Looking for a simple, reliable pie crust recipe you can make ahead? This food processor method is a game-changer. By using cold butter and cream cheese, we create a wonderfully tender and delicious crust with minimal effort. With a total time of just 40 minutes (including chilling), this recipe is a must-have for busy home cooks.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- The Secret Ingredient: Using cream cheese alongside the butter creates a dough that is incredibly tender and much easier to work with than a standard all-butter crust.
- No-Fuss Method: Forget cutting butter by hand! The food processor does all the work in seconds, creating a perfect "pea-sized" crumb texture without the elbow grease.
- Freezer Friendly: As the name suggests, this dough is designed to be made ahead. You can wrap it and freeze it for up to 3 days, making holiday prep a breeze.
- Sweet or Savory: It’s versatile enough for your Thanksgiving apple pie or a savory chicken pot pie.
Ingredients for the Make-Ahead Pie Crust
- All-Purpose Flour — This provides the structure. I use unbleached flour for consistent results.
- Granulated Sugar — Just a small amount adds a hint of sweetness and helps the crust brown beautifully in the oven.
- Sea Salt — Essential for flavor! It balances the richness of the fats and ensures your crust isn't bland.
- Unsalted Butter (Very Cold) — Cold butter creates steam pockets as it bakes, which lifts the layers of dough to create those desirable flakes.
- Cream Cheese (Cold) — The secret weapon. It adds fat for richness and tenderness, but makes the dough much more pliable and easier to roll out than an all-butter crust.
- Heavy Cream — Used to bind the dough together. It adds richness that water just can't match.
Bringing the Pie Dough Together
- Preparing the Butter and Cream Cheese For this make-ahead recipe, temperature is everything. You want your fats as cold as possible. I cut the butter into ¼-inch cubes. For the cream cheese, use a spoon or your fingers to break it into small chunks—it doesn't need to be precise. Once divided, place both the butter and cream cheese on a plate and freeze them for 10 minutes. This ensures they stay solid during blending.
- Blending the Dough Add the flour, sugar, and salt into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Next, add the chilled butter and cream cheese chunks. Pulse the machine 5 to 7 times. You are looking for a coarse meal texture where the butter pieces are roughly the size of peas. Avoid over-processing, as we want those little bits of fat to remain visible.
- Adding the Cream While pulsing, drizzle in 3 tablespoons of the cold heavy cream. The dough should look like wet sand and clump together when you press it between your fingers. If it is too dry, add more cream one teaspoon at a time. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and gently knead it once or twice just to bring it together. Divide it into two disks, wrap them tightly, and chill in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
- Rolling and Freezing Roll out the chilled dough between two sheets of parchment paper to a thickness of about ⅛-inch. If you are freezing the dough for later, simply wrap the rolled-out disk (parchment and all) in plastic wrap. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. When you are ready to bake, place the frozen disk directly onto your pie plate; it will thaw quickly and settle into the shape of the tin.
Freezing the Dough
If you are using the crust later, wrap the rolled out dough with plastic wrap. Make sure to wrap it well. You can freeze the pie dough for up to 3 days. Once you are ready to use the frozen pie dough, unwrap the dough and place it on top of the pie tin. As the dough thaws, it will take the shape of the pie tin.
The make ahead pie crust recipe is perfect for the apple pear crumble pie, or add a chocolate mousse to your next dessert. Try my almond flour crust for your next quiche.
Please try some of my other dessert recipes!
FAQ's
You can prepare this pie crust up to three days ahead of time if you store it properly wrapped in the freezer.
Keeping the butter and cream cheese as cold as possible is crucial. This helps create pockets of fat in the dough, which melt during baking to produce a flaky and tender crust, rather than a tough one.
This specific recipe relies on the unique combination of butter and cream cheese for its tender texture. Substituting other fats might alter the consistency and flakiness, so it's best to stick to the recommended ingredients for optimal results.
For easier rolling and consistent thickness, place the dough between two pieces of parchment paper. Aim for a thickness between ⅙ to ⅛ inch. Using dowels as guides can help achieve an even thickness.
When ready to use frozen dough, simply unwrap it and place it directly into your pie tin. As the dough thaws, it will gently take the shape of the tin. Allow it to thaw completely before proceeding with your pie filling and baking instructions.
Yes, this versatile pie crust works well for both sweet and savory applications. It is neutral enough to complement fillings like chicken pot pie, quiche, or a savory tart.
Recipe
Make Ahead Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoons sea salt
- 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 6 ounces cold cream cheese
- 3-5 tablespoons cold heavy cream
Method
- Add flour, sugar, and salt to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the cold butter and cream cheese to flour mixture in the food processor.
- Cut in cold butter and cream cheese by pulsing a few times until a pea sized course crumb mixture develops.
- Pour in 3-4 tablespoons of heavy whipping cream as the food processor is running. The dough will come together as the cream is poured in.
- Divide the dough into two portions if making two smaller pie crusts or leave whole if you only need one.
- Roll out each portion in between 2 pieces of parchment and let them rest for 15 minutes in the fridge.
- If you are using the same day, Place in a pie tin and crimp the edges. Blind bake if needed.
- Wrap and place pie doughs in the freezer if you are not going to be using them that day.
- Bring out the pie crusts from the freezer about an hour before you are ready to use.
- Unwrap and place crust on top of pie dish. The crust will thaw in place and take on the form of the pie crust.
Nutrition
Notes
- Measuring Flour: For the best results, weigh your flour or use the "spoon and level" method. Scooping the cup directly into the bag can pack the flour and lead to a dry crust.
- Blind Baking: If you are making a custard pie (like pumpkin) or a fresh fruit tart, you may need to blind bake the crust first. Line the frozen crust with parchment and pie weights, then bake at 400°F for 15–20 minutes.
- Storage: The dough disks can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen blocks in the fridge overnight before rolling.
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