How to keep pie crust from getting soggy (7 Pro baking tips)

Has soggy pie crust got you feeling down? We’ll get ready to turn that frown upside down! Today, we’re imparting our seven pro baking tips that will banish that dreaded soggy bottom for good. Get ready to elevate your pie game and impress your friends with crusts that are perfectly crisp! Here’s how to keep pie crust from getting soggy. 

Why do pies get a soggy bottom?

Pies can get a soggy bottom crust when the moist filling of your pie is absorbed into the uncooked pastry beneath before it’s fully cooked, turning it into sludge. Fruit pies often have this problem because the filling contains a lot of moisture.

Here’s how to prevent a soggy pie crust.

Preheat The Oven Before Baking

This is the first step in just about every recipe, and for good reason: Your pastry needs to cook through to avoid becoming soggy. Avoid putting your pie into a cold oven, and pay close attention to the recommended oven temperature in your recipe.

Use a Metal Pie Pan

To produce a crisp bottom pastry crust, use a metal pan or baking sheet. Metal pie pans heat up more quickly than ceramic or glass pie dishes, allowing the pastry to cook all the way through.

Blind Bake the Pie Crust

Blind baking or Pre-baking your pie dough is the best way to avoid a soggy crust. Blind baking involves baking your bottom pie crust before adding any filling. To do this, preheat your oven and place the crust in the pie dish. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the crust for about 15 minutes, remove the parchment paper and weights, then bake for an additional 5 minutes. This will help create a barrier between the filling and the crust. For more info on pre-baking, check out our guide: why & when to pre-bake pie crust.

Use an Egg Wash (Or Chocolate)

The second best way to avoid a soggy crust is to create a barrier to prevent the moist filling from leaking through your pastry. To do this, create an egg wash by beating a whole egg or egg white and applying it to your pastry using a pastry brush. In some sweet pie recipes, chocolate is a good alternative to eggs.

Strain Your Pie Filling

When baking fruit pies, like apple pie or pumpkin pie, many recipes ask you to cook the fruit on the stove with sugar and a little water. Fresh fruit naturally contains a lot of water, which will come out during the cooking process. Therefore, I always recommend straining off the excess water after cooking the fruit and allowing it to cool before adding it to your pie.

Add Cornstarch or Flour to the Filling

Cornstarch and flour can help absorb moisture from your filling, thicken it, and keep moisture out of the bottom of the crust. Simply add 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch to the filling mixture before adding it to the crust. Or sprinkle one tablespoon of flour and one tablespoon of sugar to the bottom of your pie before adding the filling. You can also use breadcrumbs instead of the flower and sugar combination. Both options help soak up the extra moisture and add texture.

Vent the crust

When you cook your pie, the filling creates a lot of steam. Steam is the enemy of crispy pastry, so always cut a couple of holes in the top crust of your pie to let the steam out. Adding vents to the crust has the added benefit of adding to the decoration of your perfect pie.

Frequently Asked Questions