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.

Pie Crust Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.

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.

homemade pie crust ingredients to make pie crust recipe butter

How to Make Homemade Pie Crust in 4 Easy Steps:

  1. Measure flour correctly then in a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar and salt.
  2. Add COLD diced butter and pulse until coarse crumbs and some pea-sized pieces form.
  3. Add 7 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.
  4. 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 make homemade pie crust with or without a food processor

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 to line the pie dish. Tuck excess dough underneath itself to make a thick double layered edge (no waste!).

How to Roll and transfer pie dough

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.

What if my Pie Dough is Too Hard?

Refrigerating the pie dough for longer than an hour will cause it to firm up since it is butter based. Let it rest at room temperature for 10-20 minutes or until it is easy to roll out with a rolling pin.

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 425˚F and bake for 17 minutes until golden at the edges. Remove pie weights, prick the bottom of the crust all over with a fork and place back in the oven without weights for 5 minutes or until golden and the bottom is dried out.

3. Remove beans and let crust cool to room temperature.

How to Pre-Bake Pie Crust or Blindbake

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.

How to Flute a Pie Rim for fluted pie crust tutorial

*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:

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!

Thank you so much for subscribing! We are so excited to have over 300K subscribers on Youtube and it’s growing fast.

Natasha's Kitchen Cookbook

Easy Pie Crust Recipe

4.97 from 792 votes
Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com
How to Make homemade 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.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients 

Servings: 12 people (makes 2 single or 1 double crust)

Ingredients for Butter Pie Crust Dough Recipe:

Instructions

  • 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 7 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.

Nutrition Per Serving

232kcal Calories20g Carbs2g Protein15g Fat9g Saturated Fat40mg Cholesterol99mg Sodium32mg Potassium470IU Vitamin A8mg Calcium1.2mg Iron
Nutrition Facts
Easy Pie Crust Recipe
Amount per Serving
Calories
232
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
15
g
23
%
Saturated Fat
 
9
g
56
%
Cholesterol
 
40
mg
13
%
Sodium
 
99
mg
4
%
Potassium
 
32
mg
1
%
Carbohydrates
 
20
g
7
%
Protein
 
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
 
470
IU
9
%
Calcium
 
8
mg
1
%
Iron
 
1.2
mg
7
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, French
Keyword: pie crust recipe
Skill Level: Easy
Cost to Make: $
Calories: 232

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!!

Natasha Kravchuk

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

Read more posts by Natasha

Leave a Comment

Recipe Rating




Comments

  • Debbie Craig
    November 25, 2019

    Natasha…I want to be sure I understand that I would make the entire apple pie and place in the freezer if I want to prepare in advance for Thanksgiving. I should let it reach room temperature before backing. Is that correct?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 25, 2019

      Yes it is best to freeze before baking vs after if you plan on doing that. Freezing after will cause the dough to be tougher.

      Reply

  • Aracely
    November 24, 2019

    I would love to make this apple pie for thanksgiving. Can the dough be made a day before and be refrigerated for more then an hour?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      November 24, 2019

      Hi Aracely, yes you can make it even a couple of days ahead, just let it sit at room temperature for about 30 min to an hour or until it is easy to roll out. The butter in the dough will need to soften a bit or it will be difficult to roll.

      Reply

  • Brenda
    November 20, 2019

    I followed the recipe exactly it was hard as a rock when removed from frig, impossible to roll out just crumbled into pieces, had to throw it away!

    Reply

    • Natasha
      November 20, 2019

      Hi Brenda, no – don’t toss it! It sounds like it was refrigerated too long. If it is firm when you remove it from the refrigerator, simply let it sit at room temperature for a little while until it softens enough to roll out.

      Reply

  • Che-vonne
    November 20, 2019

    can I use this dough to make a pie then freeze the pie and cook it on thanksgiving? thank you

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 20, 2019

      Hi Che-vonne, Yes it is best to freeze before baking vs after if you plan on doing that. Freezing after will cause the dough to be tougher.

      Reply

  • Donna
    November 16, 2019

    Hi Natasha
    If i want to make multiple pies can i freeze them? And is better to freeze them cooked or uncooked? Thank you

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 16, 2019

      Hi Donna, Yes it is best to freeze before baking vs after if you plan on doing that. Freezing after will cause the dough to be tougher.

      Reply

    • Joe w
      January 13, 2020

      How long do you cook it for? I did 1.5 times the recipe and am planning to make a large shepherds pie using all the dough.

      Reply

  • Janie Marie Beckworth
    November 11, 2019

    Easiest pie crust recipe ever! This is only my second “from scratch” crust, but was so easy that I don’t think I’ll ever buy store bought again. I made this crust for a pumpkin pie last night and the whole family loved it! Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 11, 2019

      I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!

      Reply

  • SUE
    November 10, 2019

    Hello! I just watched your pie crust video and was so inspired by how easy you made it look (hopefully!) that I will finally (at age 64) make it for T-Day. Of course, it will be accompanied by your recipe for the scrumptious apple pie with filling. Due to health concerns, I have successfully used Splenda to replace white sugar in pie fillings, but are wondering if you’ve ever tried to use Splenda in the pie crust recipe?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 11, 2019

      Hi Sue, I haven’t tested that to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe

      Reply

  • Loubna
    November 9, 2019

    Hello. Can we replace the butter for a non dairy product?

    Reply

    • Natasha
      November 9, 2019

      Hi Loubna, I haven’t experimented with shortening in this specific recipe so I’m not sure what other modifications would need to be made. You might look for a shortening pie crust instead. I wish I could be more helpful with your question.

      Reply

  • Nivaaz Dhillon
    November 6, 2019

    How long should this bake for? dont want to burn it

    Reply

  • CARLOS HBROOK
    November 3, 2019

    I LOVE a good apple pie, but I love it in an alamode with a cinnamon sauce over it. Have you ever tried that….?
    Carrow’s restaurant used to have this when they were around….loved it….
    I love to cook n bake…..

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 4, 2019

      I’m so happy to hear that, Carlos!

      Reply

      • Anna
        January 1, 2020

        Natasha thank for this recipe, I saw the video an it doesn’t look difficult so it will be my next project. Only a suggestion, may I ask you to put the ingredients by weight?

        Reply

        • Natasha
          January 1, 2020

          Hi Anna, if you click “metric” in the print-friendly recipe card, you will see the metric weight measurements. I hope that helps!

          Reply

  • Olga
    November 2, 2019

    Hey,natasha. Thanks so much for this recipe. The other day I made the pie it was so good,the dough is so simple to make. I’m for sure going to use only this recipe. God bless you natasha.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      November 2, 2019

      I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!

      Reply

  • Olga
    October 30, 2019

    Hey,Natasha. How long do u wait to start rolling out the dough? Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    Reply

    • CT
      November 4, 2019

      1 hour ( I kept the dough in fridge )

      Reply

  • Mike McClellan
    October 27, 2019

    Hi Natasha,

    Would this be something that could be made and kept rolled up and on hand in the refrigerator until needed?

    I sometimes get the hankering to make a Chicken Pot Pie or something and don’t have the extra time needed to chill the dough before using it.

    I’m just wondering how long ahead of time it could be made and still turn out well?

    Thanks,
    Mike

    Reply

    • Natasha
      October 28, 2019

      Hi Mike, yes this does refrigerate well. I usually keep it refrigerated as a disk until needed and it does work well for savory pies as well. It refrigerates well for about 3 days.

      Reply

  • becky jumps
    October 26, 2019

    Natasha, I am trying your apple pie recipe tomorrow but wondering if instead of lattice I can put a full crust on top? My crusts are made and in the refrigerator…

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 26, 2019

      Hi Becky! I don’t see why not. Be sure to cut a few slits on top.

      Reply

  • Victoria Morris
    October 26, 2019

    Hi Natasha,
    Love watching your videos on FACEBOOK. I am always hungery before, during and after seeing you having sooo much fun cooking!!!! Cooking is my also my passion.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 26, 2019

      Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.

      Reply

      • samantha
        March 19, 2020

        we dont care

        lol jk jk jk jk

        Reply

  • Shirlin Rodrigues
    October 26, 2019

    Hey natasha, can we use this pie crust to make mince pie?

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 26, 2019

      Hi Shirlin, I haven’t tested that with this pie crust but I imagine it should work! If you experiment please let me know how you like this recipe.

      Reply

  • Angela
    October 24, 2019

    how could I replace a food processor? to something else.

    Reply

    • Natasha
      October 24, 2019

      Hi Angela, yes, I did this with a pastry blender the other day. Blend in the butter until you see pea-sized crumbles then add 6-8 Tbsp of ice-cold water (put ice cubes in a cup with water and measure out the water from there). Fold with a spatula between each Tablespoon of water added. It works really well!

      Reply

  • Vince
    October 22, 2019

    Hi Natasha!

    I used this recipe to make fruit filled empanadas! The recipe is so easy to follow and so easy to make! Each batch makes about 4 dozen 4 inch empanadas!
    Thank you so much for putting this recipe out there, I am very grateful!

    V

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 22, 2019

      That’s a great idea, Vince! Thank you for sharing that with me.

      Reply

  • Edie
    October 7, 2019

    Good morning from sunny Las Vegas. I recently bought a 9” springform pan and would love to make a deep dish “anything” in it. If making a meat pie or quiche should I use a short bread pastry dough or your pie crust? Also, would your two crust recipe be enough to cover the pan if I were to make a dessert in it? Thanks for any advice you can give me.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      October 7, 2019

      Hi Edie, I haven’t tested that in a 9″ pan but I think it could work. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe

      Reply

  • Linda
    September 20, 2019

    I would like to try your pie crust recipe. Am wondering if there is any change to the recipe for high altitude? I live in Colorado at 5,403 altitude.

    Reply

    • Natashas Kitchen
      September 20, 2019

      Hi Linda, pies general bake well at high altitudes but I have not tested that my self to advise. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe

      Reply

As Featured On

Never Go "Hangry" Again!

Get weekly updates on new recipes, exclusive giveaways plus behind the scenes photos.