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All Butter Pie Crust
This buttery and flaky all butter pie crust is such a simple recipe with just 4 ingredients—the perfect crust for all your favorite pies!
- Prep15 min
- Total45 min
- Serves2 pie crusts
This buttery and flakyall-butter pie crustis a simple recipe with just four ingredients. It’s the perfect crust for all your favorite pies!
If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I love a good pie. And the thing that makes a good pie great is ascrumptious pie crust. I have a fewpie crust recipeson the site, but I wanted to share this one because it’s the best if you want toonly use butter (and not shortening).
This is a great crust to use for holiday baking and all thepumpkinandpecan piesyour heart desires, as well as warmer seasonal pies, like your favorite fruit renditions (includingberry,apple, andstrawberry rhubarb)! Basically,this crust can do it all. And that’s the kind of pie crust you need in your life.
Why You’ll Love This All-Butter Pie Crust Recipe
- Rich Buttery Flavor:Made entirely with butter,this crust delivers a deliciously buttery taste that enhances any pie filling. The natural richness of butter adds a depth of flavor that other fats just can’t match.
- Flaky Texture:Creates perfectly crisp, layers that crumble beautifully when cut. Bycarefully cutting cold butter into the flour and using techniques like minimal handling and chilling the dough, you’ll achieve those coveted layers that shatter delicately with each bite.
- Easy Technique: Beginner-friendly method that looks impressive but is actually easy to master. With a fewkey tips like keeping ingredients cold and not overworking the dough,even new bakers can create a pie crust that looks and tastes like it came from a professional bakery.
- Versatile Recipe:Works beautifully forfruit pies,quiches,tarts,and more, adapting to a variety of dishes. It’s the go-to crust that’s reliable for any occasion, from everyday meals to special celebrations.
🥧 Between us, nothing says “I love you” like surprising someone with a slice of a homemade pie made with that buttery,melt-in-your-mouth pie crust.
Recipe Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Butter –if using salted butter, decrease the amount of salt added
- Water –must be ICE COLD!
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to Make All Butter Pie Crust
Step 1:Add grated or cut butter to the flour and salt.
Step 2:Pressbutter until chunks about the size of peas.
Step 3:Add the cold water all at once, and stir to combine.
Step 4:Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball.
Step 5:Cut the ball in half and flatten each half into a disc.
Step 6:Roll and use in your favorite pie recipes.
Recipe FAQs
Do you put vinegar in a pie crust?
Some pie crust recipes call for vinegar to prevent the crust from being tough, as vinegar helps to stop the formation of gluten, but this recipe doesn’t need it!
How do I make my pie crust shiny?
To get that glossy, golden appearance on the top crust, brush the crust with an egg wash (one yolk beaten with a teaspoon of water) before baking.
What causes tough pie crust?
Using too much water creates a sticky dough, which turns into a chewy and tough pie crust. But too little liquid makes a dry crust that cracks and falls apart. The key is to add water until you can form a ball that doesn’t crumble when you pull it apart but also isn’t sticky.
Can I use this crust for sweet and savory pies?
Definitely! This versatile all-butter pie crust works wonderfully for both sweet dessert pies like apple and cherry, and savory options like chicken pot pie or quiche. The rich butter flavor complements a wide range of fillings, making it a truly multipurpose recipe that belongs in every home baker’s repertoire.
Expert Tips
- Grating Butter Tip: Use the large hole side of a cheese grater tograte the butter into small piecesso you can more easily incorporate it with the flour.
- Science of Butter Layers: Do you know whyusing cold butter broken down into little pieces is so important? When the pie bakes, those little pieces of butter melt, creating small pockets of air and layers within the pastry itself. It’s what makes pie crust ultra-flaky.
- Ice Cold Water Technique: The watermust be ice coldso be sure to give it time to chill after putting ice cubes in it. Cold water is crucial because it keeps the butter pieces solid and intact until the moment they hit the hot oven.
How To Keep Your Pie Crust From Getting Soggy
There are a few ways to keep pie crust from getting soggy:
- Blind bake it, or pre-bake it before adding the pie filling.
- Brush the crust with eggbefore adding the pie filling.
- Bake the pieon a hot baking sheetby preheating the baking sheet inside the oven. (This will firm up the crust even more as it bakes.)
- Store the pie properly, covered tightly and in a dry area, so moisture stays out.
All-Butter Pie Crust vs Pie Crust Made With Shortening
Pros of all butter pie crust:flaky, great flavor, butter is often considered a healthier fat than shortening
Cons of all butter pie crust:they tend to shrink more when baked and don’t hold their shape as well
Pros of butter and shortening crust:still flaky, rich flavor, easy to work with, holds its shape better when baked or cut into decorations
Cons of butter and shortening pie crust:not everyone likes to use shortening or keeps it on hand
Test it Yourself:I have a greatshortening and butter pie crust recipeif you’d like to see the difference!
More Pie & Dessert Recipes to Consider
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