When it comes to baking, there’s one thing every pie baker knows: the crust is everything. If you're after that perfect balance of flakiness and flavor, pie crust with lard is the secret you’ve been missing. Lard—simple, traditional, and incredibly effective—gives the crust a light, flaky texture that melts in your mouth with every bite!!

Pie crust with lard Christmas tree hand pie with Christmas tree decor in the background.

For this festive recipe, I’ve taken that perfect lard crust and paired it with a sweet and savory filling: tangy goat cheese and sweet strawberry preserves. And to make them extra special for the holidays, I’ve cut them into adorable Christmas tree shapes!

The result is a hand pie that’s not only cute as can be but also delivers a magical combination of flavors. The richness of the goat cheese and the sweetness of the jam pair perfectly with the buttery, flaky crust, making each bite a holiday treat you won’t forget. Check out my chocolate hand pies and brown sugar bars!

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Why you'll love this recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Substitutions
Instructions
Pro tips
FAQ
Storage
Related
📖 Recipe

Why you'll love this recipe

Irresistible Flakiness: The lard crust is incredibly light and flaky, creating the perfect texture for hand pies. Salted caramel apple pie bars have amazing textures too.
Perfect Balance of Sweet & Savory: The creamy goat cheese and the sweetness of strawberry preserves are a match made in heaven.
Holiday Charm: Shaped like festive Christmas trees, these hand pies bring a touch of whimsy to any holiday spread, Just like these strawberry jam cookies.
Customizable Filling: While goat cheese and strawberry preserves are a delicious choice, you can easily swap in your favorite fillings for savory or sweet variations.

Goat cheese and strawberry preserved inside a flaky pie crust.

Equipment

When it comes to rolling out pie dough, using a rolling pin and a floured board is the best method for achieving that perfect, even thickness. The rolling pin allows you to apply consistent pressure, ensuring your dough is rolled out smoothly without overworking it.

Ingredients

What you will need for lard pie crust:

Vinegar: A small amount of vinegar (apple cider or white vinegar) helps tenderize the dough and creates a flaky texture in your crust.
Salt: Salt is key to bringing out the flavors of the dough and balancing the sweetness of your filling.
Lard: The star of the show! Lard gives the crust its signature flaky, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Water: Cold water helps bring the dough together and keeps the fat from melting during mixing.
Chèvre Goat Cheese: Use a log of creamy chevre goat cheese (the soft, spreadable kind) for a rich, tangy filling that pairs beautifully with the strawberry preserves.
All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of the dough, all-purpose flour provides the structure needed for a stable, yet flaky pie crust with lard.

See recipe card below for quantities.

Substitutions

Variations for pie crust recipe with lard

Chocolate Hazelnut Hand Pies:
For a decadent treat, fill the hand pies with a generous spoonful of chocolate hazelnut spread (like Nutella) and a handful of chopped hazelnuts.
Apple Cinnamon Hand Pies: For a warm, cozy dessert option, fill the hand pies with a mixture of sautéed apples (think Granny Smith or Honeycrisp) Brown sugar bars are a must make.
Spinach & Feta Hand Pies: If you’re craving something vegetarian, try a filling of sautéed spinach, feta cheese, and a pinch of nutmeg.

This Christmas pastry recipe has not been tested with other substitutions. These are just suggestions.

Instructions

Let's make pie crust with lard!

Flour being poured into a bowl about to be mixed with sugar.

Step 1. In a medium bowl, combine 1 ½ cups of all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Stir to mix well.

Lard, flour, and sugar being mixed together to create the size of peas.

Step 2. Cut the ½ cup lard into small pieces and add them to the flour mixture. Using your fingers, work the lard into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized pieces of lard.

Water and vinegar being added to the flour and lard mixture.

Step 3. Add 3 tablespoons of cold water and 1 teaspoon of vinegar to the mixture. Stir gently until a dough begins to form. Be careful not to over mix. Once the dough has come together, shape it into a rectangle, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to chill.

Rolling out the lard pie crust before cutting out the shapes.

Step 4. Preheat your oven to 375°F Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Once the dough is chilled, place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll it out to about ⅛-inch thickness. Using a Christmas tree-shaped cookie cutter, cut out as many tree shapes as possible from the dough. Arrange the cut shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Goat cheese and strawberry jam being placed on top of the pie dough.

Step 5. On each tree shape, place about 2 teaspoons of goat cheese and 1 heaping teaspoon of strawberry preserves in the center. The amount of filling depends on the size of your cutter, use your judgment. Egg wash the edges.

Sealing the edges of the hand pie with a finger before being crimped with a fork.

Step 6. Take a second Christmas tree shape and place it on top of each filled tree. Press the edges of the top layer gently to seal, then crimp the edges using a fork. Brush the top of each pastry with an egg wash. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Hint: Make slits in the top of the dough before baking to let steam escape to create a flaky pastry.

Pro tips

Egg Wash: Brush your hand pies with an egg wash (a beaten egg with a splash of water or milk) before baking to give them a golden, glossy finish.
Seal Them Well: Press the edges of the pastry with a fork to ensure they’re sealed tight. This helps prevent any of the filling from oozing out while baking just like apple pop tarts.
Don’t Over mix the Dough: When making your pie crust, mix the ingredients just until the dough comes together. Over mixing can make the crust tough, so keep it light and quick. Cookie pie uses the same technique.
Don’t Overfill: It’s tempting to load up your hand pies with extra filling, but keep it to a modest amount. Overfilling can cause the pies to burst open in the oven, so be conservative with your filling.

FAQ

What is the secret to a good pie crust?

Refrigerate the lard before using and keep the crust cold! Avoid handling the dough too much, and you can also freeze the assembled hand pies before baking.

Can you freeze pie crust with lard crust?

Yes! You can freeze the unbaked pie dough. Wrap it well in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag, freeze up to 2 months. Let thaw before rolling out.

Where can you find lard?

You can find it at most grocery stores. If you can find leaf lard, it is the best quality from the store.I used lard from South Chicago Packing, super high quality.

Can you use butter instead of lard?

Yes! You have to use 1 ¼ cups of flour and 8 tablespoons of cold butter- cutting down the flour is needed or else it will be too dry. Follow everything else in the recipe normally.

Pie crust recipe with lard made into a Christmas tree hand pie.

Storage

Refrigerator: Avoid storing hand pies in the fridge, as it can cause the crust to lose its flakiness and become dry.

Freezer:

Store the unbaked pie dough in plastic wrap in the freezer for up to 2 months, thaw before rolling out.

Store hand pies in the freezer for up to 2 months. Wrap them individually and place in an airtight container. Bake from frozen when ready to eat.

Room Temperature: Keep hand pies at room temperature for up to 1 day. Store in an airtight container to maintain freshness.

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