3 Ingredient Pie Crust

You will probably wonder if there is a 3 Ingredient Pie Crust. This simple Pie Crust is made with flour, salt, and shortening with added iced water -that does not count as an ingredient. This modest pie dough will be ideal for your childhood favorite Apple pie or for a refreshing Key Lime pie in the summer. If making Pie Crust is still intimidating for you, try this recipe and see what happens. We are sure that your first pie -crust and filling together – will be soon in the works!

Why we love 💕this 3 Ingredient Pie Crust

It only needs 3 ingredients and iced water
You can use this pie crust for all your pie crust needs and you can make your favorite pie fillings: from banana to key lime
It is versatile as you can substitute shortening for butter if you wish

👩‍🍳What you need to make the 3 Ingredient Pie Crust

Stand or hand-held mixer
Rolling pin
A medium-sized bowl
A 9-inch pie pan or pie plate

🕐How to make this 3 Ingredient Pie Crust

There are a few steps you need to follow to make

Add the flour, salt, and shortening in a medium-size bowl and mix to combine

A bowl with flour and sea salt — Mix flour and salt

A bowl with flour, salt, and shortening — Add the shortening

2. Add the ice-cold water a little at a time, until the dough clumps together and can form a ball

A bowl with flour, salt, and shortening with some ice-cold water to make the 3 ingredient pie crust — Add the ice-cold water into the bowl to make the pie crust

The dough shaped in a ball ready to be rolled — The dough ball is ready

3. Roll out the dough into a 12-inch diameter. Fold the dough in half and then in half again and transfer to a 9-inch diameter pie plate

4. Press the dough down into the pie pan. Trim if there is more than ½ inch of excess dough hanging over the edges. Fold the edges of the dough under, and then crimp together with your thumb or a fork.

The pie dough in the pie pan ready to become pie crust. You made the 3 ingredient pie crust

Check the recipe card below for the entire recipe and the steps to follow

Did you make this? Capture a snapshot of your dessert and share it with us on Instagram by tagging @theistravels or using the hashtag #wedesserts. We can’t wait to admire your creation!

❓FAQs about the 3 Ingredient Pie Crust

Can I substitute the vegetable shortening for butter to make the 3 Ingredient Pie Crust?

You can replace the shortening with butter. However, you need to be aware of the very useful information below:
1. In theory, you can use a 1:1 ratio when you substitute shortening for butter. However, the texture of the dough will not be identical as shortening contains 100% fat while butter contains about 80% fat. We suggest that you use a different ratio based on weight (and not volume)
2. We use 2/3 cup shortening for this recipe. This makes 127 grams of shortening. Multiply the weight by 1.25; that makes 158 grams and this is the amount of butter you should use. Basically, you need more butter because butter contains less fat.
3. However, butter contains more liquids compared to shortening so you need to substract some weight. Multiply 158 by 0.15 which is about 10 grams of liquid. So the final amount of butter needed is 148 grams of butter for this recipe.

Check this website for conversions

What is the difference between a “pie pan” and a “pie plate”?

The terms pie pan and pie plate are often used interchangeably to refer to the shallow, round dish used for baking pies. But there are bakers and consumers who use the terms more precisely to distinguish between the two.
A “pie pan” is made of metal, such as aluminum or tin, is circular with shallow sides and straight edges. It usually measures 9 to 10 inches and is 2 inches deep
A “pie plate,” on the other hand, is made of ceramic or glass, is also circular, but it has sloped sides and scalloped edges. It usually measures between 8 and 9 inches, and is 1 to 1.5 inches deep
Nowadays, “pie pan” and “pie plate” can refer to any shallow, round dish used for baking pies, regardless of its material or shape.

Can I make this 3 Ingredient Pie Crust recipe gluten free?

Yes, you can but you will need a new recipe. Making dough for pie crust is a precise process so you need the exact gluten free flour substitution.

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