✔ Updated · food processor and by-hand methods + full blind-baking steps
My easy pie crust makes a flaky, all-butter crust from five pantry ingredients: flour, sugar, salt, cold butter and ice water. One batch makes a double-crust pie or two single crusts, by hand or in a food processor.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Keep everything cold and stop mixing while you can still see pea-size bits of butter. Those bits turn to steam in the oven and make the layers flaky.
Why You'll Love This Pie Crust
- Five ingredients, no shortening, and plenty of rich butter flavor.
- Flaky and forgiving, with clear cues for exactly how much water to add.
- Make-ahead friendly: the dough keeps 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
What You Need for a Basic Pie Crust
- All-purpose flour: gives the crust its structure. Spoon it into the cup and level it, or weigh 315 grams.
- Sugar: just 1 1/2 teaspoons for a hint of sweetness and better browning. Leave it out for savory pies if you like.
- Salt: balances the butter and flour. Use 3/4 teaspoon if you only have salted butter.
- Cold unsalted butter: the source of flavor and flakiness. Cold pieces melt in the oven and release steam that separates the dough into layers.
- Ice water: binds the dough while keeping the butter cold. Measure from a glass of water with ice, without the ice cubes.
Food Processor or By Hand?
A food processor is the fastest route, and it is how I make mine: pulse the dry ingredients, pulse in the butter in short bursts, then drizzle in the water and pulse just until the dough starts to clump. The whole dough takes about 5 minutes. Watch closely, since it is easy to overprocess.
By hand, a pastry blender or two knives does the same job (my mum always used two knives) in about 10 minutes and gives more control over the butter pieces. Either way, the dough should look shaggy and hold together when squeezed, not form a smooth ball in the bowl.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Keep it cold. Use butter straight from the fridge and ice water. On a warm day, chill the cubed butter and even the bowl for 10 minutes first.
- Leave visible butter. Stop cutting in the butter while pea-size pieces remain. Fully blended butter gives a mealy, crumbly crust instead of a flaky one.
- Add water gradually. Flour absorbs differently from day to day. The dough is ready when a squeezed handful holds together without feeling wet or sticky.
- Rest the dough twice. Chill the disks before rolling and the shaped shell before baking. Resting relaxes the gluten so the crust shrinks less.
- Don't stretch it into the dish. Lift and ease the dough into the corners. Stretched dough pulls back in the oven.
- Shield the edges. If the rim browns before the filling is done, cover it with strips of foil or a pie shield.
Easy All-Butter Pie Crust
16
slices (two 9-inch crusts)15
minutes175
kcal1
hour45
minutesAn easy, flaky all-butter pie crust made with flour, a little sugar, salt, cold butter and ice water. Makes two 9-inch crusts, for one double-crust pie or two single-crust pies, by hand or in a food processor, with blind-baking steps for custard and cream pies.
Ingredients
- Dough
2 1/2 cups (315 g) all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup (226 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (2 sticks)
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
- For Blind Baking (Optional)
parchment paper and pie weights, dried beans or rice
Directions
- Make the Dough
- Whisk the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl, or pulse them 3 times in a food processor.
- Add the cold butter cubes. Cut them in with a pastry blender or two knives, or pulse 8 to 10 times in the processor, until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs with some pea-size pieces of butter left.
- Drizzle in 6 tablespoons of ice water and toss with a fork (or pulse) just until the dough holds together when squeezed. Add up to 2 more tablespoons, 1 tablespoon at a time, only if it is still dry and crumbly.
- Turn the dough out, divide it in half and press each half into a flat 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 3 days.
- Roll and Shape
- Let a chilled disk sit for 5 minutes, then roll it on a lightly floured surface into a 12-inch circle about 1/8 inch thick, turning it a quarter turn every few rolls.
- Roll the dough loosely around the rolling pin and unroll it over a 9-inch pie dish. Ease it into the corners without stretching, trim to a 1/2-inch overhang, fold the edge under and crimp or flute it. Chill the shell for 30 minutes.
- Blind Bake (for Custard, Cream or No-Bake Fillings)
- Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Prick the bottom of the chilled shell with a fork, line it with parchment and fill it to the rim with pie weights, dried beans or rice.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then lift out the parchment and weights. For a partially baked crust, bake 5 minutes more; for a fully baked crust, bake 12 to 15 minutes more, until deep golden. Cool before filling. For fruit pies, skip blind baking and fill, top and bake as your pie recipe directs.
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Video
Pie Crust Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Dough too crumbly to roll | Too little water | Sprinkle in ice water 1 teaspoon at a time and press together gently. |
| Dough sticky or greasy | Too much water or warm butter | Chill for 20 to 30 minutes and dust the surface and pin lightly with flour. |
| Dough cracks when rolling | Too cold straight from the fridge | Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then roll; pinch small cracks closed. |
| Crust shrinks in the oven | Overworked, stretched or not rested | Handle gently, don't stretch it into the dish and chill the shell 30 minutes. |
| Crust tough, not flaky | Overmixed dough or too much flour | Mix only until it holds together and use little flour when rolling. |
| Soggy bottom | Wet filling in an unbaked shell | Blind bake for custard and cream pies and bake on a lower oven rack. |
| Edges burn before filling is done | Thin rim exposed too long | Cover the edge with foil strips or a pie shield partway through. |
Storing and Freezing Pie Dough
- Refrigerator: wrapped dough disks keep for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: wrap the disks in plastic wrap and then foil or a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Freeze a shaped shell: freeze it in the pie dish until firm, then wrap well. Blind bake straight from frozen, adding a few minutes.
- Baked crust: a blind-baked shell keeps, covered, at room temperature for 1 day before filling.
Pies to Make with This Crust
- Fruit pies: fill it with our homemade apple pie filling, or try the copycat McDonald's apple pie.
- Custard pies: blind bake the shell for a copycat Costco pumpkin pie.
- Savory pies: use it for quiche or chicken pot pie; see our savory pies roundup.
- Crustless options: short on time? The impossible coconut pie and Bisquick impossible quiche make their own crust.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the easiest pie crust to make?
An all-butter crust made in a food processor is one of the easiest: pulse flour, sugar and salt, pulse in cold butter, then add ice water until the dough clumps. It takes about 5 minutes of hands-on time. A press-in crumb crust is even simpler, but it is only for no-bake or custard-style pies.
Do I need a food processor to make pie crust?
No. A pastry blender, two knives or your fingertips work well. Work quickly so the butter stays cold, and stop while pea-size pieces of butter are still visible. Making it by hand also makes it easier to see when the dough has just enough water.
Why did my pie crust shrink?
Shrinking usually comes from overworked dough, stretching the dough into the dish, or skipping the rest. Handle it gently, ease it into the dish without pulling, and chill the shaped shell for 30 minutes before baking. Pie weights during blind baking also help it hold its shape.
When should I blind bake a pie crust?
Blind bake the crust for custard, cream, pumpkin or no-bake fillings, and for quiche, so the bottom bakes through instead of turning soggy. Fruit pies and double-crust pies usually go into the oven raw with the filling, following the pie recipe.
Can I make pie dough ahead and freeze it?
Yes. Wrapped disks keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator, then let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature before rolling so it doesn't crack.
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