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I held off on making pies from scratch for years because making my own crust felt very intimidating. Once I took the leap and got started, there was no looking back! This all-butter pie crust recipe is simple to make, it works for sweet & savory pies, and it can be frozen to use later.

All-Butter Pie Crust Recipe

Pie crusts can be made in many different ways- with shortening, butter, or oil, with or without an egg wash, with or without sugar- it can get a bit confusing to figure out which one is right for you and the pies that you want to make. The recipe for this all-butter pie crust is simple and it works for any pie that you want to make and there are simple adjustments that can be made if needed (see notes below).

Pie Crust Ingredients

Makes enough for a double-crusted pie, one crust on top and one bottom crust.

Dough:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 3/4 teaspoon Redmond salt
- 1 ½ tsp sugar**
- 1 cup cold unsalted butter (in chunks)**
- 7 tablespoons cold water**
Egg Wash**:
- 1 egg
- 1 TBSP ice water

Recipe Notes

**Sugar is optional. Sometimes I add it for extra sweetness, but I leave it out for more savory pies (like chicken pot pie)

**If you don’t have butter, you can use shortening instead.

**You can brush with melted butter instead of an egg wash if you prefer.

**Mix ingredients by hand, in a stand mixer, or in a food processor.

**Make a buttermilk pie crust by using cold buttermilk instead of ice water.

All-Butter Pie Crust Instructions

STEP 1: Preheat

Preheat oven to 375° F (or whatever your recipe recommends). I blind bake my crusts at 375° so that’s what I suggest especially if you are using a no-bake filling that requires a cooked & cooled crust.

STEP 2: Combine & Cut In

Mix the salt, sugar*, and flour in a large mixing bowl. Cut the chunks of butter into the flour with a pastry cutter, a fork, or your hands. If you are using a food processor, see the instructions a little further down.

STEP 3: Form the Dough

Add cold water 1 TBSP at a time and mix until a dough is formed. Try to knead it as little as possible as this can make melt the butter and make the dough tougher.

STEP 4: Chill the Dough

Form a ball with the butter pie crust dough and then separate it into 2 balls. Pat each dough ball into a disk, cover with parchment paper or plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

pie crust dough discs on a non-stick mat

pie crust dough wrapped in parchment paper

STEP 5: Roll the Dough

Use a rolling pin to roll the chilled dough out on a floured surface to make a 12” circle for a standard pie pan. Again, try to minimize how much you work the dough so you don’t melt the butter and make the crust tough.

STEP 6: Press Dough in Pie Pan

Press the rolled dough into an iron skillet or a pie pan. Cut off any excess crust and pinch the edges. Prick the bottom of the crust to allow air to escape (skip this step if you are blind baking). If you need to blind-bake for your pie recipe, do that now (see instructions below).

Add filling and add the top crust- if needed- and cut slits to vent. If you don’t need the top crust, leave it as a wrapped disc and keep it in the freezer until you need it.

STEP 7: Egg Wash

To add some shine to your all-butter pie crust, you can add an egg wash. Use a fork to beat an egg and mix in 1 TBSP water. Use a pastry brush to brush the wash across the crust. You could do this with melted butter instead of an egg as well.

STEP 8: Bake the Crust

Bake as directed in your pie recipe.

Blind baking is important when you are baking a pie with a liquid/custard filling (like sugar cream pie) or when you are using a no-bake pie filling (like a chocolate pie). With a custard pie, you will partially bake the crust before adding the filling. With a no-bake pie, you will fully bake the crust.

This step keeps the bottom of the crust from becoming soggy and helps the sides of the crust to keep shape instead of sliding down. It also ensures that the crust will fully bake without overbaking the filling. Use the pie weights to keep pockets of air from causing the bottom of the crust to puff up.

Place a piece of parchment paper on the butter pie crust and add pie weights (I just use beans).
Put the crust in the oven for 10-20 minutes. The time will depend on whether you need a partially baked crust or a fully baked crust before adding the pie filling.

How to Make a Pie Crust in a Food Processor

Homemade pie crust is easy-peasy in a food processor! Add the dry ingredients and pulse a couple of times to blend. Cut in the cold butter by pulsing until the flour mixture is crumbly. Add water and pulse until dough is formed- this should only take about 10 seconds. At this point, the dough will look loose, but if you pinch it together it will hold.

Now you can simply follow the instructions listed above starting at step 4.

How to Store All Butter Pie Crust for Later

If you don’t want to make a pie the same day you make the crust, simply stop at step 4, but instead of placing the dough in the fridge, put it in the freezer. You may want to add it to a freezer bag after wrapping it in parchment paper or saran wrap.

All-Butter Pie Crust

Ingredients

Dough

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
3/4 teaspoon Redmond salt
1 ½ tsp sugar**
1 cup cold unsalted butter (in chunks)**
7 tablespoons cold water**

Egg Wash

1 egg
1 TBSP ice water

Instructions