Whole Wheat Pie Crust Recipe

This whole wheat pie crust recipe is a very simple recipe to make. It comes together quickly and there are only about a million different things you can do with it.

Since this is a basic dough, there are tons of things you can make with it. If you will be making a pie, you could add cinnamon or another complementary spice to the dough, and use olive or safflower oil.

Clean Eating Pie Crust Recipe

If you are making something savory, like the Pesto Quiche With Sun Dried Tomatoes I made a little while back, then try mixing in some Italian spice or garlic into the dough, and use olive oil.

Pie crust doesn’t have to be boring. You just have to get creative. But stay light on the spices so they don’t overpower what you are filling the crust with! About 1/2 tsp. per batch of dough. This extra spice should compliment the finished dish, not overwhelm it.

The great thing about pie crusts is once they are filled, you can pretty much freeze any recipe you’ve made to keep on hand for one of those busy work nights. Or, just freeze the dough in the pie tin if you prefer a more “fresh” approach. Fill it last minute, pop it in the oven, and you’ve got a quick meal any day of the week!

What Pie Filling Goes Well With This Crust?

This is truly an all-purpose crust. It’s versatile and will hold just about anything. Because it’s not a butter crust, the texture is more of a crumby crust than a flaky crust. But it makes super delicious pies just the same, and it’s a perfect pie crust for quiches as well. Avoid the urge to add butter, shortening, or lard. It won’t work well with this recipe.

So what can you put in this? Here are some suggestions:

Vegan Pie Crust Recipe

If you want to turn this into a vegan pie crust, it’s super easy! I’ve made it both ways and it turns out super well either way. Simply substitute the regular milk for unsweetened almond milk and you’re good to go!

Clean Eating Pie Crust Recipe

Should You Cook This Pie Crust Before Filling It?

Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to do so. It may not need it for some recipes, but for most, it’s a good idea so that the bottom of the crust doesn’t stay soggy under a wet filling. You can even use pie weights if you wish, though I have never found them to be necessary with this recipe.

To Bake This Crust

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake the crust for 10-15 minutes, or until you see a change in color. It won’t get golden brown in just those few minutes, but that’s okay. Just bake it until the middle seems at least mostly cooked if not fully cooked. The timing can vary by oven.

How Many Pie Crusts Does This Recipe Make?

In general, this recipe will make approximately two 8 or 9-inch pie crusts. You may have a little dough left over. I usually make a small hand pie out of any leftovers.

Can I Make This Dough In A Stand Mixer Or Food Processor?

Stand Mixer – You can absolutely blend this in a stand mixer using a dough hook.

Food Processor – If your food processor comes with a dough hook, then you can use that too. If it doesn’t, I would avoid it. Simply place everything in the bowl of a food processor with the proper attachment and mix.

About The Ingredients

Whole wheat pastry flour – Plus extra on reserve. Regular whole wheat flour is too dense for this recipe, and all-purpose flour is not clean. If you cannot find the pastry version, then look for “white whole wheat flour”. It’s the next best thing after whole wheat pastry flour, and it’s more readily available in most places.

Salt – I used pink Himalayan salt, but you can use whatever salt you normally bake or cook with. Fine sea salt or kosher salt works well.

Oil – I usually use liquid coconut oil. But any light-flavored oil will work.

Milk – Any type except coconut milk – it’s too thick.

How To Make Whole Wheat Pie Crust

Clean Eating Pie Crust Recipe

First, prepare your pie tins. Spray your tin with a coat of spray-on oil from an oil sprayer, or use your fingers or a paper towel to spread the oil over the pan.Add about ⅛ cup whole wheat pastry flour to your tin from your reserve flour (not from the 2¾ cups for the crust)Shake your tin around until the flour completely coats the surface of the pie pan. Then set it aside.Next, make the dough.

A mixing bowl with flour in it.

Put flour and salt into a mixing bowl and mix.

Two photos of a measuring cup partially filled with milk and oil.

Measure your milk and oil into the same cup.

A ball of pie dough with a rolling pin laying next to it.

Knead the mixture well, by hand, until you have a firm dough. It takes some doing, so don’t give up.

Pie dough rolled flat between two pieces of parchment paper.

Place your dough on a large piece of parchment paper. Flatten slightly with your hands or rolling pin, and then place another large sheet of parchment paper over the top so the dough is sandwiched in between. Roll with your rolling pin until your dough is about ⅛ inch to ¼ inch thick.

You may need to lift the parchment occasionally or flip the whole thing over to get rid of wrinkles in the parchment. Remove the top sheet of parchment, and roll out any wrinkles left in the dough by the parchment. You should have a nice, even, and smooth piece of dough. Divide your dough in half.

A collage of flipping rolled pie dough into a pie pan.

Place your tin upside down on your dough. Flip the whole thing over, and mold the dough into your tin, being careful not to rip the dough.

A collage of images showing how to cut and crimp the edge of a pie crust.

Cut the excess dough around the edge of the pan. Keep your knife upright so you get a nice even cut. Crimp with a fork, and then place the whole thing in a large zip lock bag. Place in the freezer and you’ve got whole wheat Pie Crust any time you need it!

A finished pie crust in a pie pan.

Ta-da! The finished pie crust.

How To Store Whole Wheat Pie Crust

This will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days if packed well. After that, you’ll want to freeze it. In either case, wrap it well. I usually store mine in a zipper-top food storage bag that I press air out of before zipping it up. If you make multiple crusts, you can freeze them stacked if you wish, but put a piece of parchment or plastic wrap between them.

Recipe Supplies

For this recipe, you’ll need a standard pie pan, a rolling pin, and a mixing bowl. You can click on any of the images here to be taken to that product on Amazon. (Affiliate links)

Aluminum pie pans sold on Amazon. (Affiliate link)
Rolling pin set sold on Amazon. (Affiliate link)
Mixing bowl set with lids sold on Amazon. (Affiliate link)

Holiday Pie Recipes

Whole Wheat Pie Crust Recipe Card

Copyright Information For The Gracious Pantry

Adapted from a recipe found on AllRecipes that no longer exists on their site.

Clean Eating Pie Crust Recipe

Whole Wheat Pie Crust Recipe

This easy-to-make, clean eating pie crust recipe is not only more nutritious than most thanks to being whole grain, it’s also really delicious! It’s a heartier crust than store-bought, but it has a really nice flavor that compliments any filling. This recipe makes enough for two pie crusts so the data below is for both of them cut into 8 pieces.
2.92 from 23 votes
Print Pin Rate Add to Collection
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 136kcal

Equipment

  • Standard pie pan

Ingredients

  • cups whole wheat pastry flour (affiliate link) plus extra on reserve
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ cup oil
  • ½ cup milk (any type except coconut milk – it’s too thick)

Instructions

  • First, prepare your pie tins.
    Spray your tin with a coat of spray-on oil from an oil sprayer, or use your fingers or a paper towel to spread the oil over the pan.
    Add about ⅛ cup whole wheat pastry flour to your tin from your reserve flour (not from the 2¾ cups for the crust)
    Shake your tin around until the flour completely coats the surface of the pie pan. Then set it aside.
    Next, make the dough.
    Clean Eating Pie Crust Recipe
  • Put flour and salt into a mixing bowl and mix.
    A mixing bowl with flour in it.
  • Measure your milk and oil into the same cup.
    Two photos of a measuring cup partially filled with milk and oil.
  • Mix well by hand until you have a firm dough. It takes some doing, so don’t give up.
    A ball of pie dough with a rolling pin laying next to it.
  • Place your dough on a large piece of parchment paper. Flatten slightly with your hands or rolling pin, and then place another large sheet of parchment paper over the top so the dough is sandwiched in between. Roll with your rolling pin until your dough is about ⅛ inch to ¼ inch thick. You may need to lift the parchment occasionally or flip the whole thing over to get rid of wrinkles in the parchment.
    Remove the top sheet of parchment, and roll out any wrinkles left in the dough by the parchment. You should have a nice, even, and smooth piece of dough. Divide your dough in half.
    Pie dough rolled flat between two pieces of parchment paper.
  • Place your tin upside down on your dough. Flip the whole thing over, and mold the dough into your tin, being careful not to rip the dough.
    A collage of flipping rolled pie dough into a pie pan.
  • Cut the excess dough around the edge of the pan. Keep your knife upright so you get a nice even cut. Crimp with a fork, and then place the whole thing in a large zip lock bag. Place in the freezer and you’ve got whole wheat Pie Crust any time you need it!
    A collage of images showing how to cut and crimp the edge of a pie crust.
  • Ta da!
    A finished pie crust in a pie pan.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Sodium: 123mg | Potassium: 84mg | Fiber: 2g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.7mg

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140 Comments

  1. Mary Pat Kenney Filer says:

    I did not have enough for 3 pies, it was very flaky and had to add water to keep it together. Any advice?

    1. graciouspantry says:

      Did you use a different type of flour? Perhaps you are at a different altitude. Adding more liquid was the correct thing to do. Let me know how it turns out.

  2. I am about to embark on making this pie crust. I am going to half it and add ground flax seed to it. If all goes well, next time I am going to substitute the whole wheat flour for a combination of gluten free flours.

  3. Do you have to mix by hand? I’m so used to making dough in the food processor. I’m also very new to clean eating, so why can’t you use pastured butter from cows not treated with antibiotics or hormones?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Debi – I’m sure it would work just fine with a paddle, and you can use butter, but this recipe really isn’t formulated for that. So you may have to adjust the other ingredients. Not sure as I’ve never tried.

  4. Can you use applesause to replace oil?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Not for this. Sorry.

  5. I am doing the clean eat diet and was wondering if I can use sprouted whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour? If not, how about half&half of each? Also would walnut oil work?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Lauren – Yes to both, although, with the different flour, the crust will be a bit more dense. But good just the same!

  6. So glad to see this! My 10 year old son loves pastries (meat and potato pies – native to Cornwall and Upper Peninsula Michigan) but we have had a difficult time finding a healthy crust — mostly hydrogenated vegetable shortening. He was so sad to see the ingredients… the boy is a voracious label reader! This will be a good starting point for creating the perfect “clean” recipe… unless you would like to do that for us!?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Sue C – I’m a little confused. What is it you want a recipe for? Does this recipe not work for you somehow?

  7. I’m looking for a clean recipe for a pasty. (Cornish meat and potato pie) not pastries.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasty
    Where we live in Michigan, they are quite famous in our Upper Penninsula.
    We ate several on vacation and are trying to create a clean recipe to make at home.
    This will get me the crust portion of the meat and potato pie I think.
    They are not baked in a pie pan, but rather on a cookie sheet, when filled, folded over, edges sealed. Next up the filling. I think the crust will be the hardest part, so I was happy to find this.
    Sorry for the confusion.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Sue C – Interesting! I’ve never heard of it, but I’ll certainly give it a try. 🙂

  8. Has anyone tried freezing the dough in a disc wrapped in Saran Wrap vs already rolled out in the tin? Just thinking its easier to store and takes up less room.

    Thanks.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Laurie – I haven’t, I’m sorry. But you could give it a shot!

  9. Hi there!
    What adjustments would I need to make of I use plain whole wheat flour instead of whole wheat pastry flour?
    I read that the pastry kind is more finely ground. Could I just grind it a bit more in a magic bullet before using it?
    Thank you

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Tracy – Grinding it won’t work. WWF and WWPF are actually made from two different types of wheat. To be honest, if there are any adjustments to be made, I don’t know them. I never adjust the measurements when I substitute either way. I just use the same amounts across the board. I’ve never had a problem with using equal amounts. That said, the regular variety tends to have more gluten and is more dense and coarse. So that’s what you will get in your finished product as well. If you plan on doing that with this particular pie crust recipe, you should be fine with equal amounts. Pie crusts tend to be pretty forgiving.

  10. Hi! Just wanted to let you know that I made this crust yesterday GF and DF and it was really good! I used a GF flour that I found at my Costco and almond milk. I also used coconut oil instead of olive. I made it for an apple pie and it worked wonderfully. I was able to make 2 pie bottoms and then I crumbled up the rest, mixed it with some maple sugar and cinnamon and it was awesome. My dough was very firm and didn’t stick together well, but I was able to press it into the pan and be ok. It also didn’t really hold it’s shape once cut and served, but who cares? It was delicious! (It was served with a vegan carmel sauce I found a recipe for and “cleaned” up) Thanks for the recipe! Will be making again, very soon!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Shannon – Glad it all worked out! Thanks for sharing your experience! 🙂

  11. I made the dough last night and plan to make an apple pie after going apple picking today. Thanks for confirming coconut oil worked. I used safflower, but thought about using coconut. Can’t wait to make the pie.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Laurie – Let me know how the pie turns out! 🙂

  12. So I made the crust. It was very tough and difficult to roll out, so I added more almond milk. It tasted great, though more like shortbread than pie dough. Lo and behold, I realized I had only used a quarter cup of milk rather than 3/4 cup. D’oh. I don’t know the last time I did something like that. It tasted great with the apple pie, just not a pie crust. Will make again with the right amount of milk. I also added some cinnamon to the dough which was nice.

    For the pie fillingn, I adapted a recipe that users cream, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon to pilot over the apples. I used fat free half and half with no discernible difference. I also made a small ramekin using almond milk. I thought it was pretty decent. My son (almost 12) gave it a 7.75. My boyfriend thought it was ok. He thought it tasted too flowery. It’s funny because I assumed he meant flour-y. Took a few minutes to get on the same page.

    Anyway, I think I’m going to make your apple pumpkin muffins. Went apple picking yesterday. I may do a different recipe though because I’ve baked with pumpkin the past two weekends.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Laurie – Ya, if you change a recipe a lot, it’s always a gamble. But glad it all worked out!

  13. Yah. Except I didn’t meant to change it!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Laurie – Oh! Oops!

  14. For what it’s worth, my boyfriend liked it. And, I didn’t realize the mistake til later. Asi said, it tasted like shortbread which is yummy in its own right. I am really enjoying your blog. I’ve been a fanatical baker for years (since my son was born almost 12 years ago), but hadn’t baked much since trying to eat healthier (it’s that turning 45 thing). I missed baking and needed it to balance my crazy life as a divorced mom and working 50 or so hours a week. I’m now hooked on baking clean. I gave my personal trainer a muffin I made this morning and she loved it! The trainer is my 2x week treat to myself!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Laurie – Good for you!! I hope the next attempt at the crust goes more to plan.

  15. Elizabeth says:

    Would sifted whole wheat flour or oat flour work? And is coconut oil a good oil for this?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Elizabeth – It will work, but the result will still be a little more coarse/dense. Coconut oil should be fine, but you’ll have to work it in a bit more with your hands.

  16. I’m not sure if this is what the previous comment is about so I’m going to ask anyways. The difference between pastry flour and all purpose flour. I would like to make this today but only have all purpose and would rather not have to go to the store.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Britne – If you want to eat clean, neither will work. If your goal is clean eating, you need WHOLE WHEAT pastry flour. All purpose is very processed. That being said, if they are made from two different types of wheat. They have different amounts of gluten in them, and the pastry variety has a finer “grind”.

  17. It is whole wheat. I figured all purpose can be any type, it just means that it can be used for anything guess I was wrong. i found a conversion chart from “normal” to “pastry” that says to just use a TBS less per cup. will this work?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Britne – Sure. I’ve always just used equal amounts, but you can always start with the smaller amount and add the extra tbsp. if you feel you need it.

  18. I think I’m the only one who noticed that the ingredients list calls for 3/4 cup of milk, but the photo in the.directions show 1/2 cup… Which is it?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Lauren – Thanks for noticing! I think I may have adjusted it at some point, but I am making them again this weekend, so I’ll double check. For now, I do know the photo is correct, so stick with the 1/2 cup. Just use the extra 1/4 cup if needed for a good dough.

  19. Stephanie Marie says:

    Hi Tiffany!

    I’ve made many of your recipes and have even modified some and have to say, I’ve loved every single one!

    I’ve made this one twice now, used for a quiche and as a layering desert in place of phylo (lol, it was interested, but still very tasty)… so sweet & savory, very basic & versatile.

    As I gear up for the holiday, I’m wondering if I may prepare this a day ahead and store the crust in the ziploc in the fridge, but not freeze… would this work or should I just freeze it anyway and let it thaw the next day? Just wanted to save time on the thawing process if possible.

    Many thanks in advance!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Stephanie – So glad you’re enjoying my recipes! 🙂 Yes, this will be fine in the fridge for one day. But it will be very soft, so handle with care. Enjoy!

  20. Do you think I could be bold and try subbing the oil for applesauce? I know it works in most pastries, but I’m not sure about this.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Kara – Possibly. Pie crust is pretty forgiving. Worth a shot! But I would have a backup plan just in case…

  21. Hi,

    I tried this and it only filledo ut one pie pan for me. What could I have done wrong? Also, I sprinkled cinnamon on it but it was still bland. What are your thoughts about adding honey and cinnamon to make it sweeter?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Kiran – You can certainly add honey if you like, but it will make the dough stickier and harder to work with, so you’ll have to play it by ear on that one. But really, pie crust never has much flavor. It’s all about what you fill it with. I would guess that you either didn’t roll it thin enough, or something got measured incorrectly. I made this same recipe last night and it definitely makes enough for 2 crusts. How much milk did you add?

  22. It was my first time ever attempting pie crust. I believe I followed directions to the “t” but I will attempt it later this month again and report back to you. Thank you for reading and responding. I am a HUGE fan of your site.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Kiran – Thanks! And yes please, let me know how it goes.

  23. What is the difference between whole wheat pastry flour and whole wheat flour?
    Could I use the whole wheat flour instead?

  24. Hi there, this looks like a great recipe. I’m actually in the middle of making it right now and because I couldn’t find the pastry flour I used the regular whole wheat instead. The only problem is that’s not forming a dough AT ALL. It looks like a graham cracker crust right now. I already added 1/4 cup more liquid but don’t know what else to do. Any suggestions or should I just bake as is and hope for the best? Thanks.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Keri – the regular stuff will soak up more liquid. So add more liquid for sure. The thing is, when you do, you also have to knead the dough for a long time to really incorporate it. It’s easy to add too much if you don’t.

  25. The dough seems really crumbly and as if it lacks moisture…I added some water but I’m still not sure if it will hold as a single piece when I roll it into a circular shape. Thanks!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Rachael – Did everything get measured correctly? You can always add a little extra oil or milk too. It should be a dense but workable dough.