Blind Baking Pie Crust with Sugar (Yes, Really!)
If you’ve ever blind-baked a pie crust using dried beans, rice, or expensive ceramic weights, you know the struggle—uneven bottoms, slumping sides, or wrestling with parchment paper that won’t behave. But here’s a trick that feels like a bakery secret: blind baking with sugar.
Yes, regular granulated sugar. And no, it doesn’t melt, burn, or ruin your crust. In fact, it works better than anything else.
What Is Blind Baking?
Blind baking means pre-baking your pie crust without filling. It’s important for pies with custard, cream, or delicate fillings that don’t need much oven time (like pumpkin or chocolate). It helps the crust stay crisp—not soggy.
Why Use Sugar Instead of Beans or Weights?
Traditional blind baking uses parchment paper and pie weights (or beans), but they don’t always press evenly into the corners. Enter: granulated sugar.
Here’s why sugar works like a dream:
🔥 Even heat distribution – Sugar is fine and fills every nook and cranny of the crust, pressing it down evenly. No puffed bottoms or slouched edges.
💰 Budget-friendly – No need for special tools or buying weights you’ll use twice a year.
♻️ Reusable – After baking, you can cool the sugar and store it in a jar. It’s lightly toasted and actually makes fantastic caramel or cookie sugar.
How to Blind Bake with Sugar
You’ll need:
Unbaked pie crust (in a metal or glass pie plate works best)
Foil or parchment paper
About 3 cups granulated sugar
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Roll out and fit your pie dough into the plate. Chill the crust for at least 30 minutes to help it hold its shape.
Line the crust with foil or parchment, making sure it fully covers the sides.
Pour in the sugar—fill it up to the edge. You want it to support the entire crust.
Bake for 15–18 minutes, then remove the parchment and sugar (carefully—use a spoon and transfer it to a bowl to cool).
Return the crust to the oven and bake another 5–10 minutes until golden and crisp.
Let it cool before adding your filling.
Bonus Tips
Use regular granulated white sugar for best results.
A metal pie plate helps conduct heat more evenly and gives a crispier crust bottom.
After baking, store the sugar in an airtight jar. You can use it a few times for blind baking. Then it’ll be golden in color and have a caramel flavor perfect for future baking (like making caramel or baking cookies, cakes, etc).
Ready to Fill That Perfect Crust?
Chocolate Ganache Pie
A super simple pie made with dark chocolate ganache and topped with whipped cream.
🍫Chocolate Ganache Pie with Whipped Cream
This pie is rich, simple, and a little fancy without being fussy. The crust is buttery and flaky (blind-baked with sugar for a smooth finish), filled with a velvety dark chocolate ganache, and topped with soft, billowy whipped cream.
Step 1: Easy Homemade Pie Crust
Ingredients:
1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cold shortening or lard
Pinch of sugar
3–5 tablespoons ice-cold water
Method 1: Food Processor
Add flour and a pinch of sugar to the food processor.
Add cold shortening and pulse until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
Slowly drizzle in cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until the dough just comes together.
Turn out the dough, press into a disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Method 2: By Hand
In a mixing bowl, whisk flour and sugar.
Cut in cold shortening using a pastry cutter or fork until crumbly.
Slowly add ice water, mixing with a fork until it holds together when pressed.
Form into a disk, wrap, and chill.
Step 2: Blind Bake with Sugar
Roll out the chilled dough and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Chill again for 15–20 minutes.
Line with parchment and fill with granulated sugar, all the way up the sides.
Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 15–18 minutes.
Carefully lift out the parchment and sugar (save the now-lightly-toasted sugar in a jar for baking later!).
Return the crust to the oven and bake 5–10 minutes more until golden and crisp.
Cool completely before filling.
Step 3: Chocolate Ganache Filling
Ingredients:
8 oz (225g) semi-sweet or dark chocolate, finely chopped
¾ cup heavy cream
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
Heat cream in a small saucepan just until simmering.
Remove from heat and pour over chopped chocolate. Let sit for 1–2 minutes.
Add salt and vanilla, then stir until smooth and glossy.
Pour ganache into the cooled pie crust and smooth the top.
Chill for at least 2 hours, or until set.
Step 4: Whipped Cream Topping
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
Beat cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form.
Spoon or pipe onto the chilled ganache layer.
Garnish with chocolate shavings, cocoa powder, or sea salt flakes if you’d like.
Notes:
This pie is rich and elegant, but easy enough to pull off anytime. You can even make the crust and ganache layer a day ahead, then whip the cream right before serving.
It’s also the perfect way to try blind baking with sugar—and once you do, you’ll never go back to beans.
Now that you’ve nailed your blind-baked crust, you’re ready for a fall pie moment. Here are a few of my personal favorites that work beautifully with this technique:
Find all these pie recipes and more at bake145.com
Shown here: Chocolate Pecan Pie, Bruleed Maple Pumpkin Pie with Candied Walnuts, and Coconut Meringue Pie. You can find the purchase links to the recipes below.
Coconut Meringue Pie – The best tasting coconut pie, with thick toasted meringue instead of whipped cream. Perfect for holidays.
Maple Walnut Brûléed Pumpkin Pie – A twist on tradition with maple syrup, toasted walnuts, and a brûléed top. The filling bakes gently in a blind-baked crust for perfect texture.
Chocolate Pecan Pie – Rich, gooey, and decadent. Blind baking helps the crust stay firm beneath the chocolatey, nutty filling.
✨Final Thoughts
Blind baking isn’t scary, and with sugar as your secret weapon, it gets a whole lot easier (and tastier). Try it next time you make a custard or cream pie—it might just become your new go-to method. And if you’re looking for a show-stopping filling? I’ve got a few delicious ideas waiting for you.
