How to Make a Pie

Co-authored by Brooke Cazier

Last Updated: November 11, 2022 References

Pie-making is practically an art form, but creating your own homemade pies might be easier than you think. Keep reading to learn a few of the basics.

Ingredients

Traditional Pie Crust

Makes 1 pie crust

1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (125 ml) butter or shortening
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
1/4 cup (60 ml) butter

Graham Cracker Pie Crust

Makes 1 pie crust

12 full-size graham crackers
6 Tbsp (90 ml) butter

Basic Fruit Filling

Makes enough for 1 pie

4 to 6 cups (1000 to 1500 ml) chopped fruit
1 to 2 Tbsp (15 to 30 ml) cornstarch
1/2 cup (125 ml) brown or white sugar
Lemon zest
Pinch of salt
1/2 to 2 tsp (2.5 to 10) spices
1 Tbsp (15 ml) unsalted butter

Basic Meringue

Makes enough for 1 pie

3 egg whites
1/4 cup (60 ml) white sugar
Pinch cream of tartar

Whipped Cream

Makes enough for 1 to 2 pies

1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 Tbsp (15 ml) confectioners sugar

Part 1

Part 1 of 6:

Making the Crust

1
Know the makings of a basic pie crust. A traditional, flaky pie crust consists of flour, fat, liquid, and salt.
- You can make a basic pie crust with 1 cup (250 ml) all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup (125 ml) butter or shortening, 1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt, and 1/4 cup (60 ml) water.^{[1]
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- Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.
- Cut in the fat until coarse crumbs form.
- Stir in water until you can form a ball with the dough.
- Cover and chill with for 4 hours.
- Roll the dough out on a floured counter and transfer it to your pie pan.
2
Choose your fat. Your basic options include butter, shortening, lard, and a mixture of different fats.^{[2]
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- Butter pie crusts have a rich flavor, but butter is brittle when cold and softens quickly, so it can be hard to work with.
- Shortening and lard make flakier crusts but tend to have a little less flavor.
- Combine shortening with butter in equal amounts to combine the best of both worlds.
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3
Keep it cool. You need to keep the pie crust cool throughout the entire process. If not, the butter, lard, or shortening could liquify and get absorbed by the flour instead of coating the flour, resulting in a tougher crust.
- Keep the fat chilled before you make the dough.
- Chill the dough for several hours after working with it.
4
Decide whether or not to pre-bake the crust. If you are preparing a baked pie, you do not usually need to pre-bake the crust. You will want to pre-bake a crust if you plan on pouring a no-bake filling into it, though.
- Pierce the bottom of the crust with a fork in several places, preventing air pockets.
- Line the crust with aluminum foil and place pie weights or dried beans inside.
- Bake in a 400 degree Fahrenheit (200 degree Celsius) oven for 25 to 27 minutes, or until the entire crust turns golden brown.
5
Opt for a graham cracker crust, instead. Many no-bake pies are traditionally pared with graham cracker crusts, and some baked pies use a graham crust, as well.
- You can also make a crust with ginger snaps, vanilla wafer cookies, chocolate graham crackers, or any other dry cookie using the same instructions.
- Combine the crumbs of 12 full-size graham crackers with 6 Tbsp (90 ml) melted butter.^{[3]
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- Press the coated crumbs into your pie dish.
- Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes in a 375 degree Fahrenheit (190 degree Celsius) oven until dry.

Part 2

Part 2 of 6:

Making the Filling

1
Bake a baked custard-type filling. A pie filling that falls into the custard family relies on eggs to create a thick, smooth texture that bakes into solid form in the oven.
- The exact formula for a custard-based filling will vary from recipe to recipe, so there is no single guideline that can be provided. Common types of custard-type pies include custard pie and pumpkin pie.
2
Make a cream pie. A cream pie also uses eggs, but unlike a thicker custard pie, the filling is usually prepared separately on the stove and whisked until airy.
- As with custard pies, there is no single formula that can be provided for all cream pies. You will need to find and follow an exact recipe. Common cream pies include banana cream, coconut cream, and chocolate cream pies.
- If you're filling isn't quite thick enough, a little cornstarch can help thicken it up. If the cream is already made and you're trying to thicken it after the fact, you'll need to make the cornstarch into a slurry before you add it.
3
Try your hand at fruit fillings. Fruit fillings can be baked or unbaked, but the simplest fruit fillings are made without relying on any heat. All you need is a sweetener, a thickener, any spices you want, and the fruit of your choice.
- Choose a fruit high in pectin, a natural substance that causes fruits to thicken when cooked with sugar. Popular choices include apples and blackberries. When working with fruits lower in pectin, like blueberries, cherries, and strawberries, you will need to add a thickener other than sugar.
- Cornstarch and tapioca are the most popular thickeners to use for fruit fillings.
- Sugar can also be added, but opt for naturally sweet fruits when possible and add 1/2 cup (125 ml) or less of sugar.
- If you're making an apple pie specifically, add a heaping tablespoon of flour (7.8 g) to the sugar and cinnamon mixture to prevent your pie from becoming watery.
- Most fruit fillings also use a few spices. Nutmeg pairs well with most berries, cinnamon is a common choice for apples, and cloves usually go with peaches and apricots.
- A basic formula for fruit filling would be 4 to 6 cups (1000 to 1500 ml) chopped fruit, 1 to 2 Tbsp (15 to 30 ml) cornstarch, 1/2 cup (125 ml) brown or white sugar, a pinch of lemon zest, a pinch of salt, 1/2 to 2 tsp (2.5 to 10 ml) spices, and 1 Tbsp (15 ml) unsalted butter. Combine the ingredients and mix until thick.^{[4]
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4
Prepare a standard no-bake filling. No-bake fillings are made from sweet fillings that do not need to be heated in order to solidify. Oftentimes, though, these fillings do need to be chilled for several hours to firm up.
- Most no-bake fillings are prepared with some type of pudding, whipped topping, or combination of the two.
- Consider making an ice cream filling. Ice cream fillings are especially easy since all you need to do is combine softened ice cream with your favorite mix-ins. Scoop the mixture into a graham cracker crust and freeze for several hours until the filling becomes solid enough to slice.
5
Be aware of savory filling options, as well. Savory pies can be made for brunch, lunch, or dinner. They usually consist of cubed cooked meat, vegetables, and a thickened broth.
- The exact recipe for a savory pie will vary depending on the types of meats and vegetables you use, but generally, you will work with roughly 2 cups (500 ml) cooked meat and 2 cups (500 ml) of chopped vegetables. You will also end up adding some form of liquid, which will be thickened with flour or another thickener upon baking.

Part 3

Part 3 of 6:

The Finishing Touches

1
Cover the pie with another layer of pie crust. Some pies are left without a top layer of crust while others are covered to create a more unified, even appearance.
- If you do cover the pie with another layer of crust, pinch the top layer onto the edges of the bottom layer using your fingers.
- Top layers are usually used on fruit pies and savory pies but are not as common for custard or cream pies.
2
Pinch the edges of the crust. Most pie crusts have some sort of decorative edge. The simplest edge is just a ruffle edge, but you do have a few other options.^{[5]
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- To create a ruffle edge, indent the edge of the crust at even intervals by pressing the tip of your index finger into the edge from the outside.
- Create a scalloped edge by rolling the tip of a dinner spoon along the edge from the inside of the crust. Work at even intervals, and make sure that the scalloped cuts connect to one another.
- Form a braided edge by cutting a second crust into 1/4 inch (0.635 cm) strips. Braid three of these strips at a time and press the braids along the edge of the crust.
3
Make other decorative shapes from pie crust. In addition to decorating the crust or covering the pie with a second layer of crust, you can cut decorative shapes out of additional pie crust dough to decorate the pie further.
- Use small cookie cutters to cut shapes out of additional dough. Leaves are a common theme for autumn pies, for instance. You can also use cookie cutters to cut out letters for your pie crust.
- Press these shapes along the edge of the crust or onto a top layer of pie crust.
4
Add some sheen. Brushing an egg wash or melted butter over the crust can give it a deeper, richer color and make the crust glossier when done.
- For a basic egg wash, lightly beat 1 egg yolk with 1 tsp (5 ml) of water. Brush this wash over the crust before baking.
- To use butter, melt the butter and brush a little on before the pie bakes. Brush additional butter onto the crust as the pie bakes.
5
Sprinkle sugar over the crust. If you want to give your pie a little sparkle and plan on using a top layer of pie crust, sprinkle granulated sugar or sanding sugar over the top of the pie crust before baking.
- Usually, 1 to 2 Tbsp (15 to 30 ml) sugar is enough.
6
Prepare a meringue topping. Meringue toppings are common on most cream pies. Meringue is made from egg whites and sugar.^{[6]
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- After you bake the pie and its filling, prepare your meringue.
- Beat 3 egg white with a pinch of cream of tartar until soft peaks form.
- Gradually add 1/4 cup (60 ml) white sugar to the mixture, working 1 Tbsp (15 ml) at a time. Continue beating until stiff peaks form.
- Spread the meringue over the pie.
- Bake the pie with the meringue for another 3 to 4 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit (200 degrees Celsius) or until the meringue turns golden brown.
7
Use a whipped cream topping. If you are serving a no-bake pie, a more common topping would be whipped cream or a whipped cream substitute. You can usually use a tub of prepared whipped dessert topping, or you could make your own.
- Make your own whipped cream by beating 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add 1 tsp (5 ml) vanilla extract and 1 Tbsp (15 ml) confectioners sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form.^{[7]
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Part 4

Part 4 of 6:

Specific Baked Pie Recipes

1
Bake a pecan pie. Pecan pie filling is made from corn syrup, unsalted butter, sugar, eggs, and, of course, pecans.
2
Show off a homemade apple pie. This classic is prepared with tart cooking apples, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar, among other ingredients.
3
Prepare a Kentucky Derby pie. This rich pie can be prepared by mixing eggs, butter, sugar, and flour with walnuts, chocolate chips, and vanilla.
4
Cook a homemade pumpkin pie. Pumpkin puree needs to be mixed with eggs or evaporated milk to set it. Spices like cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves give this seasonal favorite its classic taste.
5
Enjoy the taste of a classic key lime pie. Combine condensed milk with key lime juice and zest, and top it with a sweet meringue filling.
6
Bake a sweet potato pie. Sweet potato pies are similar to pumpkin pies. In fact, you use the same types of spices in the filling, including cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg.

Part 5

Part 5 of 6:

Specific No-Bake Pie Recipes

1
Prepare a gelatin pie. Chop up your favorite flavor of prepared gelatin and layer it over whipped cream in a premade pie crust.
2
Whip up a S'mores pie. The flavors of chocolate and marshmallow are mixed together and poured into a graham cracker crust in honor of this classic campfire treat.
3
Make a no-bake lime pie. Mixing lime juice, whipped topping, and condensed milk forms an easy and deliciously tart filling worth pouring into a graham cracker pie crust.
4
Enjoy a simple, fluffy pudding pie. Adding whipped topping to pudding creates a deliciously sweet filling that only needs to be chilled to set it.
5
Try making a fresh strawberry pie. You will need to cook strawberries together with water, sugar, cornstarch, and butter on the stovetop. This fresh, tasty filling will be poured into a prepared pie shell and chilled until set.
6
Prepare an easy candy bar pie. Melt a candy bar down and mix the chocolate, fillings and all, with whipped topping. Pour this mixture into a graham crust and chill before serving.
7
Play with tradition by making a no-bake pumpkin pie. If you need a light, quick pumpkin pie recipe, prepare a smooth pumpkin filling on the stovetop before pouring it into a graham cracker crust.
8
Enjoy a peanut butter pie. Cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, whipped topping, and peanut butter are the key ingredients in this chilled pie.

Part 6

Part 6 of 6:

Specific Savory Pie Recipes

1
Make a classic cottage pie. This pie is prepared without a traditional crust. Instead, the baking process forms a crispy potato crust along the edges and top of the pie. Minced meat, carrots, and other vegetables are other highlights of this dish.
2
Cook a chicken pot pie. Of all savory pies, this variety is one of the most well-known. Combine cooked chicken with onion, carrots, celery, peas, and various seasonings before pouring the filling into a traditional crust and baking it.
3
Try making spaghetti pie. As with cottage pie, spaghetti pie does not have a traditional crust. Instead, the pasta crisps up to form the crust.
4
Prepare a corned beef pie. Corned beef is combined with potatoes and baked in a traditional pie shell for a hearty meal.
5
Make fish pie. Fish pie is a traditional English dish containing fish, vegetables, cheese, and potatoes. The ingredients are combined with a creamy sauce and baked.

Expert Q&A
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Question

How do I bake a perfect apple pie?

Brooke Cazier
Baker
Brooke Cazier is a Baker and the Owner & Founder of the Flaky Apple Pie Co based in Costa Mesa, California. She has over 20 years of experience in the kitchen and specializes in creating frozen pies to be baked at home. Brooke holds a Bachelors degree from Utah State University.

Brooke Cazier

Baker

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Make sure you leave the pie in the oven for long enough! The juices from your pie should be spilling out onto your baking sheet, making a mess, and looking bubbly.
Question

What is the best flour for pie pastry?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
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Staff Answer

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The best flour for pie pastry is all-purpose or plain flour. If possible choose 00 flour, which is a very finely ground flour ideal for pastry making.
Question

How to blind bake a pie base?

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For help with this, check out the wikiHow: How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust.