Pie Crust Recipe

Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full listing of ingredients, instructions, notes, and estimated nutritional information.

• All-purpose flour
• Butter (cold) – cut into cubes
• Shortening (cold) – cut into cubes
• Salt – enhances the flavor of the pie dough
• Ice cold water – helps the ingredients to come together to make the pie dough. I use ice cubes in the water so it’s as cold as possible.

TIP: Make sure the butter and shortening are COLD, and you are using ice-cold water! Cold fats work to make the flakiest pie crust! If the butter or shortening is too warm before the pie dough goes into the hot oven, it can lose its flaky texture and result in a tough, greasy crust instead of a light, tender, and flaky one!

How to Make Homemade Pie Crust Recipe

Prep. Butter a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.

Prepare the pie dough. In a large bowl, combine the all-purpose flour and salt. Cut in butter and shortening with a pastry cutter or two forks until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, coarse crumbs, or has pea-sized pieces of butter and shortening.

Add ice water. Gradually add enough ice-cold water (a tablespoon at a time) while mixing with a wooden spoon until a ball of dough is formed.

Transfer the dough to the pie plate. Remove the bottom piece of the plastic wrap, fold the dough over and lay it across the pie plate, and remove the top piece of the plastic wrap. Press the pie dough lightly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Crimp the top edges.

Chill the pie dough. Cover the pie plate with a piece of plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to overnight to chill. By freezing the fat in the pie dough, the crust will be flakier when baked, even more so than if you chill the pie dough in the refrigerator.

Fill and bake. Then, fill your pie dough with your chosen sweet or savory pie filling and bake it according to the pie recipe.

Bake and Serve. After baking your chosen pie according to that recipe, cool as instructed, then slice and serve. You’ll love how tender, flaky, and buttery it is!

Why Use Both Butter and Shortening in Pie Crust?

I love to use BOTH, as you’ve seen me describe! Here are some benefits of using both butter and shortening in your pie crust:

1. Shortening – The shortening helps it to be super flaky, tender, and sturdy. It also helps the crust be somewhat flexible as you roll and shape the dough and hold its shape as it bakes in high heat.
2. Butter – The butter gives it a delicious flavor and flaky texture! While an all-butter crust is delicious, it may not hold its shape as well as a shortening/butter crust.
3. Combination of Butter and Shortening – This produces a delicious, flaky, yet perfectly sturdy crust for even heavier pie fillings. It’s how my grandmother made pie crusts for decades, and I love this method for my crusts too!

How to Make All Butter Pie Crust

Use 1/2 cup of butter plus a bit more to butter your pie plate. Omit the shortening from the recipe.

How to Make Gluten-Free Pie Crust

Simply substitute with your favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour. There are so many great options for all-purpose gluten-free baking flour now. I love to use Bob Red Mill’s Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour.

Making the Dough by Hand or Food Processor?

Some people swear by a food processor for making pie dough, others use a pastry cutter, while my Grandmother only used two forks. I have used all methods but use my pastry cutter most often. It’s so easy – any of these methods you prefer works!

How to Make Pie Crust with a Food Processor

• Add flour, butter, shortening, and salt to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
• Pulse 8 to 10 times to combine the flour mixture until the butter and shortening are the size of peas.
• Add the ice water, a tablespoon at a time, through the feed tube and pulse to combine. Repeat until the pie dough begins to form a ball.
• Remove the pie dough ball from the food processor and proceed with the recipe as instructed.

How to Blind Bake Pie Crust

If you are making a pie that requires a pre-baked crust, once you have transferred the pie dough to the pie plate, use a fork and lightly prick the bottom and sides of the pie crust.

• Top the pie dough with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and bake for about 8 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Remove the pie weights to use again, and discard the foil or parchment paper.

How to Make a Double-Crust Pie

If you are making a pie that needs a double crust, like my apple pie or turkey pot pie, double the recipe for pie crust. As mentioned, place the bottom crust on the pie plate and freeze. Roll out the second or top pie crust dough and put it onto a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Then, place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes up to overnight.

To bake, preheat the oven according to the pie’s recipe directions. Remove the pie plate from the freezer and add the pie filling. Remove the top pie crust from the refrigerator and place on top of the pie filling. Cut slits into the top crust to allow for steam to escape as the pie bakes. Bake according to the recipe instructions.

How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust

If you are making a pie that needs a lattice pie crust, like my peach pie, double the recipe for pie crust. As mentioned, place the bottom crust on the pie plate and freeze. Roll out the second or top pie crust dough and cut into 1-inch slices. Place the slices onto a piece of parchment paper on a baking sheet. Then place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes up to overnight.

To bake, preheat the oven according to the recipe directions. Remove the pie plate from the freezer and add the pie filling. Remove the pie crust dough strips from the refrigerator and place them on top of the pie filling in a woven pattern to form a lattice topping. Bake according to the recipe instructions.

Pie Crust Troubleshooting 101

What to Do When Pie Dough is Dry

When made by hand, each time you add a tablespoon of water, squeeze a tiny bit of the dough between your fingers to see if it holds together. If it does, test another small piece that isn’t as visibly moist. If it does not hold together, continue to add ice-cold water by the tablespoon.

What to Do When Pie Crust is Tough

Overmixing will cause your crust to be tough. Only mix your butter and shortening into the flour mixture until the fats are about the size of peas at the smallest. Then, when adding the ice-cold water, stir until the flour mixture holds together as described in the notes if your pie dough is dry.

What to Do When Pie Crust is Not Flaky

I specifically call for cold butter, cold shortening, and ice-cold water to help make the crust flaky. Freezing it for 30 minutes before adding the filling for baking also allows for the flakiest crust!

The Perfect Crust Every Time

I’ve tested this perfect pie crust recipe so many times over the years and know this recipe works with all pie fillings I’ve tried and can be made by hand fairly quickly. It always provides a flavorful, flaky pie crust sturdy enough for heavy pie fillings.

In other words, this is the perfect pie crust and the only recipe you’ll ever really need. It is perfect for sweet, custard, fruit, and savory pies.

Be sure to watch us make this easy recipe in the video below.

Frequently Asked Questions