie Crust Recipe
Making pie crust from scratch can be intimidating, but with this recipe it's easy. This copycat Marie Callender's pie crust recipe is simple to make and results in a delicious, flaky crust every time. Plus, it's cheaper than store bought pie crust!
You can use this pie crust recipe for our Angus Barn Chocolate Chess Pie recipe, and it does not require blind baking! To use this Marie Callender pie crust in our No Bake Key Lime Pie, you will first need to blind bake it (instructions are below).
This flaky pie crust is dairy free, and just like Marie Callender's pie crust, it is considered vegan. Give it a try and you'll never go back to store-bought again.
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Copycat Marie Callender's Pie Crust Ingredients
If you're a fan of Marie Callender's pies, and you've been looking for a recipe for their signature crust, look no further. This recipe yields one double crust (top and bottom crust) pie crust.
- All purpose flour
- Sugar
- Salt
- Vegetable Shortening
- Ice Water
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How To Replicate Marie Callender's Pie Crust
The best trick I know for a flaky pie crust is to freeze the shortening and then grate it or cut it up into smaller pieces. Keep it in the refrigerator until ready to use. And, always use ice water when adding the water.
Mix The Dry Ingredients
- Mix the flour with the sugar and salt.
- Use a large mixing bowl, as you need room to cut in the shortening.
Cut in the Fat
- Cut in the vegetable shortening until you get pea size bits throughout the mixture.
Add the Ice Water
- Add ice water in 1 to 2 tablespoon increments, tossing with each addition.
- Repeat until mixture just holds together when scrunched in your hand.
Form Dough Into A Ball
- Tip the bowl of pie crust mixture out on a clean counter or pie mat.
- Pull the rough, shaggy dough together using your hands, into a ball.
Chill The Dough Balls
- Split the ball of dough in half, and form two thick discs, each about 6" in diameter.
- Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
Roll Out Pie The Crusts
- Roll out one of the chilled discs on a lightly floured counter or pastry mat.
- Roll up with your rolling pin and center on the pie pan.
- Trim excess and crimp the edges around the pie pan.
PRO TIP: Be sure to lightly flour the rolling pin, and roll the pie crust out 2" larger than the pie pan.
Fill Or Blind Bake The Pie Crust
Fill your pie crust with pie filling and bake your pie for fillings like fruit, meat and quiche. For cream based pies, you will first need to blind bake the pie crust.
Why, and what is blind baking? A blind baked a pie crust is simply partially baking the pie crust before adding the filling. Once the crust is cooled you add the cream filling and bake the pie, or for no bake pies, refrigerate it.
Why do we blind bake for a custard or cream pie? Because the bottom of the pie crust sometimes gets soggy from the custard before it has a chance to actually cook.
How To Blind Bake a Pie Crust
- You will line the pie pan fitted with the crimped crust with either aluminum foil or parchment paper. Wax paper will do in a pinch. Then, either use pie weights or one or two lbs of dry beans or rice. I prefer the dry beans.
- Pour the dry beans onto the parchment or aluminum foil covered pie crust. Bake it in the oven at 400° F. Remove the pie pan and lift off the aluminum foil or parchment paper, with the beans. Save the beans, you can use them again.
- Put the pie crust back in the oven to brown for another 8 minutes. To prevent the crimped edges from getting too brown, use a silicone pie crust shield. Let the crust cool. After it has cooled it is ready for a no bake pie filling or a custard filling that requires baking.
Serving Suggestions
If you don't like graham cracker crusts with your no bake pies, you can blind bake (bake the pie shell without any filling) this Marie Callender's pie crust.
When the pie crust is cooled, simply pour your no bake pie filling. A great pie filling to use is our No Bake Key Lime Pie.
Full ingredient amounts and preparation instructions are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Related Recipes
Equipment
Good pastry equipment is vital to getting the results you hope for. You will need a rolling pin and pastry blender at the minimum. A pastry mat has pre defined circles that match up with various pie pan sizes.
The right equipment takes the guess work out. It also reduces handling of your pie crust (having to re roll it out if it is not the right shape), which makes a flakier and more tender pie crust.
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Storage Options
- You can refrigerate uncooked pie dough for up to three days, after that it's better to freeze it.
- This pie crust recipe freeze really well. You can freeze it at the disc stage, rolled out into pie pans, or even pre baked and then frozen.
- Defrost the uncooked pie dough in the refrigerator to reduce condensation. It will make rolling it out easier also.
Tips for Success
- When making any pie crust freeze your butter and/or shortening and grate it ahead of time. This makes it easier to cut in the flour into pea size bits.
- You can use dry beans or rice for 'pie weights.
- If you don't have parchment paper, wax paper will also work.
- Keep a couple rolled out and crimped pie crusts in your freezer, you can bake thing quickly as needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Blind baking is a process where you either fully or partially bake a pie crust then add fillings to make the pie as per your recipe.
There are two times when blind baking is necessary: when making a custard pie or when the pie filling is unbaked. With a custard pie, like a pumpkin pie, the moisture in the filling can make the crust soggy before it has time to actually bake. When adding a No Bake pie filling, you must blind bake the crust, cool it, then add the no bake filling.
The dough should be â…›" thick and 2" wider than the pie plate.
The the three types of pie crust are: Páte Brisé (broken butter), Páte sucrée (sweet), Páte sablée (shortbread). Marie Callender's pie crust is Páte Brisée. Meaning pieces of broken fat in the pie crust. This crust has a flaky, delicate texture. The main ingredients used in this pie crust are fat (shortening or butter), water, and flour.
To prevent shrinkage, or slopping down into the pie plate while blind baking, be sure to use enough pie weights. This will prevent the pie crust from shrinking.
It's not necessary to grease and flour a pie pan. If you grease a pie pan, you can end up with a texture you don't want. For a flaky and tender pie crust, do not grease the pan.
Fats contribute to the flakiness and tenderness of pastry by being layered in between sheets of thin dough. It can also be cut in or rubbed into the flour as pea-sized shapes before the final dough is made. The fat melts during baking, leaving air spaces.
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📖 Recipe
Marie Callender's Pie Crust Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3¼ cups flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1¼ teaspoon salt
- 9 oz vegetable shortening chilled
- ½ cup ice water
Instructions
Make the Pie Dough
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a mixing bowl.3¼ cups flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1¼ teaspoon salt
- Add the chilled shortening. Use a pastry blender or fork to cut the shortening into the flour mixture. Cut in until you have pea sized lumps throughout.9 oz vegetable shortening
- Sprinkle the ice water into the mixture in 1 to 2 tablespoon increments at a time, tossing with a fork after each addition of water. Add ice water until the flour mixture is moistened but still looks crumbly. You will know you have enough water added when you can squeeze the flour in your hand and it clumps together.½ cup ice water
- Transfer the pie crust mixture to a cutting board, parchment paper, or pastry mat. Using both hands, pull all the loose bits together and form a large ball.
- Divide the ball in half, shaping each into a thick disc about 6" diameter. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Rolling the Pie Crust Out
- To roll the pie crust out, use a lightly floured rolling pin and a lightly floured counter, parchment paper, or pastry mat. Roll the pie dough pastry into a circle that is 2" larger than the diameter of your pie dish.
- Roll the pie dough pastry over the rolling pin to transfer it to the pie dish. Center it and trim any excess. Crimp the edges all around the top.
- If you are pre-baking, preheat the oven to 400° F. Prick the surface of the pie crust with a fork and then pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes.
- Remove from the freezer, line with parchment paper and fill with pie weights.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then remove from the oven and lift off the parchment paper and pie weights. Return to the oven for 8 more minutes of cook time, or until golden brown.
- Cool, then fill with your pie filling. Both the unbaked pie crust and the pre baked pie crusts can be frozen and used just like any frozen store bought pie crust.
Notes
- You can freeze your shortening and grate or chunk it up ahead of time. This makes it easier to cut ito the flour in pea size bits.
- You can use dry beans or rice for 'pie weights.
- If you don't have parchment paper, wax paper will also work.
- Keep a couple rolled out and crimped pie crusts in your freezer, you can bake thing quickly as needed.
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