This flaky pie crust recipe is all butter, with a splash of apple cider vinegar to keep it tender. One batch makes 2 crusts, enough for a double-crust pie or two single-crust pies.
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It’s the crust under my honeycrisp apple pie. My mom made that pie with a Crisco crust, and when I adapted her recipe, I switched to all butter.
The dough keeps for 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer, so you can make it well before Thanksgiving.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- All butter. You taste it in every bite.
- Flaky layers. Pea-sized pieces of cold butter turn into steam pockets in the oven.
- Makes 2 crusts. Use for the top and bottom, or two pies.
- Make ahead. Store for 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.
- No food processor. A pastry blender and a bench scraper will do.
Ingredients
- Cold unsalted butter: higher-fat European-style butter if you can find it. Keep it in the fridge until the second you need it.
- Ice water: I freeze a measuring cup of water ahead of time so it’s truly ice cold.
- Apple cider vinegar: optional, but it keeps the crust tender and easier to roll.
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt: if you use table salt, use half as much.
See the recipe card below for full measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Vinegar: plain white vinegar works in place of apple cider vinegar, or leave it out.
- Butter and shortening: swap half the butter for shortening if you want a more tender crust. You give up some butter flavor.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Step-by-step instructions
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt.
Cut the cold butter into pieces and toss them in the flour until coated.
Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the pieces are about pea-sized.
Pour in the ice water and vinegar all at once, then fold with a bench scraper until the dough starts to come together.
Press the dough into a ball with your hands. Don’t knead it.
Divide the dough in half, flatten each half into a disc, wrap tightly, and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc from the center out into a 12-inch circle about ⅛ inch thick.
Ease the dough into a 9-inch pie dish without stretching it, then trim and crimp the edges.
Salted or unsalted butter for pie crust?
Use unsalted. It lets you control exactly how much salt goes in. If you only have salted butter, it works fine; just cut the salt in the recipe in half so the crust doesn’t taste salty.
How to keep pie crust from shrinking
- Chill the dough before rolling, and chill it again for 10 minutes after you put it in the dish if it feels soft.
- Don’t stretch the dough to fit the pan. Lift it and let it settle into the corners.
- Leave a little extra at the edge before you crimp, since the crust pulls in slightly as it bakes.
How to freeze pie dough
Wrap each disc tightly in plastic wrap, then seal it in a freezer bag, pressing out the air. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling.
What to bake with this crust
Apple pie is the obvious one. If you’re choosing apples, my guide to the best apples for apple pie explains why I use Honeycrisp on their own. Serve the pie with homemade whipped cream.
Sarah’s Tips
- Keep everything cold. Cold butter creates flaky layers. If the dough gets soft while you’re working, put it in the fridge for 10 minutes.
- Stop at pea-size. Smaller butter pieces give you a tender crust but fewer flakes.
- Add the water all at once. Then stop mixing as soon as the dough holds together when you squeeze it.
- Roll from the center out. Give the dough a quarter turn every few rolls so it stays round and doesn’t stick.
Recipe FAQs
Storage
- Refrigerator: wrapped dough keeps for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: wrapped discs keep for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
Recipe
Flaky Butter Pie Crust
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon (12.5g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (4g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt if using table salt, use half as much.
- 2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, straight from the fridge, preferably higher fat European style
- 1/2 cup (120ml) ice water
- 1 tablespoon (15g) vinegar (preferably apple cider, optional)
Instructions
Prep
- TIP: Fill a 1-cup liquid measuring cup with about 1 inch of water and freeze until completely frozen. After mixing your dry ingredients, take the cup from the freezer, fill it to 1/2 cup (120 ml), then add 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. If you forget this step, simply fill a 1-cup liquid measuring cup halfway with ice, then add water and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
Butter Crust
- In a large stainless steel bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt until well combined.
- Place the sticks of butter in the bowl and coat them on all sides with the flour mixture.
- Using a bench scraper, cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Work quickly to separate the cubes with your hands until they are lightly coated with flour.
- Switch to a pastry blender and begin to cut the butter with one hand while turning the bowl with the other. Continue until the largest pieces are the size of peas and the rest of the mixture resembles Parmesan cheese.
- Add the water-vinegar mixture all at once. Use a bench scraper or your hands to mix until you can't see visible liquid pools. Scoop up as much of the mixture as you can and press it down onto the rest of the ingredients. Rotate the bowl a quarter-turn and repeat. Scoop, press, and turn until the mixture forms one cohesive mass. This will take several minutes to come together, don't be tempted to add more water.
- Remove the dough from the bowl, place it on a lightly floured counter, and use your bench scraper to divide it into two equal pieces. Gently pat each into a 2-inch thick disc, quickly sealing any broken edges before wrapping them tightly in a double layer of plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least 2 hours or, ideally, overnight.
Rolling out the dough
- After chilling the dough for at least 2 hours, roll out one crust at a time, keeping the other in the fridge. Lightly flour your work surface, rolling pin, hands, and sprinkle some flour on the dough itself.
- Use gentle-medium force—no need to press too hard! Start from the center and roll outward, rotating and occasionally flipping the dough to prevent sticking. Add more flour if needed.
- Aim for a thin 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick, perfect for a 9-inch pie dish. Visible specks of butter and fat are completely normal.
- Since the dough is quite thin, use your rolling pin to transfer it to the pie dish. Gently roll one end of the dough onto the rolling pin, peeling it off the surface as you roll it towards you. Then, carefully unroll it over the pie dish.
- Proceed with the pie per your recipe’s instructions.
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Notes
- Fridge: Wrap the dough discs tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: Wrap each disc in plastic wrap, then seal it in a freezer bag, pressing out the air. Freeze for up to 3 months.
- Thawing: Thaw frozen dough overnight in the fridge before rolling.
