Lard Pie Crust Recipe (2024)

Lard is easy to render. Accumulate raw pork fat trimmings in a freezer bag or buy them from a butcher. Grind it or chop in a food processor with water to make it move through the blades. Dump the ground fat/water slurry into a pan with 2/3 empty space above the fat. Clip on a thermometer. On medium heat, stir to a boil, then wait for the temp to get about 225, NOT above 250 degrees. Temp shoots up after 212. Cool, strain then filter through a paper towel into a pan. Freeze wrapped in 1/4 pounds.

This is the best pie crust I've ever made. Although the lard and butter were very cold to start, the dough quickly got too warm to work (even after letting it sit overnight in the refrigerator). When I blind-baked the crust the sides fell a good bit. Next time I'll start with frozen lard and then freeze the crust (in the pie pan) overnight before blind-baking it. That should fix both problems.

I'd urge anyone reading this comment to give the recipe a try themselves, as the ratios are spot on and align with many other well-tested recipes. Julia Child, for example, has 2 cups of flour to 1 cup of fat. This recipe has 1.25 cups of flour to .625 cups of fat — the same 2:1 by volume. Cooks Illustrated has the same amount of fat as this recipe (they use shortening instead of lard) and about 15 grams more flour by weight (although the same volume measurement).

We wholeheartedly agree that consumers should avoid partially hydrogenated fats and oils, lard included. Hydrogenation is the culprit in artificial trans fats, a toxic addition to anyone’s diet. While artificial trans fats are on their way out, thanks to a federal government ban, that prohibition has yet to take full effect. Consumers should opt for lard that is minimally processed – it tastes better and is better for you.

I’ve had the best luck with 2.5 cups flour to one cup fat. Half butter/half lard. 1 tsp salt 2 Tbs sugar. And iced water with vodka. A Cooks Illustrated tip. The alcohol prevents gluten formation and you’re guaranteed a flaky crumbly crust. I used to use half Crisco/ half butter. Now the lard/butter combo is my go to.

Well, I went ahead after refrigerating dough over night. (Added scant teaspoon of baking powder to flour, as I always do for pie crust.) It handled beautifully and turned out great.

Hydrogenated vs. partially hydrogenated is the issue. Partially hydrogenated fats are trans fats. Fully hydrogenated fats are not nearly as dangerous, but they are still fats with some saturated fats along for the ride. Some packaged lard is partially hydrogenated, but some is hydrogenated with the stiffness associated with hydrogenated fats mitigated with the addition of liquid oil. Pay attention to labels, stick to hydrogenated. If the lard is even a little bit rancid your nose will tell you.

This is probably the best crust you can make at home but not for beginners. I chilled flour and butter, froze leaf lard, used food processor. Will make again!

I’ve had the best luck with 2.5 cups flour to one cup fat. Half butter/half lard. 1 tsp salt 2 Tbs sugar. And iced water with vodka. A Cooks Illustrated tip. The alcohol prevents gluten formation and you’re guaranteed a flaky crumbly crust. I used to use half Crisco/ half butter. Now the lard/butter combo is my go to.

Too much lard to butter ratio. I'm using local leaf lard and it's just too soft -- the crust breaks apart (but not in a dry, too much flour sort of way). It was refrigerated for 24 hrs and I just couldn't roll it out. I squashed it sort of flat with my hands and re-chilled it which helped, but it was essentially still a mess and I had to free form it in the pie pan as a lower crust. I'll try increasing the butter 25% and decreasing lard by same amount and see how it comes out.

I love this crust. I have lard from a heritage pig we purchased, and it’s truly wonderful. Light, flaky, tender and delicious every time I make it. It’s become my go to crust recipe and I’ve never experienced the fat issue other have.

I was skeptical too about the flour/fat ratio too & kept rechecking the recipe, which I was doubling, to make sure I had read it correctly. It turned out wonderfully. My only teeny suggestion would be to add more salt. We had lard from my daughter's pigs & I'd been wanting to try this type of crust for a while. The strawberry rhubarb pie was excellent.

Really delicious, flaky crust! Add a bit of sugar for a fruit pie or other dessert. Putting the lard and cut up butter into the freezer for a few hours before using helps keep some pea-sized pieces after processing. I've had great success with a double batch of this crust for lattice and double-crust pies.

Great pie crust. Easy to work with, good texture and tasty.

I measured the fat by volume and the crust came out perfectly. Note that the ratio of flour to fat is the same as for Melissa Clark’s all-butter crust (1.25 C flour to 10 T fat). We used frozen butter and room temp lard (store-bought, non-hydrogenated). We needed only 2.5 T water. Great flaky crust with excellent flavor.

This recipe made a beautiful, flaky, and delicious crust. However I have to agree with others who questioned the amount of fat. I always put a pan below the pie while it bakes to catch over flowing juices. The pan in this case caught the fat over flowing from the edge of the pie.

I picked cherries from local farmer and pitted them, and rendered my own leaf lard. Dough is sitting in fridge. Now I read the comments and take a closer look at flour/fat ratio. Yikes. Afraid I will have an inedible mess for all that work. Has anyone else tried this and can tell me it worked before I go on?

This recipe produced inedible, unsaveable dough. The quantities of fat (at least in grams) are FAR too high.

This recipe is wrong: qty of fat is for a two crust pie and qty of flour is for s single crust. Outcome: inedible.

If you're rendering lard from scraps, don't forget to save those cracklings! Salt them lightly for a delicious treat.

Lard is easy to render. Accumulate raw pork fat trimmings in a freezer bag or buy them from a butcher. Grind it or chop in a food processor with water to make it move through the blades. Dump the ground fat/water slurry into a pan with 2/3 empty space above the fat. Clip on a thermometer. On medium heat, stir to a boil, then wait for the temp to get about 225, NOT above 250 degrees. Temp shoots up after 212. Cool, strain then filter through a paper towel into a pan. Freeze wrapped in 1/4 pounds.