How To Make A Lattice Pie Crust

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Learn how to make a beautiful and impressive lattice top pie crust with this simple method. Pictures and labeled diagrams included to help you get the perfect lattice crust every time!

If there was a “cherry on top” idiom to go alongside the description of a perfect pie, I think that would be the classic lattice top crust.

Those carefully and beautifully woven strips of pie crust create an impressive design, complete with crispy crevices usually with ooey gooey pie filling spilling out, and while it looks complicated, it is actually very simple.

While I don’t have a video of how to make a lattice pie crust yet, I certainly will get that done before I finish my year of pies.

So before we get to how to actually get that lattice top look, let’s talk about the pie crust itself.

My recipe is made with both butter and shortening, ratios of both that provide the perfect balance between buttery flavor and super flaky layers.

I’ve used this pie crust recipe for many years and for dozens and dozens of pies (and cookies!) and it never fails me. Ever.

You want to make sure your pie crust is nice and chilly, so prepare your crust well ahead of time.

I like to make a double pie crust every time I finish a pie so that I always have pie crust ready to go.

You’ll need the pie crusts to be thawed, but you’ll be working with them cold, so make sure if you have pie crusts in the freezer, they have at least overnight to sit in the fridge to be ready for pie baking.

Before I even start making my pie filling, I prepare the base crust, which can sit in the pie plate in the fridge and chill to retain the flakiness while we prepare the filling and the lattice strips.

It all depends on how long it will take you, whether or not it has to cool before you put it into the base pie crust, or just your general preference.

You be the judge! Just make sure that in the next step, you are able to keep your lattice strips chilled until right before they’re going onto the top of your pie.

Roll the second disc of pie crust into a 12″ circle. I prefer to use a tape measure or ruler here so I can make it as exact as I can. I also like to do this on a large circular surface (like a pizza stone) that I can place in the fridge if the butter/shortening starts to melt too much.

Use the measuring tape or ruler and a sharp knife to mark off 1″ increments across the diameter of the pie crust.

Now, turn your measuring device 90º and use your knife or a pizza cutter (my preference) to cut a straight line along each of the tick marks. You should now have 12 strips of dough.

If the butter/shortening seems like it melted from a lot of touching, place the large round surface in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm up at this point.

Or if you still need to make your pie filling, place it in the fridge regardless of how it’s feeling at this time.

If you’re making a lattice topped pie, there’s a good chance it’s a fruit pie, which will not require blind baking. Just be sure you keep this in mind and proceed with your pie prep steps in a way that makes sense for you and your workflow.

That said, whatever the filling may be, pour your pie filling into the prepared pie plate and spread it out evenly.

Starting with the left-most strip, number this one #1 (either mentally or with a piece of tape on whatever surface you’re working on). Working to the right, number each strip until you have numbered all 12 strips.

Picking up every other 1″ strip (2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12), lay 6 strips vertically and evenly spaced on top of the filled pie. The longer strips will be in the center of the pie and the shorter strips will be on the ends of the pie.

Fold every other strip (2, 6, and 10) away from you, slightly past halfway so they’re lying on top of themselves.

Pick up strip #7 and lay it on the pie perpendicular to the folded strips slightly off-center. Unfold strips 2, 6, and 10 back over the pie and the strip you just lay, then fold back 4, 8, and 12 and repeat with strip #5, working toward yourself/toward the closer side of the pie.

Fold 2, 6, and 10 back again, and repeat with strip #3. You now have a lattice top on half of the pie.

Working toward the other side of the pie in the opposite direction, fold strips 2, 6, and 10 toward you, then lay strip #9 across the pie. Fold back 4, 8 and 12 and repeat with strip #11, working away from yourself/toward the far side of the pie.

Fold 2, 6, and 10 back one last time and finish with strip #1, if needed. I often don’t use the very last strip, only because I like to space my lattice out a bit more to see the filling.

Depending on how tight you lattice your strips, you may have space for it. If not, just discard or pinch into a thin spot on the edges before fluting.

Do not cut off excess pie dough. Instead, gather and pinch together the top strips with the bottom crust, then flute the edges.

Chilling a lattice crust pie insures the strips stay crisp and the edges don’t melt together. This is especially helpful if your filling is still a little warm, though it’s advisable to make sure your filling is either cold or completely cooled to room temperature.

When the pie has about 15-20 minutes left to chill, move a rack in the oven to the center position and preheat the oven according to your instructions.

This egg wash and coarse sugar add sparkle and crunch to the top of your pie for not just an upgraded aesthetic, but also another layer of flaky pie crust to sandwich whatever delicious filling you have going on inside of your pie.

My personal preference is to always place the pie on a large baking sheet to catch drippings and place the baking sheet with the pie on it in the oven to bake for the time suggested in the recipe.

Lattice pies are most often fruit pies, and you know a fruit pie is done when the filling is bubbling through the holes of your lattice pie top and often dripping down the sides.

It might seem super messy, but it’s actually the perfect indicator that the pie is sufficiently done.

Now that you’re fully equipped with the skills for how to do lattice pie crust, let’s grab a fork and dive into my very favorite fresh peach pie!