15 Best Ways To Use Up Leftover Pie Crust

Pie crust is a staple that every baker should know how to make. This pastry is assembled by combining fat and flour with a scant amount of salt and water. Once the pie has been rolled out and shaped into a crust, you can trim your edges with a sharp knife. But then comes the important question — what do you do with the trimmings you have left over? 

If you have a few inches of scrap dough, you may not be able to do much. But, if you save your pie crust after several recipes, you should have a fair amount to work with. To store your scraps, stick them together in plastic wrap for at least thirty minutes to slack the gluten and solidify the fat, and up to two days. You can also freeze the dough for up to a month if you don't bake pies as frequently. When you're ready to work your pie crust, you can let it sit for about half an hour to make it easier to work with. There are a ton of different uses for leftover pie crust, many of which you may have never expected. Here are some of our favorites.

If you have a container of hummus in your fridge and spices in your cabinet, you can craft your own homemade crackers out of leftover pie crust. They're the quick and crispy snack recipe that you'll want to have on retainer. 

To make these crackers, roll your dough out into a thin sheet and slice them into one-inch squares. From there, you can add a sprinkle of olive oil to the top of each cracker to help your toppings adhere to the cracker and for the perfect crispy finish. Some of our favorite herby additions include Parmigiano Reggiano, dried rosemary, sea salt, and sesame seeds, but you can also substitute with an Italian seasoning spice blend instead. 

After you've added your seasoning to your crackers, bake them until slightly brown and crunchy. Serve your crackers with soft cheese or hummus, or store them in a bag for up to a few days. 

We vividly remember making little cinnamon rolls with leftover pie crust. While these cinnamon rolls won't have the same puff as a Pillsbury Grands cinnamon roll, they can curb your sweet tooth — and prevent you from throwing your scrap dough in the trash. 

We love this pie hack because you don't have to have a lot of pie crust to make it. Start by rolling your leftover crust out thin on a clean surface. From there, you can use a pastry brush to swipe on butter before sprinkling on the cinnamon and sugar filling. We like to use a mix of both white and brown sugar for cinnamon rolls, but you could also substitute with raw sugar like Turbinado as well. Then, roll the entire log up and slice it into small pieces. 

After the pieces are cut, you can bake them in an oven-safe dish at the same temperature as your pie. It's important to remember that because these pieces are significantly smaller than the pie crust (and contain sugar, which can burn more rapidly), you'll need to take them out of the oven sooner than your pie. 

Pigs-in-a-blanket are an appetizer table staple. How could you not love mini weiners wrapped in a delicious coating of pastry? Well, you'll likely love this recipe even more when you don't have to buy an extra tube of canned crescent roll dough. 

To make your pigs-in-a-blanket with recycled pie crust dough, start by rolling the dough out thinly. You'll want to cut the dough into somewhat of a triangle, with one end thicker than the other. Place your mini wiener on the wide edge of the triangle and roll downwards. Then, tuck the thin edge of the dough underneath and bake on a baking sheet for about 15 minutes or until the dough is slightly golden brown. 

You can use many different dipping sauces for your crafty pigs-in-a-blanket. If you're a fan of funky flavors, try a stout beer mustard flavored with turmeric, nutmeg, allspice, and a cup of your favorite stout. You can also go with an aioli or classic ketchup. 

Quiches are an excellent idea to make for breakfast. Not only are they filling to eat, but they are also customizable to whatever vegetables, meat, and cheese you have on hand. 

To make your mini quiches, roll the sheet of dough out thinly. Then, using a 2½-inch pastry cutter, slice the dough into uniform rounds. This size is ideal for a mini muffin tin because it will sit perfectly inside each well and keep the filling from spilling over — plus, they're easy to eat in one bite. Spray the mini muffin tin with cooking spray to prevent sticking before placing each dough round into the pan. Pressing the dough into the sides of each well is important since this will allow for maximum space when you're ready to pour in the filling. Bake your quiches in the oven for about a half hour or until the crust is golden and the filling is set. 

Bread twists are like breadsticks — just crunchier. You can make these snacks with either refrigerated pie crust or leftover scraps. 

Brush the top side with an egg wash after rolling out the crust into a thin layer. This is critical to creating the perfect golden brown color and helping the topping adhere to the dough. Once the dough is washed, add a sprinkle of your favorite seasonings. We recommend adding dried parsley, oregano, and basil if you're going Italian. For more heat, consider cayenne pepper or a touch of hot sauce. 

You can also add a sprinkle of cheese to the dough — but you should only add it to half of the circle. To shape, cover the cheesy half with the remainder of the dough and push gently to seal. This will remove the air bubbles from the dough and prevent the cheese from leaking out and burning on the tray. Slice into 1-inch pieces, twist gently, and bake until golden brown. Serve your bread twists as a snack or alongside a bowl of soup on a cold day.

What is the logical way to use up leftover pie crust? Just make more pies, of course. Hand-pies are an excellent option to make if you make more pie dough than you should have or have been collecting scraps across several recipes. The texture of these hand pies is going to be exactly like if you were to make a whole pie. They're just more portable and easy to eat. Use a 5¼-inch round cutter to slice out your pie dough. Add a couple of tablespoons of filling into each center and fold in half to seal the pastry. From there, you can press the edges of the crust closed, cut a few steam vents in the top, egg-wash, and bake until golden brown.

You don't only have to eat the hand pies baked. Our recipe for fried apple hand pies combines fritters and pies together for the ultimate collab. Fry the pies in shallow oil until golden brown before serving.

Let's face it — there's a reason why people don't make their own dough for croissants. It's tedious, deflates, and a lot of work. If you want an easy way to make croissants, try using your leftover pie dough. 

Although pie dough won't have the same flake as puff pastry dough, it makes this recipe more feasible at home. Once you've rolled out your pie crust, cut each into triangles. If you want to make a chocolate croissant, or a pain au chocolat, add a piece of chocolate to the wide end of the croissant and roll. Brush each roll with an egg wash (and add an optional sprinkle of sparkling sugar) and bake until golden brown. Alternatively, you can also stuff the inside of the croissant with cheese or a savory filling, like egg or meat, to make your mini croissants into a whole meal. 

Palmiers are unique cookies with a very distinct shape, unlike any other cookies. Typically, they're made with puff pastry for a flakey and layer appearance, but this version uses pie crust instead. Combine the scraps, roll the dough into an 8-inch square, and top with melted butter and sugar. From there, wrap the sides of the dough into one another so the cookies resemble a heart-shaped log. It's important to roll the cookies tight enough that they won't uncoil as they bake. 

Once the dough is chilled and ready to cut, the individual pieces can be placed on a baking sheet and cooked until dark brown. You can also push down the cookies with a spatula to widen them or leave them in the standard French palmier shape. You can also experiment with adding different fillings, like chocolate and cream cheese, or stick to the classic sugar filling. 

Although we don't think there's anything wrong with the classic OREO cookie, substituting the classic chocolate cookie with some leftover pie crust is a great way to both use up the leftover crust and make a confection that everyone will love to eat. Roll the dough into a large square and slice 2-inch rounds using a biscuit cutter. After slicing your rounds, refrigerate the cuts in the refrigerator until solid. After the butter in the pastry has had a chance to solidify, you can cover it in egg wash, a sprinkle of sugar, and bake until puffy. 

Once your sandwich cookie rounds are finished baking and adequately cooled, you can prepare your fillings. A simple buttercream is easy enough to concoct, or you can choose a super-light whipped cream to complement your pie cookie pieces. For an upgraded snack, you can even use a non-frosting, like jam or peanut butter. 

Pot pies are another food typically made with puff pastry. But making it with pie crust will suffice if you don't have a spare package in your freezer. Roll out the pieces of pie crust into circles large enough to fill ceramic ramekins or the inside of a muffin tin. If you only have enough for the base or the cover of the pie, either will suffice. 

You can use pre-made pot pie filling or make your own chicken pot pie recipe with vegetables, mushrooms, and a creamy soup base. Since it's integral for the proper pot pie to have a flaked crust, placing your dough back in the fridge after you've balled up the scraps will help keep the fat solid rather than letting it soak back into the filling. You should also be prepared to coat the crust in an egg wash for the perfect golden hue. 

Tarts are a great way to use up your leftover pie crust as you only need enough dough to fill the bottom of the tin. You can either use a regular or mini muffin tin to make the tart of your dreams.

The exact filling for these tarts will depend on what you're hungry for. If you feel something summery and savory, make a heirloom tomato and ricotta tart. You'll want to bake the crust in the oven before adding your cheese filling. The full-sized pie crust needs to be baked between 25 and 30 minutes, so you may need to adjust the baking time for a smaller baking tin. 

When downsizing your pie from a standard tin to a mini one, it's important that you pat the crust into shape rather than rolling it. Press a drinking glass into the dough to allow it to form around the base without squashing all the fat out. Then, you can shimmy the sides of the crust up the sides of the tin. 

Everyone knows pop tarts: the pastries that taste more like dessert than breakfast. If you're making your own pop tarts with leftover pie dough, you have control over how sweet you make them — and you can experiment with some out-of-this-world flavors. 

Start by rolling the dough out into a sheet and slicing 3-inch by 4-inch rectangles. You'll need two for each pop tart. You'll also need to apply a thin layer of water to the edges of the pastry to ensure the layers stick together. Then, fill each with your chosen filling. We recommend fruit preserves; strawberry, peach, and apricot all work well and complement the thin, sweet glaze you will put on top of the pastry after baking. For the ideal color, add an egg wash to the dough and allow it to cool completely before glazing. This glaze must include corn syrup to help it set at room temperature — a quintessential component of the pop tart pastry. 

Pizza is always better when the crust isn't made with pizza dough. These pizza pinwheels are made with pie crust stuffed with the classic pizza ingredients: mozzarella and pizza sauce. 

Start by rolling the dough out into a rectangle and cover it with a layer of pizza sauce. You'll want to sauce close to the edges to ensure that every pinwheel has a little bit of sauce on all sides of the dough. Then, cover the dough with cheese (shredded tends to roll better than whole chunks of mozzarella) and your favorite toppings. Once your dough has been prepared, roll it tightly in a log and slice the pieces with a sharp knife or unflavored dental floss — just like a cinnamon roll. From there, you can bake the individual rolls on a baking sheet and serve as an appetizer at your next gathering or party. You won't miss having slices of pizza ever again when you have this more fun option. 

Sugar cookies are the perfect creative dessert that is kid-friendly and delicious to eat. Plus, your pie crust cookies are ready to eat in less than ten minutes!

Start by rolling the leftover dough scraps into a ball and refrigerating the dough with plastic wrap. When you're ready to bake, roll the dough out and cut out the cookies with cutters or the rim of a glass. To ensure the cookies stay flat rather than puffing up, poke each a few times with a fork. Then, you can add an egg wash to each of the cookies and sprinkle sanding sugars or spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Alternatively, you can also make a savory cookie by integrating some rosemary or herbs into the dough before rolling it out. 

Since these cookies are very thin, it's very easy for them to burn. Be sure to pull the cookies out once they're lightly brown before transferring them to a wire rack to cool. 

To make an easy, snack-able treat for the rest of your pie dough, you'll want to check out pie fries. They're just like the cinnamon sticks you can get from your local takeout pizza joint. And it can't be any easier than cutting your pie dough into strips, brushing it with melted butter, and covering it with cinnamon sugar. Once it's finished baking, you'll have perfectly dippable, sweet sticks to add to your favorite jam or icing. Alternatively, you can fry the raw dough in shallow oil and toss in cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar for a crispier pie fry. 

One of our favorite pairings for this recipe is a classic cream cheese frosting. If you're short on time, you can always substitute the homemade icing with a store-bought version. If you're craving something a little less sweet, use apple preserves or a bit of raspberry jam.