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Whenever I leave this world, I hope that my friends and family will think of me fondly and say, “That Erin. She baked a serious pie.” Especially if I used my Darn Good Whole Wheat Pie Crust.

Whole Wheat Pie Crust dough

Hopefully, they’ll also mention something about my being a good person—while eating slices of pie.

I have a fierce, somewhat inexplicable desire to be a great pie baker. The only rational interpretation I’ve found for this compulsion is that I consider pie to be the dessert translation of love.

It’s messy, it’s intentional, and it doesn’t have to be perfect to be magnificent. In fact, I consider “pie” and “love” so synonymous, I once baked heart-shaped pies. Totally rational.

While I have many, many pies to bring into the world before I consider myself a “serious” pie baker, judging by the number of empty plates I’ve left in my wake thus far, I’m at least “respectable,” an honor I attribute to the fact that I finally broke down and started making my pie crust from scratch.

Or possibly my Cherry Pie Filling as well.

Homemade pie crust intimidated me. I believed it to be hard, time-consuming, and a feat that could only be achieved by professional bakers and seasoned grandmothers (often one and the same). I was convinced that, if my pie crust wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t worth making.

It doesn’t have to be perfect to be magnificent.

Whole Wheat Pie Crust rolled out with rolling pin

The Beauty of Homemade Pie Crust

As it turns out, pie crust is neither time-consuming nor the baking equivalent of Mt. Everest. In fact, if you use a food processor, it takes a grand total of 10 minutes.

Silence the voices that tell you pie crust is hard, that flakey is impossible, that homemade isn’t worth it. (Both this Oil Pie Crust and Shortbread Crust certainly are 100% worth it!)

While I do think that making a perfect pie crust from scratch requires long practice, fortunately for us, the distinction between “perfect” pie crust and “darn good” pie crust is a minute one, and darn-good pie crust can be made by just about anyone with a positive attitude and a willingness to embrace butter.

In my quest to leave a positive pie legacy, I’ve tried a plethora of different pie crust recipes and techniques. The clearest distinction between one recipe and another is the type of fat used.

My Grammy uses 100% shortening, while some of my favorite bakers like Deb and Joy swear by all-butter. Between the two, I find that shortening is indisputably flakier, but butter wins for best flavor, so I opt not to choose and use a combination of both.

The butter/shortening ratio in this recipe from Ina Garten (mostly butter, some shortening) nails both flakey and flavor, and the final version of today’s whole wheat pie crust recipe is closely based on it.

picture of butter cubbed for Whole Wheat Pie Crust Recipe

How to Make a Whole Wheat Pie Crust from Scratch

Forever dedicated to lightening up my favorite comfort foods, I conducted a series of healthier pie crust recipe experiments.

I swapped part of the butter for oil. I tried Greek yogurt. I even browned the butter to see if the stronger flavor would allow me to use less.

The results: only butter and shortening will do. (To the person silently insisting, “lard!” I’m sure it would work famously—I just didn’t go there.) Pie crust is worth doing properly. Embrace the butter and shortening.

How to make whole wheat pie crust from scratch in food processor

Fortunately, my attempts to sneak whole-wheat flour into the pie crust were roaringly successful. (It’s a great alternative crust in this Brownie Pie.)

A blend of half all-purpose, half whole-wheat pastry flour still gives a tender, flakey texture, and the whole wheat adds a light, nutty flavor that’s delightful combined with any pie or quiche filling.

Tips for Pie Crust Success

  • Overall, the most critical success factor to pie crust making I’ve found is restraint (in all things but butter anyway). When working in the butter and shortening, do not overdo it. The butter/shortening chunks should remain large, nearly the size of your thumbnail. When adding the water, stop just as soon as the dough is moist enough to hold together when pinched.
Homemade Whole Wheat Pie Crust dough in the food processor
  • The second critical success factor: keep it cold. The colder you can keep the ingredients (and the less you handle the dough), the flakier your crust will be.
Easy Whole Wheat Pie Crust mixed in food processor

Once the ingredients are combined, pop the dough into the fridge for some extra chill time, then we are ready to roll.

placing Whole Wheat Pie Crust in pie dish

Now, I’m not going to pretend that I am an expert pie-crust crimper. In fact, I rewatch this MarthaStewart.com video every time I bake a pie. Then, I remind myself that a beautiful crimp and a mediocre crimp taste identical. My edges might never be Martha-perfect, but remember, perfect isn’t what we’re after.

We’re after darn good, and this whole wheat pie crust is all of that and more.

It doesn’t have to be perfect to be magnificent.

Delicious Sweet and Savory Pie Recipes

Whole Wheat Pie Crust folded in pie dish

Whole Wheat Pie Crust

4.66 from 20 votes
An easy recipe for whole wheat pie crust that’s tender and flakey every time. Use this recipe for all of your favorite pies and quiches.

Prep: 10 minutes
Total: 1 hour 10 minutes

Servings: 2 (10 inch) pie crusts

Ingredients
  


Instructions
 

  • Cut the butter and shortening into a small dice, then place them in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Place the all purpose flour, whole wheat pastry flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, then pulse a few times to combin. Scatter the butter and shortening pieces over the top. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of chickpeas. Some of the pieces will be small and others will be larger (about the size of a thumnail).
  • With the machine running, add 4 tablespoons ice water to feed tube. Add the remaining water one tablespoon at a time, just until the dough is moist enough to hold together with a small portion is pinched between your fingers. Pulse the machine until the dough forms a shaggy ball. Place the dough on a lightly floured board and pat into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 60 minutes.
  • Once chilled, divide the dough in two (if making a pie with a top and bottom crust, make one half slightly larger than the other and use the larger for the bottom). Use both immediately or wrap and refrigerate for up to two days or freeze for up to two months.

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Erin Clarke

Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!

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105 Comments

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  1. I couldn’t fins Whole Wheat Pastry Flour in my store but I keep King Arthur 100% Organic Whole Wheat Flour in my freezer. Can I adapt the Whole Wheat Pie Crust recipe to use this flour?

    1. Hi Margaret! If you use regular whole wheat flour vs. the whole wheat pastry flour, your crust will be more dense and have a more pronounced wheat flavor. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t be delicious! It just depends on what you prefer. You could also try doing 1 cup whole wheat plus 2 cups all-purpose flour. I hope that helps!

    2. Hi my crust tends to have spots that are darker than the crust when I bake. Is this from the butter?

  2. I love this pie crust. I made it tonight for a chicken pot pie and it was flaky perfection. I used 1 cup AP flour, 1/2 cup WW flour and 1 1/2 cup WW pastry flour. It was delightful. I am going to use the leftover pastry for apple hand pies.5 stars

  3. I made this crust once with just all purpose flour and it worked swimmingly. Today I tried to make it with WW pastry flour and it was the driest dough I have ever worked with! Will definitely make again, but will stick to just all purpose flour so I don’t waste butter again ?3 stars

  4. Will it work to sub coconut oil for the shortening? And is whole wheat pastry flour the same thing as white whole wheat flour? Thanks!

    1. Hi Sarah! I haven’t tried that swap myself, so you’d be experimenting. If you decide to try it, I’d love to hear how it goes! Whole wheat pastry flour is different from white whole wheat flour. It will work in this recipe, but it will result in a more dense and wheat-flavored crust. I hope this helps!

  5. Not sure why you would put sugar in this pie crust. I am trying to find a good recipe for whole wheat pie crust to make individual pot pies to freeze and use, as needed. I am convinced I can make a better batch of pot pies than those frozen things at the store. But I can’t see having sugar in a pie crust for chicken pot pie.

    1. Hi Bonnie! The sugar helps enhance the flavor of the pie crust and makes it more tender, but it does not make it taste overly sweet. I hope you enjoy the recipe if you try it!

  6. Looks great! I’ve never made pie crust before. Any tips for making this by hand? I don’t have a food processor.

    1. Hi Lisa! You could certainly do it by hand using a pastry cutter, forks, or two knives. I find if I’m not using a food processor, a pastry cutter is the easiest. I hope this helps!

    1. Hi Fay! Normally it’s written on the sticks of butter, but a stick of butter is typically 8 tablespoons. Also next to the ingredient in the recipe card, I’ve written that it is 1 1/2 sticks. Hope this helps!

  7. I used whole wheat flour, it was not pastry. And it was dense. I will not make it again until I have pastry flower it is hard to find where I live4 stars

    1. Hi Gloria! Sorry to hear, it’s definitely because of the type of flour you used. If you use regular whole wheat flour vs. the whole wheat pastry flour, your crust will be more dense and have a more pronounced wheat flavor. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t be delicious! It just depends on what you prefer. You could also try doing 1 cup whole wheat plus 2 cups all-purpose flour. I hope that helps!

  8. This was an outstanding, delightful pie crust! I made a strawberry rhubarb pie and it was the best ever. I did something wrong because although it was delicious, it was super fragile. I rolled out the bottom crust and when I tried to fold and lift into pie plate it tore easily. So it was kind of a jigsaw puzzle to assemble. I decided to make a lattice crust, because I didn’t want to patch the top, and was able to take strips that broke and just do my best. So it may not be the prettiest pie I ever baked, but it was hands down the nicest crust! Loved the flaky texture and amazing flavor! Thanks again Erin for another A+ recipe. Any suggestions regarding the breakage would be appreciated – too much water, too much processing…..?5 stars

    1. Hi Marnie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review! If you have problems with it breaking while you roll it out, it’s likely too dry and can easily be fixed by sprinkling a little cold water over the dough.

  9. This recipe has been on my list to try for ages with the healthy pot pie, and I think I might actually get round to it this week. Do you have any suggestions for how to make this dairy-free but still retain as much flavour as possible?

    1. Hi Rebecca, I haven’t tried it myself but you might be able to use a dairy-free plant butter. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!

  10. Made as directed. Had some whole wheat pastry flour in my freezer. This was so delicious! Just the right amount of whole wheat flavor and flaky!5 stars

  11. I followed the recipe to the T and it turned out fabulously! Flakiest pie crust I’ve ever made and it handled so well. I used Butter flavor Crisco for the shortening and to amp the butter flavor. I’m guessing the whole wheat pastry flour is the secret here? Anyway, kudos–this is now my keeper pie crust recipe. Oh, and I also froze half and it turned out equally well when I used it a month later.5 stars

  12. Hi Erin.
    I’m going to attempt this crust recipe for a Thanksgiving pie I’m delegated to make!
    If I want to skip the shortening and use only butter, what are your thoughts on how this would affect the crust? Would I substitute same amount of butter? Anything else affected with this alteration?
    Thanks!!

    1. Hi Douglas! Butter and shortening are pretty much interchangeable when it comes to pie crust so you should be able to substitute it easily. It will have a different result than the one I’ve tested here. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!

  13. I have tried several pie crusts through the years, none that really were all that impressive. I followed this recipe exactly and had just a PERFECT PIE CRUST MAKING EXPERIENCE!!! I am so happy. This will be my go to recipe for life. It was delicious!5 stars

    1. Hi Dorothee, You could do it by hand using a pastry cutter, forks, or two knives. I find if I’m not using a food processor, a pastry cutter is the easiest. I hope this helps!

  14. Hi! I am diabetic and do not want to use any white flour (too many carbs) in my pie crust. I would like to, either use all WW pastry flour or substitute white wheat flour for the white flour. Would either of these methods work? Thank you for your time.

    1. Hi Michele, you could try substituting the all-purpose flour for white whole wheat. I wouldn’t recommend using whole wheat pastry flour all of the flour as it would give such a different result. If you decide to experiment with the substitution, I’d love to know how it goes!

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