Easy Homemade Pie Crust

This recipe for Easy Homemade Pie Crust requires only 4 simple ingredients (and that includes water). Making a flaky, buttery pie crust from scratch is incredibly easy to do at home!

If you have never tried making your own pie crust, it might surprise you to find out just how easy it actually is! No need to be intimidated by the process at all, you have come to the right place! This recipe for homemade pie crust is my go-to and never fails me.

Oh, and it only requires 4 ingredients to make and one of them is water! It really doesn’t get much simpler than that.

I like to use my food processor to make homemade pie crust but if you don’t have one, don’t fret. I have included instructions on how you can make it without one.

Top view of a pie crust with crimped edges and vent holes cut into the center.

Whatever method you use, you will end up with a flaky, buttery pie crust that is flavourful and perfect for filling with a variety of delicious fillings!

Whether making a sweet or savoury pie, this pie crust is the perfect vessel for a variety of delicious fillings. Some of my favourite pies that I use this recipe for homemade pie crust with is my Classic Apple Pie, Turkey & Leek Pie and Chicken Pot Pie.

Turkey and Leek Pie sliced with a creamy filling of turkey and vegetables

All-Butter Pie Crust vs. Shortening

This easy homemade pie crust recipe makes an all-butter pie crust. I use all-butter simply because it makes the most delicious pie crust in my opinion. For me, taste is king. To a lesser degree, another reason I choose butter is because I try to avoid using highly processed foods and trans fats where I can. This is definitely one place I actually prefer the alternative- butter! So why not? Finally, butter is always in stock in our fridge whereas we rarely have shortening on hand. This means, I can whip up an all-butter crust on a moments notice.

You are free to replace some (e.g. half) of the butter in the recipe with shortening if you like, and I will explain the reasons for using both below. If you follow my method and try this crust though, I feel like you will be convinced all-butter is the way to go.

Why do people use shortening in their pie crusts? One of the main reasons is that shortening has a higher melting point. This helps the pie crust keeps its shape. It also makes pie crust more pliable so you can roll it out easier. It also produces a flakier texture.

While those are all good reasons to add some shortening, this all butter-pie crust recipe is still very flaky, tasty, and easy to roll out too.

Top pie crust laid over top of a pie.

Ingredients in my Easy Homemade Pie Crust

  • Flour: all purpose flour.

  • Salt: enhances flavour.

  • Butter: Cold and cubed. Opt for unsalted butter so that you can more easily control the salt levels in the pie crust. If you are using a salted butter, make sure it is not too salty and omit the additional salt in the recipe.

  • Water: Ice cold water is used to ensure the pie crust remains cold.

Ingredient amounts and full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.

The ingredients for homemade pie crust on a grey marble countertop.

Why is it important to keep your pie crust cold?

Temperature is very important when making pie crust. The last thing you want is for the butter to start melting before you bake your pie. This will affect the structure and texture of your pie and make it greasy and far less flaky.

It is very important that the butter in the pie dough is cold before popping it in the oven. The butter will then begin its melting process in the oven. As it melts, it will create tiny steam pockets in the pie crust. This will result in that flaky texture we all love in our pie crusts!

Keeping your pie dough cold will also prevent the dough from shrinking during baking.

How I Keep Pie Dough Cold:

  • I use cold butter in the recipe.

  • Ice cold water is used to form the pie dough.

  • I use a food processor to make quick work of forming the pie dough. This cuts down on the time needed to re-chill the dough. If you are using a pastry cutter or butter knives to cut in the butter this can take more time and allow more time for the butter to warm up. If that is the case, don’t worry, you can just pop the pie crust in the fridge for some chill time to bring the temperature back down.

  • Pop the pie dough in the fridge before rolling it out.

Basic Steps for Making Easy Homemade Pie Crust

Full instructions are in the recipe card at the end of this post.

1. Add the dry ingredients and butter to a food processor. Alternatively you can use a bowl and pastry cutter.

2. Process until they form a coarse meal.

3. Add water to form into a dough.

4. Transfer to a flat, lightly floured surface and bring together into a ball.

Photo collage showing the steps for making a pie dough in a food processor.

5. Separate dough into 2 portions. (This recipe makes 2 pie crusts)

6. Form dough into disks and refrigerate for 1 hour.

7. Roll out your pie crusts!

Photo collage showing how to form and roll out pie crust.

Tips for making the best pie crust

  • Add 1/2 a cup of water and then adjust if needed. To make this pie crust, I start by adding 1/2 cup of ice cold water to my food processor. After pulsing and judging whether the pie dough is starting to come together, I add more water as needed. I often end up using between 1/2 cup to 3/4 cups of ice water. Do not add 3/4 cups of water right off the bat. Over-hydrated pie dough will be sticky and difficult to work with. Under-hydrated dough will be crumbly.

  • Don’t overwork your dough. I use this tip in almost all of my baking recipes because it is an important one. As with all baking, over working your dough will prevent a tender texture. If you are using your food processor, pulse slowly and stop when the pie dough has formed.

  • Use a food processor if you have one. I love my food processor and always use it when making pie crust. It not only makes the whole process easier, but it is much quicker. This means I can make my pie crust nice and fast before the butter even has time to melt!

  • Chill your dough. As mentioned above, temperature is important when baking pie crust so its important to keep that butter cold to prevent premature melting. Chilling also allows time for the gluten to relax so it is more cooperative.

  • Protect your pie edges from burning. If your edges are browning too quickly, use a pie shield or aluminum foil to cover up your pie edges to prevent burning while the rest of the pie bakes.

  • Freeze extra pie dough. This recipe makes 2 pie crusts so if you are only using 1 for your pie, freeze the other pie crust! (See tips below)

  • Egg wash adds colour to your crust. Use an egg wash on your top pie crust to achieve a nice golden colour.
Prepared pie brushed with an egg wash.

Tips for baking this Easy Homemade Pie Crust

Pie crust is versatile and can be used in a variety of recipes including fruit pies, pot pies, and quiches. It can also be used for galettes and hand pies and so it is not surprising the baking times and instructions will vary depending on what you are using the dough for. Be sure to follow the instructions for whichever recipe you are making to ensure the best results.

Generally, I use these baking times for a standard size pie dish but you may need to adjust to suit your own needs.

Baking pie dough:

1. If you are making a filled pie using two pie doughs, after assembling your pie, seal the edges and cut vent holes into your pie. Bake it at 400F for about 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and the filling reaches the desired temperature. [Tip: use a pie shield or aluminum foil to prevent the edges from burning if they are browning too quickly. I also recommend brushing the top pie dough with an egg wash to create a nice golden colour.]

2. If you are partially or fully blind baking your pie crust (e.g. for quiches or pies which don’t require a cooked filling). Place the bottom pie crust in the pie plate and crimp the edges as desired. Pierce the bottom of the pie crust with a fork. Place a piece of parchment over the bottom and sides of the pie crust and use pie weights to hold it down. Alternatively, you can use dried beans instead. Place in the oven and bake it for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the pie weights and parchment (careful they will be hot). Fill the pie crust if you are doing so and return it to the oven for another 15-20 minutes or as needed. If fully blind baking, return the unfilled pie crust into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through.

A chicken pot pie topped with sprigs of thyme on a marble countertop.

Can you freeze Easy Homemade Pie Crust?

Pie crust lends itself well to freezing. Since this recipe makes two pie crusts, if you only need a bottom crust, you can go right ahead and freeze the other pie crust.

To do this, form the pie dough into a disk and cover it with plastic food wrap. Then place it into a freezer bag and pop in the freezer. When you are ready to use it, allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight.

Recipes you can make using this Easy Homemade Pie Crust:

Quiches:

Pot Pies:

Savoury galettes:

Fruit pies and sweet galettes:

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

-Cathy

Top view of a pie crust with crimped edges and vent holes cut into the center.

Easy Homemade Pie Crust

Catherine
This recipe for Easy Homemade Pie Crust requires only 4 simple ingredients (and that includes water). Making a flaky, buttery pie crust from scratch is incredibly easy to do at home!
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Chill Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 2 pie crusts

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 1/2 cups flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter cold cubed
  • 1/2 cup ice cold water (1/2 cup to 3/4 cups of water. Start with 1/2 cup and add as needed)

Instructions
 

  • To make the pie crust, add flour and salt in food processor. Add the cold butter and pulse it until it resembles coarse meal. [If you are not using a food processor, use a pastry cutter or two butter knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until you have small pea-sized crumbs.]
  • Add 1/2 cup of ice cold water and pulse a few times. The dough should be beginning to clump together. If it is not, slowly add more water and pulse until it begins to clump together into a dough.
  • Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide the dough in half. Form each half into a ball. Flatten down into disks. Cover the disks with plastic food wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  • Preheat oven to 400F or desired temperature. [Tip: Instructions for baking will vary depending on the recipe you are using this pie crust for. Be sure to follow the instructions for the recipe you are following as this can affect the temperature and baking instructions. I have included general instructions in the blog post above as a general guide.]
  • Using a floured rolling pin, roll the first disk out to be slightly larger than your pie dish. Carefully transfer onto pie plate and trim any excess dough.
  • If you are using two pie crusts, roll out the second pie crust using the same method as the first. If you do not need to use the second pie crust, see above for instructions on freezing pie dough.
  • Assemble and bake your pie according to the recipe you are using.

Note: Metric ingredient measurements are provided as a courtesy using a third-party calculator and are rounded to the nearest unit. The recipes provided on this site have not been tested with metric measurements and their accuracy cannot be verified.

The nutritional information provided is based on third-party calculations and is an estimate only. Accurate nutritional facts will vary based on the particular brands used, portion sizes, measurement accuracy and more.

Keyword pie crust
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