Easy Homemade Pie Crust Recipe

Learn how to make the BEST Homemade Pie Crust Recipe with only four simple ingredients.  This ultra flaky and buttery gluten-free recipe is easy to blind bake or fully bake for your favorite sweet or savory pie recipes.

With the upcoming holidays it is essential to have a homemade pie crust recipe on hand!

But can’t I just buy a store bought pie crust, instead?

You absolutely can, but they do contain shelf stabilizing ingredients that are not the healthiest for you.

Instead, this homemade pie crust is gluten-free, and can be made dairy-free and vegan.

It’s full of butter flavor and an ultra flaky texture!

You can use it in your favorite apple pie or Pumpkin Pie recipe.  Or, you can leave out the sugar for a savory Chicken Pot Pie.

Ingredients

You will only need 4 ingredients, and an optional fifth, for this made-from-scratch recipe:

• Flour – An all purpose flour, or a gluten-free 1-to-1 blend, can be used interchangeably.
• Butter – Salted or unsalted butter can be used.  If using salted, leave out the pinch of salt.
• Water – Purified water is the best, but any kind can be used.
• Salt – Add a pinch of salt if using unsalted butter or if using in a savory recipe.
• Sugar – This ingredient is optional and should be left out for savory pies.

3 Tips for a Perfect Crust

After multiple test batches, there are three tips you will want to make sure you follow to get a buttery, flaky crust.

1. Measure the flour exactly.  Having too much flour will give you a tough and dense crust.  Not using enough flour will make it too soggy.
   • You can either use a flat-topped measuring cup and scrape off the excess with the back of a knife.
   • Or, you can weigh out 1 cup of flour, which equals 140 grams, using a food scale.
2. Use cold, cubed butter.  Cold butter helps the dough maintain its shape.  Cubing it helps disperse the butter throughout the pie dough.
3. Cold water is key.  Place a few cubes of ice in water for a few minutes.  Measure out the amount of water needed, leaving the ice cubes behind.

How to Make Pie Crust Dough

Making a homemade pie crust is an easy process and only takes a little bit of preparation.  You will first mix dough, then you will roll it out, and lastly you will crimp the pie crust.

1. Add flour, cubed butter, and sugar to the bowl of a large food processor.  (Step 1 above.)

2. Pulse 20-25 times, or until mixture resembles a coarse crumb. (Step 2 above.)

3. Pour in water and pulse until it sticks together and forms a ball of dough. (Step 3 and 4 above.)

4. Shape into a round disc and place between two sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes or overnight. (Steps 1 and 2 below.)

Food Processor vs. Pastry Cutter

You can either use a large food processor or a bowl with a pastry cutter when making a gluten-free pie crust from scratch.

A food processor takes less effort and arm strength than a pastry cutter. It is definitely my pick when wanting to make this recipe quickly and easily.

However, if you don’t have a food processor, a pastry cutter still works great!

Rolling It Out

Once your pie crust dough has chilled in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes, you can start rolling it out.

1. Remove dough from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes. (Step 3 above.)

2. Roll out into a circle that measures 11 to 12 inches in diameter.  Keep pieces of wax paper on the dough to prevent sticking. (Step 4 above.)

3. Remove the top piece of wax paper and flip it into a ceramic 9-inch pie dish or glass pie plate that is sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. (Step 5 above.)

4. Press the dough lightly on the bottom and sides until it completely covers the pie pan. (Step 6 above.)

How to Crimp Pie Crust Edges

Crimping a gluten-free pie crust is a lot easier than you would think.  Simply follow the steps and photos below to perfectly crimp the edges.

1. Form a V with your thumb and pointer finger in one hand. (Step 1 above.)
2. Push with your thumb of the other hand. (Step 2 above.)
3. Smooth out rough parts as needed. (Step 3 above.)

How Long to Bake Pie Crust

Different pie recipes call for various methods of baking.  Most pies are either going to use the partially baking, or blind baking, method or the fully baking process.

Partially Baking (Blind Baking)

• Poke holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork.
• Partially bake the pie crust in a 375 degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the bottom starts to dry out. 
• Use a blind baked crust in your favorite baked pie recipes.  (Like this Pumpkin Pie Recipe.)

Fully Baking

• Poke holes in the bottom with a fork.
• Line the crimped and fitted pie dough with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
• Fill the foil or paper with dried beans, sugar, or pie weights.
  • If using sugar, you can use it again in other recipes.
  • Beans can not be cooked after being used as a pie weight.
• Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes with the beans or pie weights. 
• Remove the weights and return to oven for an additional 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. 
• Use a fully baked pie crust in your favorite no-bake pie recipes.

Dietary Modifications

Vegan Pie Crust Recipe – Instead of using butter, vegan buttery sticks, or margarine, can be used.  This will also make the recipe completely dairy-free, too.

Gluten-Free Pie Crust – Simply use a Gluten-Free 1-to-1 Flour Blend instead of all purpose flour.

If you would like a grain-free pie crust, you will want to use this Paleo Pie Crust recipe instead.

FAQs

Can I freeze a homemade pie crust?

Yes.  It is best to freeze before baking in the oven.

Shape the pie dough into discs, wrap in wax paper or foil, and place in a freezer-safe container or plastic bag.

How long will frozen pie crust dough last?

Frozen pie crust dough will last for up to 6 months.

How to use frozen pie dough?

Allow the pie crust dough to thaw in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before using.

Proceed with rolling, crimping, and baking as directed in the recipe card below.

MORE PIE RECIPES

No holiday spread would be complete without PIE! Here are a few more of my favorite pie recipes:

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

Homemade Sweet Potato Pie Recipe

Chicken Pot Pie

Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Turkey Pot Pie

Tap stars to rate!

5 from 6 votes

Homemade Pie Crust Recipe

Learn how to make the BEST Homemade Pie Crust Recipe with only four simple ingredients.  This ultra flaky and buttery gluten-free pie crust is easy to blind bake or fully bake for your favorite sweet or savory pie recipes.

Yield 8 servings

Prep 30 minutes mins

Cook 45 minutes mins

Total 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 cup flour gluten-free 1-to-1 blend
• ▢ 6 Tbsp. butter cold, cubed*
• ▢ ¼ cup cold water
• ▢ 1 Tbsp. sugar optional*
• ▢ Pinch of salt optional

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Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Add flour, cubed butter, sugar, and salt to the bowl of a large food processor. Pulse 20-25 times, or until mixture resembles a coarse crumb.*
  
• Pour in water and pulse until it sticks together and forms a ball of dough.
• Shape pie crust dough into a round disc and place between two sheets of wax paper. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or overnight.
• Keep pieces of wax paper on the dough and roll it out into a circle that measures 11 to 12 inches in diameter.
  
• Remove the top piece of wax paper and flip it into a ceramic 9-inch pie dish or glass pie plate that has been sprayed lightly with non-stick cooking spray.
• Press the dough lightly until it completely covers the pie plate.

Crimping Pie Crust Dough:

• Form a V with your thumb and pointer finger in one hand. Push with your thumb of the other hand. (See picture.)
  
• Poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust with a fork.

Partially Baked (Blind Baked) pie crust:

• Par-bake the pie crust in a 375 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, or until the bottom starts to dry out.
• Use in your favorite baked pie recipes. (Like this Pumpkin Pie Recipe.)

Fully Baked pie crust:

• Add a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights.
  
• Cook pie crust in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes with the beans or pie weights.
• Remove the weights and return to oven for an additional 15-20 minutes.
• Use in your favorite no-bake pie recipes.

Last step! If you make this, please leave a review letting us know how it was!

Tap stars to rate!

5 from 6 votes

Video

Notes

• Nutritional information is calculated without sugar.
• To make this recipe vegan use vegan buttery sticks in place of the regular butter.
• Leave out the sugar in savory pie recipes.
• If using salted butter, leave out the salt.
• You can also use a pastry cutter and a medium-sized bowl instead of a food processor.

Nutrition

Calories: 118kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 20mg, Sodium: 68mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 236IU, Calcium: 12mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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