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Home » Recipes » Desserts

By Kaleigh McMordie - November 25, 2015, Updated July 22, 2021

The Best Whole Wheat Pie Crust

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The best whole wheat pie crust.

A tender, flaky whole wheat pie crust made with just 2 ingredients and without shortening. It's the perfect all-purpose base sure to make any pie more delicious and nutritious! (vegan option)

The best whole wheat pie crust with pecan filling.

One of the first things I ever learned to make was pie crust. I've known how to make it for as long as I can remember.

Every year, the night before Thanksgiving, we have Pie Night. Pie Night is a holiday on its own. It's the night where the women (and some brave men) of the family get together, make all of the pies for the next day (usually about a dozen, all different flavors), and prepare whatever else can be made ahead (cornbread, crusty bread cubes, potato chopping, etc). It's really where I learned to cook. And still one of my most treasured memories.

My Aunt Debby always made the pie crusts. She would stand at the food processor covered in flour all night, rolling out crusts for all of the pies. And the crusts always turned out perfect. Flaky and soft, delicate, but not flimsy. Everything you want a pie crust to be. This pie crust recipe is adapted from her crust recipe, and it's the one I use every year for Thanksgiving pies. 

The best whole wheat pie crust.

Why Whole Wheat Crust?

I always bake with white whole wheat flour because of the improved nutrition profile and because it's not bleached. But I also think whole wheat flour adds a nice depth of flavor to pie crust and other heavily flour-based baked goods. All purpose flour tastes more flat.

Why You'll Love This Whole Wheat Pie Crust Recipe

This crust recipe is super easy to make and has just a few simple ingredients - whole wheat flour, butter, salt, and water. All you need is a food processor. The all-butter crust is tender and delicious, with a slightly nutty taste. It's perfect any and all pies!

How To Make Whole Wheat Pie Crust

how to make whole wheat pie crust in a food processor.
  1. Combine the flour and salt in a food processor.
  2. Add the cold, cubed butter and pulse until the butter is in pea-sized chunks.
  3. Add water, one tablespoon at a time, pulsing with each addition, until dough comes together in a rough ball.
  4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and divide in half. Roll each half out between two sheets of plastic wrap or parchment.
  5. Carefully transfer to the pie dish, removing the plastic wrap. Proceed with your pie recipe.

Tips for Perfect Pie Crust

  • Use cold butter and ice cold water. Keeping everything cold will result in a more flaky crust.
  • Similarly, you don't want to butter to be blended into the flour too much. Small pieces melt in between layers of dough when baked, giving you a flaky crust.
  • Try not to add too much water, or the crust will be sticky and difficult to roll out. You want it to just start to come together.
  • I love using whole wheat pastry flour for the lightest result. If you can't find whole wheat pastry flour, look for white whole wheat flour (made with soft white wheat, it's not bleached).
  • I use salted butter because I prefer a little more salt in my crust to contrast very sweet fillings. However, if you prefer less salt, use unsalted butter or reduce the salt to ½ tsp.
  • For vegan version, use cold coconut oil in place of butter. If you use virgin coconut oil, your pie crust will taste like coconut, though.
  • If you have a very deep pie dish or a 10 inch dish, you may need to use 1.5 times or double the recipe to make sure you have enough crust.
How to make the best whole wheat crust using a roller.
Whole wheat pie crust.

Can This Pie Crust Be Made in Advance?

Yes! Once the dough comes together in the food processor, turn it out, divide in half, and roll each half into a ball. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. Let the dough soften just enough to roll when you take it out, without getting too warm.

Par-Baking and Baking Pie Crust

Parbaking, or blind baking, is baking the crust for a short amount of time to ensure liquid fillings don't seep through the crust. If your recipe calls for parbaking, you can bake your crust for 15 minutes at 350°F using pie weights.

If your recipe calls for a baked pie crust (such as pies with pudding fillings), prick the bottom of the dough with a fork and bake at 375°F until golden brown, about 20-30 minutes. Cool the crust completely before filling.

chocolate bourbon pecan pie recipe without corn syrup

Delicious Pie Recipes For Filling Your Crust

  • Perfect Apple Crumb Pie
  • Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
  • Southern Buttermilk Pie
  • Healthyish Lattice Apple Pie

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!

Print

The Best Whole Wheat Pie Crust

The best whole wheat pie crust in a white pie dish.
Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.9 from 14 reviews

A tender, flaky whole wheat pie crust made with just 2 ingredients and without shortening. It's the perfect all-purpose base sure to make any pie more delicious and nutritious! (vegan option)

  • Author: Kaleigh
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 2 9-inch crusts 1x
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: food processor
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 cups white whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour (I like Bob's Red Mill)
  • ¾ cup butter, chilled and cubed
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt (½ tsp if using salted butter)
  • up to ½ cup ice cold water

Instructions

  1. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour and salt. And cubed butter.
  2. Pulse a few times until pea-sized pieces form.
  3. Slowly add 1 tablespoon of water at a time, stopping when you fill up your spoon with water.
  4. Pulse and continue to add water until a ball has just formed with the dough.
  5. Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Cut the ball of dough in half.
  6. Roll out dough on top of plastic wrap, one ball at a time, to form the crust. Turn out dough into your pie pan and shape the edges by pushing your thumb of one hand into the thumb and pointer finger of your other hand on opposite edges of the dough and work all the way around.
  7. Continue with your pie recipe as instructed.
  8. You'll get a top and a bottom crust. You can freeze one if your recipe only calls for a bottom crust.

Notes

  • The original recipe made with all-purpose flour uses 5 tablespoon of water. If you are using all-purpose flour, reduce the water to 5 tbsp.
  • Use cold butter and ice cold water. Keeping everything cold will result in a more flaky crust.
  • Similarly, you don't want to butter to be blended into the flour too much. Small pieces melt in between layers of dough when baked, giving you a flaky crust.
  • Try not to add too much water, or the crust will be sticky and difficult to roll out. You want it to just start to come together.
  • I love using whole wheat pastry flour for the lightest result. If you can't find whole wheat pastry flour, look for white whole wheat flour (made with soft white wheat, it's not bleached).
  • I use salted butter because I prefer a little more salt in my crust to contrast very sweet fillings. However, if you prefer less salt, use unsalted butter or reduce the salt to ½ tsp.
  • For vegan version, use cold coconut oil in place of butter. If you use virgin coconut oil, your pie crust will taste like coconut, though.
  • If you have a very deep pie dish or a 10 inch dish, you may need to use 1.5 times or double the recipe to make sure you have enough crust.
  • For parbaking and make ahead instructions, see post above.

Keywords: all butter pie crust, whole wheat pie crust, easy whole wheat pie crust

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About Kaleigh McMordie

Kaleigh McMordie, MCN, RDN, LD, is a Registered Dietitian and Licensed Dietitian in Abilene, Texas, as well as a member of the Baby Led Weaning Dietitians Network. Kaleigh can be found at kaleighmcmordie.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anna Mae Rauhut says

    September 12, 2023 at 5:21 pm

    I love the idea of doing it in a food processor. So easy! it turned out perfect!

    Reply
  2. Niki says

    February 01, 2023 at 2:15 pm

    I made this recipe using Bob's Red Mill Wheat Pastry Flour and it turned out excellent! Light and flaky as described. I only had to use 4 tblsps of ice cold water in my food processor while blending and everything held together. I tried making a quark cheesecake and using this crust instead of the regular crust recipe that came with that recipe. I've used wheat pastry flour in a cake recipe before and liked how it turned out. I also like the nutritional profile. This will be my new pastry to-go-to recipe for sure!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Megan says

    December 24, 2022 at 5:46 pm

    "whole wheat pie crust made with just 2 ingredients" and yet the recipe lists four ingredients.... 🙂

    My go-to recipe for whole wheat crust, however I am still working out what temp to cook it at and whether to pre-cook the crust on not before adding in filling.

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • SUSAN E PARIS says

      January 21, 2023 at 7:44 am

      Perhaps the water and salt don't count as "ingredients"? But I agree, it is misleading, because it contains the same components as any pie dough recipe.

      Reply
  4. Dave says

    July 15, 2022 at 2:51 pm

    Serves 24! Really?

    Reply
    • Jennifer says

      November 25, 2022 at 8:49 am

      You did not say how to make the pie crust golden. You instruction are very incomplete. Nor did you say whether or not to use whole wheat flour.

      Reply
  5. Siobhan says

    February 28, 2022 at 7:54 am

    First time making pie crust and it came out perfectly! I made the dough ahead and then froze it to cut down on prep time before a brunch (I was making quiche). I defrosted half of the dough in the fridge overnight and then for a couple of hours at room temp. I rolled it out on a butcher block with plenty of flour - no plastic needed. My pie dish is deep but half of the recipe was just enough to have a nice crust over the edge. The whole wheat was delicious with veggie quiche - I used regular whole wheat flour and unsalted butter.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      March 02, 2022 at 5:35 am

      Awesome, thanks for your tips!

      Reply
  6. Amy says

    February 06, 2022 at 4:42 pm

    This pie crust turned out wonderfully! It was crispy and flakey and had a nice subtle, nutty flavor. I used it for a quiche and I can’t wait to make it again. Thanks for the recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. dani says

    December 15, 2021 at 9:09 pm

    lovely : )

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Laura says

    November 05, 2021 at 10:58 am

    This one's a keeper! Easy, came together well, rolled fantastically. Flaky and yummy when baked. My food processor is on the blink, so I used the old fashion method of pastry blender.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  9. S green says

    October 23, 2021 at 7:28 pm

    I love finding recipes that honor 100% whole wheat. Thank you for sharing. When I get around to making this I will share. But also, I’m wondering what is your idea on making cheeses using nutritional yeast. Have you tried it? Vegan cheese don’t sit well with me.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      October 24, 2021 at 8:05 am

      Enjoy! No, I've never used nutritional yeast. I also can't do vegan cheese!

      Reply
  10. Sandy says

    June 09, 2021 at 1:19 pm

    I tried the ww pie crust again. This time watching the water … just enough for the dough to stick together. It was perfect. The dough was a lot easier to work with and the crust was nice and flakey when I baked it.

    Reply
  11. Charlee Hildebrand says

    May 21, 2021 at 1:46 pm

    I actually filled this pie crust with butter chicken, and it was delicious. Highly recommend and I will use again, it turned out beautifully!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      May 22, 2021 at 7:07 am

      That sounds delicious! Thanks for the review!

      Reply
  12. Arlette Payne says

    May 08, 2021 at 11:51 pm

    Hi, I would like to make whole wheat butter tarts. Have you ever tried this recipe with tarts? Thanks 🙂
    Arlette

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      May 09, 2021 at 6:59 am

      I haven't ever tried it, but I don't see why it wouldn't work!

      Reply
  13. Clay Shannon says

    February 04, 2021 at 9:01 am

    Although I love pie more than any other food, I'm new to pie baking and have been trying out various recipes. I'm going to try this one next. But I'm confused by this:

    "The original recipe made with all-purpose flour uses 5 tbsp of water. If you are using all-purpose flour, reduce the water to 5 tbsp."

    5 tbsp in either case?

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      February 05, 2021 at 8:05 am

      Hi Clay, If you use all-purpose flour, you'll need about 5 tbsp of water. If you use whole wheat flour, as written in the recipe card, you'll need a little bit more water since whole wheat flour tends to absorb more water.

      Reply
  14. John Yopp says

    December 24, 2020 at 10:53 pm

    This is by far the best whole wheat pastry flour pie crust I’ve tried. I like it better than AP crusts. It’s so easy and fast and consistent. Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  15. Vicki says

    July 23, 2020 at 3:51 am

    This is the BEST pie crust I have ever come across. It was so easy to roll out and my apple pie turned out beautifully. My husband woke up this morning and said he cannot wait to get home from work and have another piece. He also said it is blue ribbon award winning!!!!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      July 23, 2020 at 7:18 am

      Thanks Vicki! I'm so glad you and your husband enjoyed it! 🙂

      Reply
    • Taylor says

      November 25, 2020 at 12:58 pm

      Can I do this in a blender?

      Reply
      • Kaleigh says

        November 25, 2020 at 1:27 pm

        I've never tried in a blender, so I can't say for sure. Let me know if you try!

  16. Ælfwynn says

    May 22, 2020 at 2:38 am

    Thanks for the recipe. I do pretty well with pie crusts, but at the moment I only have whole wheat at home, and need to make a pie for tomorrow, so wanted to see if there are any tips to baking pie crust with whole-wheat.
    I also don't use Crisco for the reason you mentioned, and for a while I used butter or coconut oil, or a mix of both. But I finally found even better alternatives. The first is real lard from pigs. It's the original before Crisco came along. But it's not vegetarian, and probably not the healthiest option. What is use most for all my baking needs is ghee. It is clarified butter, so it's actually just like using lard or Crisco, but much healthier and healthier than butter, and works better than coconut oil.
    The other thing, because I want to reduce waste, particularly non-biodegradable waste, all I do is lightly flour my work surface and my rolling pin. I've never had any trouble rolling out pie crusts like this. If you don't want the mess to clean up, you can use baking paper or wax paper instead of plastic wrap. There's too much plastic trash in the world as it is, so why add to the problem?
    Anyway, thanks again! I'll be trying out your recipe today, with just a small alteration of ghee in place of butter.

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Serena says

      October 13, 2020 at 12:28 pm

      How much ghee ratio flour thanks

      Reply
  17. Yvette says

    May 17, 2020 at 3:44 pm

    Made this pie crust tonight and it was wonderful! So easy and delicious, I ate way too much pie. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      May 18, 2020 at 8:22 am

      I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe!

      Reply
  18. Priti Shah says

    April 16, 2020 at 1:58 pm

    Thanks for the recipe. I made the pastry and it turned out well, but not flaky.

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      April 16, 2020 at 2:30 pm

      Glad you liked the recipe! You might try processing it just bit less next time. You want bigger chunks of butter for a flaky crust.

      Reply
      • Lala says

        April 18, 2020 at 8:02 am

        No chilling for a few hours before using? Wild that make it tough? Can it be frozen or is this recipe designed to be used fresh. Peace and love everyone during these tough times.

        ★★★★★

      • Kaleigh says

        April 20, 2020 at 8:16 am

        Hi Lala,
        I freeze the dough in a ball all the time! Just thaw in the fridge for a day or so before you're ready to use it!

      • Sandy says

        May 28, 2021 at 4:28 pm

        I had big chunks of butter but the crust was not flakey. I used a pastry cutter. I used freshly milled soft white whole wheat grain. It seemed like I used a lot of water maybe even the 1/2 cup plus another 1/2 cup or more. While baking the rhubarb pie with a top and bottom crust, I baked the leftover crust in strips with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on top. They never really got flakey and crisp. I haven’t cut pie to see how it is. What do you think happened?

      • Kaleigh says

        May 29, 2021 at 6:48 am

        Hi Sandy,

        It sounds like you added too much water. The dough should just come together in a loose ball before you roll it out and may even have some crumbs. I hope this helps!

  19. Prathyusha says

    April 06, 2020 at 1:06 pm

    Hi Kaleigh - I only have whole wheat flour, not the pastry flour. Are there any other adjustments I should make for that? Or can I make a direct substitue?

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      April 07, 2020 at 12:07 pm

      You should be able to substitute it just fine! You may try sifting it first, though.

      Reply
  20. Rita says

    March 01, 2020 at 9:03 pm

    I was looking for a simple whole wheat pie crust recipe. This gave me precisely the guidance I needed. Forgive me for the following alterations... I always use lard, so it was lard instead of butter. I also wanted the slightly lighter texture that pastry flour would have given me, but I didn't have any whole wheat pastry flour, so I replaced 2 tbs of the whole wheat flour with cornstarch. There was absolutely no need for the crust to rest before rolling; it rolled out beautifully. I didn't use a food processor - much prefer to use 2 knives to cut in the lard, and then a pastry cutter. This made a perfect crust for the savoury pie I was making. Infinitely better than the white flour crust I've made for 30+ years, and magnificently flaky. My son loved it. He said, "This has taste! White flour doesn't taste like anything."

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  21. Flo says

    February 23, 2020 at 7:12 pm

    Easy to follow, minimal ingredients and just absolutely delicious. I added some garlic powder and onion powder and some parsley and just yummy yummy in your tummy.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      February 24, 2020 at 9:27 am

      I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Flo!

      Reply
  22. Tiziana says

    October 09, 2019 at 9:34 am

    Hi If I don't have a food processor what can I use instead?

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      October 10, 2019 at 7:32 am

      You can use a pastry cutter (or a couple of forks) to cut the butter into the flour and then slowly add the water and continue with the pastry cutter until you have a smooth dough.

      Reply
  23. Bonnie says

    August 05, 2019 at 1:21 pm

    How long and what temperature does this cook at?

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      August 06, 2019 at 7:05 am

      Hi Bonnie, You'll have to refer to the individual pie recipe to determine how long to bake the crust, as some bake before adding filling and some bake with the filling.

      Reply
  24. Shauna M Johnstone says

    May 23, 2019 at 2:08 pm

    Hi! Love this pie crust! Can this recipe be doubled? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      May 26, 2019 at 12:22 pm

      Hi Shauna,

      Yes, you should be able to double the recipe if your food processor is big enough!

      Reply
  25. kris says

    October 20, 2018 at 12:00 am

    can salted butter work in this recipe?

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      October 20, 2018 at 10:52 pm

      Yes, just omit the salt from the recipe.

      Reply
  26. wingsiwrote says

    September 18, 2018 at 5:41 am

    Don’t we need to let the dough rest for an hour before rolling it ?

    Reply
    • Kaleigh says

      September 18, 2018 at 8:41 am

      You can certainly rest it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour before rolling if you'd like!

      Reply
      • wingsiwrote says

        September 18, 2018 at 9:23 am

        You mean it doesn’t affect the texture of the crust, if we roll it straight after making the dough ?

      • Kaleigh says

        September 18, 2018 at 12:41 pm

        As long as the butter is nice and cold before using (you could freeze it if you're concerned) and you work fairly quickly, it should be fine.

      • wingsiwrote says

        September 18, 2018 at 2:04 pm

        Thank you so much Kaleigh 🙂
        Hope you have a great day

  27. Keli says

    November 25, 2015 at 5:15 pm

    Loved Aunt Debbie- we discussed it being Pie Night around the corner earlier today!!! Great family memories you guys have- HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

    Reply

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