Homemade Pie Crust Recipe

An easy, fool-proof way to make the Best Homemade Pie Crust recipe ever. Just a couple of minutes in the food processor and you have buttery, flakey, perfect dough for all your favorite pie recipes.

Let’s talk about pie. I know there’s a big push for pie in the summer but to be perfectly honest…unless it’s a no bake version like this Chocolate Mousse Pie…I really have no desire to fire up the oven in the dead of summer.

But regardless, most pies start with a buttery pie crust that’s flaky, light and crisp. And your search is over for the BEST pie crust recipe because this one is definitely it. This Homemade Pie Crust is tried and true. I’ve been making it for over 20 years (gasp!) and there really is no other crust that’s as good or as easy as this one.

Flaky Pie Crust

I’ve always been intimidated by making pies because the crust seemed so temperamental but this easy food processor pie crust is nothing short of magical. 

The all butter crust dough comes together in seconds and is perfectly flaky every single time. You can even make the dough in advance and freeze it for pie emergencies. 

Plus, this pie crust recipe is the perfect recipe for both savory and sweet pies. I use this as my pie crust for chicken pot pie by, simply, leaving out the sugar when I’m combining the ingredients.

Ingredients You Will Need

I’m willing to be you have everything you need right now to make this easy pie crust recipe.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Flour – I use a standard all-purpose flour for my dough. I try to find a high quality AP flour because they, generally, have a higher protein content. If you want a Gluten-Free pie crust, you can easily swap out the AP flour for your favorite gluten-free flour. Try to go with a brand that has a 1:1 replacement for AP Flour.
• Sugar – There’s a debate on the sugar used here but if I’m making a sweet pie, I like to add a bit of sugar. You can definitely leave it out if you’re in the “pie crust shouldn’t be sweet” camp. If you do use the sugar called for here, a simple granulated sugar is all that is needed.
• Kosher Salt – The salt called for here is to bring out the flavor of the dough. 
• Fat – AKA…butter. Unsalted butter here and it needs to be chilled before adding to the food processor. I love an all butter pie crust because of it’s simplicity and the fact that butter makes the pie crust flaky and light the way it should be. Butter contains water which creates steam which creates all those wonderful flaky layers you want in a pie crust. I’ve tried to get the same results using shortening and lard but shortening fell flat on it’s own. Lard is just hard to find. The end.
• Water – Ice water is necessary to pull all the ingredients together and it must be iced so it doesn’t melt the butter. You want the butter to be in chunks because that’s the science behind the flakes.

How To Make Pie Crust From Scratch

Homemade Pie Crust is super flaky because I put a teensy bit of butter in it…..OK, 2 1/2 sticks to be exact. And I add a smidge of sugar to give it a hint of sweetness….and I make the whole thing in the food processor because once upon a time…laziness prevailed and it, actually, worked out to my advantage.

It’s so easy to make:

Add your dry ingredients to the bowl of your food processor and pulse a few times.

Add the butter to the bowl, lid it up again and pulse until pea size crumbles begin to form.

Stream in the water and process until a ball forms.

Dump the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and form into a ball.

Divide the ball into two even pieces and form into a disk. Wrap each in plastic and store in the fridge for 1 hour or up to 3 days.

You can even wrap the dough again in foil and freeze making pie baking a breeze!

How To Roll Out Pie Crust

When you’re ready to whip up a pie, unwrap your dough and roll out onto a lightly floured surface. When rolling dough out, always start from the center and work your way out in all directions, turning the dough as you go.

Roll the dough out to a 12 inch round circle (this will fit a 9-inch standard pie plate). Roll the dough up around your rolling pin.

Then place the dough over the pie plate and roll it out so it gently falls into the plate.

How To Blind Bake

If you’re ready to make a pie at this point, you may need to blind bake a pie crust before you fill it to bake the final product. 

Here’s how to do it:

Arrange your pie crust in a pie plate and press it gently into the plate being sure there’s enough left hanging over the edge of the pie plate. 

Trim and crimp your dough around the top of the plate. 

Gently prick the dough with a fork all over the bottom and sides.

Line your dough with parchment and fill with dry beans or pie weights.

Bake at 375˚F for 10-15 minutes or until it begins to turn color around the edges.

Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature before filling with your favorite pie filling.

Best Pies To Bake

Now that you have your pie dough ready to go, these are a few of our favorite pies to make with it!

This easy Apple Pie is an all time favorite and was the catalyst to creating the BEST pie crust recipe. A must try with those freshly picked apples!

Mostly no bake, this Haupia Pie is a chocolatey dream come true in a buttery crust.

My all time favorite to bake in the spring, this Fresh Strawberry Pie is magically refreshing.

Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie…..need I say more?

Don’t miss this Deep Dish Pumpkin Pie, you may need to use the whole recipe because it’s baked in a deep dish pie plate.

And for something savory….this Skillet Chicken Pot Pie is simply amazing.

Crimp…don’t crimp….fill…don’t fill….do whatever you want with your dough by following your favorite pie recipe. Personally, I like to make a lattice apple pie because it’s so easy and impressive looking but you do you here.

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