Blind-Baked Pie Crust

Oct 13, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Pies tarts Vanilla: Extract Medium

An unfilled, crimped blind-baked pie crust in a ceramic pie plate on a floured wooden board with a rolling pin beside it

An all-butter crust baked fully before filling, crisp from edge to center. The base for cream, chiffon, pudding and curd pies that are chilled, not baked.

Prep 20 min

Cook 25 min

Cooling 1 hr

Total 1 hr 45 min

Yield 8 slices

Diet —

Ingredients

Adjust yield

slices

1 ¼ cups (160.0 g)all-purpose flour
1.0 tbsp (12.0 g)granulated sugar
½ tsp (3.0 g)fine sea salt
½ cup (113.0 g)cold unsalted butter, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
4.0 tbsp (60.0 ml)ice water, as needed
1.0 tsp (5.0 ml)pure vanilla extract

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Instructions

Whisk the flour, sugar and salt in a wide bowl. Add the cold fat and cut it in with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the largest pieces are the size of peas, with some smaller flakes.
Stir the vanilla into the ice water. Sprinkle most of it over the flour and toss with a fork until the dough holds together when squeezed; add the rest a teaspoon at a time only if it stays dry.
Press the dough into a disk, wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour so the flour hydrates and the fat firms.
Roll on a floured surface into a 12-inch circle, turning it a quarter turn after every pass. Fit it into a 9-inch pie plate without stretching, fold the overhang under and crimp the edge.
Chill the shaped crust 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line the crust with parchment and fill it to the rim with pie weights or dried beans.
Bake 20 minutes, lift out the parchment and weights, prick the bottom with a fork and bake 8 to 10 minutes more until the bottom is dry and lightly golden. Cool completely before filling.

Tips

Fill the weights all the way to the rim or the sides slump as the butter melts.
Brush the hot crust with a little beaten egg white and return it to the oven 2 minutes to seal the bottom against a wet filling.
A crust that puffs after the weights come out can be pressed down gently with the back of a spoon.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make blind-baked pie crust?

Plan on 20 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of cooking, plus 1 hour to chill. The recipe makes one 9-inch single crust.

How should I store blind-baked pie crust?

Wrap unbaked dough and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months; thaw overnight in the fridge. A baked crust keeps 2 days at room temperature, loosely covered.

Can I make blind-baked pie crust ahead?

The dough keeps 3 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer; roll it the day you bake.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This recipe uses 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (5 ml). Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.

An all-butter crust baked fully before filling, crisp from edge to center. The base for cream, chiffon, pudding and curd pies that are chilled, not baked.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.

181 Calories / serving

11.6g Fat

16.8g Carbs

2.1g Protein

1.6g Sugar

Whole recipe (8 servings): ~1448 cal · 93g fat · 134g carbs · 17g protein · 13g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.