Can You Make Pie Crust Ahead Of Time?

Since Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, I am going to be answering one of the top questions I always get- can you make pie crust ahead of time?

And spoiler alert, yes, yes you can! In fact, it’s what I usually do to help with all the prep work of hosting Thanksgiving.

If I’ve got homemade pie crust all ready to go, that’s one less thing that I need to worry about. I always love to get a head start on Thanksgiving and by doing this now, it will save me a lot of time then.

And the good news is that it’s super easy to make your own pie dough and save it for later! If you love a traditional pie crust with a flaky texture, then you will love this recipe!

I will be sharing just how to do all that below so keep on reading for the full recipe’s instructions! 

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Ingredients Needed For Homemade Pie Crust

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes (2 sticks of butter)

1/2 cup cold buttermilk

1-2 tablespoons of cold water 

How To Make Homemade Pie Crust

First of all, you actually need to go ahead and make the pie crust. I shared my favorite pie crust recipe back when I shared my chicken pot pie.

I am using the same recipe for this because it works so well with fruit pies and custard pies too. It’s a versatile pie crust recipe so you can use it for whatever your heart desires.

Combine flour sugar and salt together in a large bowl. I like to use my Ninja Blender for this process because it has the pulse feature. Which is similar to a food processor.

So if you have a food processor, you may want to use it for this step. It just makes things so much easier than hand mixing them in my opinion!

Add in the cold butter to the mixture and pulse it together until smooth. Make sure all the butter is incorporated into the flour. Mixture will be very flaky.

Pour flour mixture into mixing bowl and place in the freezer for 15 minutes to completely chill the butter. Remove mixture from freezer and add in the buttermilk. Use a spoon to mix together and then your hands.

If your mixture is too dry, you can add in a tablespoon or two of water. I did end up adding one tablespoon to my mixture.

On a lightly floured surface, divide the pie crust dough into two and then flatten each into a disk with a rolling pin. Wrap each disk with plastic wrap and place in fridge until ready to use.

How To Store Pie Crust

Now that you have the butter pie crust made, you have a couple of options. If you’re going to be making something soon with it, like within 1-2 days, it’s perfectly fine to keep the dough stored in the fridge.

But, if you’re not going to use it for a while, place the disc of dough into a freezer bag and label them with the date you made it. The pie crusts will stay perfect in the freezer for up to a year.

So I love to do this early before Thanksgiving and have them ready to use when I need them. 

How To Bake Pie Crusts

Baking time will vary based on what kind of pie you are making. Always refer to the recipe instructions. Especially if it is a single-crust pie or a double-crust pie.

Sometimes it calls for an already baked pie crust, in which case you will definitely need some pie weights when baking. Or like with my chicken pot pie, the crust bakes after you pour the filling in.

Even doing it that way, you still get a flaky crust and not a soggy bottom! I always hate it when the bottom crust becomes soggy, but thankfully this recipe won’t do that to you!

This recipe really makes the perfect pie crust every time. You always want your crusts to be a nice golden brown after baking.

If the edges start to burn, you can always cover the edges of the pan with some aluminum foil too until your pie finishes baking as well. I also always put my pies on a baking sheet in the oven to prevent any drainage or spillage! 

Enjoy This Pie Crust Recipe!

Well, I hope I answered your question of making pie crusts ahead of time. And if you were looking for a good pie crust recipe, this is a great one to start off with.

I was a little intimidated to make my own pie crusts at first, but trust me, once you try a homemade pie crust, you will never go back to store bought again.

All it takes is a little time and effort, but you’re left with the bed flaky pie crust! And it really only calls for simple ingredients so it’s not like you have to go out of your way to make your own pie dough.

This is the perfect time of year to try it, especially if you love pumpkin pie or apple pie on Thanksgiving too! If you make any homemade pies this year using this recipe, let me know below! I hope you love it just as much as I do!