A great pie starts with a homemade flaky pie crust! Easy, delicious, and perfectly flaky, this all-butter Pie Crust Recipe will become a favorite for all of your pies like this apple pie. It uses simple baking ingredients and is simple enough for any level baker to follow. Seriously, it’s the best pie crust recipe ever!
The foundation of any incredible pie is the crust. You simply don’t have a great pie without a flaky, buttery, melt-in-your-mouth crust. This pie crust makes great pies all year round! From summer favorites like lemon meringue to holiday classics like pecan pie with ice cream, you’re guaranteed a hit!
If you’re looking to make the best pies for rave reviews at your next cookout, holiday party, or dinner for company, use this pie recipe! It makes the best pies your guests will have ever tasted!
You can also use this base crust to make amazing pies like my Southern Buttermilk Pie, Sweet Potato Pie, or Chess Pie!
Why You’ll Love This Flaky Pie Crust Recipe
- Your Crust Can Make or Break Your Pie. If you are looking for everyone to sing your praises this holiday season over the quality of your desserts, use this perfect pie crust recipe.
- Great Flavor. My recipe uses all butter for a rich, tasty pie crust that enhances any pie it encases. It’s simply delightful!
- Perfectly Flaky and Tender. Nothing ruins a pie more than a tough crust. Follow my recipe and tips and you are certain to get a pie crust that’s as close to perfect as it can be!
- Great for a Single Crust or Double Crust Pie. If you just need one pie crust, you can easily freeze the rest to use up later on.
- Versatile Pie Dough. You can make it sweeter, enjoy it in savory preparations, or even use it to make hand pies! One dough, so many ways to use it.
Ingredients to Make a buttery flaky Pie Crust
This is the flaky pie crust recipe to end all pie crusts, and it only has a few ingredients.
- Flour: Regular all-purpose flour works perfectly!
- Butter: This recipe uses all butter. I go back and forth between all butter and a mix of butter and shortening. But I really like the texture and flakiness of an all butter pie crust. More than that, the flavor is undeniable. Use the very best butter you can get! A high-fat butter is necessary!
- Sugar: I prefer a hint of sugar when making this pie crust for sweet pies but you can adjust this if you want to use this crust for savory pies.
- Salt: Salt is crucial whenever you are baking.
- Water: Moistens the flour and brings all the ingredients together. It’s essential to use cold water.
How to Make The best Pie Crust
Let’s get started making our pie crust! Here’s a look at the main steps but you can find all the details in the recipe card.
Mix the Pie dough
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk them together just to combine.
- Add your butter cubes to the flour.
- Cut the butter using a pastry cutter into the flour mixture until various-sized crumbs appear.
- Add the cold water to the flour until a ball of dough forms. Remove the dough from the bowl and shape it into 3-4 round balls. Cover each ball tightly with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to rest.
PRO TIP: Start with ONLY a half of water and add more if you need it. Knead the dough quickly to bring it together. Don’t worry if there is any flour left in the bowl.
Roll Out the Pie Crust
- Roll out the dough on a floured work surface or clean counter until the pie dough is about 1/4-1/3 inch thick.
- Place the crust in your pie plate and bake or fill with fillings of your choice.
Tips for Making the Best Pie Crust Recipe
- Cold Butter, Cold Water, & Cold Hands: To make a FLAKY pie crust recipe, you must have super cold ingredients. Incredible pie dough requires cold everything. The air pockets that the cold crumbs of butter form in the flour are irresistible when they interact with the heat of the oven.
- Butter Getting Warm. If you sense it’s warming up as you work with it, then return the bowl to the fridge and let it cool back down. This may vary depending on the weather when you’re baking. The summertime can be a bit of an issue when it’s warmer in your home.
- Add Water Slowly. This ensures you get the right texture. You need just enough for the dough to moisten and come together. The water is also variable depending on the brand of flour you’re using and the temperature and moisture in the air.
- Avoid Overworking the Dough. Mix just long enough to form the dough. If you knead or handle it too much it can end up a bit tough rather than flaky and tender.
- Let the Dough Rest. Giving it time to rest in the fridge for about thirty minutes chills back down the butter but also allows the gluten time to relax so it rolls out easily and cooks up with the best texture.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Shortening In Place of Butter. If you prefer you can swap half or all of the butter and use shortening instead. This is a terrific option if you need to make a dairy-free crust. The shortening likely yields a nice tender and flaky crust but you will be missing the flavors the brings.
- Whole Wheat Pie Crust. I recommend substituting no more than half the all-purpose flour for whole wheat flour for the best outcome. For even better results you should use whole wheat pastry flour.
- Savory Crust. Leave out or reduce the sugar and add some chopped fresh herbs to the pie crust. this makes a great option for quiche or other savory pies.
- Incorporate Spices. I love this idea, especially for fall-inspired pies. Add any combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and spice blends to add a hint of warming spices to your crust.
- Add Some Citrus Zest: Orange, lemon, or lime will work depending on the type of pie you’re making.
How to Use a Flaky Pie Crust
- Use a Single Pie Crust. I love seasonal pies like this strawberry rhubarb pie, a brown sugar chess pie, or peppermint French silk pie.
- Use a Double Crust. Try this amazing fresh peach pie or apple pie.
- Great Pie Crust for Your Favorite Holiday Pies. From classics like pumpkin pie and pecan pie to more complex pies such as bourbon pecan pie.
- Make Some Mini Pies. I love these strawberry hand pies or blueberry hand pies.
How to Store Pie Crust
Make sure to wrap your pie dough up tightly in plastic wrap before storing it. If you’re freezing it, I highly recommend placing it inside a freezer bag as well for better protection. If your pie dough is cold it may be difficult to roll, so I suggest letting it sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes before rolling it out.
How long will a pie crust or pie dough last in the fridge?
Store it in the fridge for up to three days.
Can I freeze pie dough or a pie crust?
Yes, most definitely! You have two options when it comes to freezing it! You can make the dough ahead of time. Freeze the wrapped dough balls and then remove the night before you want to make your pie and thaw it out overnight in the fridge. Then you’re ready the next day to roll out your pie and bake it! Another option is to make your pie crust and then freeze it until you’re ready to use. It’s a bit fragile so for this method it’s essential that you have a container that will protect it. I would also avoid stacking other items on top of it. Pie dough will last up to three months in the freezer while I don’t recommend freezing a pie crust for more than a month.
Frequently Asked Questions
To be honest, making a flaky pie crust isn’t as difficult or time-consuming as you may think. But the real reason why is that there is absolutely nothing like it when it comes to taste. So I hope you will try making it! I know there are times when you’re busy and may need to take some shortcuts in order to cut down on additional work in the kitchen. I get it! In those instances, refrigerated pie dough from the grocery store can be your best friend in a pinch.
You can but I don’t recommend it. Many recipes call for using one but I am a bit old-fashioned when it comes to pie crust and really find a pastry cutter or two forks the best method. It’s the best way to end up with a variety of different sizes of butter throughout the pie crust. The food processor can sometimes create butter pieces that are too small which means your crust may not be as flaky. I can’t imagine what my big mama would think if I pulled out a food processor for pie dough. I love a little bit of hustle in the kitchen. It makes me feel like I am doing something.
The most important tip is to make sure all your ingredients are cold! Butter and water should be cold. After it’s mixed make sure the dough stays cold. It’s the key to a flaky and tender pie crust.
Up your pie baking level this year with my perfect pie crust recipe! Mixing it takes just minutes and the recipe uses simple, easy-to-find ingredients. Even if you’re new to baking, it’s a breeze to prepare. Give it a try and see what I’m talking about!
More Baking Basic Recipes and Tips
- Baking Tips For Beginners
- Tips for High Altitude Baking
- Egg Substitutes in Baking
- How to Make a Graham Cracker Crust
- American Buttercream Recipe
- How to Make Perfect Pizza Dough
How To Make A Pie Crust (All-Butter Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup very cold unsalted butter, cut in cubes 2 sticks
- ½-⅔ cup very cold water
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, add flour, sugar and salt and whisk together to combine.
- Next add your butter cubes to flour and using your pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until various sized crumbs appear.
- Slowly add the cold water into the flour until a ball of dough forms. Start with 1/2 cup and add more water if you need it. Knead the dough quickly to bring it together. Don’t worry if there is any flour left in the bowl.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, cut into 3 or 4 sections and round into balls. Cover each ball tightly with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes to rest. If you want to freeze the additional balls, this is a great time or you can roll out into pie plates and freeze.
- Remove dough from fridge and add a bit of flour to a working surface or clean counter and place dough on it. Using a rolling pin, quickly roll dough out to about 1/4-1/3 inch thickness and place in your pie plate. Decorate according to your preference, bake and fill with fillings of your choice.
Video
Notes
- Cold Butter, Cold Water, & Cold Hands: To make a FLAKY pie crust recipe, you must have super cold ingredients. Incredible pie dough requires cold everything. The air pockets that the cold crumbs of butter form in the flour are irresistible when it interacts with the heat of the oven.
- Butter Getting Warm. If you sense it’s warming up as you work with it, then return the bowl to the fridge and let it cool back down. This may vary depending on the weather when you’re baking. The summertime can be a bit of an issue when it’s warmer in your home.
- Add Water Slowly. This ensures you get the right texture. You need just enough for the dough to moisten and come together. The water is also variable depending on the brand of flour you’re using and also the temperature and moister in the air.
- Avoid Over Working the Dough. Mix just long enough to form dough. If you knead or handle it too much it can end up a bit tough rather than flaky and tender.
- Let the Dough Rest. Giving it time to rest in the fridge for about thirty minutes chills back down the butter but also allows the gluten time to relax so it rolls out easily and cooks up with the best texture.
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How do you prevent the butter from oozing out of the pie crust when blind baking? I’ve refrigerated the dough for 1-2 hrs before rolling then another hour with the dough lined pie dish. I follow the recipe as written but even freezing the dough lined pie dish has resulted in the butter oozing out worse creating a hard unuseable pie crust regardless. Please help
My go to pie crust recipe! Absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much!!
Do you have to prick holes in the bottom of crust before baking?
I love this pie crust. It is easy to make and holds up so well with whatever filling you choose. After 45 years of baking, this is officially my favorite crust recipe. I love its flavor and flakiness.
What type of butter do you typically use when baking?
Unsalted for baking
This is the first homemade pie crust recipe I used that turned out perfect ! Flaky and delicious. My pumpkin pie is sooo good . Next up is the sweet potato pie. Thanks for sharing this recipe..
Hi what brand of FLOUR are you using
I use a typical all purpose flour that you can find in any grocery store. No need to do anything totally special here.
For your pie crust on the all-purpose flour do you use bleach or not bleach flower
How many pie shells does this make ?
It makes between 2 to 3 depending on how deep your ie plate is.
Made the peach cobbler a couple of days ago and used already made pie shells. It turned out Great!!! Tonight making the pie crust from your recipe. Hope it turns out as good!!!
I’ve made this pie dough recipe 3 times (about to do it a 4th!) and I will never go back to store bought pie crust. Thank you for making this easy to understand and recreate!