Baking a homemade pie provides a sense of accomplishment. Even as a former bakery owner and professional baker, I don’t bake pies often. But when I do, I’m always proud to put together a dessert that’s a favorite for so many. While pies are a simple combination of a butter and flour-based crust with a filling, there are quite a few steps to making the best pie. One of the most important steps? Blind baking or par-baking your crust. Blind baking a pie crust is essentially pre-baking the pie crust. Par-baking, as the name implies, means to partially bake the crust. Both methods give the pie crust a head start, allowing it to fully or partially bake in the oven before adding the filling.
Why is this step important? In pies where the filling is fully cooked (say, a chocolate cream pie), you need a completely baked (aka blind baked) pie crust. For other pies, particularly ones with liquidy fillings that bake more quickly than the pie crust, partially baking (aka par-baking) the crust ensures that you'll have a crispy, fully baked crust and a properly baked filling. Because nobody likes a pie with a soggy bottom! When a pie crust is blind baked or par-baked, though, it tends to puff up in the pie plate and can also slump down the sides of the dish because there's no filling holding it in place. To prevent that, pie weights are used as a stand-in for the filling, giving it some support as it bakes.
As avid pie bakers will know, you can buy various kinds of pie weights specifically for this purpose. There are ceramic or metal balls, metal chains that get coiled up inside the crust and even a version that looks similar to a veggie steamer basket with petals that open up inside the pie to keep the crust where it's supposed to be. However, if you’re not a frequent pie baker, pie weights may not be worth the investment. Luckily, there are plenty of other items you probably already have on hand at home that can be used instead. Just in time for prime pie-baking season, I tried five DIY options, ranking the best pie weights substitutes from worst to best.Related: The Simple Depression-Era Pie Recipe That's Rich, Buttery and Absolutely Magical
What To Look for When Choosing a Pie Weight Substitute
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Pie weights weigh down a pie crust while in the oven, so it doesn’t puff up. Therefore, there needs to be enough heft to the item you’re using. The material shouldn’t be so heavy that it will indent the pie crust, but it needs to be heavy enough to keep the crust in place. When choosing a DIY pie weight option, it’s important to ensure that the oven’s temperature won’t alter its structure, make it melt or cause it to smoke in the oven. Related: Patti LaBelle's Famous Sweet Potato Pie Is the Only Dessert I'm Making This Thanksgiving
To find the best pie weight substitute, I blind baked five pie crusts using a variety of pie weight alternatives from around the house that are commonly used by home bakers. I used store-bought frozen pie crusts, which I thawed and lined with parchment paper before adding the weights. Any of these pie weight substitutes can be used with homemade pie dough as well. Related: The Simple Pie Crust Trick That Fans Are Calling ‘Brilliant’
5 Pie Weight Substitutes, Ranked Worst to Best
5. Uncooked rice
One pie weight option some home bakers swear by is uncooked rice. The small grains are a great option to use in a pinch when you need to turn to something you already have on hand. This alternative resulted in a small amount of slumping in the crust, likely due to the small surface area of the rice. My rice also turned slightly golden brown and dried out, so it couldn’t be used for cooking later on. However, if you let it cool and store it in a jar or zip-top bag, it can be reused as a pie weight again. Related: Yes, Thankfully, You Can Freeze Pumpkin Pie—Here’s How To Do It
4. Popcorn kernels
Popcorn kernels can be used as pie weights, and they won’t cook in the oven. They weren't quite as effective as some of the other options, but they will still do the trick in a pinch. Like the rice, there was a very small amount of slumping on the sides of my pie crust, but not quite as much. Keep in mind that the kernels will dry out too much to be made into popcorn later, but you can also save them to re-use as pie weights, if you'd like. Related: This Dutch Apple Pie With Graham Cracker Will Make You Wish You Had Thought of the Idea Sooner
3. Spare change
This pie weight alternative may require some scrounging, especially if you’re not someone who uses cash or change often. You can add a mixture of spare change to a parchment-lined pie crust to help weigh things down—just be sure to wash it first. This worked very well, with sides that didn’t slump and flaky, golden edges. The downsides? The coins were quite hot afterwards and required some cool-down time and washing coins adds an extra step in the process. If you try this method, once the crust is baked, let the coins cool and then transfer them back to the catch-all vessel they came from. Related: The Clever Butter Trick That Will Make Making Pies So Much Easier
2. Dry beans
Dry beans—black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, or a mix of dried beans—is another common pie weight stand-in. They're readily available, inexpensive and they’ll weigh your crust down without cooking along the way. With beans, I ended up with a golden crust and well-structured sides. Keep in mind, however, that these beans can’t be used for cooking afterward. Store them in a jar or zip-top bag for when you bake your next pie. Related: The Super Smart Store-Bought Pie Crust Trick We Wish We’d Known About Sooner
1. Granulated sugar
You may or may not have dried beans or popcorn kernels in the cabinet, but chances are, if you’re baking a pie, you already have granulated sugar in the cupboard or pantry. To use the sweet stuff as a pie weight, line the pie crust with parchment paper and pour in the sugar until it reaches partway up the crust.
With this option, I ended up with a perfectly baked crust, without any slumping or unwanted puffy areas. Thanks to the fine texture of sugar, it snugly supports the crust, hugging the sides more securely than the other pie weight substitutes I tried.
It's a handy and affordable stand-in and there's an added bonus: unlike the rice, beans or popcorn kernels, sugar can be used for baking and eating after it supports your pie crust. And, in fact, you could argue that baking the sugar makes it better because it caramelizes slightly in the oven.
The toasted sugar can be used just like standard granulated sugar and it's also a fun thing to use to add a little extra flavor to your morning coffee or tea. You can also reuse the sugar when blind baking another pie crust. Either way, once the crust has baked, let the sugar cool and transfer it to a jar or a zip-top bag.
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