Easy Pie Crust Recipe

This homemade pie crust recipe yields a flaky tender crust with rich buttery flavor. It has simple, natural ingredients and uses only butter (NO SHORTENING). Also, learn how to form a fluted pie rim and “blind bake” or pre-bake pie crust.

This pie dough recipe yields 2 single crusts or 1 double crust. Homemade pies are irresistibly delicious. I’ve never been satisfied with a store-bought pie the same way. The taste and texture of an all-butter pie crust can’t be beat and knowing what went into it will make you feel like ‘Martha Stewart’ (or should I say ‘Natasha’s Kitchen’… I couldn’t resist)

We included Amazon affiliate links below to our favorite tools for making pie dough!

Ingredients for Butter Pie Crust Dough:

It doesn’t get any easier than this and you probably already have everything you need to make homemade pie dough: Flour, sugar, salt, butter and water. The butter should be chilled straight out of the fridge so you don’t have to plan ahead to make pie dough.

How to Make Homemade Pie Crust in 4 Easy Steps:

In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar and salt.
Add COLD diced butter and pulse until coarse crumbs and some pea-sized pieces form.
Add 6 Tbsp ice water and pulse just until moist clumps/ small balls of dough form. Pinch a piece of dough between your fingers and if it sticks together, it’s done. If not add more ice water 1 tsp at a time.
Transfer dough to a clean work surface, and gather together into a ball. Resist the urge to knead the dough – it should not be smooth. Divide dough in half and flatten into 2 disks. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour before using.

Cook’s Tip: Do not add too much water or it will be sticky and difficult to roll.

How to Roll and Transfer Pie Dough:

Dust work surface with flour and roll a single crust into a 12″ circle. Wrap your pie dough around your rolling pin. If it sticks to the work surface use a food scraper or spatula to loosen it as you go.

Carefully transfer crust to 9″ pie dish and unroll it into the pan. Gently press dough down down to line the pie dish. Tuck excess dough underneath itself to make a thick double layered edge (no waste!).

Do I need a Food Processor to Make Pie Dough?

You can use a pastry cutter to cut the butter into the flour/sugar/salt mixture by hand. Follow the same cues for when to add the water. After water is added, use a spatula to cut the water into the dough until evenly moistened.

Can I make Pie Dough in Advance?

You can prepare the crust and refrigerate up to 3 days ahead. Soften slightly at room temperature before rolling it out.

To freeze pie dough: wrap and seal airtight then freeze up to 3 months. Thaw completely prior to rolling.

How to Pre-bake Pie Crust (Blindbake):

Some recipes call for a pre-baked pie crust and this is how you blind bake:

1. Form your edge. The easiest methods are crimping the rim by pushing all around the edge with a fork, or forming a fluted rim (see tutorial below). Place pie crust in the freezer 30 minutes which will help the crust bake more evenly without sliding down.

2. Line the center with a 9-10″ ring of parchment paper and fill about 2/3 full with pie weights (*see below). Preheat oven to 375˚F and bake for 20 minutes. Remove pie weights, prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork and place back in the oven without weights for 15 minutes or until golden.

How to Flute a Pie Crust:

To form a fluted pie rim, hold your thumb and index finger an inch apart on the outside edge of the crust and press between them with the index finger of the other hand. Move around the edges of the pan repeating the motion to create a fluted rim.

*What Can I use Instead of Pie Weights?

When you pre-bake an empty crust a.k.a. “blind-bake,” the dough tends to puff up and rise. Using pie weights solves this problem. Here are some alternative to store-bought pie weights.

Dry Raw Beans – beans should not be used for cooking following a blind bake but can be re-used to blind bake pie crust.
Dry Raw Rice – If using rice, it becomes toasted and can be used for cooking in pilaf recipes after it is use to prebake a pie crust

Pie Recipes to Explore:

Perfect Peach Pie – So juicy good and strikingly beautiful
Plum Pie – with an unexpected crust that couldn’t be easier!
Apple Pie – this pie is epic, just take a peek inside
How to Make a Lattice Pie– it’s surprisingly easy

Easy Pie Crust Recipe

This homemade pie crust dough recipe yields a flaky tender crust with rich buttery flavor. This recipe uses only butter (NO SHORTENING) so it is all natural.

Ingredients for Butter Pie Crust Dough Recipe:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more to dust, *measured correctly)
1/2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 lb COLD unsalted butter ((2 sticks) diced into 1/4" pieces)
6 Tbsp ice water ((6 to 7 Tbsp))

Place flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
Add cold diced butter and pulse the mixture until coarse crumbs form with some pea-sized pieces then stop mixing. Mixture should remain dry and powdery.
Add 6 Tbsp ice water and pulse just until moist clumps or small balls form. Press a piece of dough between your finger tips and if the dough sticks together, you have added enough water. If not, add more water a teaspoon full at a time. Be careful not to add too much water or the dough will be sticky and difficult to roll out.
Transfer dough to a clean work surface, and gather dough together into a ball (it should not be smooth and DO NOT knead the dough). Divide dough in half and flatten to form 2 disks. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour before using in recipes that call for pie crust.

This recipe was adapted from the Joy of Cooking and The Bon Appetit Cookbook. They are both amazing general reference books that I have had in my kitchen for years. Highly recommend!

Now go forth and make homemade pie. You can DO THIS!!

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