This Oil Pie Crust recipe is super easy to make with just 3 ingredients. The pie dough bakes up golden brown for a flaky pie crust that is oh so delicious! It is perfect for fruit pies, savory tarts, pot pies, and more!
Unlike a traditional pie crust, this recipe uses oil taking away the theory that you need super cold butter or solid shortening to get a tender crust that is flakey. My mom received the original recipe from someone close to the family well over 40 years ago and I would have to say she has perfected her crust making skills.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
✔️ This recipe will make two 9-inch single pie crusts or one 2-crust pie.
✔️ This pie crust is made by hand and turns out the most tender flaky crust imaginable!
✔️ It can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the fridge until you are ready to use it, or it can be placed in a pi
🥘 Ingredients
All purpose flour
Salt
Vegetable oil
Ice cold water
🔪 Instructions
- Sift the flour into a bowl, then measure the flour by lightly spooning it into a measuring cup. Level the cup of flour and add it to another large bowl.
- Stir in the salt using a hand whisk to combine.
- 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 or a pastry cutter until the flour mixture resembles small peas
- Stir the ice water into the flour mixture and mix to form a ball of dough.
- Divide the pie dough in half and roll each half and on a work surface, place the dough between two sheets of wax paper. Roll pie crust into a 8-9 inch circle. Use as directed with pie recipe.
- If baking an empty pie shell it should filled with pie weights on the bottom of the crust and bake for 10 minutes at 425 or until golden.
Equipment
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.
Pie pan
🥫Storage
Store unbaked pie shells that wrapped tightly in the freezer until ready to use.
When ready fill the pie crust, remove it from the freezer and allow thaw slightly, just until the pan is not ice cold. Don't place a frozen pie shell directly into the oven unless it is in a heat resistant pie dish.
📖 Variations
- Olive oil or canola oil can be used in place of the vegetable oil.
💭 Tips
- 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, adding more water, 1 tablespoon at a time if needed until it can be shaped into a ball of dough.
- The dough is fragile and it is best roll the each ball of dough between 2 sheets of wax paper or cling wrap, whichever works best for you.
- Flipping the pie crust over while turning makes the dough relax more and makes it easier to spread out.
🙋 FAQ's
Yes, as long as it is in liquid form.
📚 Related Recipes
🍽 Serve with...
This oil pie crust recipe can be used to make two single shell pie crusts or one 2- crust filled pie. It can be also be used to make savory pies, like chicken pot pie.
🏫 The last word
- You can never make a pie crust too thin, a thick pie crust makes it pasty.
- Using oil versus butter in a pie crust is the fact that oil 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.
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When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!
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📖 Recipe
Oil Pie Crust
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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.
Phyllis says
I am so excited to try this! Am doing this today. I had a recipe from back in 1978 from a Fanny Farmer cookbook. It was my go to recipe for pie crust. I used it so much that I lost the page for it. Was called stirred pie crust. THIS sounds just like the recipe except that the oil and water was stirred together w a fork, then added to flour. I am using your recipe today for an apple pie. Ty so much for sharing this!