The Best Pie Crust

Why I Love to Make My Own Pie Crust

Pie has gone from being the quintessential American dessert to a lost art. I believe that this is mostly due to many people being scared of pie crust. I hear so many people say how much work it is and how hard it can be to perfect. The crust is an important part, but a truly amazing pie is one where the crust doesn’t take center stage. Instead, it balances the filling perfectly, being not too sweet but oh so flaky.

This recipe is just that: the best pie crust. Slightly sweetened and with the perfect mix of ingredients, science takes over. During baking, the crust becomes oh-so flaky and tender. As a bonus, this is a cinch to make and rolls out like a breeze!

Here’s why this pie crust recipe is the best:

• Uses pantry ingredients that are easy to find.
• Buttery and flaky with the perfect structure.
• Rolls out smoothly, which means there’s no cracking or tearing.
• Freezer-friendly for make-ahead ease. I have a pie crust in my freezer most of the time!
• Perfect for fruit, custard, or even cream pies.

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Pie Crust Ingredients

Each ingredient in pie crust matters, so here’s why I use what I do:

• All-purpose flour – The sturdy base of the dough, giving it structure while staying tender.
• Granulated sugar – Just a touch to balance the flavors (the sweetness should come from the filling!).
• Kosher salt – Brings out the buttery flavor and balances the sugar.
• Unsalted butter – Cold and cubed, it adds rich flavor and helps create those flaky layers.
• Ice water – Keeps the dough cold so the butter stays solid until it goes into the oven.

The full amount of each ingredient can be found in the recipe card below.

How to Make This Pie Crust Recipe

A few simple steps make for a perfect recipe of pie dough:

Combine dry ingredients – In a food processor or large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt.

Add cubed butter – Pulse (or cut in by hand) until the mixture looks like coarse meal, with some larger butter pieces about the size of peas or bigger. These uneven bits are what give the crust its flakiness.

Add ice water gradually – Start with a few tablespoons and pulse or stir until the dough just starts to hold together when pressed. Don’t overmix—it should be shaggy and slightly crumbly, but cohesive.

Form into a disc – Pour the dough onto plastic wrap. Use the wrap to gently press it together into a round, flat disc. Don’t knead—this isn’t bread dough!

Chill briefly – Pop the wrapped dough in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Just long enough to firm it up, but not so long that it gets hard and cracks when rolling.

Roll it out – Flour your surface and rolling pin generously. Roll from the center out, rotating the dough as you go to keep a round shape. You’re aiming for a circle about 4 inches wider than your pie plate.

Transfer with care – Gently roll the dough onto your rolling pin, then unroll it over the pie plate. Don’t stretch the dough. Instead, lift and let it naturally fall into the corners.

Create a thick edge – For that big, beautiful crimp, don’t trim off the excess. Instead, fold it under itself all around the rim to create a thick, even edge.

Crimp it – Use your thumb and forefinger on one hand and the knuckle of your index finger on the other to press in and form big waves. For smaller crimps, just reverse your fingers.

Now the crust is ready to be used however you want.

Recipe Tips

• Start with cold ingredients – Cut your butter into cubes and keep it in the fridge or freezer while prepping the rest. You want everything cold so the fat stays solid until baking—that’s what creates the flaky texture of the crust.
• Measure flour correctly – Scoop and sweep your flour to avoid packing in too much. Too much flour means a tough crust. If you prefer, weigh it for precision.
• Visible butter means flaky layers – Don’t overmix! You want to see those butter streaks in the dough, and it is a good thing, not a sign for worry.
• Use a straight rolling pin rather than a tapered one – A straight pin helps keep the dough even.
• Use a glass pie plate – It conducts heat evenly and lets you take a peek at the bottom.

Recipes To Use With This Crust

If you’re looking for the perfect pie recipe to use with this crust, then I have you covered. Here are just a few of my favorite pie recipes that require this crust recipe:

• Classic apple pie – also make sure to check out my guide for the best apples for baking
• The perfect peach pie
• Oatmeal nut pie
• Butterscotch pie
• Blueberry pie with streusel topping
• Rhubarb pie

The Best Pie Crust

By Kaleb

4.33 from 111 votes

Mastering the best pie crust isn’t about perfection; it’s about technique. These tips will help you roll, shape, and bake the flakiest, most reliable crust every time.

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 0 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tsp granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 tsp kosher salt
• ▢ 10 tbsp (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter cut into ¼-inch pieces and par frozen (see note)
• ▢ 5-6 tbsp water ice cold

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Instructions 

• Prepare the dough: In a food processor, place flour, sugar, and salt. Pulse just to combine dry ingredients. Sprinkle the butter pieces over the dry ingredients and pulse to form a very coarse cornmeal-like mixture. Transfer to a mixing bowl and sprinkle with water. Mix to combine. The dough will still be crumbly. Pour onto parchment or plastic wrap. Using the wrap, pull up the sides to create a cohesive dough. Form a disk and pat it into a flat round. Chill for 15-20 minutes.
  1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 2 tsp granulated sugar, 1 tsp kosher salt, 10 tbsp (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter, 5-6 tbsp water
• Roll out the dough to fit a 9-inch pie pan. If the dough becomes too soft, place it back in the refrigerator to chill. Fill with your desired pie filling and bake according to the recipe.

Notes

If you want to fully bake the crust, preheat the oven to 375°F. Line the chilled crust with parchment and weights, filling up the interior of the shell (or dried beans as weights). Bake with weights until the outer crust is set, 15-20 minutes. Remove the parchment and weights, dock the crust, and continue to bake until the inside crust is golden, 20-25 minutes.

If you prefer to use some vegetable shortening in your crust, replace 4 tbsp of the butter with vegetable shortening.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 servingCalories: 222 kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment below!

Styling: Addelyn Evans | Photography: Dera Burreson