Foolproof all butter pie crust is the best and ONLY pie dough recipe you’ll ever need for your pie recipes! Easy to roll out with a rolling pin and no food processor required. Flaky and flavorful, this butter pie crust recipe is perfect for cherry pie, pumpkin pie, or apple pie! Includes recipes for single crust pie, double crust, and blind baking instructions. 

Originally published in 2016, I’ve recently updated this recipe to be even better and easier! I’ve also added new photos plus advice for blind baking, making a lattice, and provide measurements for single crust pies and double crust pies. 

If you’d like the old foolproof all-butter pie crust recipe, you can find it in the “notes” section of the recipe box! 

What Makes this The Best Pie Crust Recipe?

I love baking pies but boy are they a labor of love! Especially if you’re using homemade pie dough. Which is why I don’t mess around when it comes to my pie crust recipe! This recipe is *chef’s kiss* perfection. 

• Easy to work with, this pie dough comes together fast and rolls out like a dream! 
• Rich and buttery flavor, with just a hint of sweetness. 
• Bakes up golden brown and flaky… with plenty of crackly crunchy layers. 
• Perfect for any pie or quiche recipe! 

My All Butter Pie Crust Recipe: The Ingredients 

• All-Purpose Flour: I use Gold medal flour, and always use a kitchen scale to weigh my flour. Too much flour which will cause dry pie dough. 
• Cornstarch: This addition helps create the most tender and flaky pie crust ever. 
• Sugar: A small amount of granulated sugar sweetens the pie dough. Just sweet enough for pie recipes like cherry pie and apple pie. But if you’re using this pie dough for a savory pie or quiche, you can cut the sugar to 1 Tablespoon. 
• Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances all the flavors in the pie dough. 
• Butter: I love using European-style butter because it’s higher in fat content than standard butter. Make sure you keep your butter cold! Cube the butter and freeze for 5 minutes before use.
• Ice Water: To create ice water add one ice cube to a measuring glass. Fill it up with cold water, mixing gently until the ice has completely melted. 
• Apple Cider Vinegar: A splash makes the pie dough more tender and ensures you don’t over work the dough. 

Let’s Make Pie Crust: My Pie Foolproof Pie Dough

• Mix the Ingredients: In a large bowl, mix the flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt. Add in the cold butter and toss well to coat the butter in the flour.
• Work the Butter: Using a pastry cutter, work the butter into the flour until it’s about the size of peas. 
• Add Ice Water: Use just enough ice water to form moist clumps. I suggest adding 3/4 of the ice water and working it into the dough. Then adding more only if needed. Too much water creates a tough pie dough. 

• Knead the Dough: Pour the shaggy dough onto a clean surface and knead it gently together. Adding more ice water only if absolutely needed. 
• Wrap and Chill: Press the pie dough into a flat disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 2 hour, or up to 48 hours. You can also freeze pie dough for up to 2 months.
• Roll the Dough: When ready to use, remove the pie dough from the fridge. Allow it to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before rolling it out with a rolling pin. 

Place in the Pie Dish and Bake

• Once you roll out your pie dough, you can place it into the pie dish. Make sure to gently press the pie dough into the pie plate, making sure not to overstretch it or rip it. 
• I always suggest adding cold or room temperature fillings to pie dough. As warm or hot filling will melt the cold butter in the pie dough. 
• For best results, your pie dough should be cold when entering the oven. You can always chill your pie for an extra 20 minutes if you think it looks too warm. 
• Bake the pie as directed in your recipe. Pie baking times can vary a lot. I provide some suggestions for baking below, but it’s best to follow the recipe developer’s expert advice. 

Blind Baking Pie Dough

Blind baking takes extra time and effort, but it’s an essential step for baking pie recipes that have especially wet fillings. Blind baking allows the crust to partially cook and brown before you fill it with the wet filling. This ensures it does not become soggy in the oven. Luckily, blind baking isn’t hard and only requires some parchment paper and dried beans or pie weights.

1. Pie Dough: Prepare pie dough and chill as directed. Remove the pie dough from the fridge 15 minutes before needed. This makes it easier to roll out. 
2. Roll Out the Dough: Start from the bottom of the crust and roll until the dough is about 16-inches in diameter. Press the crust into pie pan. Chill in fridge for 20 minutes. 
3. Baking Prep: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F). Remove the crust from the fridge. Line the bottom of the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dry beans.
4. Blind Bake: For 22 minutes, then carefully remove from the oven. Remove the pie weights and parchment paper and cut the bottom of the crust all over with a fork. Return to the oven and bake for 18 more minutes. 
5. Use as Directed: At this point, I recommend following the recipe instructions for baking. As pie recipes can vary a lot in bake time. If you find your pie crust is getting too brown during baking, gently cover with aluminum foil. 

Pie Weights vs Dried Beans

• Pie weights work great and are a reliable way to blind bake pie dough for pie recipes. You can store them easily and use them over and over again. 
• Dried beans are an affordable alternative that you probably already have in your kitchen! One downside is that is you use dried beans for blind baking you can’t eat them. 
• I also find it takes a lot more dried beans to fill my pie crust than pie weights. And that removing the dried beans can be a little trickier than pie weights. 
• But all in all, dried beans work great as a pie weights replacement. And in a pinch, you can even use rice! But again, removing the rice from the pie crust can be tricky. So be careful during that step if using rice or dried beans. 

Double Crust vs Single Crust Pie

• For a single crust pie, trim excess dough, leaving a 1/4″ overhang. Roll the overhang underneath the rim of the pie plate and crimp. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. 
• For a double crust pie, you’ll leave the same overhang, but roll the extra dough tightly so it sits firmly on the edge of the pie plate. Then, crimp the edges to secure the strips with the bottom crust.
• For a double crust pie, I like to add an egg wash onto the top crust. To apply this, simply brush the top crust with the egg wash using a pastry brush. An egg wash is simply an egg whisked together with a teaspoon of water or milk. 
• Sparkling sugar is also lovely on top of a top crust. You can sprinkle it on top of the egg wash. 
• I usually avoid using an egg wash on single crusts. It can sink into the pie filling and look unappealing. 

Lattice Crust: Top Crust and Bottom Crust

• I suggest rolling out the bottom crust first, as it’s the easiest. You’ll roll the bottom crust into a large circle and place it into the pie pan. Chill while you prep the top crust.
• For the top crust, roll the pie dough into a large circle. Use a pastry roller to slice the dough into long strips. Place the strips on a large baking sheet and chill the strips before use.
• Make sure both crusts have had time to chill in the fridge before baking. A cold crust will bake up flaky and golden brown! A hot crust will melt in the oven.

The Best Pie Dish for Pie Recipes

When I began baking pies, I had no idea how important of a role the pie dish plays in making the perfect pie! 

• Pie plates come in many sizes, and they vary in material, from glass and ceramic to aluminum and metal. 
• I prefer to bake with glass pie dishes because glass conducts heat evenly, which helps the crust and filling cook consistently.
• Ceramic pie dishes look gorgeous but can vary in thickness. This can throw off the bake time, especially if you’re using a thick ceramic plate. You may need to add baking time if you’re using a ceramic pie dish.
• Metal pie dishes absorb heat quickly. If you a metal pie plate, I suggest keeping an eye on your pie, and adjusting baking time as needed. 
• This recipe makes enough pie dough to line a 9″ or 10″ pie plate.

Best Pie Recipes

• No Corn Syrup Pecan Pie
• Old-Fashioned Apple Pie
• Cranberry Pear Pie
• Salted Caramel Apple Pie