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    Home » Recipes » Desserts » Pies » Homemade Pie Crust Recipe

    Last updated: Aug 3, 2021 by Melissa Riker · 1 Comment

    Homemade Pie Crust Recipe

    Jump to Recipe
    Homemade Butter PIe Crust Recipe

    Making homemade pie crust is easier than you think, even without a food processor! With just three ingredients you can have from scratch pie crust in less than an hour!

    rolling out pie crust in flour

    Sometimes as a blogger you have to do hard things. Things like making an amazing pie three times in one week in order to make sure the pictures or video are just perfect. That was the case last week when I made this Chocolate Pecan Pie multiple times.

    In the original recipe, I used a premade pie shell to make the pie. By the time I got to the third pie, I was out of pie shells and didn't want to run to the store so I opted to make this homemade pie crust instead. I realized then that I had never shared the recipe on the blog which is a shame as it's so easy to make and requires only 3 ingredients.

    slice of Dutch apple pie on a white plate

    Ingredients

    • flour - choose all purpose flour for the easiest workability
    • salt - regular old run-of-the-mill table salt helps enhance the flavor of the crust
    • butter - butter makes the crust taste amazing and gives it that trademark flaky texture
    • ice water - the ice water helps pull the crust together, as you start your dough pour out a half cup of water and throw a few ice cubes into it to let it chill before you need it

    Step by step

    This is such an easy recipe!

    1. First, you will whisk the flour and salt together.
    2. Cut the cold butter into small cubes or pats and add to flour mixture.
    3. Next you will cut the butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or two knives until crumbly and well distributed. Pea-sized bits of butter will remain, this is okay!
    4. Add ice water to the mixture and stir well, adding little by little until the dough comes together. Once the dough comes together, begin working it with your hands. Add more water as necessary, a little at a time until the dough just holds together. Be careful not to add too much water at once.
    5. Form the dough into a ball then flatten into a disk. A quick chill for 30 minutes and you're ready to roll it out and use it to make a delicious from-scratch pie!

    How to transfer rolled out dough to pie dish

    There are a few methods for getting your pie dough to the pie dish intact:

    1. Use the rolling pin - carefully wrap dough around the rolling pin and transfer to the pie dish and unroll
    2. Use a silicone mat (silpat (affiliate link)) - I think this is the easiest and safest way to transfer pie crust, roll the dough out on the silpat (affiliate link) and place pie dish on top upside down, flip both the dish and the mat over to transfer the dough to the dish
    3. Folding - gently fold the dough in half, then in half again, transfer to the pie dish and unfold carefully

    Tips

    • This recipe makes one pie shell. Double if you're making a closed pie and need a crust for the top.
    • It's a very easy recipe, I would just caution that being mindful of temperature helps here. Use cold butter, not softened (you can even pop it in the freezer for 15 minutes before using it to help keep it very cold). Use ice water, not lukewarm. And finally, chilling the dough for thirty minutes before rolling it our gives it a better texture.

    FAQs

    Can I use room temperature butter?

    No. Quite simply you MUST use cold butter in this recipe. Using very cold butter ensures the butter melts as the crust is baking, not while you're preparing the dough.

    Can I make this pie crust with a food processor?

    You absolutely can make this recipe in the food processor but it is not required. I go old school and cut in my butter by hand with two knives. You can also use a fork or pastry cutter.

    Can I make the dough ahead of time?

    Yes! Make the dough up to the refrigeration step and wrap tightly for up to 4 days in the fridge.

    Can I freeze pie crust dough?

    This dough freezes very well. Wrap well with plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before rolling out.

    I use this pie crust in my Dutch Apple Pie, Homemade Sweet Potato Pie, Kentucky Derby Pie, and my Southern Pecan Pie. (It's not just sweets though, I also use this pie crust recipe in my homemade Chicken Pot Pie Recipe too!)

    If you try this recipe, please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!

    Print
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    rolling out pie crust dough

    Homemade Pie Crust Recipe

    ★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews
    • Author: Melissa Riker
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Total Time: 40 minutes
    • Yield: 8
    • Category: dessert
    • Method: baking
    • Cuisine: American
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Making homemade pie crust is easier than you think! With just three ingredients you can have from scratch pie crust in less than an hour!


    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
    • ½ teaspoon salt
    • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
    • ¼-½ cup ice water

    Instructions

    1. Whisk the flour and salt together.
    2. Cut butter into small cubes or pats and add to flour mixture.
    3. Use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut butter into flour mixture until crumbly and well distributed. Pea-sized bits of butter will remain, this is okay!
    4. Add ¼ cup of the ice water to the mixture and stir well. When dough comes together, begin working it with your hands. Add more water as necessary, a little at a time until the dough just holds together. Be careful not to add too much water at once.
    5. Form dough into a ball then flatten into a disk. Chill for 30 minutes before rolling out.

    Notes

    • This recipe makes one pie shell. Double if you're making a closed pie and need a crust for the top.
    • It's a very easy recipe, I would just caution that being mindful of temperature helps here. Use cold butter, not softened. Use ice water, not lukewarm. And finally, chilling the dough for thirty minutes before rolling it our gives it a better texture.

    Keywords: homemade pie crust

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag @thehappierhomemaker — we can't wait to see what you've made!

    I love this pie crust recipe. While I'm not against using premade crusts and do so quite often, I never regret the extra time taken when I make my pie crust from scratch! Do you use premade pie crusts or make them from scratch? Let me know in the comments!

    « Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie Recipe
    Homemade Coconut Pie Recipe »
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    Comments

    1. Aubrey says

      July 15, 2019 at 7:25 pm

      Tasted great and easier than I thought!

      ★★★★★

      Reply

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