This easy pie crust recipe is the perfect base for a variety of delicious pies, tarts, and quiches. With just a few key ingredients and a few simple instructions, you can make a delicious flaky pie crust that will be the talk of your next dinner party.
Contents
🌟 Why this recipe works
This easy pie crust recipe is the perfect starting point for all of your favorite pie recipes. The base of this recipe contains just 5 ingredients, including all-purpose flour, sugar, sea salt, cold butter, and ice water - all of which you likely have in your kitchen pantry.
It's unsurprisingly straightforward to make a delicious buttery, flaky pie crust - and will be no problem for any home cook. The key to making the best pie crust is using cold butter and water to help create the flaky layers.
The buttery, flaky texture of the homemade pie crust is irresistible and is far better than any shop-bought pie crust you can buy! And this recipe is so easy to prepare that it is almost foolproof.
You can use this butter pie crust in savory dishes like chicken pot pie and quiche or sweet pies like pumpkin pie or apple pie.
Whether you decide to use this pie crust in a sweet or savory dish, you will be sure to impress your dinner guests with the flaky deliciousness you have created.
🍽 Key Ingredients
With just a few ingredients and minimal prep work, you can create the most amazing homemade pie dough.
Flour - For the best texture, go for all-purpose flour. Measure the flour out correctly using a kitchen scale or measuring cups for accurate results.
Sugar - Using sugar in a pie crust recipe helps to bring out the flavor and sweetness of your pie.
Salt - The salt helps to enhance the flavor of the crust, making it even more delicious.
Unsalted butter - It is very important to use cold butter when making this pie crust, and make sure it is diced into ¼" pieces.
Ice Water - This is the key to making a flaky crust.
Substitutions
If you need to substitute one of these ingredients, here are some options:
Flour
You can use a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour for a more nutty flavor.
Sugar
You can opt not to use sugar if you want or use a tablespoon of honey instead for sweet pie recipes.
Butter
If you're using salted butter for this recipe, you won't need to add the ½ teaspoon of salt.
🔪 How to make pie crust
Making this all-butter pie crust is surprisingly simple and straightforward - anyone can do it! All you need to do is combine the key ingredients together and prepare the dough. With a few simple steps, you can have a delicious and flaky homemade pie crust in no time.
Preparations
- Cut the butter into small pieces and refrigerate them.
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor/pastry blender and pulse a few times to combine.
Step 2
Add the butter to the flour and pulse the mixture until coarse crumbs form with some pea-sized pieces, then stop mixing. The mixture should remain dry and powdery.
Step 3
Add 7 tablespoons of cold water and pulse just until moist clumps or small balls form. Press a piece of dough between your fingertips, and if the dough sticks together, it's good. If not, add another tablespoon or two until the.
Step 4
Transfer the pie dough to a clean work surface and form it into a ball. Cut the dough in half and flatten them into 2 discs. Cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to chill.
Step 5
Remove them from the fridge and roll the bottom crust out to cover your pie plate or pie pan. Pour the pie filling inside and cover with the rolled-out top crust, pinching the tips of the bottom and top dough together to enclose the pie.
💭 Cooking tips
Refrigerated butter
For best results when making pie crust, always cut and refrigerate the butter before adding it to the flour.
Overnight cooling
If you have prepared the pie dough the day before, give the cold dough a few minutes to rest out of the fridge before rolling it.
Making pie dough by hand
Don't worry if you don't have a pastry blender or food processor to make this pie dough recipe. You can easily prepare the dough in a large bowl and use your fingertips or pastry cutter to mix the butter into the flour.
Chill after rolling
If you have rolled out the dough, refrigerate it for 15 minutes until firm before using. This will help to keep the shape of your dough while baking.
📖 Recipe Variations
Now that you know how easy it is to make pie recipes at home, try some of these variations to add additional flavor to your pie recipes.
Chocolate pie crust
For a chocolaty pie crust flavor, add ½ cup of cacao powder to the dry ingredients.
Cream cheese pie crust
Swap half of the cold butter for cold cream cheese and mix with the remaining butter to create a cream cheese-flavored crust. The texture will be slightly softer than usual, as cream cheese has a creamy texture. For best results, cut the cream cheese into small pieces and freeze them for 30 minutes.
Matcha pie crust
For a vibrant green-colored crust, add 1 tablespoon of matcha powder to the dry ingredients. This will give the pie crust a subtle earthy flavor.
🥗 What to serve with
Now that you're ready to use your favorite new tender, flaky and buttery pie crust, you're gonna need a tasty recipe to fill it and bake it! Try one of these top-rated recipes that start with a homemade pastry crust:
Sweet pies
Use your freshly-made pie crust with a winter-warming pumpkin pie, a smooth spiced sweet potato pie, a luscious Bourbon maple pecan pie, or a Jack Daniels pumpkin pie with oat streusel and maple whiskey whipped cream.
Savory pies
For a savory pie, there's nothing better than a classic beef pot pie or chicken pot pie. You can also make the chicken pot pie recipe in soup from with this chicken pot pie soup recipe, and if you want something cheesy to go with the cream cheese pie crust, try our irresistible Cheeseburger pie.
No matter what type of pie you are making, your homemade crust will be sure to take it to the next level!
🙋 Frequently asked questions
Are pie crusts better with butter or shortening?
Although shortening will help to create a flaky crust, butter is overall the best fat for creating a flavorful and delicious crust. Butter has a higher fat content that helps to create tender layers and gives the crust its distinct buttery flavor.
Can I use this pie dough to make a lattice pie?
Yes, this pie dough is perfect for making lattice pies. To make a lattice top, roll out the pastry dough to about ¼" thickness, trim it into strips and weave them together on top of the filling. Trim off any excess pastry and press the edges to seal.
How to blind-bake pie crust?
To blind-bake the pie dough, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the dough with parchment paper and fill it with dry beans or pie weights. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the parchment paper and beans or pie weights and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
🧊 Storing
This pie crust recipe is perfect for refrigerating and freezing.
Fridge - This pie dough can be stored in the fridge and wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 days. When ready to use, let the dough soften slightly at room temperature before rolling it out.
Freezing - The unbaked dough can also be wrapped tightly in plastic and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw the frozen pie dough at room temperature for 15-20 minutes before using.
🍳 Related recipes
If you're looking for more delicious recipes to use your homemade pie crust with, check out our list of 35 best pumpkin desserts that are perfect for the fall season. Or if you love baking and need more inspiration, check out our 37 fun things to bake! You can never have too many options when it comes to baking.
👪 Serving size
This pie crust is enough for 2 9-inch single-crust pies or 1 double-crust pie. It also yields about 12 mini tart shells. For larger pies, double the recipe.
As you have seen, this pie dough is the perfect base for all kinds of sweet and savory pies. With minimal ingredients needed and easy instructions to follow, you can make a delicious homemade pie crust in no time. Whether you bake a classic beef pot pie or a sweet potato pie, you can guarantee a delicious result with this recipe.
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Try one of my comfort dinner recipes for your next family meal! And if you have any questions, I'm here to help!
📋 Recipe
Easy Pie Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 2½ cups All-purpose flour
- ½ tablespoon Granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon Sea salt
- ½ pound unsalted butter - Cold - (2 sticks) diced into ¼" pieces
- 7 tablespoon Ice water - (7 to 8 Tbsp)
Instructions
- Cut the butter into small pieces and refrigerate them.
- Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor/pastry blender and pulse a few times to combine.
- Add the butter to the flour and pulse the mixture until coarse crumbs form with some pea-sized pieces, then stop mixing. The mixture should remain dry and powdery.
- Add 7 tablespoons of cold water and pulse just until moist clumps or small balls form. Press a piece of dough between your fingertips, and if the dough sticks together, it's good. If not, add another tablespoon or two until the.
- Transfer the pie dough to a clean work surface and form it into a ball. Cut the dough in half and flatten them into 2 discs.
- Cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour to chill.
- Remove them from the fridge and roll the bottom crust out to cover your pie plate or pie pan. Pour the pie filling inside and cover with the rolled-out top crust, pinching the tips of the bottom and top dough together to enclose the pie.
Eva Hill
I love reading how to do your recipes they are great thanks
Admin
Happy to hear the "how to" is very helpful for you Eva! Thanks.
Jean R.N.
Turned out very well with these easy to follow instructions. The 2 pies we made were delicious!
Admin
Awesome! Thanks for your sharing Jean.