Easy Pie Crust Recipe (VIDEO)
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.
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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) ;). Watch the VIDEO tutorial below and you will be a pro in no time!
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
Watch How to Make Butter Pie Crust:
See Natasha make her go-to pie crust recipe. If you enjoy our videos, please subscribe to our cooking channel on Youtube and click the bell icon so you will be the first to know when we post a new video!
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Easy Pie Crust Recipe
Ingredients
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)
Instructions
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Place flour, sugar and salt into the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
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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.
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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.
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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.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
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!!
natashaskitchen
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I was always intimidated by making homemade pie crust. I’ve always made my own fillings and used store bought and they’ve been good. But I asked myself, why wouldn’t you want to at least try? I went on Google and searched out this recipe and it seemed easy. So glad I found this recipe! It is easy to put together and the addition of the small amount of sugar makes all the difference in the taste of this crust! It’s ever so lightly sweet and butter and comes out with a wonderful texture! Flaky and buttery! And the best thing is you chill for about 30 minutes and it’s good to go! The dough is so easy to roll out too! I’ve already used it 3 times already! It will now be my go to crust! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!!💗
Hi Yvette, I am so happy you loved the crust recipe! Thank you for the wonderful and thoughtful review!
my homemade pop tarts turned out perfect thanks to this pie dough recipe! super easy!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Hi Natasha!!!
Can I use this pie crust for quiche,
How good does it work for tarts ..
Thanks
Hi Amal! I haven’t tested that but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe
Hi Natasha,
I love your pie crust recipe. I’m making it again as we speak! I’m replying to this question because I use it almost exclusively for savory things. I have used it for pot pie (what I’m making it for tonight), and I also use it for quiche. I just omit the sugar for those and it turns out perfect every time. Thanks for a great recipe!
That’s so great Susan! Thank you for sharing that with us!
Wow! You did an incredible job with this recipe! It’s delicious! My entire family loved it, I’ll try to make this weekend, hope it’ll good :)). Thanks so much for this Natasha!
That’s so great, Monica! It sounds like you have a new family favorite! 🙂
Sorry! I misread your recipe…thought it was cups of butter, but it was pounds. Carry on 🤷♀️
No Problem, Karen! 🙂
Can regular butter be used?
Hi Leticia, I use unsalted butter for baking not only because I can control the salt content but salted butter has additional moisture in it compared to unsalted. I think this would still work with salted butter but you would want to omit the salt. I hope you love this pie crust recipe!
hi..i dont see any baking powder added…Why is that?
Thanks.
Hi Vasiti! this pie crust, like most, doesn’t need to rise 🙂 I hope you love this recipe!
Hello Natasha, This pie dough sounds easy enough to make. I do, however, have one question. When you are using the food processor, are you using the cutting blades or another dough attachment?
Hi David, I was using the cutting blades to make the pie crust dough.
HI NATASHA,
Thank you for the pie crust recipe. I’ll be ‘giving it a go’
However, I noted at another site, that the suggestion was made to use Apple Cider Vinegar to ensure that gluten is not developed in the crust
What do you reckon?
Hi Daz, I haven’t experimented with that myself. It sounds like it would be used to aid in that however without experimenting and researching that I cannot advise.
Natasha, thank you for your amazing website. I wish I’d found it sooner!
Regarding the pie crust – I’d like to make it today and use it in a week. Can it be frozen for future use, and if so could you tell me how?
Hi Sarah! I’m so happy you discovered our blog!! Yes, pie crust can be frozen, we recommend freezing it in the shape of a pie pan so that you can simply toss it right in the oven when ready.
Hi! I’m very excited to try this recipe, as I have tried recipes from your website in the past and absolutely love them. I was wondering if the pie crust comes out thick or thin, since I wanted to make a thicker pie crust, so I wasn’t sure if I should double the recipe or not (i’m making apple pie)
Hi Ruthy, I would say it’s in between – not too thin and not too thick 🙂 I used it to make this blueberry pie.
HI GUYS,
I watched another site which suggested rolling the pie crust to a thickness of between 1/16th-1/8th inch
However, I like Natasha’s recipe as I think an old bloke like me can cope!
Would this crust work for pumpkin pie, if so does it have to be blind baked before adding pumpkin filling.
Hi Susana, I can’t believe I haven’t tested it yet, but I do think this should work for pumpkin pie and I should be ok not to pre-bake it, but juts to put the filling in the pie pan and bake together. If you experiment, let me know how it goes. Now I’m craving homemade pumpkin pie like crazy! 🙂
Hi, Natasha i did make pumpkin pie with your all butter crust and it came out great better than store bought crust thanks for sharing.
I also made your mini cheesecake with caramel sauce and they are amazing.
Wow! That’s so great! Thank you for sharing that with me!
Hi Natasha, can a handmixer be used instead of a food processor? And for how long would you say it’s okay to refrigerate the crust?
Love your recipes, cooking with you for 3 years now 🙂
Hi Natalia, a hand mixer will make it much more likely to overmix. The butter should be cut into the flour so it is best to use either a food processor or a pastry cutter.
Any suggestions as to what I can use in place of the granulated sugar?
Hi Cristina, I honestly haven’t tried any substitutions but savory pies are often made with the same dough just omitting the sugar altogether. It will still work as a savory pie dough if you omit the sugar 🙂
Hi, not sure if this has been asked. Would this pie crust work for just about any pie recipe? I’m asking because some recipes for pies may have different directions for temperature and time. Thanks 🙂
Hi Alena! Mostly yes! This dough could actually be used in savory pies. The sweetness is hardly detectable but you could cut it down to 1 tsp or even 1/2 tsp for a savory pie.
Hi! I love to bake pies, how long do bake your fruit pies in ceramic pie dish. The bottom of crust is undercooked with baking temp instructions so what I do is bake it for extra 10 mins at 350 degrees. I do cover the top with aluminum foil so it doesn’t get too brown. Please advise!
Thanks,
Jean
Hi Jean! We baked this pie here in a ceramic pie dish at 375 degrees for 50-50 minutes and it came out perfect! How long were you baking it for before adding on that extra ten minutes?
I baked it at 450 degrees for 10 minutes bottom rack than moved it up to middle rack at 350 for 40-45 minutes.
I tried this pie recently. It was very yummy! I didn’t use any lemon zest and I’m glad bc it was a bit to tart as it was. Otherwise wonderful! The crust was so good!!!! My mom just kept saying the crust was good!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that, Taleah! Thank you for your feedback.
hi natasha! I am using this recipe to make pumpkin pie! However, the filling recipe uses a pre baked crust and says to heat the over to 425 and then bring it down to 350. should I do the same with this crust? thanks!
Hi Avery! We have pre baking instructions in the recipe I recommend checking there. here is a snip bit of that “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.” I hope this helps
Could you please give the recipe in the metric system..don’t understand 2 sticks of butter..is that like 500grams?..thanks.
Hi Grace. We have a metric system option located at the bottom of the print version. 🙂 2 sticks would be 226.8 g
Perfect recipe👍🏻I’m so happy it’s above my expectation
Thanks Natasha I tried your deserts and all turned out to be 👌
Hi Alia! Thank you so much for sharing that with me!
Hi Natasha! I see where you answered Rachael on July 16, regarding using salted butter. You said to ‘pay attention when adding the cream’……did you mean the ice water? I’m wondering if I’ve missed something in the recipe?
Love your recipes, by the way!
Hi Cathy, yes you are correct – I meant to say water. I corrected my reply to clarify. Thanks for asking! 🙂
Can I use this recipe for a chicken pie?
Hi Jean, this dough could actually be used in savory pies. The sweetness is hardly detectable but you could cut it down to 1 tsp or even 1/2 tsp for a savory pie.
Thanks Natasha, I love your recipes and the way you cook!
I would like to try a pecan pie recipe using your crust. The recipe calls for the pie to be baked 45-60 minutes. Is that bake time too long for this pie crust?
Thank you.
I don’t see why it would be Jenny. We’ve used this for many of our pies and it seemed fine. Watch it closely if you’re concerned and please let us know how it turns out! 🙂
Hi Natasha – I only have salted butter at the moment. Would you suggest leaving out the 1/2 tsp sea salt? Thank you!
Hi Rachel, Salted butter not only has salt in it, but also extra moisture compared to unsalted butter so keep an eye on it when you are adding the water but that should work with omitting the salt 🙂
Thank you!! It turned out great, but will be sure to grab unsalted butter next time at the store 😉
That’s so great! I’m happy it worked out for you!
funny question but how do you make the berry thing inside pie???????????????
Hi Sally. Are you talking about the filling? We have several pie recipes you can try like these to give you an idea of what kind of fillings to use: Perfect Peach Pie –
Plum Pie –
Apple Pie –
I am anxious to try this pastry. I think even I could handle that one. Thanks. Do you have a pastry that could be used for meat or savoury pies. Carol
Hi Carol, this dough could actually be used in savory pies. The sweetness is hardly detectable but you could cut it down to 1 tsp or even 1/2 tsp for a savory pie.
Can I used a blender instead of a food processor to make the dough?
Hi Yelena, it won’t work as well in a blender because there is higher risk of creaming the butter into the dough where it works best if you cut the butter into the dough to form crumbs. A handheld pastry cutter like this one will work really well for making homemade pie crust.
Hi Natasha, thanks for sharing this all-butter pie crust recipe, Will definitely give it a try. Have always love your style of baking and cooking, Have a great day and weekend ahead Natasha.
Thanks again, Faridah! Have a great weekend as well!
Thank you for sharing this ll-butter pie crust recipe Natasha. I always find it challenging doing an all-butter crust especially so if i want to do decorative tops. This is because we have a tropical climate here and i had to pop the dough in the chiller as it gets soft rather fast. Will definitely want to give your recipe a try. Have a great day and a great weekend ahead!
Thank you so much for following our blog and trying our recipes, Faridah! We appreciate your kind review!
Hello Natasha,
Now, I have been following you for over a year and I have made quite a few of your recipes and each one has been OMG! But I had to stop and say ” Thank You” for posting this recipe, I have always made my crusts with shortening and I will say it is a lot of work. However this recipe is a real winner simple and quick. I also wanted to add that your warm and funny personality is just radiant. Thank you for your straight forward and to the point instructions and for being a fantastic cook and sharing your tips and recipes with the world!
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Briana :). I’m all smiles! Thank you for the wonderful review!
Oh please, your recipes are way better than Martha Stewart’s!
Thanks for this easy tutorial.
Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Jenny!
Hi Natasha,
I would like to make an apple pie with a sweet shortcrust pastry.
Do you have any suggestions?
I Carmen, shortcrust pastry will have more of a shortbread cookie texture and can be a little more difficult to handle which is why it is usually used to make smaller desserts. If it does break while transferring, you might need to patch it which is doable. I found a helpful article which covers the pros/cons of using shortcrust pastry. I hope this helps!
Thank you for sharing this. I always struggle with pie crusts and this recipe sounds simple and straight forward – which is what I really love about all of your recipes. Most importantly, everything you share is delicious!
Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Marty!