This Oil Pie Crust recipe is super easy to make with just 3 ingredients. It bakes up golden, flaky, and oh so delicious! It is perfect for fruit pies, tarts, pot pies, and works great with these Pumpkin Hand Pies!
A Handed Down Recipe
When I was in high school, I was given a pie crust recipe that I shared with my mom. And, my mom has been making that recipe ever since, which is well over 40 years now.
The person I received that oil pie crust recipe from was the wife of the boy's dean at the boarding school I was attending. It is also a recipe I am happy she shared with us!
Oil vs Butter
The biggest plus to using oil versus butter in a pie crust is the fact that it is already in liquid form. It can't be melted for this reason and is easy to work into the dough.
An oil pie crust will not brown as much as a butter pie crust, but it will still be flaky and delicious.
Mom's Homemaking teacher used to say "You can never make a pie crust too thin, a thick pie crust makes it pasty."
Gwen Law
Ingredients
This recipe will make two 9-inch pie crusts. Good enough for one 2-crust pie, or two pie shells.
All purpose flour
Salt
Vegetable oil
Ice water
Equipment
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Flour sifter, mom always sifts the flour for this recipe.
Rolling pin, mom uses a wooden rolling pin (the same one I use!).
Wax paper, the pie crust is rolled between the wax paper. It help keep the fragile pie crust from breaking easily. Alternatively you can use cling wrap or parchment paper.
Instructions
Step 1:
- Sift the flour, then measure the flour by lightly spooning it into a measuring cup. Level the cup and add it to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the salt and mix into the flour with a hand whisk.
- Pour the oil over top of the flour mixture. Using a fork, stir the oil into the flour mixture.
- Continue to work the oil into the flour with your hands until the flour mixture resembles small peas.
- Stir in the ice water and mix to form a ball. Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a 8-9 inch circle then use as directed with pie recipe.
Top Tips
- Add ice to a glass of water prior to mixing the dough. This makes the water as cold as possible when adding to the flour mixture.
- Using a flour sifter for this recipe is recommended.
- Add ice to water at the start of making the dough, this makes the water as cold as possible before adding to the flour mixture.
- Start with 3 tablespoons of water, add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time if needed.
- Roll the oil pie crust between 2 sheets of wax paper or cling wrap, whichever works best for you.
- The paper will wrinkle on the bottom as you roll out the dough. Flip the dough over periodically, gently pull the paper up from the dough and lay it back down to work wrinkles out.
- Flipping the pie crust over while turning makes the dough relax more and makes it easier to spread out.
More Pie Recipes
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Oil Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2½ cups sifted flour
- ½ cup canola oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons ice water
Instructions
- Sift the flour, then measure the flour by lightly spooning it into a measuring cup. Level the cup and add it to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the salt and mix into the flour with a hand whisk.
- Pour the oil over top of the flour mixture. Using a fork, stir the oil into the flour mixture.
- Continue to work the oil into the flour with your hands until the flour mixture resembles small peas.
- Stir in the ice water and mix to form a ball. Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a 8-9 inch circle then use as directed with pie recipe.
- If baking an empty pie shell, the pie crust should bake for 10 minutes at 425 or until golden.
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