How To Freeze Pies
Freeze Unbaked Fruit Pies - Bake Later

Here follows basic guidelines for how to freeze pies which I follow for freezing baked fruit pies, unbaked fruit pies, baked pie shells, and unbaked pie shells.

How to Freeze Unbaked Fruit Pies

I believe that unbaked fruit pies store with better end results, in the freezer than already baked pies, both in flavour and texture.

Do not thaw frozen, unbaked fruit pies prior to baking them. Bake the pies frozen, unwrapped as follows:

Baking Frozen Fruit Pies:

Preheat Oven to 450° F - Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 350° F and bake for 40 - 50 minutes, or until done.



The total baking time for a frozen fruit pie will be about 15 - 20 minutes longer than a non-frozen pie.

The pie is done when you see steam coming out of the center or the fruit juices begin to bubble through the center or the "vents".

It is not advisable to freeze baked fruit pies unless absolutely necessary. If freezing baked fruit pies, be sure to wrap and seal them well. I would not recommend freezing already baked fruit pies for longer than about 6 weeks. My experience is that after this length of time they begin to loose texture and flavour.

When removing a baked fruit pie from the freezer, let the pie defrost, unwrapped, at room temperature for about 3 hours. To improve the texture of the pie, of if you wish to serve it warm, heat the pie in a preheated oven (450° F), for about 15 - 20 minutes prior to serving.

How to Freeze Unfilled Pie Shells

Unfilled pie shells may be frozen in an unbaked, or a baked state.

Unbaked Pie Shells

The preferred method is to freeze the shells unbaked. Unbaked pie shells will keep in the freezer for at least 3 months

Ensure that the prepared pie shells are well wrapped and sealed in foil and plastic wrap.

Unbaked shells should be baked, unwrapped and baked frozen at 450° F about 15 - 20 minutes, or until browned. It is a good idea to pierce the bottom of the pie crust with a fork in a few places to help prevent the crust from "buckling up" while baking.

Baked Pie Shells

Baked pie shells will keep in the freezer for up to about 5 or 6 weeks.

Thaw baked pie shells, unwrapped, at room temperature for about 1/2 hour.

To improve the texture of the baked pie shell you can increase the "crispiness" of the pie shell by placing it in a preheated oven (450° F), for about 8 -10 minutes, or until done.

Tip for How to Freeze Pies


When making more than one Pie Recipe at a time it is important to label, or mark, the different types of pies because they all look identical when they are complete and ready for the freezer.

An easy and creative way to identify different pies, is to use a letter set from a child's magnetic alphabet set, remove the magnets from the back, and use the letters to make an impression into the top pie crust. Presto! You have now identified the Apple Raspberry Pie Recipe (AR) or the Raspberry Rhubarb Pie (RR), etc. (See picture)



GO to How to Prevent Pie Crust Edges from Becoming Too Dark

GO to Recipes for Raspberry Pie
GO to Recipes for Rhubarb Pie
GO to Recipes for Peach Pie
GO to Recipes for Apple Pie