Out of Puff pastry, one case
Can you substitute pie crust for puff pastry?
4 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Pie crust
1 crust for every sheet of puff pastry
Yes, when the pastry is a lid, a base or a wrapper: pot pie tops, turnovers, hand pies, sausage rolls and tart bases all work with pie crust cut to the same size. It will not rise. Pie crust bakes flat, crisp and crumbly where puff pastry lifts into tall flaky layers, so it is the wrong swap for palmiers, vol-au-vents, napoleons or anything where the puff is the point.
- Verdict —
- You'll taste it
- The tweak —
- Roll it about 1/8 inch thick, cut it to the size the recipe gives for the puff pastry, brush with beaten egg for color, and cut a few slits in any sealed lid so steam can escape.
- Best for —
- pot pie lids
- Pantry —
- Likely in your cupboard
One casethe full puff pastry card
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of 1 sheet puff pastry | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pie crustpot pie lids | 1 crustYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 2 | Rough puff pastrywhen the layers matter and you have 30 minutes | Same amount by weightTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Phyllo doughstrudel | 6 to 8 sheetsYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| 4 | Crescent roll doughpigs in a blanket and sausage rolls | 1 tubeYou'll taste it | You'll taste it |
| Not a swap | Pie crust for palmiers, vol-au-vents and napoleons | not a swapNot for this | Not for this |
Pie crust
buttery and crumbly; denser and less airy
Refrigerated or homemade pie dough has the same flour and fat as puff pastry without the hundreds of folded layers. It gives a tender, crisp shell with no lift.
- Best for
- pot pie lids, turnovers and hand pies, sausage rolls and savory parcels, tart and quiche bases
- Prep
- Roll it about 1/8 inch thick, cut it to the size the recipe gives for the puff pastry, brush with beaten egg for color, and cut a few slits in any sealed lid so steam can escape.
- Where it fails
- It does not puff, so pastries come out flatter and smaller than the recipe pictures. Very wet fillings soak the base; bake on a preheated sheet pan.
One round refrigerated crust covers about the same area as one sheet of frozen puff pastry. Reroll the scraps if you need a rectangle.
Rough puff pastry
the same as all-butter puff pastry
A quick homemade version: cold butter grated or cut into flour, brought together with ice water, then rolled and folded four times. It rises close to the way the boxed kind does.
- Best for
- when the layers matter and you have 30 minutes, beef Wellington and cheese straws, tarte tatin and turnovers
- Prep
- Keep the butter cold and chill the dough between folds if it softens. Butter that melts into the flour gives you pie crust.
- Where it fails
- It rises a little less evenly than commercial puff pastry, which shows in a tall vol-au-vent.
Phyllo dough
light, crisp and buttery
Paper-thin sheets stacked with melted butter brushed between each one. It gives the crisp, shattering layers that pie crust cannot, though it does not rise either.
- Best for
- strudel, crisp tart bases, a flaky top for a pot pie
- Prep
- Brush each sheet with melted butter as you stack, and keep the rest under a damp towel so it does not dry out and crack.
- Where it fails
- It is too brittle to wrap a heavy filling such as a Wellington, and it softens under a wet filling.
Crescent roll dough
soft, bready and a little sweet
Refrigerated crescent dough, about 8 oz a tube, pressed together at the seams. It is a soft yeast dough, so it puffs, but it bakes bready, not flaky.
- Best for
- pigs in a blanket and sausage rolls, baked brie, quick turnovers
- Prep
- Pinch the perforations shut to make one sheet before cutting.
- Where it fails
- The sweetness shows in savory tarts, and it never gets crisp layers.
Pie crust for palmiers, vol-au-vents and napoleons
a flat, hard cookie in place of a flaky pastry
These pastries are made of the rise itself. With pie crust there are no layers to lift.
- Best for
- none: make rough puff or buy puff pastry for these
- Where it fails
- Palmiers do not fan out, vol-au-vent cases do not rise into cups, and a napoleon has no layers to split. Cheese straws and twists bake up dense.
Tips for substituting puff pastry
5 tips- Bake pie crust at the temperature the puff pastry recipe gives, usually 400°F, but start checking 5 to 10 minutes early. It is thinner once baked and browns sooner.
- Cut steam vents. Puff pastry lifts off a filling as it rises; pie crust sits on it and traps steam unless you cut 3 or 4 slits in a lid.
- Egg wash matters more with pie crust. Brush with 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water for a glossy, browned top.
- For turnovers and hand pies, use a little less filling than the recipe says and crimp the edges with a fork. Pie crust does not stretch around a filling the way puff pastry does.
- Keep the dough cold until it goes into the oven. Warm pie crust slumps and loses its flake.
Questions
4 questionsCan I substitute puff pastry for pie crust?
As a top crust, yes: it makes a tall, flaky lid for pot pie or a fruit pie. As a bottom crust it is risky, because it puffs unevenly under a filling and the layers turn soggy. If you use it underneath, prick it all over with a fork and bake it partway before filling.
Can I use pie crust for beef Wellington?
You can, and the beef will cook the same, but the wrapper comes out as a thin, crisp crust, not a puffed, flaky one. Rough puff pastry is the better stand-in if you have 30 minutes to make it.
Can I use refrigerated pie crust for a pot pie that calls for puff pastry?
Yes. Lay one crust over the filling, crimp it to the rim of the dish, cut 3 or 4 slits and brush with egg wash. Bake until the crust is deep golden and the filling bubbles through the vents.
What is the difference between pie crust and puff pastry?
How the butter is worked in. In pie crust it is cut into the flour in small pieces, which gives a tender, crumbly crust. In puff pastry it is folded in as a sheet, over and over, into hundreds of thin layers; the water in the butter turns to steam in the oven and pushes those layers apart.