Use this page to learn how to blind bake a pie crust, whether that’s fully blind-baking before adding a no-bake filling, or partially baking (par-baking) the crust before returning to the oven with a filling. Many pie recipes require par-baking pie crust and this tutorial provides step-by-step instructions, as well as a helpful video tutorial and plenty of success tips.
Par-baking (which can also be called blind baking) is an integral step in many pie recipes and a basic baking technique to have in your back pocket. Classic recipes such as coconut cream pie, pumpkin pie, and lemon meringue pie require some sort of blind baking.
Par-baking pie crust sounds pretty intimidating, especially if you’re already nervous about making pie from scratch. I’m here to tell you (and show you!) that blind baking pie crust is simple, and I have a few tips to help guarantee success.
Why Par-Bake?
Why would you bake pie crust without a filling? There are a few instances, actually. You need a par-baked or fully baked crust if you’re making quiche, no-bake pie, custard pie, cream pie, pudding pie, or simply want an extra-crisp pie crust. If you’re making a pie that doesn’t require a baked filling, you still need a baked crust. Or if you’re baking a pie with a liquid-y filling that sets quickly in the oven, like pumpkin pie, your crust may need a baking headstart.
Fully Blind Baked vs. Partially Baked
If your pie recipe calls for a baked pie shell, such as banana cream pie, you need to fully bake it. But some recipes require a partially baked pie crust and those recipes will typically include “pre-baking,” “partially baking,” or “par-baking” the crust in the instructions. I’ll show you both methods below.
Whether you’re fully blind baking or partially blind baking pie crust, the process is exactly the same; it’s the bake time that differs. Fully baked pie crusts bake for longer than partially baked pie crusts.
- Fully blind bake a pie crust if you’re making no-bake pie like coconut cream pie.
- Partially bake a pie crust if your crust needs longer in the oven than the pie filling, such as brownie pie or quiche. And if you want an extra-crisp pie crust for your apple pie, you can partially blind bake the crust before adding the filling.
How to Par-Bake Pie Crust
While the idea of baking pie crust is quite simple, there’s more to it than just throwing pie dough in a pie dish and baking.
Here’s our problem: As the pie dough bakes, the fat melts. This causes the pie crust to shrink down the sides of the pie dish. And as the fat melts, it creates steam. Steam is both good and bad. It creates DELICIOUS layers and flakes, but also causes the pie dough to puff up when there’s no heavy filling weighing it down.
Here’s our answer: Weigh down the pie crust with something so it doesn’t puff up in the center or shrink down the sides. Carefully line the pie dough with parchment paper first, then add some weight. You can purchase special pie weights or you can use dry beans. I’ve also seen the use of granulated sugar and even pennies. I just stick to pie weights. Note: 2 packs of these pie weights is definitely needed!
You’ll bake the pie crust with pie weights until the edges set, or lightly brown, which is about 15 minutes.
Because it’s covered with weights, the bottom of the pie crust doesn’t cook. You have to return it to the oven after the edges have set. But first, dock it with a fork:
How to Dock Pie Crust
Once the crust is brown around the edges, carefully remove the parchment paper + weights, then let the crust cook a little longer on its own. The amount of time the “weight-free” pie crust bakes depends on if you need a partially baked crust or a fully baked crust.
Before returning to the oven without the weights, you need to prick the bottom crust with a fork to prevent it from puffing up. Pricking holes in pie crust is also called “docking” the pie crust.
Some bakers skip the pie weights and just dock the pie crust from the beginning, but I’ve never had luck this way. The sides of my pie crust still shrink down. So I always use pie weights, remove them after the edges begin to turn brown, dock the crust with a fork, then return it to the oven so the bottom cooks.
How Long Does the Pie Crust Bake After Removing the Weights?
The remaining oven time depends on whether you want a partially blind baked pie crust or a fully blind baked pie crust. For a partially baked pie crust, bake until the bottom just begins to brown, usually about 7–8 more minutes. To fully bake a pie crust, bake until the bottom and edges are browned and cooked through, about 15 more minutes.
Partially baked means your crust is just barely brown and the pie will return to the oven with a filling:
Fully baked means your pie dough is 100% cooked and ready for a no-bake filling:
Like banana cream pie:
FAQ: Do I Need to Par-Bake a Store-Bought Pie Crust?
If your recipe calls for a baked or par-baked pie crust, and you are using store-bought pie dough, you still need to par-bake it. For example, if using store-bought crust in this brownie pie recipe, you still need to follow the par-baking instructions in that recipe (which are the same instructions you find below).
FAQ: Can I Add an Egg Wash?
Many pie recipes call for brushing the crust with an egg wash, and typically the recipes will tell you when to do that. If you aren’t sure when, and you need to par-bake the crust, you can brush the crust’s edges with an egg wash after par-baking with pie weights, and before returning to the oven to bake without the weights. This is what we do for my chai pumpkin meringue pie recipe. An egg wash is 1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon of milk or water. Use a pastry brush.
FAQ: How Can I Apply a Top Crust to Par-Baked Bottom Crust?
Blind-baking is usually required for custard-type pies, where there generally isn’t a top crust. Adding a top crust, such as lattice pie crust or other beautiful pie crust designs is possible though. I’ve always found Erin McDowell’s tutorial for this helpful. A lot of it is tucking the top dough edges under the par-baked bottom crust edge, and then crimping the pie crust edges together.
How to Prevent Pie Crust From Shrinking
Pie weights prevent the bottom crust from puffing up and help prevent the sides from shrinking down, but up until recently, I still had trouble with the sides losing shape. It was so frustrating. I played around with some techniques and now my pie crusts never shrink. I have a nice thick crust with a beautifully fluted or crimped shape around the pie dish. And you can too!
2 TRICKS THAT HELP:
- Make sure you chill your pie shell before par-baking.
- Make sure you have a thick crust on the sides using my “dough strip” technique.
Chilling the pie shell before par-baking doesn’t need much explanation, so let me show you how I create thick edges.
DOUGH STRIP TECHNIQUE
Roll out your pie crust dough and fill your pie dish. Grab some extra pie dough, cut into strips, and meld the strips around the edges.
Use your fingers to work the extra strips of dough into the edges.
Now it’s all 1 uniform crust with extra thick and sturdy edges. My dough strip technique uses about 1 and 1/2 pie crusts. No big deal since my pie crust recipe makes 2 crusts. You’ll have 1/2 pie crust leftover for the next time you need dough scraps.
If you need extra help with the shaping, review my how to crimp and flute pie crust tutorial.
That was a lot of information thrown at you, but I promise it’s manageable! And if you need it, I also have a list of my top 10 pie baking tools.
PrintHow to Blind Bake Pie Crust
- Prep Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 pie
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Use this tutorial to learn how to blind bake a pie crust, whether that’s fully blind-baking before adding a no-bake filling, or partially baking (par-baking) the crust before returning to the oven with a filling.
Ingredients
- pie dough such as homemade pie crust (recipe makes 2 crusts)
- pie weights (you need 2 packs)
- all-purpose flour, as needed for rolling out dough
Instructions
- Make the pie dough: Prepare and chill your pie dough for at least 2 hours. If using the linked recipe, prepare pie crust through step 5.
- Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator until you need it). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is completely smooth.
- Dough strip technique: This step is optional, but will help prevent the sides from shrinking down as well as promise a thick and sturdy crust. Remove the 2nd pie dough disc from the refrigerator. Roll out the same way you rolled out the first one. Using a pizza cutter, slice rounded 1- or 2-inch strips, and arrange around the edges. Use your fingers to meld the dough together. What you’re basically doing here is adding another layer of crust to just the edges. Crimp or flute the pie crust edges. They should be nice and thick now. Wrap up any leftover pie dough to use for next time. Freeze it for up to 3 months.
- Refrigerate: Chill the shaped, unbaked pie crust in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 5 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Cover the pie crust with plastic wrap if chilling for longer than 30 minutes or if you’re freezing it. If you freeze it, let it thaw for a couple hours in the refrigerator before continuing.
- While the crust is chilling, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Fill with weights: Line the chilled pie crust with parchment paper. (Crunch up the parchment paper first so that you can easily shape it into the crust.) Fill with pie weights or dried beans. I like to push the weights up against the sides of the pie crust to help ensure the sides don’t shrink down.
- Bake: Bake until the edges of the crust are starting to brown and appear set, about 15–16 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the pie. With a fork, prick holes all over the bottom crust. Return the pie crust to the oven.
- If you need a fully baked pie crust, bake until the bottom crust is golden brown, about 14–15 minutes longer. For a partially baked pie crust (if you’re baking the pie once it is filled, like a quiche), bake until the bottom crust is just beginning to brown, about 7–8 minutes.
- If you’re making a no-bake pie, let the baked crust cool completely before adding the filling unless your pie recipe states otherwise. For pies that will go back in the oven, like quiche or pumpkin pie, the crust can still be warm when you add the filling. (Again, unless your recipe states otherwise.)
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make pie dough and freeze it for up to 3 months. See my pie crust recipe for details. If you want to shape the pie dough ahead of time, see step 4 above.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Rolling Pin | 9-inch Pie Dish | Pizza Cutter | Pie Weights
- Egg Wash: Many pie recipes call for brushing the crust with an egg wash and, typically, your pie recipe will tell you when to do that. If you aren’t sure when, and you need to par-bake the crust, you can brush the crust’s edges with an egg wash after par-baking with pie weights (step 7), and before returning to the oven to bake without the weights (step 8). An egg wash is 1 egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon of milk or water. Use a pastry brush.
- How Can I Apply a Top Crust to Par-Baked Bottom Crust? Blind-baking is usually required for custard-type pies, where there generally isn’t a top crust. Adding a top crust, such as lattice pie crust or other beautiful pie crust designs is possible, though. I’ve always found Erin McDowell’s tutorial for this helpful. A lot of it is tucking the top dough edges under the par-baked bottom crust edge, and then crimping the pie crust edges.
This was such a great idea. I used my second roll of dough to make the crust better. Blind baking without a shrunken crust is great. I put spinach, onion, red pepper and cheese as my filling. Came out perfect
Making Quiche in a few minutes. I love the idea of the 2nd crust.
I have baked many many apple pies. My husbands favorite. But, I have never had good luck with the bottom crust. They are always half raw. I’ve taken to par baking the bottom crust then filling it and finishing baking it. I pop on an unbaked crust on top and bake as usual. The bottom crusts come out crispy and not doughy. This is the first time I’ve come across your sight and I enjoyed all of your hints and how to’s
My Mom always docked the sides of the pie crust too when baking empty; really easy, just take your fork, hold sideways, rotate your pan as you dock every inch or so. Never had a problem with it. (just dock the part that would be in the pan, not the top rim.) She always told me to keep an eye on it as it baked in case it started to puff up and if so, take it out and dock some more. I never had to do that, always worked fine.
You are the Bomb!!! I love your recipes and your blog. Such a professional with thorough, straightforward instructions. I am 70 years old and still learn something from you daily. Thank you, Sally!
I have been trying to duplicate my mother’s pie crust which was always flaky and yummy. This recipe is now my go to for pie crust. It is the best recipe for pie crust! And the key is to not over work it (don’t be afraid of pieces of butter being visible) and to put the pie plate with crust in the freezer for 15-20 min. before baking. It comes out so flaky! Thank you Sally!
I actually just roll out the pie dough into a oversized circle. Then I fit it into the pie dish and fold the extra inside to make the thick walls. I liked the idea of refrigerating first before baking…it worked out very well.
I have used this recipe since I discovered it. Such a good pie crust! My mom loves the coconut cream pie with this crust and she ALWAYS said she hated crust. Until this one….it took me a few times to perfect it. But, if you don’t cut corners (chill at least 2 hours or overnight, all cold ingredients, pie weights, docking, etc.), it comes out perfect. I use a grater on my frozen butter and that works so well to get it incorporated into the dough. Plus, a pie shield is always a good thing if the top is getting too brown. It really is the best crust that I have ever tasted with all kinds of pies. The Magical Brownie pie is my kids favorite. Oh my yumminess! Thank you for teaching me so much about baking! You make it less intimidating!
I use foil to prebake a crust. I carefully lay it across the bottom and press . Then press the foil up on the sides. So far it has worked for me.
My pie crust edges still sunk in some spots though the crimping looked very nice and it tasted wonderful. Should I have the edges overhang the pie dish to avoid shrinking? I chilled it ahead of time and used the scraps technique. My pie dish has two handles and at those areas you can’t have the dough overhang because it’s too wide.
Hi Kayla, We are glad you enjoyed the taste of the pie crust! You may simply need to use more pie weights so that they fill the crust all the way around and/or chill for a bit longer. These are both easy fixes for next time!
Hi Sally! I really appreciate this careful advice and the video. I’ve tried blind baking a couple of times and I’ve had one consistent problem: the bottom dough sticks to the parchment as I remove it. I’ve only just realized here that I should be chilling the dough in the pie tin before putting it in the oven; I also see that you suggest baking for 15 minutes + another 7-8 minutes for the base to brown (for a partially par-baked crust). Can you offer thoughts on what might have been causing my issue? Is it the chill beforehand that’s key, or the slightly longer baking? Any other tips to prevent the parchment sticking would be really welcome.
Hi Kim! Parchment sticking is a common issue, we usually just try to be as gentle as possible and carefully use our fingers to release the dough from the parchment as we pull if up (if we notice it sticking).
Hey! I could do with some advice, I’ve just attempted to make your maple pecan pie. The first pie I’ve ever attempted, I used your all butter pastry and made it 4 days in advance. I rolled it out, put it back in the fridge for 20 mins prior to blind baking. I blind baked for 15 minutes, removed pie weights and put back in oven for 5 minutes to allow the bottom to start to cook. I filled the pie and baked it for 50 minutes in total. However the bottom appears uncooked/soggy, there seems to be a lot of liquid in the bottom of the pie dish. What did I do wrong? Any advice would be greatly appreciated so I can learn for next time! Ps. The pie looks great and smells even better!!
Hi Megan, Thank you for trying this recipe. Did you happen to make any ingredient substitutions or use a different type of pan? It sounds like your pie simply wasn’t baked long enough. All ovens and pans are different and yours may simply take longer. If you try it again, try using a glass pie pan so you are able to see if the bottom is finished baking. If it needs longer you can loosely cover the top to prevent it from over browning while the bottom finishes baking.
Hi Sally, I’m wondering if you’ve ever had a problem with the pie weights getting moldy? I bought the ones you recommended (Mrs Anderson) and used them just once before Thanksgiving. They seemed a little greasy after I removed them from the parchment paper so I rinsed them well in water and let them dry on a towel for a few days. I just went to use them again to blind bake a quiche crust and they have these little black spots all over them!! I read reviews on line and now understand that I should heat dry them in oven before storing them… and I guess I’ll have to toss these and get a new set. Would love to know if you’ve ever experienced this?
Thanks and Merry Christmas!
Thank you for your wonderful instructions. This old dog learned a couple new tricks. I always hated that my crust shrank as it blind baked. I tried your method tonight & had a crunchy delicious crust around the edges. Thank you!
So happy to hear that this method was successful for you, Robin!
Hi Sally! I was really excited to find these instructions for how to keep the walls of my quiche from sinking when par baking the crust. I watched the video and followed the instructions and was really excited to see the results. Unfortunately after a few minutes in the oven, the walls mostly fell off the crust and went to the bottom of the oven. 🙁 It was disappointing and I’m not sure what I did wrong. I used 1/2 of another crust and built up the walls and fluted the edges. I cooled the dough for 30 minutes. The only thing that I think could have happened was how I incorporated the additional dough into the walls. Maybe I need to have it thicker near the edge of the pie rim or I need to get a different pie dish that has walls to support the weight of the dough. ? I used the same glass pie dish that was shown in the video and the only walls of the crust that survived were around the handles, which makes me wonder if I pie dish with walls might work better. Have you ever experienced this issue? Thank you for the great idea and wonderful recipes. Hopefully it will work better next time.
Hi Rebekah, thank you so much for trying this tutorial. When you say the walls of the crust, do you mean the rim/edge of the crust around the rim of the pie dish? It could be possible that the rim was too heavy and thick, which made it fall off as it browned/cooked. I think what needs to be thicker (to hold the weight of the heavy rim) is dough that goes up the sides of the pie dish. If I’m not understanding, my apologies!
I am making a pie for a friend and I want to transfer my pie from a glass dish into a disposable one. I was thinking I could line the bottom side of the pie crust with parchment paper to make removing it out of the dish easier. My question is whether or not this is necessary or if I will get the same result if I just bake the pie in the disposable aluminum container from the very start?
Hi Brittany, pies can be very difficult to remove in one clean, full piece without any breakage or spillage. For best results, we recommend making the pie in the disposable dish that you plan on gifting. Hope this helps!
Do butter pie crusts brown faster than Crisco pie crusts? It seems mine did, naybe I need to adjust my oven temperature?
Hi! I am worried that if I chill the pie dough in a my pie dish, that when I place the cold dish in the oven, it will crack! Is that not an issue?
Hi Margie, We have never had an issue using our glass Pyrex pie pans!
Thank you asking this question. This has been a great fear of mine with glass. I am going to build up my crust and give it a try. Hoping for the best!
Margie , That’s been a concern of mind too!
Hi Miriam, we actually don’t find it necessary to par-bake pie crust for our pecan pie recipe.
I have a question, I’m baking the crust today and my pie filling tomorrow. Where should I keep the pie crust overnight?
Hi Avis! Unrolled, un-baked pie crust should be stored in the fridge overnight.
Hello Sally,
Can non stick foil be used in place of parchment? Also, should you chill the pie weights too? First time doing this, thanks for the help. Christie
Hi Christie! We’ve always used parchment but let us know if you try non stick foil. No need to chill the pie weights. Happy baking!
I use foil instead of parchment, like my mom used to. I don’t use non stick and it still works just fine.
Hi,
I’ve been baking pies for years, but have never perfected Any!
Tonight, I par baked three crusts for cream pies, I will be making tomorrow. Now I’m realizing that they should have cooked longer!
Is it too late to pop them back in the oven? If not, what temperature and how long?
I’m so tired of soggy crust
Hi Catherine, it’s worth a shot — try sticking them back in at the same temperature and bake until they are done to your liking or as indicated by the recipe. Hope it works!
Sally-
Can you par-bake, fill and add a top crust? How do you get the raw pie dough to stick to the partially cooked crust?
Thank you
Hi Stephanie, yes you absolutely can but it can be a little tricky. I’ve always found Erin McDowell’s tutorial for this helpful: https://food52.com/blog/18422-par-bake-your-double-crust-pies-join-the-anti-soggy-crust-crusade
A lot of it is tucking the top dough edges under the par-baked bottom crust edge, then crimp together.
I am trying to switch from shortening to butter pie crusts. I am struggling — even when the pie crust is chilled, it seems as if the butter in the crusts leaks out into my fillings. This of course makes my crust tough and my fillings just yucky. Help!
Hi! The butter may not be cut into the flour/dry ingredients enough– try working it in a bit more. Aim for chunks of butter about the size of peas.
Thank you so much Sally, I have been able to use so many of your recipes and I have been able to substitute some to be diabetic friendly.
Hi Kristy my niece is diabetic. I wanted to ask if you would mind sharing some of your tips on how you make them ? I’ve tried replacing the sugar with Splenda but it’s hard to get that same taste . Thank you
Sally I have to make a dozen pumpkin pies. I want to par bake the crusts ahead. How should I store them after I bake, and what would be your guess for how long? Thanks
Hi Mitz, you can let your par bake crusts cool, then cover them and store them in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. We do par-bake the crust for our particular pumpkin pie recipe for 10 minutes.
Cool completely-until no warmth remains. Stack 2 pie crusts with parchment paper in between and cover with Saran Wrap. Put in large freezer bag. Continue for all crusts.
The parchment paper stuck to my pie crust and removed a substantial portion of the crust upon removal. Why would this have possibly happened? I used your pie crust recipe.
Hi Krissi! If you try blind baking pie crust again, use your hands to help detach the parchment from the bottom pie crust when lifting it off.
I have NEVER baked a pie! Quite an achievement for someone who’s 71 years old! I’m a really good cook…just not a baker! But somehow I got hookshnagled into agreeing to bake an apple pie for 1 of my neighbors? I’m going to use a crumble on top…my question is….do I blind bake the crust?? Halfway? Full? THANK YOU!!!
Hi Paula! We recommend following our apple crumble pie recipe for full instructions (we don’t par-bake the crust in that recipe). Enjoy!
Thank you for sharing your recipe. It was so easy. My crusts came out wonderful.
I’ll pass on a trick that a pastry chef showed me. Line the pie dish with one of those very large coffee filters, that are made to fit into commercial coffee urns prior to filling with weights. The filters are extremely flexible, strong, and NOTHING sticks to them. I’ve never had one tear on me in a couple of decades. Get the biggest ones you can find and if they’re too large, fold in half and cut off two or three inches.
I use a trick I saw on Martha Stewart. Take the parchment paper and crumple it up a few times. It makes it flexible enough to fit into all the spaces.