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Marie Callender’s Deep Dish Pie Crusts, reviewed

Marie Callender’s Deep Dish Pie Crusts

I usually try to make my pie crusts from scratch when I bake. It may seem like a challenging proposition at first, but once you have made a few, they’re easy to put together and they keep for a couple of days in the fridge after making them (longer in the freezer), I can even make them in advance and use them. That said, there are always times where you need the convenience of a premade pie crust. Marie Callender’s has offered frozen desserts at the grocery store for some time (in addition to their fresh baked pies in their restaurants) and also has a line of frozen Deep Dish Pie Crusts available.

The pie crust that Marie Callender’s uses for their own pies is good, and the frozen version didn’t let me down. It’s made with shortening, so while it doesn’t have a particularly strong flavor on its own, it is flakey and extremely tender. In fact, it has an almost melt in your mouth quality to it. It also cooks up to be very crisp – exactly how I want my crust to be to create a contrast with the pie filling. You can bake the crusts from frozen, but I find that I always get better results after defrosting a frozen crust and baked these crusts after they were close to room temperature.

One of the best parts about these crusts is the tin that they come in. It is a solid pie plate, not the flimsy foil kind that you find beneath store-bought graham cracker crusts. This means that it is actually easy to put the pie in the oven, take it out again and serve it without needing an extra baking sheet or serving tray just to support the weight of the pie and prevent the tin from bending in half (yes, this has happened to me with heavy pie fillings).

Marie Callender’s Deep Dish Pie Crust

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19 Comments
  • Nutmeg Nanny
    November 10, 2009

    Looks good to me! I agree that homemade crust is easy once you get used to it but sometimes we all rely on convenience 🙂 I haven’t seen MC pie crust but I will keep my eye out now that I know they make them!

  • Heather
    November 10, 2009

    Thanks for the review. I think this year I’m going to attempt to make our pie for Thanksgiving, but have NEVER made pie crust before. It will be nice to know that their is a pretty good alternative. Thanks!

  • suzie
    November 10, 2009

    thank you. I know you say it gets easier, but it hasn’t and I need all the positive reinforcement I can get these days.

    The other thing re: those flimsy tins–cutting thru them. not fun.

    Are the tins with these re-usable?

  • Nicole
    November 10, 2009

    Suzie – These tins do seem to be reusable and it would take a heck of a lot of effort to cut through one (I hate that about the flimsy pie plates, too!) I’m keeping mine around!

  • Krysta
    November 10, 2009

    So if your recipe calls for one of these crusts and we want to make the recipe using our own, we should use a deep dish 9″ instead of a regular? I have both types of 9″ pan, but all I use the deep dish one for currently is pumpkin pie.

  • Nicole
    November 10, 2009

    Krysta – This brand of pie crust wasn’t extremely deep, despite the name. I thought it actually seemed like a fairly “normal” depth when compared to my usual pie plates. I would use this crust for any recipe that called for a 9-inch pie shell.

  • marguerite
    November 10, 2009

    I’ve used these and LOVE them!

  • Carrie
    November 10, 2009

    This is great! I hate using the other frozen ones, they have no flavor or the texture isn’t that great. I do love making homemade pie crusts with my grandma’s No Fail Pie crust recipe, but sometimes you run out of time. You know what I need to figure out? The best way to roll it out!

  • Linda
    November 10, 2009

    I have always read that none of the pre-made pie crusts that call themselves deep-dish are really sufficient for a deep-dish pie. I have found this to be true. I like Marie’s better than the other options on the market. I will admit to being daunted by pie crust. I never seem able to make one that doesn’t shrink no matter how I follow the directions or tricks I have learned from blogs like yours or Food Network type shows. That is so frustrating after going to all the work and trouble to make from scratch. But, I’ve always heard that pie baking is more of a practice thing so the more you do it the easier it gets for you.

  • susan from food blogga
    November 10, 2009

    Thanks, Nicole. This is great for the pie-crust challenged among us. 🙂

  • Barbara
    November 25, 2009

    THis is my first time using the pie crusts and it did not come with directions. Do I bake the same time as a would if I made the crust?

  • Rachele
    November 26, 2009

    I’m sure it’s too late now, but Barbara, the baking instructions are on the back of the little circle with the picture, name and upc.

  • pat
    December 1, 2009

    Where can I purchase the pie crusts in Rochester, new york?

  • Elyse
    December 30, 2009

    I’m curious if anyone has a favorite pie dish brand? I love the ease of ready made crusts (tho my grandma made a great crust) – and they work great in my Emile Henry Pie Dish – It truly bakes like a dream, pie doesn’t stick and it is beautiful. I got mine on sale at http://www.parkerspantry.com. I have used the tins and the pyrex and this is just a wonderful product.

  • Jenny shults
    March 26, 2011

    I bought the deep dish pie crusts for the first time and was extremely disappointed. I wouldn’t recommend them to anyone. They shrunk up so much that the edge of the crust in one pan was in the middle. The other one was separated on the side so the filling was against the pan itself.

  • Beth
    November 23, 2011

    What temp do I use to cook Marie Calenders frozenie crust

  • Elizabeth
    December 24, 2011

    I have tried these frozen pie crusts several times for
    pumpkin pie and the crust does not cook. I followed the
    directions the first time and thawed it the 2nd time and
    the crust was not cooked. I am at a loss to figure
    out what is wrong. Please help me figure this out.

  • Kathy
    January 1, 2014

    So, so disappointed with these crusts. I followed directions on this crust exactly for both my pecan pie at Thanksgiving and just now my pumpkin pie. Neither cooked thoroughly as Elizabeth noted above. Both recipes I’ve made many times with success. Will never buy again.

  • Terry Waites
    June 24, 2014

    I have been to four stores trying to find Marie Callendar’s pie crust, it is the only one I use for my pecan pies. Why, oh Why am I have so much trouble. Publix thinks they have discontinued it.

    Where can I find it now???????

    Thanks

    Terry

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