This simple, buttery, flaky pie crust is the foundation for every perfect pie I make. It’s tender, easy to roll, and—best of all—made entirely with butter. Once you try it, it’ll be your go-to recipe forever.
Why this crust works
- All butter, no shortcuts: Pure flavor and perfect flake—no shortening needed.
- Food processor magic: Butter is cut evenly through the flour in seconds.
- Cold, cold, cold: Ice water and chilled butter keep the dough light and tender.
From “I hate making pie crust” to “I’ve got this”
I’ll be honest: for years, homemade pie dough intimidated me. No matter how carefully I measured, the texture never turned out quite right. Then my friend Dorothy at Crazy for Crust shared her food-processor method—and it changed everything.
Instead of cutting in butter by hand, I pulse it cold in the processor. The blades do the work, distributing butter pieces that melt into flaky layers as the crust bakes.
The result? Fool-proof dough that even self-proclaimed crust-haters (me!) can master.
Cold butter is everything
Those icy chunks of butter cut through the flour and create steam pockets as they melt in the oven—that’s what makes a flaky crust. Use butter straight from the fridge and water with ice cubes swirling in it.
Batch size & pie assembly
One batch makes enough dough for a single crust. For a double-crust pie like my classic Apple Pie, make the bottom crust first, chill it while you prepare the filling, then whirl up the top crust—no need to clean the processor between batches.
Use it with any filling
This dough works beautifully for fruit pies, custards, and savory fillings. You can pre-bake it (blind bake) for cream pies or fill and bake it for double-crust desserts.
Photos & Video by Frenchly Photography
Music by HookSounds
Tools I swear by
- Food processor
- Pastry scraper
- Rolling pin
- Glass pie plate
More from the pie kitchen
Full measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below. Rate it ★★★★★ after baking—your feedback helps this recipe reach more home bakers!
All Butter Pie Crust
This fool-proof all-butter pie crust is tender, flaky, and deeply flavorful. The food-processor method cuts in cold butter fast—no pastry blender needed.
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, diced and chilled
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2-4 tablespoons ice water
- food processor
- 8 or 9 inch pie plate
Instructions
- Dice cold butter into cubes and freeze for 10 minutes.
- Mix ⅓ cup water and 4-5 ice cubes together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Mix together the flour and the salt in a small bowl then pour into the bowl of the food processor.
- Add the cold cubed butter and pulse together until the butter is crumbly.
- Add 2 tablespoon of ice cold water and pulse the dough.
- Add up to 2 tablespoon more of ice cold water and pulse until the dough comes together in a ball.
- Dust flour over a clean surface and place dough on top.
- Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough into 11-12 inch circle.
- Using the rolling pin, transfer the dough into the pie plate and gently press into the plate.
- Trim the extra dough off the edges.
- Crimp the dough edges.
- Fill and bake immediately.
Kayle (The Cooking Actress)
Monday 20th of November 2017
all butter pie crusts are my fave-yours is gorgeous!