The 9 Best Pie Crust Cutters, According to a Pastry Chef

Best Overall

Nordic Ware Lattice & Hearts Pie Top Cutter

Orig. $22 $15 at Amazon $15 at Walmart $22 at Target

This red pie top crust cutter makes any pie look stunning with a fraction of the effort of a hand-woven lattice crust. Since it lends itself to frequent use and performed well in testing, we deemed it our best overall option. Use one side to make an easy flower-shaped lattice crust or flip it over to create a circle of open hearts on your pie crust. It's made of heavy plastic, and feels sturdy enough that we wouldn't worry about storing it away with other tools stacked on top of it.

The instructions suggest using this like a large cookie cutter—by pressing it into the rolled-out dough from above. But we found this method didn't cleanly cut through all of the dough without an extreme amount of pressure. Instead, we laid our dough over the cutter and gently rolled it with a flat rolling pin, cleanly pressing the lattice shape into the dough from below and making perfectly clean cuts. Not only was the lattice pattern crisp and elegant, but the resulting pie baked up with a delicate lattice crust that was as beautiful as it was crispy.

As you might expect, the smaller dough cut-outs were caught in the punch and were easy to remove by hand or with a dull tool (like a chopstick). After removing any excess dough, it was easy to wash the crust cutter with warm soapy water. If you notice residue in the tight cracks after several uses, a quick soak in very hot, soapy water, followed by a gentle scrub with a small cleaning brush (or toothbrush) will dislodge any build-up.

Uses: Top pie crust cutter, cookie punch | Material: Plastic | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Fluted

Williams Sonoma Olivewood Handle Fluted Pastry Cutter

$20 at Williams-Sonoma

This fluted pastry cutter by Williams Sonoma is of the highest quality: The rotary blade is made from stainless steel, and the handle, which is beautifully joined to the blade, is made of olivewood. The pastry cutter allows you to add a decorative edge to your pie crust lattice, cookies, or pasta, including handmade ravioli and farfalle.

We used this fluted pastry wheel to cut strips of dough for a lattice-top pie, and were impressed with the durability of the cutter overall and the stability of the wheel itself. There wasn't any excessive wobbling of the wheel while cutting, and it rolled cleanly through chilled pie dough without needing to push too hard into the dough. It's also easy to control to keep it cutting straight, which is ideal for people who prefer to free-cut their dough instead of using a straight edge as a guide.

This may be a small tool, but it’s been made to last a lifetime. Wash and dry it by hand to preserve the olivewood handle. We did notice that the wood seemed a little dry straight out of the box and a little mineral oil rubbed into the handle might help extend its life.

Uses: Lattice-top pies, pasta, decorative pastry doughs | Material: Stainless steel and olivewood | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Roller Cutter

YEFUI Stainless Steel Roller Cutter

$18 at Amazon $11 at Walmart

Fast and efficient, this roller cutter has multiple blades so that one swipe can create an attractive lattice pattern quickly. You might also recognize the pattern that it makes as the typical crust decoration on a beef Wellington, which is just one of its many uses. It has a wooden handle and rolling stainless steel blades, and feels like a sturdy tool right out of the box.

We noticed that there was a small learning curve to using this lattice cutter. You’ll have to make sure the edge of the dough isn’t sticking to the inside of the wheels as you cut the dough. Begin rolling the cutter from either the top or bottom edge of your generously-floured dough, stopping after about half of a rotation to gently remove any dough that may have clung to the wheels. From there, it's a smooth cut to the other side of the dough. Once you've rolled the cutter down the length of the dough, you'll gently pull the dough from the sides to spread the lattice out like an accordion, or a pair of fishnet stockings.

Once cut, the lattice will expand to cover the width of the pie, but the length will stay the same. Plan accordingly, by making sure your dough is as long as you need it to be to cover the surface of your pie, although it only needs to be about half as wide. We found the lattice easy to stretch over the pie with attractive results, but don't worry if it takes one or two attempts to master.

It is a little heavier than other cutters, so it may not be ideal for those with limited hand strength. But the curved wooden handle is easy to hold onto and the weight is what helps push the cutter through the dough. It can be washed in the dishwasher if it's especially messy after use, but should be washed by hand and scrubbed with a brush and warm, soapy water to extend the life of the wood handle.

Uses: Lattice cutter for doughs and sugar doughs | Material: Stainless steel and wood | Dishwasher Safe: Yes

Best Metal Punch Cutter

Wilton Pie Crust Cutter Sunflower

$20 at Amazon $15 at Walmart View on Countrykitchensa.com

If you’re looking for a pie crust cutter that will make your pies stand out, but still cover the majority of your pie, this might be the one. The sunflower design is a unique and beautiful upgrade to a simple vented pie crust. Old-fashioned looking itself, it’s made of silver tin-plate steel, and it wouldn’t look out of place displayed on a kitchen wall.

We liked that the cutter was especially easy to use, on par with a cookie cutter. The crust cutter is constructed in the shape of a flower, but the fluted outer edge is just a decorative way to hold the petal shapes of the cutter together and doesn't actually cut through the dough. The cutouts can be used to decorate the top of the crust in addition to the decorative vents the cutter makes. This sunflower cutter is easy enough to use for little hands, making your next pie-making session a little more fun for everyone.

The Wilton pie crust cutter is easy to wash by hand, but we noticed that the metal is easily bendable, so keep the pressure light. If the cutter is exceptionally caked with flour and butter, soak it for a few minutes in hot soapy water, but rinse and dry it relatively quickly. Leaving this cutter to soak or dry for too long, or running it through the dishwasher may result in rust.

Uses: Top pie crust cutter, large cookies, sugar decorations | Material: Tinplate steel | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best for Decorations

Consio Leaves Pie Crust Cutters Set

$10 at Amazon $8 at Walmart

This set of four very different leaf designs provides the perfect embellishment for pies in any season. The cutters can be used to imprint on dough or to cut shaped, detailed leaves to add to pie crusts. The punches were so easy to use, that they ended up being one of our favorite ways to get creative with our pie crusts.

The punching is an easy 3-step process with the plunger, just remember to dip it into a small pile of flour to keep the cutter from sticking to your dough. You can make dozens of cuts before needing to wipe off the cutter, and each cut comes out as cleanly as the one before it. Not only do the cutters leave clear indentations in the pie dough, but the cutouts hold the shape of the leaves as well as the leaf indentations while cooking.

We used these cutters to make an organic-looking top pie crust of layered leaves on top of a 6-inch small pie, as well as decorative elements on top of several larger pie crusts, and we were incredibly impressed with how well they work. The cutters cleanly punch even delicate branches holding the leaves together without tearing. We've used these cutters often since our initial tests, using them on both store-bought and homemade pie dough, and across several different types of pies for decoration. We continue to be impressed with the decorations they make, and how surprisingly well they've held up over time.

Uses: Pie dough, fondant, and sugar cookie cutter | Material: Plastic and metal | Dishwasher Safe: Hand wash only

Best Double Wheel

Norpro Stainless Steel Ravioli/Pastry Wheel

$13 at Amazon Orig. $17 $16 at Walmart $13 at Target

This cutter provides a little versatility when it comes to cutting pie crusts and pasta, with both a straight-cutting wheel as well as a fluted cutting wheel for a slightly more decorative cut. It's suitable for slicing through pie dough, pasta, or any other relatively thin or lightweight pastry dough like puff pastry or Danish dough.

We sliced dozens of pieces of pie dough with both the straight and fluted wheels on this cutter. The wheels are a little looser than some of the other pastry wheels we tested but performed well in both instances without veering off-course. The wheel guard that attaches to the handle is a little longer because it's protecting two wheels instead of one. We noticed that if you tend to hold the cutter at a low angle, the guard may drag in your dough while you're cutting. If that happens, you'll know to hold the cutter at a slightly higher angle for perfectly clean cuts.

Essentially, you're getting two reliable pastry cutters for the price of one with this tool, and we think it's a great deal. Since our initial tests, this cutter has come in handy on a few occasions when testing out different pie crust styles. We like that it hasn't gone down in quality with use, noting that the wheels are about the same level of tightness as they were right out of the box, and the materials have stayed sturdy and shiny over time with regular hand-washing.

Uses: Pie dough and pastry cutter, pasta, sugar cookie dough, fondant | Material: Stainless steel | Dishwasher Safe: Yes

Best for Large Projects

Ateco Six Wheel Stainless Steel Cutter

$58 at Amazon $74 at Walmart View on Webstaurantstore.com

Come apple-picking season, if you find yourself making an exceptional amount of pies, it might be time to upgrade your pastry cutter to one with more wheels—to easily slice multiple pieces of dough at a time. Sometimes referred to as a “bicycle” in professional kitchens, this 6-wheel pastry cutter makes multiple perfectly even cuts through dough quickly. The accordion design expands up to 4-7/8 inches between wheels and collapses down to 3/8 inches—small enough for cutting tagliatelle pasta in bulk by hand.

This cutter is more heavy duty than some other options. It has larger, slightly sharper wheels that make crisp cuts, and can slice through denser cookie dough, biscuit dough, semi-set tempered chocolate, laminated croissant and Danish dough, fondant, pasta sheets, and cracker dough for perfectly even slices. Since there's more to this cutter, it's noticeably heavier, but that extra weight helps to smoothly guide it through your dough with less effort than you might expect.

The wheels and accordion construction are very sturdy and tighten into place without any wobbling, but since there are more moving parts, it's also more likely to be damaged if not treated with care. With long-term use, we noticed that the wingnut used to tighten and hold the accordion at the desired width may not get quite as tight over time. To keep it strong, completely loosen the wingnut when resizing and avoid collapsing or stretching the accordion while the wingnut is tightened, even a small amount. We also noticed that taking care to protect the wheels over time will help this tool stay precise. While this cutter is made of stainless steel and can be run through the dishwasher after an especially messy project, it’s best to wash it with a dish brush by hand in hot, soapy water.

Uses: Dough and pastry cutter, pasta, sugar cookies, fondant | Material: Stainless steel | Dishwasher Safe: Yes, but handwash for best results

Best Plastic Stamp Cutter

Williams Sonoma Lattice Piecrust Cutter

$15 at Williams-Sonoma

The Williams Sonoma Lattice Pie Crust Cutter is a straightforward cutter that makes creating a trellis-style lattice pattern for a top pie crust incredibly simple. First, you roll your pie dough out to the desired diameter, then gently lay the dough on top of the cutter. Using a flat rolling pin, press the pie dough onto the cutter to slice the diamond pattern into the dough. To move the dough to your pie, you'll lift the tray away from the lattice cutter base and slide or flip your dough directly onto the pie. In a fraction of the time that it would take to slice and weave strips of pie dough into a lattice pattern, you've got a clean and consistent lattice top pie.

We used a 10-inch round piece of pie dough on this cutter and had no issues getting a clean cut, and think the tray used to lift the dough off the cutter was a genius idea that simplified the whole process. The instructions for using the cutter are also embossed on the bottom of the cutter, just in case you throw the packaging away and don't quite remember how to use the tool between uses.

Given how unfussy this cutter is, we found that you could cut dozens of lattice crusts without having to do much more than pop out any leftover diamond pieces from the cutter holes. When you've finished a rinse in warm soapy water is enough to clean this cutter off, but it's not made for dishwasher use.

Uses: Top pie crust cutter, cookie punch | Material: Plastic | Dishwasher Safe: No

Best Silicone Mold

Williams Sonoma Silicone Perfect Pie Crust Mold

$17 at Williams-Sonoma

If you have any experience molding fondant decorations into silicone molds, you've already got a good idea of how easy it is to produce impressive 3-dimensional shapes this way. Williams Sonoma has created a silicone mold specifically for molding pie crust strips, outfitted with five designs that would otherwise be difficult and time-consuming to create by hand.

You simply press thicker pieces of pie dough into the desired strip mold (or all of them), then roll over the dough with a rolling pin to flatten it into the mold and remove the excess dough around each of the designs. Gently pull the strip out of the mold and use it to decorate your pie. We found the entire process is best done with thoroughly chilled pie dough. The strips were easy to remove by bending the mold back slightly to get a hold of the end of the strip. None of the strips stuck to the mold, even after several rounds of dough, which was a welcome surprise.

While the mold is about 10 inches long and we were only making a 9-inch pie, we noticed that the strips just barely made it from one side of the pie to the other, and we wished the strips were just slightly longer. It required three strips lined up end-to-end to decorate the circumference of a pie's edge. Being careful not to pull too hard or distort the general shape of the strands, we found that you can stretch your pie dough another inch or so if you need to, beginning from the center of the strip and working your way to the ends. All of the strips maintained their decorative shape while baking. It took the strips on top of the pie longer to bake all the way through than the strips on the edge of the pie, which is to be expected.

Uses: Top pie crust strip mold, molded cookies, fondant & gum paste, modeling clay | Material: Silicone | Dishwasher Safe: Yes