All-Butter Pie Crust (Flaky, Easy and Make-Ahead)

By Warm Oven Bakes Editorial Team · Updated 1 November 2026

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A homemade pie crust is the difference between a good holiday pie and a great one. All-butter crust has the best flavor, and with cold ingredients and a light touch, it bakes up flaky and crisp.

This recipe makes enough for one double-crust pie (like apple pie) or two single crusts (like pumpkin pie).

Why cold butter makes flaky crust

Flaky layers come from small, flat pieces of cold butter scattered through the dough. In the hot oven, the water in the butter turns to steam and pushes the layers of dough apart. If the butter melts into the flour before baking, you get a crust that's tender but not flaky.

So the rules are simple: keep everything cold, and stop mixing while you can still see pieces of butter.

Ingredients

Makes 2 crusts for a 9-inch pie:

• 2 1/2 cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1 cup (226 g) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 6 to 8 tbsp ice water

Instructions (by hand)

1. Mix the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl.
2. Cut in the butter. Add the cold butter. Use a pastry blender or your fingertips to work it in until most pieces are the size of peas, with some larger flat pieces. Work quickly so the butter stays cold.
3. Add water. Sprinkle in 6 tbsp ice water (no ice cubes) and toss with a fork. Squeeze a handful: if it holds together, it's ready. If it's dry and crumbly, add more water 1 tbsp at a time.
4. Divide and wrap. Press the dough into two discs about 1 inch thick. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.

Instructions (food processor)

Pulse the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse 8 to 10 times, until the pieces are pea-sized. Drizzle in the ice water while pulsing in short bursts, just until the dough starts to clump. Don't let it form a ball in the machine; that means it's overmixed. Tip it out, press into discs and chill.

Rolling and shaping

1. Let the chilled dough sit for 5 to 10 minutes so it doesn't crack.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll from the center outward, giving the dough a quarter turn every few rolls. Roll to about 12 inches across and 1/8 inch thick.
3. Roll the dough loosely around the rolling pin and unroll it over a 9-inch pie dish. Ease it into the corners without stretching. Stretched dough shrinks in the oven.
4. Trim the overhang to about 1 inch, fold it under and crimp the edge with your fingers or a fork.
5. Chill the shaped crust for 30 minutes before baking or filling.

If the dough cracks, press it back together. If it gets soft and sticky, slide it onto a tray and chill it for 10 minutes.

How to blind bake a pie crust

Blind baking means baking the crust before adding the filling. It's used for custard and cream pies so the bottom doesn't stay pale and soggy.

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Put a rack in the lower third.
2. Line and fill. Line the chilled crust with parchment or foil and fill it to the top with pie weights, dried beans or rice.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the edges are set and lightly golden.
4. Remove the weights. Lift out the parchment and weights. Prick the bottom with a fork.
5. Finish. For a partly baked crust (pumpkin pie, quiche), bake 5 more minutes until the bottom looks dry. For a fully baked crust (cream pies), bake 10 to 15 more minutes until golden all over.

Tips for a crisp, flaky crust

Use a glass or metal dish. A glass dish lets you see when the bottom is browned. Metal conducts heat quickly. Thick ceramic dishes can leave the bottom pale.

Bake low in the oven. The lower rack puts the bottom of the pie closer to the heat.

Shield the edges. If the crimped edge browns before the pie is done, cover it with strips of foil or a pie crust shield.

Don't skip chilling. Chilling after shaping relaxes the gluten and firms the butter, which reduces shrinking.

Make-ahead

• Dough discs: refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Shaped crust: freeze in the pie dish, well wrapped, for up to 1 month. Blind bake straight from frozen, adding a few minutes.

Troubleshooting

• Crust shrank: the dough was stretched into the pan or wasn't chilled after shaping.
• Tough crust: too much water or too much mixing.
• Crust crumbles when rolling: not quite enough water, or the dough is too cold. Let it warm slightly or patch it.
• Soggy bottom: blind bake for custard pies and bake on a lower rack.

Read next: Classic Pumpkin Pie (Smooth, No-Crack Filling) →