This Homemade Pie Crust Recipe is tender, buttery, and flaky. Find all the tips & tricks on how to make pie crust from scratch, whether you’re making it with a food processor or by hand. The recipe includes step-by-step photos and lots of tips.
Learn How to Make Pie Crust From Scratch
A good butter pie crust recipe always comes in handy! And the good news is that it’s easier to make than you can imagine.
At the request of many, today, I’m sharing my go-to all-butter pie crust recipe. I’ve included all my tips and tricks for the best pie crust, whether you’re making it with a food processor or by hand.
This pie crust recipe is buttery, flaky, tender, and tastes delicious!
Once you learn how to make pie crust from scratch, you’ll never buy the store version again.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Pie Crust From Scratch
Ingredients Notes & Substitutions
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
- Flour: Standard all-purpose flour works best here; skip the cake flour, bread flour, and wheat flour.
- Sugar: Regular white granulated sugar o caster sugar.
- Salt: I recommend kosher or sea salt. If you only have table salt handy, I recommend reducing the amount to half.
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter, but if you only have salted butter handy, you can use it. In this case, skip the salt called in the recipe. Make sure your butter is super cold. Cold butter is the key to flaky texture.
- Iced water: It’s very important to use very cold water because it helps to improve flakiness and structure. Since it helps to keep the fat (butter) cold, if the fat melts before it makes it to the oven, it’s absorbed into the flour, and you’ll have a hard, crunchy, and greasy crust instead of a beautifully tender, flaky crust.
Step By Step Recipe Photo Tutorial
Please check the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions (scroll down).
Step 1 – Make the Dough
Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine.
Add chilled butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps.
Slowly add iced water until the dough just barely begins to cling together.
Step 2 – Chill the Dough
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gather dough together, form one or two disks depending if you are making a single or double recipe, wrap with plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.
Step 3 – Roll Out the Chilled Pie Dough
After the chilling time, place dough on a floured surface, roll to 1/4″ thick, and place into a pie dish, crimping edges.
Step 4 – Chill Again!
Refrigerate for 30 minutes, and then proceed with the pie per your recipe’s instructions.
What Is Next?
For a double-crust fruit pie, such as apple pie, usually, the filling goes directly into a chilled dough-lined pie dish.
For a single-crust pie, such as eggless pumpkin pie, eggless coconut cream pie, egg-free sweet potato pie, or eggless pecan pie, I usually blind-bake the crust before adding the filling. This prevents the bottom crust from becoming soggy.
How To Blind Bake Pie Crust
- Line the chilled pie shell with a double layer of parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Fill the pie with pie weights (about 1 quart / 950 gr). Note: 2 packs of pie weights might definitely be needed! Alternatively, you can use dry beans or rice. Make sure you fill the pie dish all the way to the top.
- Bake at 400º F (200º C) for 15 – 18 minutes, or until the edges are set and just beginning to turn golden.
- Carefully remove the pie crust from the oven. Remove weights and paper, prick the bottom with a fork, and return the crust to the oven to continue baking until golden and crisp, 5 – 10 minutes. If you notice that the edges of the crust are browning too much, cover them with foil or use a pie shield.
Homemade Pie Crust Pro Tips
Use ice-cold water. To ensure your water is super cold, fill a glass with 1/2 cup of water, and add ice.
Substitute 1 tablespoon of iced water with 1 tablespoon of cold apple cider vinegar for an extra flaky crust.
Use cold butter. I like to cube my butter and freeze it for 15-20 minutes before making the dough.
Chill the pie dough for at least 2 hours before rolling out.
Storing & Freezing Instructions
Refrigerate the pie dough in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Make sure to cover the pie dough with plastic wrap and then chill or freeze. If frozen, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using it in your pie recipe.
Make Ahead Instructions
Prepare the pie dough through step 4 and freeze the discs for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using it in your pie recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can! Read the recipe card for detailed instructions.
Yes, you can make pie dough ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it. Refrigerate the pie dough in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. If you froze it, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking.
The best egg wash substitute is made by mixing 2 tablespoons of whole milk with 1 tablespoon of maple syrup.
I like to use these pie crust shields. Alternatively, you can also cut a piece of foil a bit longer than the diameter of your pie dish, then fold it in half and gently wrap it around the edge of your pie.
Eggless Pie Recipes You’ll Love!
- Easy Eggless Key Lime Pie
- Easy Eggless Pecan Pie
- No-Bake Eggless Chocolate Cream Pie
- Easy Eggless Pumpkin Pie
- Easy Eggless Sweet Potato Pie
- Eggless Coconut Cream Pie
Recipe Card 📖
How to Make Pie Crust from Scratch
Equipment
Ingredients
Single Crust:
- 1 1/4 cup (175 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (12 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) kosher salt
- 9 tablespoons (126 g) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
- 4 tablespoons (60 ml) iced water
Double Crust:
- 2 1/2 cups (350 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons (24 g) sugar
- 1 teaspoon (4 g) kosher salt
- 18 tablespoons (252 g) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
- 8 tablespoons (120 ml) iced water
Instructions
Food Processor:
- Place flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse to combine.
- Add chilled butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps.
- Slowly add iced water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Pulse once or twice after each addition until the dough just barely begins to hold together. Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, pulsing until incorporated, then test again. Do not overwork the dough, or it will be tough.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gather dough together, form one or two disks depending if you are making a single or double recipe, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill, at least 2 hours up to 5 days.
- After the chilling time, place dough on a floured surface, roll to 1/4" thick, and place into a pie dish, crimping edges.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes and then proceed with the pie per your recipe’s instructions.
By Hand:
- Place the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Mix to combine.
- Add the cold butter. Use a pastry cutter (or two forks) to cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps.
- Drizzle the iced water in, 1 tablespoon at a time, and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon after each addition until the dough just barely begins to hold together. Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stir until incorporated, then test again. Do not overwork the dough, or it will be tough.
- Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface. Gather dough together, form one or two disks depending if you are making a single or double recipe, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill, at least 2 hours up to 5 days.
- After the chilling time, place dough on a floured surface, roll to 1/4" thick, and place into a pie dish, crimping edges.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes and then proceed with the pie per your recipe’s instructions.
To Blind Bake Pie Crust:
- Line chilled pie shell with a double layer of parchment paper or aluminum foil.
- Fill the pie with pie weights (about 1 quart / 950 gr).
- Bake at 400º F (200º C) for 15 – 18 minutes, or until the edges are set and just beginning to turn golden. Carefully, remove the pie crust from the oven. Remove weights and paper, prick the bottom with a fork, and return the crust to the oven to continue baking until golden and crisp, 5 – 10 minutes.
- Substitute 1 tablespoon of ice water for 1 tablespoon of cold apple cider vinegar for an extra flaky crust.
- Use ice-cold water. Fill a glass with 1/2 cup of water, and add ice.
- Use cold butter. I like to cube my butter and freeze it for 15-20 minutes before making the dough.
- Chill the pie dough for at least 2 hours before rolling out.
Nutrition
Eggless Baking Frequently Asked Questions
You’ve asked, and I’ve answered! Read on for a handful of answers to the most frequently asked questions about eggless baking.
Originally posted in November 2020, the post content was edited to add more helpful information, with no change to the recipe in July 2022.
