Once you learn to bake a good pie, you’ll never look back. It’s one of the most optimistic culinary rituals I know – rolling out buttery dough, preparing the filling, carefully crimping pretty edges. This is a collection of the pie recipes that have become little traditions in my kitchen, the ones that feel the most familiar, delicious, and satisfying to bake and share. I hope you love them as much as I do!
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Start Here: Pie Crust
The cornerstone of many of the pies I bake is an all-butter flaky pie crust. It’s a mash-up of everything I’ve learned about pie dough over the years and delivers a beautifully golden, super flaky, all-butter pie crust. Even better, it’s a crust that is easy to make. I use my electric mixer with the paddle attachment to smear butter into flour quickly, and it makes less of a mess than doing it all on a countertop (which I still love to do on occasion). Seriously, this is the one.
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All-Butter Flaky Pie Crust
Most pages about pie crusts are going to point you to their “best ever” pie crust, but I’m taking a slightly different approach. I’m going to share a few of the inspirations that have impacted my pie baking over the years along with the pie dough recipe I’ve tweaked and evolved until it’s my version of perfection. This is it.
Fruit & Classic Pies
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Shaker Apple Pie
The defining detail of this traditional Shaker apple pie is the use of rose water in the filling. Sliced apples, brown sugar, and a splash of floral results in a special combination. Pair it with an all-butter crust and you have a beautiful apple pie on your hands.
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Berry Pie
When you have an abundance of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, or huckleberries, this is the berry pie to make. It’s classic, with a juicy, sugar-kissed, mixed berry filling. Pair it with a flaky, all-butter crust and you have the ideal berry pie on your hands.
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Pumpkin Pie
A classic pumpkin pie recipe with a couple wildcards to make it extra special. The creamy pumpkin custard is made with with a fragrant five spice blend and baked in a flaky, walnut-lined homemade flaky pie crust.
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Shaker Lemon Pie
The defining detail of this lemon Shaker pie is the use of whole lemons for the filling. Thin slices of lemon including the peel, pith, and flesh are macerated in sugar and then turned into a vibrant, flavor-packed, custardy filling. Pair this with a flaky all-butter pie crust and you’ve got something special on your hands.
Cream, Custard & Chocolate Pies
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Homemade Coconut Cream Pie
There are a couple details that take this coconut cream pie to the next level. Like many versions, it is made with a homemade, flaky, all-butter pie crust filled with a creamy coconut pudding. It is finished with clouds of whipped cream and plenty of toasted coconut flakes. Using buttermilk and a confident amount of salt to offset some of the sweetness is how you take this pie from good to great.
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Buttermilk Pie
Buttermilk pies are simple, unassuming, and a breeze to throw together if you keep pie dough at the ready. The buttermilk filling here is a standout – simple, creamy, and maple-sweetened with a kiss of lemony tang and sea salt.
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Heavenly Chocolate Pie
A decadent chocolate pie featuring a honey-sweetened graham cracker crust and a wildcard cream cheese chocolate filling. From the book Country Wisdom & Know-How – the recipe calls for equal parts tofu and cream cheese in the filling. This combination creates a decadent, mousse-like texture that’s also a breeze to cut into precision slices.
Savory Pies
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Vegetable Pot Pie
This hearty vegetable pot pie is made with a flaky, all-butter pie crust encasing a creamy, herbed potato, carrot, pea and onion filling. A homemade savory pie like this is such a treat! There are a couple tips you should know to help you take it from good to exceptional.
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Deep Dish Quiche
The deep dish quiche of your dreams. It’s made with a flaky all-butter crust. The filling is silky smooth and creamy, while still being perfectly sliceable. Switch up the add-ins based on the seasons – roasted cherry tomatoes in summer, winter squash later in the year.
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Vegan Shepherd’s Pie
Imagine a Shepherd’s Pie with the flavors of an Indian samosa – that’s what’s going on here. Vegan, make-ahead, one-dish meal with a split pea (or lentil) base, mashed potato crust, and spices.
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Spinach-Mushroom Quiche
This is a spinach mushroom quiche recipe that features no dairy, no eggs, and no butter. Sounds like it would lack something in the taste department, right? Wrong. It was delicious.
Hand Pies
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Apple Cinnamon Hand Pies
These apple hand pies are the seasonal treat you’d line up for – nostalgic, portable, and flat out delicious. The filling is a slow-baked, miso-swirled apple butter, and the crust is crisp with sesame-sugar spiked with a bit of chile flake.
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Peach Hand Pies
These peach hand pies are next-level good! Made with a flaky, fool-proof, all-butter pie dough and filled with ripe peaches, goat cheese, plus a bit of green chile and basil, they ride the delicious line between savory and sweet.
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Mushroom Hand Pies
Savory pie people, these mushroom hand pies are for you. Mushrooms, charred scallions, sesame, and miso come together in these portable pockets of deliciousness. You get creaminess from a bit of cheese, and each bite delivers the magic of a golden, flaky pie crust.
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Jamaican Veggie Patties
A favorite recipe from Bryant Terry’s book, Vegan Soul Kitchen. A richly spiced potato, pea, corn, carrot, and cabbage filling is wrapped with a turmeric-hued pastry crust made with coconut oil.
And if you’re looking to improve your pie crust designs and move beyond a simple, basic crust this season, there are a host of next-level pie crust design techniques out there to inspire your creations.
Looking for Tarts?
Making a homemade tart is equally rewarding. Depending on the season, I love baking this Cherry Tomato Tart with Burnt Scallion Ricotta, this Sourdough Galette with Delicata Squash, and this Rustic Tomato Tart.
Continue reading Pie Recipes: Favorite Sweet & Savory Pies on 101 Cookbooks