Flaky All-Butter Pie Crust Recipe for Perfect Pastry

This flaky all-butter pie crust is both delicious and simple to make. Made entirely in a food processor, the dough turns out tender, flaky, and consistent every time. This reliable buttery crust can be prepared ahead and frozen, making holiday baking easier.

This flaky, all-butter pie crust is a family favorite—handwritten recipes and treasured memories included. It began as my dad’s recipe and over the years we adapted it to use only butter instead of shortening. The result is a rich, buttery crust that’s just as flaky and tender as versions made with shortening, and it freezes and bakes beautifully.

How to Make a Flaky All-Butter Pie Crust from Scratch

Ingredients

For a single 9″ pie shell

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into cubes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons ice water

For a double 9″ pie crust

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, very cold and cut into cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 8–9 tablespoons ice water

Instructions

To make a single pie crust

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour and salt and pulse a few times. Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand. If you don’t have a food processor, cut the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter or your fingertips, working quickly so the butter stays cold.

Drizzle in the ice water and pulse until the dough begins to form clumps. Add more water, one tablespoon at a time, only if the dough is too dry to hold together when squeezed.

Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Gently and quickly form it into a ball, then flatten it into a disc—do not overwork the dough or the crust will become tough. Wrap tightly and chill in the refrigerator for one hour.

When chilled, lightly flour your work surface and roll the dough to about 1/4″ thick, large enough to cover a 9″ pie plate. Wrap the dough around a rolling pin and transfer it to an ungreased pie plate. Gently press it into the plate, trim the excess so it’s flush with the edge, and use the trimmings to patch any thin spots.

Pinch or flute the edges for a decorative finish and freeze the pie plate for 30 minutes to firm the dough and keep the butter cold. After freezing, either fill and bake according to your filling’s instructions or blind-bake the crust (see blind baking section) and fill with a no-bake filling.

To make a double pie crust

Prepare the dough the same way as for a single crust. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a disc; wrap separately and chill for one hour. Roll one disc out and line the pie plate, then chill the lined plate while you roll the top disc. Fill the bottom crust with your filling, lay the top crust over the filling, trim the overhang, and crimp the edges to seal. Cut vents in the top crust for steam to escape. If the dough softens while assembling, chill for 20–30 minutes before baking.

Blind Baking a Crust

What is blind baking?

Blind baking means baking the pie shell without filling it, which is essential for no-bake fillings like chocolate cream or banana cream.

How to blind bake

You’ll need a prepared single 9″ crust chilled in the pie plate, pie weights or 32 oz of dried beans, and foil sprayed with cooking spray. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Dock the bottom and inside edges of the crust with a fork to prevent puffing. Freeze the crust for 30 minutes, then line it with greased foil and fill with weights or beans.

Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes, remove the weights and foil, then reduce the oven to 350°F and bake 15–20 minutes more until the crust is dry and golden. Allow to cool before filling.

Butter or shortening: which is better?

Texture-wise, shortening creates a flaky crust, but it lacks flavor. Butter adds superior flavor and when handled correctly—kept very cold and not overworked—an all-butter crust can be just as flaky and far more delicious.

Storage: refrigerator and freezer

Refrigerate wrapped dough tightly for up to two days. If too firm to roll, let it sit a few minutes at room temperature—don’t let it get warm. For freezing, either wrap discs tightly in plastic and foil and freeze for months (thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling), or line and freeze a pie plate with the rolled dough, then wrap and store. For a frozen prepared shell, you can fill and bake from frozen without thawing.

Tips for a flaky all-butter pie crust

• Use very cold butter. Cold or even slightly frozen butter helps create steam pockets that form flaky layers. If the butter warms, the crust will be heavy and greasy.
• Avoid overmixing. Overworking the dough develops gluten and produces a tough crust instead of a tender, flaky one.
• Use minimal flour for rolling. Excess flour makes the dough dry and dense; dust lightly to prevent sticking.
• Keep the dough cold while working. If the dough warms and becomes soft, chill it for 20–30 minutes to firm the butter and preserve the crust’s texture and shape.

Other recipes you might like

Chocolate Cream Pie

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake

Warm Apple Crisp with Oats and Cinnamon

Tools you may need

9″ pie plate

Rolling pin

Pie weights or dried beans for blind baking