How to bake a pie from frozen
Bake an unbaked frozen pie straight from the freezer, without thawing, at 190C (375F) for 60 to 75 minutes, covering the top with foil if it browns before the centre reaches 74C (165F). Thawing first makes the pastry soggy; the freezer-to-oven route keeps the fat cold and the crust crisp.
By the chickenpie.net test kitchen · Published 31 August 2026
Do not thaw
Instinct says defrost first, and instinct is wrong. A thawing pie sheds moisture into its own pastry for hours, arriving at the oven with a damp base and softened walls. Baked from solid, the pastry sets before the filling melts, which is exactly the sequence you want. The only price is time: expect roughly half as long again as the fresh baking time.
This applies to pies frozen unbaked. A pie that was fully baked before freezing needs gentler treatment: 160C (325F) for about 45 minutes, loosely covered in foil for the first half so the already-browned crust does not overshoot.
Step by step
Assume a standard 23cm double-crust chicken pie, frozen unbaked. Individual pies run faster, deep-dish pies slower.
- Heat the oven to 190C (375F) with a baking sheet on the middle shelf. The preheated sheet drives heat into the frozen base.
- Unwrap the pie completely and check the steam vents are open, cutting them fresh if they were not cut before freezing.
- Brush with egg wash if the pie was frozen unglazed.
- Place the pie on the hot sheet and bake for 25 minutes.
- Check the colour. If the lid is already deep gold, cover loosely with foil.
- Continue baking to a total of 60 to 75 minutes.
- Test the centre: a skewer pushed through the vent for 10 seconds should come out too hot to hold against your lip, or a probe should read at least 74C (165F).
- Rest for 10 minutes before serving so the filling thickens back up.
Trouble spots
The classic failure is a handsome lid over a cold centre, which is why the temperature check is not optional. Glass and ceramic dishes straight from the freezer can crack from thermal shock, so freeze in metal tins or foil dishes when the pie's destiny is a hot oven.
If the base still emerges pale and soft, next time blind bake the case before filling and freezing, or drop the pie to the lowest shelf for the final 15 minutes where the bottom heat is strongest. Cooked pies are a different case: one lab compared thawing first against reheating from frozen for baked chicken pies, and shop-bought ones come with their own instructions, which a guide to buying and baking frozen pies in Singapore walks through.