Flaky All Butter Pie Crust
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This flaky all butter pie crust is the perfect pastry recipe! You’ll love how buttery and tender it is, and how it works beautifully in either sweet or savory pies. This is a foolproof, 20-minute recipe that you can make in your food processor or by hand! Prepare to be amazed by the buttery, flaky layers in this easy pastry.
Love home-baked pies? Try my other recipes for fresh roasted pumpkin pie and blueberry galette.
Quick Look: Flaky All Butter Pie Crust Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Servings: 6-8 people (enough for 1 double-crust, 9-inch pie)
- Dietary Info: Vegetarian; can be made Gluten Free
- Method: Oven Baked (for baking pie or blind baking pastry)
- Technique: Pulse flour, salt, and butter in a food processor, then gradually add egg, ice water, and vinegar until it holds together. Shape into disks and chill, then roll out and use for pies and tarts.
- Flavor & Texture: This flaky, all-butter pie crust always bakes up tender and golden, and is perfect for both sweet and savory pies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The perfect all-butter pie crust is both flaky and tender with lots of light layers. This golden-brown crust has a flavor good enough to eat on its own, and the layers of dough are distinct and clearly seen.
This simple pie crust relies on high-quality butter for both its flakiness and wonderful flavor. Once you try this recipe, you will use it for all your pies whether they are double or single crust pies! It’s a simple, foolproof recipe that comes together in just 20 minutes, and tastes delicious in sweet or savory pie recipes.
This pastry tastes equally delicious in either sweet or savory recipes! Try it in this loaded vegetarian quiche, brown butter apple pie, or this Italian jam filled tart (crostata).
Made With Amore,
“Tried this today and we love it!! This will be our go to pie crust from now on!! Amazing recipe. Perfect crunch, balanced with the perfect flavour!”
– Hera
Table of Contents
Simple Ingredients
There aren’t many ingredients in this all-butter pie crust recipe, so it’s important to use high-quality products. Let’s take a look at the key ingredients.
- Flour: For pie crusts, I use regular all-purpose flour instead of cake or pastry flour because we want some gluten development for structure, but not too much.
- Butter: I’ve tried over 10 different kinds of butter for this crust, and let me tell you that you must use the Kerrygold brand, or else I can’t stand by this crust. European grass-fed butter has a higher fat content than American butter, which ensures the best texture and flavor in the pastry.
- Water: Liquid in pastry creates steam as it bakes, which is what lifts the pastry and creates flakes, and it gets absorbed into the flour, helping to create gluten. Use ice-cold water to help keep the butter cold.
- Vinegar: Adding a touch of vinegar tenderizes pie dough by inhibiting gluten development. Be careful not to add too much, though, or the pie crust will taste sour!
- Egg: This makes the dough more pliable and easy to roll out, and gives the pastry a wonderful richness and flavor.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- Dairy Free Version: For best results, use your favorite vegan butter alternative, lard, or vegetable shortening. (You can also try using solidified, cold coconut oil in place of the butter; the pastry will be gloriously flaky but very delicate!)
- Crisco Version: If you want to try a shortening only version, make my classic Crisco pie crust recipe! This is perfect to make if you don’t have any butter on hand or are looking for an extra flaky crust.
- Gluten Free Version: Swap the all-purpose flour for your favorite measure-for-measure gluten free flour (like King Arthur or Bob’s Red Mill).
How to Make All Butter Pie Crust
- Use the food processor or whisk together the flour and salt, then add the cubed butter.
- Pulse to cut the butter into the flour mixture until you have a mixture of blueberry and pea-sized chunks.
- Beat together the egg, ice water, and vinegar in a small bowl, then add it to to the flour and butter mixture.
- Pulse until just incorporated; about 10 times. (The chunks of butter should all be around pea size.) Add more ice water if needed to hold the dough together.
- Carefully and quickly (so as to not melt the butter with your hands) form the dough into one or two disks and wrap them with plastic. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- When you’re ready to use it, roll it out to your desired thickness on a lightly floured surface. (If the dough is very hard, give it a few hard whacks with the rolling pin to soften it.)
- Line the pie or tart pan with the pastry. Either blind bake it or fill it with the filling.
- Enjoy this beautiful flaky, all-butter pie crust in your favorite pies and tarts! I love using it in blueberry pie or banana cream dream pie.
Flaky All Butter Pie Crust FAQs
A butter pie crust is made entirely with butter instead of shortening or lard, which gives it a richer flavor and wonderfully flaky texture. Especially when it’s made with high-quality European butter, the flavor is incredible!
Yes, butter is one of the most popular fats for pie crust because it has an excellent flavor and creates flaky layers. Using very cold butter and handling the dough gently are key to achieving the best texture!
Common butter pie crust mistakes include overworking the dough, using warm butter, adding too much water, and skipping the chilling time. Follow the recipe carefully, and you’re sure to have successful pastry every time!
Butter should be very cold when making pie crust. Cold butter creates pockets of steam as the crust bakes, which helps form flaky layers!
Serving Suggestions
This flaky butter crust tastes amazing in savory pies like this Italian torta pasqualina, pizza rustica, or or this classic spinach quiche. If you want to try this in some sweet dessert recipes, it tastes incredible in anything from maple pecan pie to brown butter apple pie and fresh peach pie! One of my favorite things about this recipe is that it not only is easy and foolproof, but it also tastes incredible with either savory or sweet fillings.
My Pro Tips
Expert Tips
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can make this by hand. Simply be sure to work the dough gently using your fingertips.
- The size of the butter pieces in the dough will affect the texture. If the fat is left in large pieces, the crust will be flakier. If it’s incorporated into the flour more thoroughly, the crust will be tender and crumbly.
- Handling the dough creates gluten, so be careful not to overmix or roughly handle the pastry, or it will be tough.
- Be careful when adding the liquid. Add too little liquid, and the dough won’t hold together; add too much, and you’ll end up with a sticky dough that bakes into a rock-hard crust!
- This recipe makes enough pastry for 1 double-crust pie made in a 9-inch pan. Refrigerate unbaked pastry for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
Other Pie Recipes You’ll Love
💙 MADE THIS RECIPE AND LOVED IT? 💙 Please leave a ⭐️STAR rating and COMMENT below- I love connecting with you! Tag me with your creations on Instagram and find me on Pinterest.
Flaky All Butter Pie Crust
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 cup cold salted Kerrygold butter, cubed and frozen for 15 minutes on a baking sheet
- 1 large egg, cold from the fridge
- 2 tablespoons ice water,
plus more if needed (you may add more, up to 4-5 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
Instructions
Making the Pastry
- Place flour and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal with some cherry-size clumps. Start with big chunks so that when you add the liquid they chunks get slightly smaller. You don't want to start with too small of clumps before adding the liquid.
- Beat together egg, ice water, and vinegar in a small bowl. Add to flour mixture and pulse just until incorporated, about 10 times more. The chucks of butter should end up to pea size after liquid is added. Squeeze a small amount of dough to make sure it holds together. If dough is too dry, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
- If making a full pie divide dough in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap, forming each into 1 disk. (If you're making a galette, only make one large disk with the dough.)
- Refrigerate the dough at least 30 minutes, or for up to 2 days.
Blind Baking the Pie Crust (Optional)
- While the crust is chilling, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Roll out the dough and place in a pie dish. Line the top of the crust with parchment paper. Crunch up parchment paper first so that you can easily shape it into the crust. Fill with pie weights, or dried beans. Make sure the weights are evenly distributed around the pie dish.
- Bake until the edges of the crust are starting to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove pie from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the pie. Prick holes all around the bottom crust with a fork. Return the pie crust to the oven.
- If you’re making a no-bake pie and need a fully baked pie crust, bake until the bottom crust is golden brown, about 15-18 additional minutes. For a partially baked pie crust (if you’re baking the pie crust once it is filled), bake until the bottom crust is just beginning to brown, about 8-11 minutes.
Notes
- This recipe makes enough pastry for 1 double-crust pie made in a 9-inch pan. Refrigerate unbaked pastry for up to 2 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can make this by hand. Simply be sure to work the dough gently using your fingertips.
- The size of the butter pieces in the dough will affect the texture. If the fat is left in large pieces, the crust will be flakier. If it’s incorporated into the flour more thoroughly, the crust will be tender and crumbly.
- Handling the dough creates gluten, so be careful not to overmix or roughly handle the pastry, or it will be tough.
- Be careful when adding the liquid. Add too little liquid, and the dough won’t hold together; add too much, and you’ll end up with a sticky dough that bakes into a rock-hard crust!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve been making your blueberry pie for years now. Today I made it with this crust recipe and I wish I’d used it sooner! It was amazing. My husband said this is his favorite dessert he’s ever had. I can’t wait to use this crust recipe for my next quiche.
Yes! Ths is our tried and true crust recipe that never fails! I am so happy you love it! You’ll have to try the quiche recipes on my blog next. Enjoy!
All butter crust is the only one for me!
The only one we EVER use!
This is my favorite pie crust recipe. I’ve used it for everything from quiche to fruit & custard pies. It’s delicious, flaky, and quite easy to work with. I don’t have a food processor, so I use a cheese grater to shred the butter, then put the butter in the freezer until really cold. I then work the butter into the flour quickly with my hands.
Happy you love this recipe! It is a tried and true family favorite!
I will be excited to try this. I never use an egg in my pastry crust. I wouldn’t make one without the vinegar and ice cold water. Those was the game changer in my pies, tarts and pastries. People rave about the flakiness and it’s such a simple thing.
Yes! Enjoy.
Tried this today and we love it!! This will be our go to pie crust from now on!! Amazing recipe. Perfect crunch, balanced with the perfect flavour!
Thank you, Hera! It is truly, the best all-butter dough. We perfected it for many years, and now, love to share it with you!
Our go to pie crust recipe for every pie! The best.
what did you use for liquid? Also if I use a cheese shredder for the butter can I make it by hand?
Hi Nancy, the liquid is ice water and vinegar. Yes, you can make it by hand. Work it with a fork gently before making it into a ball with your hands. Your hands will heat up the butter. Just don’t overmix it. It is the best pie crust. Enjoy.
For the Frangipane desert, how long to blind bake?
Hi Fran,
I updated the full blind baking instructions in the Ultimate All Butter Pie Crust recipe. I hope you enjoy!
Thank you! Can’t wait to try!
What if I don’t have a food processor?
You can work it with your hands! Just don’t overwork the dough and if the butter melts too much but in freezer for a bit!