Butter and Shortening Pie Dough

Oct 13, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Pies tarts Vanilla: Extract Medium

An unfilled, crimped butter and shortening pie dough in a ceramic pie plate on a floured wooden board with a rolling pin besi

The diner-style crust: butter for flavor, a little shortening for a tender, forgiving dough that crimps neatly and holds its shape. For any pie that bakes with its filling.

Prep 20 min

Cook —

Cooling 1 hr

Total 1 hr 20 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
6.0 tbsp (85.0 g)cold unsalted butter, cubed
3.0 tbsp (36.0 g)cold vegetable shortening (or more butter), in pieces
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 20 minutes before filling; cold dough holds its edge in the oven.

Tips

Shortening makes the dough easy to roll even when the kitchen is warm.
For a deeper color, brush the crimped edge with cream before baking.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make butter and shortening pie dough?

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

How should I store butter and shortening pie dough?

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 butter and shortening pie dough 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.

The diner-style crust: butter for flavor, a little shortening for a tender, forgiving dough that crimps neatly and holds its shape. For any pie that bakes with its filling.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.

189 Calories / serving

12.5g Fat

16.8g Carbs

2.1g Protein

1.6g Sugar

Whole recipe (8 servings): ~1512 cal · 100g 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.