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You are here: Home / FRUGAL FOOD / cooking from SCRATCH / Easy Homemade Pie Crust in Bulk– Save Time and Money

Easy Homemade Pie Crust in Bulk– Save Time and Money

November 19, 2014 by Stephanie 54 Comments

Making pie crust in bulk allows you to freeze enough balls of dough to last the whole year for fruit pies, pot pies, quiches and more! Save time and money by making 20 crusts at a time. Here's a step-by-step photo tutorial!

Does the thought of making a homemade pie overwhelm you?  Pie-making used to feel like a big task to me when I took into consideration making both the crust and the filling from scratch (and in our family, there really isn’t another way besides scratch).

Several years ago, I learned a new recipe along with some tricks that have simplified pie-making for me.  The key was making pie crust dough in bulk and then freezing the dough balls.

Making pie crusts in bulk has some wonderful benefits:

  • It’s less mess– just clean up once!
  • We have pie crust dough in the freezer all year for homemade pies, quiches, pot pies, etc.
  • Measuring is a cinch.  I am not a fan of measuring out shortening because it’s messy, so I love that my bulk pie crust recipe takes a whole can– no measuring needed!
  • Pie-making is half the work, but still with the tasty benefits of a homemade crust.

Bulk Pie Crust– Makes 20 crusts

Let’s get started with the ingredients!

  •  1- 5lb bag of all purpose flour (hold back about 2 cups)
  • 1- 3lb can vegetable shortening
  • 4 Tablespoons sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons salt
  • 4 Tablespoons vinegar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups water

Making pie crust in bulk allows you to freeze enough balls of dough to last the whole year for fruit pies, pot pies, quiches and more! Save time and money by making 20 crusts at a time. Here's a step-by-step photo tutorial!

You’ll want to get out the biggest bowl you have (seriously!).  Mix the flour, sugar, and salt together.  Using a pastry cutter if you have one (if not, a fork will suffice), blend the shortening with the flour mixture.

Making pie crust in bulk allows you to freeze enough balls of dough to last the whole year for fruit pies, pot pies, quiches and more! Save time and money by making 20 crusts at a time. Here's a step-by-step photo tutorial!

When the flour mixture and shortening are combined, set the bowl aside.

Making pie crust in bulk allows you to freeze enough balls of dough to last the whole year for fruit pies, pot pies, quiches and more! Save time and money by making 20 crusts at a time. Here's a step-by-step photo tutorial!

In a separate bowl (I always use the shortening container to minimize dirty dishes), beat together the water, eggs and vinegar using a fork or whisk.

Making pie crust in bulk allows you to freeze enough balls of dough to last the whole year for fruit pies, pot pies, quiches and more! Save time and money by making 20 crusts at a time. Here's a step-by-step photo tutorial!

Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and blend with a fork until all ingredients are moistened.

Making pie crust in bulk allows you to freeze enough balls of dough to last the whole year for fruit pies, pot pies, quiches and more! Save time and money by making 20 crusts at a time. Here's a step-by-step photo tutorial!

Continue to blend using hands and fold dough into a ball.

Making pie crust in bulk allows you to freeze enough balls of dough to last the whole year for fruit pies, pot pies, quiches and more! Save time and money by making 20 crusts at a time. Here's a step-by-step photo tutorial!

Cover dough ball with plastic and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Use the reserved 2 cups of flour to flour your surface and hands, though you probably won’t need it all.  Divide your giant dough ball in quarters.  Divide each quarter into 5 equal parts.  You’ll have 20 equal-ish pieces of dough.  Roll each dough portion into a ball.  It’s okay if they’re not perfectly even.  You can use the smaller balls for top crusts and the larger ones for the bottom crusts.  For a flakier crust, be careful not to overwork the dough.

Making pie crust in bulk allows you to freeze enough balls of dough to last the whole year for fruit pies, pot pies, quiches and more! Save time and money by making 20 crusts at a time. Here's a step-by-step photo tutorial!

Wrap each ball individually in plastic wrap, then place balls into a freezer bag.  Store in the freezer indefinitely.  I’ve stored mine for over a year without any problems.

Making pie crust in bulk allows you to freeze enough balls of dough to last the whole year for fruit pies, pot pies, quiches and more! Save time and money by making 20 crusts at a time. Here's a step-by-step photo tutorial!

Each dough ball makes one pie crust or top.

To use, remove the dough balls you need from the freezer and allow to thaw on the countertop or in the refrigerator.  If I’m in a hurry (not that that ever happens!), I have also microwaved them for a few seconds to thaw.

Tip– Stick any extra dough “scraps” from making your crusts in a freezer bag back in the freezer.  Add to the bag every time you have scraps.  You’ll probably get another pie or two from all the scraps.

4.8 from 6 reviews
Making Homemade Pie Crust in Bulk
 
Print
Making pie crust in bulk allows you to freeze enough balls of dough to last the whole year for fruit pies, pot pies, quiches and more! This recipe makes about 20 crusts.
Author: Stephanie @ SixFiguresUnder.com
Serves: 20 crusts
Ingredients
  • 1- 5lb bag of all purpose flour (hold back about 2 cups)
  • 4 Tbsp. sugar
  • 2 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. salt
  • 1- 3lb can vegetable shortening
  • 4 Tbsp. vinegar
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 cups water
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour (don't forget to hold back 2 cups), sugar and salt.
  2. With a fork or pastry cutter, combine the shortening with the flour mixture.
  3. In a separate bowl (I use the empty shortening container to minimize dirty dishes), beat vinegar, eggs and water.
  4. Add the liquid mixture to the flour mixture and blend with a fork until all ingredients are moistened.
  5. Continue to blend using hands and fold dough into a ball.
  6. Cover and chill at least 15 minutes.
  7. Divide dough into about 20 balls. Each ball should be enough to make a crust.
  8. To freeze, wrap dough balls in plastic wrap, then store in a freezer bag indefinitely.
3.2.2802

Now you’re set to make the pies for all of your holiday meals!

Funny side note: Last year I put my husband in charge of the annual pie crust making.  He accidentally doubled one of the ingredients, so instead of waste the ingredients he had already used, he doubled the entire recipe.  We had 40 pie crusts in the freezer!  We still had plenty left for this year too, but I really wanted to share this recipe, so I made some more.  Pie anyone?  Quiche?

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Filed Under: cooking from SCRATCH, FRUGAL FOOD

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Comments

  1. Mrs SSC says

    November 19, 2014 at 5:17 am

    We do something similar (although not 20 at a time), but I take it a step further and roll out the pie crust, then sandwich the pie crust between two sheets of wax paper. Then roll each wax paper covered pie crust into a tube shape and freeze it. When I’m ready for a pie all I have to do is let the pie crust thaw enough to unroll and then throw it in a pie pan. I like not having to break out the rolling pin every time!

    Reply
  2. Judi says

    November 19, 2014 at 5:29 am

    What great tips! Pie is one of those baked goods where store bought can’t even compare to homemade. Seriously I didn’t even like pie until I had the homemade version for the first time. I had never thought about freezing the crust before so thanks for the tip!

    Oh that reminds me, this is a kick back from your freezer post but from that post I was inspired to try frozen cottage cheese. I will say the texture of regular cottage cheese was not quite the same when frozen and thawed (I thawed in the fridge for 2 days). However, when I tried the small curd form the consistency was the same as if I hadn’t frozen it. So now small curd cottage cheese with a bit of canned fruit is my go to desert that I can buy in bulk.

    Reply
    • Ann turner says

      June 14, 2017 at 3:52 pm

      I have made this recipe for years except I use lard ! Very tender crust .

      Reply
      • Rachel says

        July 28, 2017 at 6:15 pm

        Do you have the recipe for a smaller quantity? I want to try it before making enough for 20.

        Reply
      • Jewel says

        November 30, 2017 at 1:37 pm

        How can I put this recipe down to like maybe just a regular to crust piecrust?

        Reply
  3. Susan says

    November 19, 2014 at 6:53 am

    I have only tried to make pie crusts once for chicken pot pies and I did not care for the time it took and the way it came out, so never bothered to try again. I just used the refrigerated crescent rolls instead. I am definitely going to try this recipe!

    I wanted to share this tutorial on making a pastry cloth with you. I finally made it, but haven’t used it yet. Of course now I can use it with the pie crusts! I thought you may like to make one for yourself too. I was able to customize the size to fit my tiny counter top and will be happy to cut down on the flour mess.

    http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2014/04/how-to-make-a-pastry-cloth-and-why-you-need-one.html

    Reply
  4. Mom @ Three is Plenty says

    November 19, 2014 at 9:01 am

    We use the America’s Test Kitchen recipe with vodka in it. The vodka makes the crust easy to work with and roll out, but not too moist once it’s cooked. I’ve never tried freezing it before to see if it’ll stay.

    Reply
    • Agnes says

      April 5, 2017 at 3:00 pm

      I use this same recipe only I break mine into smaller batches and do it in the food processor but you have to watch not to over work it. Great.. Great recipe. And like she said it freezes very well but it has to be wrapped properly and yes it will last a year in the freezer. I shape each pie crust in a ball then flatten it and put a large piece of saran wrap around each one. Then when you remove the saran wrap you can roll it between the two pieces of saran wrap. Rolls out so easy with very little mess. This is the only recipe I use and do mine this way all the time. That way you always have a pie crust on hand. Love… love… love this recipe.

      Reply
  5. Diane says

    November 19, 2014 at 9:08 am

    Thanks for this recipe. I won’t say how many years (decades) I’ve been making pie crusts and never realized they could be frozen. We enjoy pot pies, fruit pies, and fried meat pies so my kitchen gets messy frequently. Now it will stay clean.

    Also, Mrs. SSC, I like your suggestion for rolling them flat between two sheets of wax paper. Thanks.

    Reply
  6. Maia Low says

    November 19, 2014 at 9:36 am

    I do the same, and it is so handy. Except I don’t freeze them as balls, I freeze them as discs. About 6″ round. They thaw faster and are a lot easier to roll out. We use them mostly for “emergency butter tarts” when we have unexpected guests.

    Reply
  7. Jennie says

    November 20, 2014 at 4:14 pm

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I was just thinking about this today–I really don’t like making pie crust but I LOVE chicken pot pie and savory and sweet galettes. Mmmm…I might make half of this recipe since there are only three of us and we have limited freezer space, but still. That’s a lot of pie crusts! I’ll pass this along to my sisters, too! Thanks again! 🙂

    Reply
  8. Molly says

    November 22, 2014 at 9:31 am

    Great idea! I think I’ll give this a try this year. Should get me through Christmas and then a couple of savory dinner pies.

    If you have any more holiday cooking posts planned, I’d love suggestions for pumpkin pie using real pumpkins! I’ve found that my old favorite recipes work okay with real pumpkin purée, but it’s tough to get the ratios down just right.

    Reply
  9. Angela says

    November 22, 2014 at 7:01 pm

    Hi…quick question. I have to make homemade pie crusts with butter instead of lard b/c of a food allergy my daughter has. Do you think I could bulk made and freeze my recipe with butter just like yours? Any thoughts?

    Reply
    • Molly says

      November 23, 2014 at 5:58 pm

      I haven’t bulk made them, but I’ve frozen butter crusts and they thaw fine 🙂

      Reply
  10. Halsted says

    November 30, 2014 at 4:09 pm

    I really appreciate this recipe. It makes sense for our family to make the pie crusts in bulk as we prepare pies for gatherings and gifts. What a great idea!

    Reply
  11. Jeanne says

    December 25, 2014 at 10:21 am

    I made this recipe the Sunday before Christmas. I have used up 9 crusts already! I made 2 fruit pies, a savory Guinness pie, 3 batches of empanadas for our family pot luck, and one given to a friend to wrap brie in. The crust is sturdy and delicious.

    Thank you so much for this recipe!

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      December 26, 2014 at 9:45 pm

      ‘Tis the season for making pies! Those all sound delicious. I’m glad the crusts turned out well for you!

      Reply
      • MAry Ann says

        April 4, 2017 at 12:29 pm

        Stephanie, why hold back 2 cups of flour?

        Reply
        • Stephanie says

          April 5, 2017 at 3:34 pm

          That’s just a quick way to get the right amount of flour. It’s easier to say how much to take out then have to measure out so many cups. 😉 I don’t know about you, but if I have to count to more than four one of my kids will inevitably interrupt me and I’ll lose count! If you’re rolling out crusts right away, you can use that 2 cups to roll the crust out with.

  12. Annette says

    May 29, 2015 at 7:18 pm

    Thank you so much for this recipe! I was searching online for a bulk pie crust recipe and came across your blog, which coincidentally is the same delicious, flaky recipe I use. My husband is going to be thrilled that I can make a sweet potato pie anytime. I will be sharing this for sure.

    Reply
  13. Lydia @ Thrifty Frugal Mom says

    August 20, 2015 at 8:07 pm

    This is great! I love time saving tips like this and since I make most of our food from scratch (pies included!), I’m always trying to find ways to streamline things.

    My crust recipe uses butter which I like since I’m not a shortening fan. Now I’m wondering if I could do the same thing with it. Think I’m going to need to try it and see. 🙂

    Reply
  14. Irini S. says

    October 13, 2015 at 3:11 pm

    thanks for the way maintenance of pumpkin
    As for the sheet for pies every time the CHEESE PIE builds home in such a sheet always makes double quantity and freeze half as is filled with cheese
    When I want to bake, thaw for 1-2 hours and bake normally
    God protect you

    Reply
  15. Monica c says

    November 3, 2015 at 7:28 am

    Can I use butter instead of shortening ?

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      November 4, 2015 at 9:31 pm

      I haven’t tried this recipe with butter, but I imagine it would work fine. Before trying the huge bulk recipe, you’ll probably want to try a smaller batch to make sure it works. I usually use butter for most everything else. Pie crust is the only thing I use shortening for! 🙂

      Reply
  16. Rachel says

    May 19, 2016 at 8:33 pm

    What size pie crust does this recipe make?

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      May 24, 2016 at 11:24 pm

      Normal pie pan size… I’m thinking 9″.

      Reply
  17. Nancy says

    July 21, 2016 at 9:24 am

    So from what I am reading, this is a no kneading required to this crust? And after the dough is thawed you just roll it out to fit your pie dish? If this is true I think I will be making my own pie crusts from now on 🙂

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      July 22, 2016 at 1:46 pm

      Hi Nancy! No kneading required as it isn’t a yeast dough. Enjoy!

      Reply
  18. Alice Downs says

    August 29, 2016 at 10:40 am

    My crust was too crumbly to even roll, i have been baking for 56 yrs. but this was a waste of ingredients, does not turn out like a butter crust, sorry but greasy and won’t roll, i’m an awsome pie baker

    Reply
  19. SHER A BUCKNAM says

    September 10, 2016 at 12:45 pm

    Please send gluten free bulk pie recipe

    Reply
  20. Jen says

    September 19, 2016 at 7:59 pm

    How long do you need to thaw before rolling out?

    Reply
  21. Paula says

    October 7, 2016 at 11:09 am

    Is there a way to substitute the vegetable shortening for something healthier maybe? Thanks lots.
    – New At Pie Crusts!

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      October 10, 2016 at 10:11 pm

      That’s a good question. Pie crust is seriously the ONLY thing I use shortening for. My grandma used lard, but that sounds just as bad to me. I just take comfort in the fact that pie is a special treat, and not something we’re eating every week (or even every month). Let me know if you give the recipe a try subbing in your preferred fat. 🙂

      Reply
  22. Gail Peach says

    October 15, 2016 at 5:45 pm

    Why doyou take 2 cups of flour out of the pound bag? Recipe never mentioned it again. This is the recipe I use all the time but never made it in bulk.

    Reply
  23. Lu says

    October 27, 2016 at 6:31 am

    I forgot to leave out the 2 cups of flour so I add a little oil and a little more water will that make a different. I haven’t used it yet.

    Reply
  24. Lu says

    October 27, 2016 at 6:34 am

    I forgot to take out the 2 cups of flour so I added a little oil and some more water. Will this make a different. I really like this recipe.

    Reply
  25. Gail says

    April 14, 2017 at 6:31 am

    I only got 10 10″ crusts from your receipe. Perfect for thick crust when making Easter ham pies. Do you get 10 for 8″ or those made in disposable pans?

    Reply
  26. Karen says

    May 17, 2017 at 11:38 am

    I pinned this months ago, and I am so glad that I went back looking through my boards. I will be doing a dessert bar for my nieces wedding shower and would like to get some of the prep work out of the way. I will be making these next week and really like the suggestion to roll it out before freezing. I will be making mini/individual pies so this will be a great time saver the day prior to the event to have everything rolled to the correct size. They can thaw in a cooler on the 5-hour trip home and I will not have lost any time waiting for the crust to thaw

    Reply
  27. NIna says

    May 25, 2017 at 7:13 am

    Thanks for a great easy and simple to understand, which is also a huge time saver 😉 #ThinkTankThursday

    Reply
  28. Emily says

    May 26, 2017 at 8:47 pm

    Making in bulk is always so much easier! Thanks for sharing at the Monday Funday Link Party. – Emily

    Reply
  29. Nicole says

    May 30, 2017 at 9:24 pm

    This is such a great idea! I like pies, but don’t like to make pie crusts. Getting the bulk of the work out of the way like this would help so much. Thanks for sharing your idea at the #HomeMattersParty this week.

    Reply
  30. Debbie says

    June 14, 2017 at 3:44 pm

    Never heard of putting vinegar in pie crust

    Reply
  31. Rebecca says

    June 27, 2017 at 3:59 pm

    Can I use a hand mixer to blend the dry ingredients with the shortening? I saw an article on a flour company’s blog and a lady has been using her mixer for years because her hands won’t stand up to mixing with fork, pastry cutter, or by hand.

    Reply
  32. MR. P. says

    September 24, 2017 at 3:26 pm

    My stepfather’s favorite desert was pie so Mom was always ready to make one. She always kept a large enamel kettle in her cupboard with the dry ingredients mixed together and the shortening already cut in. When she wanted to make a pie she would take out a couple of handfuls of the premixed ingredients, add enough water so it “felt right” and roll out her crust. She never used eggs or vinegar in her pie crusts though.

    When I was beginning Jr. Hi we moved to a property that had several apple trees. From then on she pre-made at least 50 apple pies each fall so Dad could have one very Sunday dinner all year. She froze them unbaked and they always baked up delicious, even after almost a year in the freezer.

    Reply
  33. Rebekah Jones says

    September 24, 2017 at 8:22 pm

    My mom always had frozen pie crusts ready all year. She rolled the crust out and put each in foil pans. Her crust was made with Crisco — no eggs. I’ve updated her method by using my food processor. So easy! And I use unsalted butter.

    Reply
  34. Joneen says

    October 7, 2017 at 11:54 pm

    I made this recipe last year and it was a huge hit. My husband says the store crust can’t stand next to this recipe at all. I’m wanting to make it again but can’t remember to use acv or white vinegar? It doesn’t specify.

    Reply
    • Stephanie says

      October 8, 2017 at 12:10 am

      I usually use apple cider vinegar, but I think either is fine. Happy pie crust making! 🙂

      Reply
  35. Kristin says

    October 10, 2017 at 9:03 am

    Can’t wait to try this recipe and feel so prepared for the season! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

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