The Most Common Types of Pie Crust — and When to Use Each

When I think of the quintessential pie, I think of the classic flaky crust. But there’s a world of fantastic crust types out there. Even within the flour-butter-liquid genre, you have everything from ultra-flaky puff pastry to crumbly-crisp shortcrust, sturdy hot-water crust, and everything in between. Then you have cookie crusts made with treats like crushed graham crackers, Oreos, and Biscoff. But the outermost layer of pie can be made with anything you can imagine, from pretzels to coconut to light-as-air meringue.

When choosing your pie crust, it’s important to ask yourself if it will taste good cold, especially if it’s a chilled pie like coconut cream or key lime. Crushed-cookie crusts and shortcrust taste great chilled, for example. Flaky pastry may taste lovely out of the oven or at room temperature, but chilling it makes it a bit firmer and can also tone down the buttery flavor that makes it so delicious.

Read on for the best types of crust for any kind of pie, keeping in mind that these options are just the beginning. Cultures across the country and around the globe have different ways of making crusts, so explore what’s out there and try something new. Need other pie tips? I got you covered.

Flaky pastry

The most American of pie crusts, flaky crusts range from super-puffy all-butter crusts (my preference) to tender lard or shortening-based crusts. They’re usually made with fat, water, flour, and salt, and may include a little sugar. Choose these crusts for fruit-based pies and galettes like a traditional apple pie or show-stopping summer sour cherry pie. A flaky crust is also ideal if you’re making a double-crust or lattice-topped pie. I don’t love cold pies in flaky crusts, however. When the butter in a flaky crust gets too cold, it can mute the butter flavor and give it a waxy texture.

Shortcrust pastry

More common in Europe, shortcrust, pâte sucrée, pasta frolla, and their ilk boast a melt-in-your-mouth texture akin to a shortbread cookie, thanks to a combination of flour, butter, salt, water, and sometimes egg yolks. These are the best options for any tart, like an Almond Strawberry Tart or French Lemon Tart. But you can also use shortcrust for certain pies — I especially like them for single-crust pies that won’t be baked a second time or that will be chilled after baking, such as pumpkin pie and chess pie, or for a shallow tart-meets-pie like a Jam Crostata. Savory shortcrusts can also be used for meat pies.

Hot water pastry

A very British crust, if there ever was one. This surprisingly easy pastry — made by melting fat into hot water then stirring in flour — makes for an ultra-sturdy crust, ideal for girdling hefty savory fillings, especially those found in meat pies or mince pies. If made well, this pastry gives you an amazingly crisp-yet-strong foundation. 

Cookie crusts

These nostalgic and underrated crust options only work for the bottom crust of a pie. Most cookie crusts consist of finely blitzed cookies mixed with a bit of sugar and melted butter. They get pressed into a pie pan and are usually baked briefly to firm things up. I prefer cookie crusts for chilled pies of any kind, and they make an exquisite base for no-bake cheesecakes.

You can recruit almost any dry, crisp cookie for duty. Zippy gingersnaps make a perfect vessel for key lime pie, while an intensely spiced Biscoff crust can bring new life to a twist on banana cream pie. A vanilla wafer cookie crust is begging to be filled for coconut cream pie, and an Oreo crust is the obvious choice for anything chocolate — or even a minty-fresh grasshopper pie.

Beyond the ordinary

These days, bakers have moved beyond the typical crust options. Try an upside-down lemon meringue pie, where the meringue is the actual pie crust (as in this Roasted Spiced Cranberry Pie). Make a gluten-free savory pie using thinly sliced potatoes as a crust, or a toasted coconut crust to hold a chocolatey or tropical-themed tart. The options are endless.