Easy All Butter Pie Crust

Whipping up holiday pies and quiches just got a whole lot easier with our go to easy all butter pie crust recipe! It’s unbelievably flaky, deliciously rich, and best of all, freezer-friendly. We love having a stash ready to pull out whenever the baking mood strikes—making our holiday prep a breeze.

Whether it’s your famous pumpkin pie or a savory quiche, this crust is the secret to impressing your guests every time. Stick around to learn how we make it, plus our top tips for getting that perfect flaky texture every time!

This is easy all butter pie crust my go to pie crust for both sweet and savory pies. Flaky, buttery, and lightly spiced it is the perfect pie crust! We use this crust for all of our holiday pies and quiches!

I prefer butter crusts because they are so flakey and easy to work with. This is my go to all butter pie crust recipe that comes out perfect every single time. We use this crust for all of our fruit pies, chicken pot pies, and quiches.

This recipe makes a double crust. If you are not making a double-crust pie you can halve the recipe or freeze the second disc for later!

Ingredients

Butter: really cold unsalted butter is key for the perfect delicious homemade pie crust.

Flour: nothing fancy just regular all purpose flour.

Sugar: I like a little sugar in the crust for my sweet pies but for savory pies I leave this part out.

Ice Cubes: using ice to keep your water super cold makes for tender flaky crusts.

Apple cider vinegar: a splash of vinegar will inhibit the formation of gluten while you are working with your dough making it much easier to work with.

Spice: this is optional but I love to add a little bit of pumpkin spice or cinnamon to my sweet pie crust and chopped fresh thyme or rosemary to my savory pie crust so that the crust itself has some flavor.

Supplies for Making an Easy Pie Crust:

Pie plate: any 9-inch pie plate will work. I prefer using a glass pie plate because it conducts heat evenly and you can see when the bottom of the crust is done.

Mixing bowl: a large mixing bowl works best for preparing this pie crust.

Grater or pastry cutter: for cutting in the cold butter. I prefer using a grater but a pastry cutter will work as well.

Rolling pin: I love using a tapered French style rolling pin for my pie crust.

Pie weights: if you need to blind bake your crust you will want two boxes of pie weights!

How to Make a Flaky All Butter Pie Crust

This recipe makes enough dough for a double crust pie. If you are making a single crust pie you can halve the recipe or freeze half the pie crust for later!

1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, sugar, and spices. Set Aside.
2. In a glass mixing cup or small bowl mix water, ice, and vinegar. Set aside.
3. Using the largest side of your grater grate the cold butter into the flour mixture. Using a fork mix the butter into the flour mixture.
4. Add in the ice water mixture one tablespoon at a time. How may tablespoons of ice water mixture you used will depend on the type and age of the flour you are using.
5. Using a fork mix the water into the flour-butter mixture until a shaggy dough forms. Once you can squeeze a handful of dough together and it holds stop adding water.
6. Divide the dough into half and shape each piece into a round disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours or up to three days.

Use in your favorite pie recipe!

How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust

Roll out a single ball of dough on a lightly floured surface. You want a circle that is roughly 12- inches.

Carefully transfer the dough into a 9-inch pie dish.

Tuck the overhanging dough under the crust so you have nice thick edges. This will help keep the crust from shrinking down the pie pan while par baking.

Crimp the edges using your preferred method.

Refrigerate the pie crust in the pie dish for at least 30 minutes or double wrap in plastic wrap and keep in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Preheat oven to 425

Line the chilled pie crust with a piece of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or beans. Spread them out so the weight is evenly distributed.

Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the edges just begin to brown for par baked. For a fully baked crust bake for 25-30 minutes.

Making pie crust ahead of time

I love to make pie crust ahead of time especially during the holidays! It is such a time saver and since you want your pie crust really cold anyway making pie crust ahead works great. The raw pie dough will keep best wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Freezing homemade pie crust

Raw pie dough can stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Wrap your disc of pie dough in plastic wrap and then place in a freezer bag. When you are ready to use your crust simply thaw the crust overnight in the refrigerator when you are ready to use it!

Tips for making the flakiest pie crust:

1. Chill the bowl you are going to use ahead of time.
2. Don’t skip the vinegar! it tenderizes the dough and makes it easier to work with. You won’t taste it at all.
3. Add water a little at a time. You want just enough water so that the dough comes together. Too much water will make the crust tough and hard to work with.
4. Avoid over mixing the dough. Working the dough too much will cause gluten formation which will result in a tough chewy crust.
5. Don’t skimp on refrigerating the crust. You always want your pie crust to be very cold when it hits the hot oven so you get those flaky layers. Always refrigerate it before rolling it out and again once it is in the pie pan.

Why add vinegar to a pie crust?

Vinegar helps tenderize the pie dough by inhibiting gluten development which creates a crust that is flakier and easier to use.

Vinegar also helps slow oxidization in the dough so if you are making it ahead of time your crust will not get that off putting grey hue.

Will you taste the vinegar in the pie crust?

You will not taste the vinegar in the crust at all.

Why not use a food processor for pie crust?

I do not like using a food processor for pie crust because the pie crust is so easily over worked in the food processor resulting in a tough chewy crust that is hard to roll out.