This all butter pie crust is flaky and crisp, with a rich, buttery flavor, perfect for double-crust fruit pies, single-crust custard pies, or even savory meat pies for dinner.
Key Takeaways: All Butter Pie Crust
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Additional Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
- Servings: 2 crusts
- Cook Method: Baked in a pie pan.
- Flavor & Texture: Buttery, salty flavor with a crisp, flaky texture.
- Difficulty: Easy. This recipe is a simple, trusted go-to.
- Why this Recipe? This all butter pie crust uses minimal ingredients, but produces a rich, flavorful, flaky crust perfect for any sweet or savory pie.
Homemade pie crust should be simple and achievable, eliminating the need for a store-bought roll of dough. This all butter pie crust comes together with only four ingredients and offers a delightful texture and delicious flavor. This is the recipe you want in your back pocket for holiday baking, weeknight dinners, and buttery, crispy treats.
Use this crust for scratch-made pumpkin pie, homemade apple pie, a rustic tomato pie, or a dozen grab-and-go fruit-filled hand pies.
If you’re looking for other versions, try my sourdough pie crust, the best einkorn pie crust, or a whole wheat pie crust with butter.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Simple go-to – I love the simplicity of the ingredients. Pure pantry staples make this recipe an easy choice.
Delicious, buttery flavor – Butter adds so much flavor and flakiness to this crust. It crisps up nicely, offering a good bite and rich, salty taste.
Versatile – Use this recipe for fruit pies, custard pies, or even savory pies. I even use it for my homemade pop tarts!
Ingredients
All-purpose flour – I prefer to use unbleached all-purpose flour for this recipe. If you mill your own wheat at home, you may prefer my whole wheat pie crust.
Butter – Use cold butter. Stick it in the freezer for 15 minutes before using to ensure it is nice and cold. I use unsalted butter in this recipe, but you can use salted butter if you adjust the added salt. Homemade butter allows you to control the amount of salt completely, plus it’s easy and delicious.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make All Butter Pie Crust
Step 1: Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Add cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture and cut it in using a fork, pastry cutter, or food processor. Work the butter until it has broken down into the flour and developed a sandy texture.
Step 2: Add ice water by the tablespoon and stir. I like to use a wooden spoon or dough whisk until the dough forms a ball. Divide the dough in half and roll into two flat disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
Step 3: Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface. Use the rolling pin to carefully position the crust over the top of your pie plate. Gently press the dough into the bottom and edges of the pan and trim the excess. The little kids love it when I give them the extra dough to roll out, and we even have mini pie plates so they can make their own little creations.
Step 4: Fill the bottom crust with your prepared pie filling, top with the second crust, press the edges together, then bake according to your specific recipe.
Lisa’s Expert Tips
- I usually double the batch when making these pie crusts. With a large family, we can always use extra. I just stash them in the fridge at the beginning of the week and pull them out for quick pop tarts for breakfast, a chicken pot pie for dinner, or a high-protein cheesy zucchini quiche. People are always hungry in this house.
- Keep the dough cold before baking. Chilling for 2-3 hours helps achieve that signature flakiness once baked.
- If you are making a pie recipe that requires a blind bake of the crust, I recommend using parchment paper and pie weights to help the crust keep its shape. You can also use dried beans if you do not have weights.
- Make these crusts up to five days ahead of time and keep them in the refrigerator to use when needed.
All Butter Pie Crust FAQs
Using all butter in a pie crust is simple and delicious. Butter is a common ingredient, adds wonderful flavor, and produces a flaky crust.
If your pie crust is tough, it is usually a sign the dough was overworked before baking.
Refrigerating pie dough, especially an all butter pie crust, keeps the butter cold, ensuring a flaky crust. It also makes rolling easier and reduces the chance of tearing the dough.
More Recipes from the Farmhouse
- The Best Shepherd’s Pie
- Tomato Galette
- Biscuit Chicken Pot Pie
- Ground Beef Pot Pie
- Homemade Spinach Pie
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
All Butter Pie Crust Recipe
Video
Equipment
- Food Processor or pastry cutter
- Pie weights (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour, 350 grams
- 1 teaspoon salt, 5 grams
- 1 cup butter, cold and cubed, 227 grams
- ½ cup ice water, plus more if needed to bring it together, 118 grams
Instructions
- Mix flour and salt in a large bowl. Add cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture and cut it in using a fork, pastry cutter, or food processor. Work the butter until it has broken down into the flour and developed a sandy texture.
- Add ice water by tablespoons and stir until the dough forms a ball. Divide the dough in half and roll into two flat disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-3 hours.
- Roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface. Use the rolling pin to carefully position the crust over the top of your pie plate. Gently press the dough into the bottom and edges of the pan and trim the excess.
- Fill the bottom crust with your prepared pie filling, top with the second crust, press the edges together, then bake according to your specific recipe.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is my go to recipe for all types of pies. Both sweet and savory. We’ve been enjoying this for chicken pot pie and pop tarts. It’s a keeper!!
One of the best crust recipes I’ve tried! I made it with your chicken pot pie recipe and it was amazing! Going to attempt pumpkin pie next!
So good and easy!! Love it! Made it with your chicken potpie recipe!
This came together so easy, and is so tasty. I substituted 140 grams of hard white wheat per cup for the all purpose flour, yes I watch your You Tube channel. Thank you for the tips.
This is my got to pie recipe! I love using it for pop tarts. Comes out great every time. Lasts for days upon days and freezes well too!
Love this pie crust!! Very easy to make and delicious!
Very easy to make, crust gave great directions, however it left out the temp And time to bake it. It’s in the oven now, can’t wait to taste it!
Can I freeze the crust – before it’s rolled out? I only need 1 pie crust for tomato pie.
Yes, that is just fine!
We officially use this recipe for a ground beef hand pies (imagine as tiny dumplings) 🥟 that are called “pastéis” in Portuguese. I don’t even own a pastry dough cutter, I use a fork. I only had salted butter so I used half of a teaspoon of salt to the butter, instead of one teaspoon that it calls for. The pastéis are usually fried, and thinner… but as a mom of little kids, I tend to bake them thicker for convenience and speed.
Best crust recipe ever. Simple and easy to make ahead of time. I can see our family using this method from now on. Thin or thick, just roll it out before storing it away, that way it will be easy to use once you need it. For sure adding this one for the family cookbook. I can foresee lots of fun treats soon, maybe some pop tarts.
Thanks so much and parabéns Lisa!
When you have to make cream and fruit pies the day before they will be served, do you always refrigerate them over night? Will they ruin if left out on the cabinet?
Yes.