Easy Cream Cheese Pie Crust — This easy homemade pie crust is made with both cream cheese and butter, giving it a rich flavor and flaky texture! This homemade pie dough recipe is so simple to make, and it is perfect for any baked pie (pumpkin pie, apple pie, cherry pie, etc.)!
Make this Easy Cream Cheese Pie Crust for Thanksgiving or Christmas! Plus, a step-by-step video!
How early is too early to start listening to Christmas music?
I’m asking for a friend…
I mean, from a completely unbiased perspective, November 1st seems like a socially acceptable time to break out the festive stuff.
Oh, you agree with me?? Exxxx-cellent. I’ll be sure to pass that info along to my, ahem, friend. 😉
And of course, what’s more festive than listening to Christmas music whilst making homemade pie dough, such as this Easy Cream Cheese Pie Crust?!
(If you’re not feeling the homemade pie dough yet, Pumpkin Spice Cracker Toffee, Peppermint Oreo Bark, and Chewy Molasses Sugar Cookies would also be a perfect festive accompaniment to the inaugural breaking-out-the-Christmas-music-of-2017…just sayin.’)
Okay, so let’s talk about how to make homemade pie crust (or homemade pie dough).
This homemade pie dough recipe comes straight from my aunt, and what’s unique about this recipe is that it calls for both cream cheese and butter, making it a richer, more tender pie crust.
This cream cheese pie crust recipe has only 5-ingredients: cream cheese, butter, flour, salt, and cold water. Down below, I have a video detailing the step-by-step process of how to make pie crust.
However, homemade pie crust is surprisingly easy.
I used to be super intimidated about making pie dough from scratch. Because of this, I have no qualms with pre-made pie dough (like the Pillsbury kind you can find in the refrigerator section). It’s fast, simple, and tastes pretty good.
However, now that I know how easy homemade pie crust is, if I have a few extra minutes to spare, I’m totally all about the homemade stuff. While the pre-made stuff is pretty good, the homemade cream cheese pie crust stuff is really, really good.
So, how do you make this Easy Cream Cheese Pie Crust from scratch?
Let’s break it down a bit here:
- You can use a standing mixer or you can use a dough cutter. A lot of people prefer making pie dough by hand, using a dough cutter; but, I find a standing mixer works just as well while also making the process a little more convenient.
- In a bowl, mix flour and salt together. Either by hand (with a dough cutter) or in your standing mixer, add in cold, cubed butter and cream cheese, a little bit at a time. Basically, you just want to work in the butter and cream cheese, a little at a time, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
3. The next step is to add cold water to the dough. At this point, I like to turn the dough out onto a floured surface and work in the cold water. You only need to add a little bit of water–just enough until the dough comes together. This is why I like adding the cold water to the dough while I’m working it with my hands–I can really feel the dough come together (you don’t want it wet and sticky; but you also don’t want the dough crumbly and falling apart).
4. Wrap it plastic and allow it to chill 30 minutes before rolling it out on a floured surface.
5. Lastly, a quick tip on transferring your dough to the pie plate: Using your rolling pin, loosely roll the dough up on the rolling pin, then unroll it over the pie plate. Then, press the dough into the pie plate, remove the excess dough overhang, and crimp the edges.
Ready to fill this bad boy??
Easy Cream Cheese Pie Crust -- This easy homemade pie crust is made with both cream cheese and butter, giving it a rich flavor and flaky texture! This homemade pie dough recipe is so simple to make, and it is perfect for any baked pie (pumpkin pie, apple pie, cherry pie, etc.)! Make this Easy Cream Cheese Pie Crust for Thanksgiving or Christmas! Plus, a step-by-step video.
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus more for sprinkling/rolling out
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 oz cream cheese, cold and cubed
- 1/2 cup butter, cold and cubed
- 1-3 Tbsp cold water
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In the bowl of a standing mixer (or in a large bowl with if you are using a pastry cutter), mix flour and salt together.
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With your pastry cutter or with the mixer on low, work in the cream cheese and butter, a little at a time, until the dough resembles coarse crumbles.
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Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface (the dough will be crumbly).
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Add 1 Tbsp of cold water to the dough, and work the dough until it begins to form a ball. If the dough is too crumbly, and is not sticking together, add in another Tbsp(s) of water until the dough forms a ball*.
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(I like to flatten the dough into a disc, because I find it's easier to roll out--see video/post above for more details.)
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Cover the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
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On a floured surface, roll dough into a large circle, about 1/8" thick.
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Transfer dough to your pie plate (this recipe will work for both a 9" and 10" pie plate). I transfer the dough by loosely rolling it back around my rolling pin, and unrolling it over the pie plate.
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Press the dough into the pie plate, then remove excess dough on the edges of the pie (leaving about 1/4"-1/2" of overhang.
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Roll or fold the extra dough underneath itself, so the dough rests on the edge of the dish, and crimp the edges.
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Add your pie filling and bake!
*See video and post details above for a more in-depth look into the 'how-to' of the recipe.
*I prefer to add the water to the dough after I've turned the dough out onto a floured surface, because I like to work the dough with my hands; however, you can add the water to the dough while it's in the standing mixer, then turn it out and form it into a ball.
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Abby says
Hi Michelle – If your butter is salted so you still add the salt to the flour in the first step?
Michelle says
Hi Abby, if you are using salted butter then I would skip adding in salt with the flour. 🙂