All Butter Pie Crust

All Butter Pie Crust is a flaky, buttery homemade pie crust you can use for sweet pies, savory pies, and pot pies. I make it when I want a from-scratch crust that works with simple ingredients I usually have on hand.

This is the crust to keep ready for holiday baking, especially if you’re making Sweet Potato Pie with Canned Yams, Pumpkin Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk, or Skillet Chicken Pot Pie. It works as a bottom crust, top crust, or double crust, so you can use it for pies, cozy dinners, and Thanksgiving meal prep.

Why You’ll Love This All Butter Pie Crust

• It uses simple ingredients: You only need flour, salted butter, salt, and cold water.
• It has buttery flavor: Salted butter and enough added salt keep the crust from tasting flat.
• It works for sweet and savory recipes: Use it for pies, quiche, pot pies, and holiday baking.
• You can make it ahead: Chill the dough for a few days or freeze it for later.
• It gives you options: Use it as a bottom crust, top crust, or double crust depending on the recipe.

Ingredients You’ll Need

The ingredients are simple, but these small details help the dough come together without overworking it.

• All-purpose flour: Use fresh flour that is not past its expiration date. Flour can taste stale over time. You can sift the flour with the salt to mix them evenly, but whisking works too.
• Salt: I use enough salt to give the crust flavor, even with salted butter. This keeps the crust from tasting flat without making it taste salty.
• Cold salted butter: Keep the butter in the refrigerator until you are ready to cut it. Then cut it into cubes and add it to the flour right away. The cubes are easier to work in quickly, which helps the butter stay cold and leaves small visible pieces for a flaky crust.
• Cold water: Add enough cold water for the dough to gather, but do not worry if it does not form a smooth ball in the bowl. Some loose flour is okay because the dough will finish coming together once you press it into a disk with plastic wrap.

How to Make All Butter Pie Crust

Use the step photos as your guide. At this point, you’re just making the dough and chilling it. Rolling and baking come later.

Mix the flour and salt

Sift or whisk the flour and salt together so the salt is evenly mixed before the butter goes in.

Cut in cold butter

Keep the butter in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Cut it into cubes, then work it into the flour until small pea-sized pieces are still visible.

Add just enough cold water

Start with 1/3 cup cold water, then add 1 to 2 tablespoons more only if needed. Some loose flour is okay. The dough just needs to gather enough to pile onto plastic wrap.

Gather with plastic wrap

Pile the dough and any loose flour onto plastic wrap. Seal it, then press the dough into a disk. This helps bring it together without overmixing.

Chill before rolling

Chill the wrapped dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling. One hour is even better when you have the time.

What the Dough Should Look Like

The dough should look a little shaggy, not smooth like bread dough. You should still see small pieces of butter in it.

Some flour at the bottom of the bowl is fine. The goal is for the dough to gather enough that you can pile it onto plastic wrap, seal it, and press it into a disk.

If the dough will not gather in the plastic wrap, add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time, up to 1 to 2 tablespoons extra. Stop as soon as it comes together so you do not add more water than you need.

How Long to Chill, Store, and Freeze Pie Dough

Chill the wrapped dough for at least 30 minutes before rolling. One hour is ideal when you have the time because it gives the butter more time to firm back up and helps the dough roll more easily.

You can keep wrapped pie dough in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you want to make it further ahead, freeze it instead.

To freeze pie dough, wrap the disk tightly in plastic wrap, then place it in a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before rolling. If it feels too firm after chilling or thawing, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes.

How to Roll Pie Crust for a 9-Inch Pie

For a 9-inch pie plate, roll the chilled dough to about 1/8 inch thick and about 12 inches wide. This gives you enough dough to fit into the pie plate with a little overhang for trimming and crimping.

Lightly flour your surface and rolling pin, then roll from the center outward. Turn the dough as you roll so it stays even and does not stick.

Do not stretch the dough into the pie plate. Gently lift and settle it into the bottom and sides of the dish. Stretching can make the crust shrink as it bakes.

How to Use It as a Bottom Crust, Top Crust, or Double Crust

• For a bottom crust: Roll one disk of dough and fit it into the pie plate. This works for recipes like sweet potato pie, pumpkin pie, quiche, and other pies with filling baked inside the crust.
• For a top crust: Roll one disk of dough and place it over the filling. This works well for Skillet Chicken Pot Pie or other pot pies that only need a flaky crust on top.
• For a double-crust pie: Make two separate batches instead of doubling everything in one bowl. This helps keep the butter cold and gives you more room to cut it into the flour evenly. Shape each batch into its own disk, wrap separately, and chill before rolling.

Blind Baking, Docking, and Venting

Blind baking means baking a bottom pie crust before adding the filling. You usually need this for cream pies, no-bake pies, some custard pies, and quiche.

Docking means piercing a bottom crust with a fork before blind baking or partially baking. This gives steam a place to escape so the crust is less likely to puff up in the pie plate.

You do not need to dock every bottom crust. For recipes like Sweet Potato Pie with Canned Yams and Pumpkin Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk, I fit the dough into the pie plate, add the filling, and bake as directed.

For a top crust, cut a few slits in the dough before baking. This is called venting. I vent the crust when I use this dough for Skillet Chicken Pot Pie so steam can escape from the creamy filling.

How to Avoid Common Pie Crust Problems

• If the crust shrinks: The dough may have been stretched into the pie plate, too warm before baking, or not chilled long enough. Gently settle the dough into the dish, leave a little overhang, and chill the fitted crust before baking when the recipe calls for it.
• If the crust is dense or tough: The dough may have been overmixed, rolled too much, or made with too much water. Keep the butter cold, stop mixing once the dough can gather, and let the plastic wrap help press it into a disk.
• If the dough is hard to roll: It may be too cold straight from the fridge. Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes, then try again.
• If the dough sticks while rolling: Use a light dusting of flour on the surface and rolling pin. Add only what you need because too much extra flour can make the crust dry.
• If the bottom crust puffs up: Dock the dough with a fork when blind baking or partially baking, and use pie weights or dried beans if the recipe calls for them.

Ways to Use This All Butter Pie Crust

This crust works for both sweet and savory recipes, so use it anywhere you want a flaky homemade crust.

For holiday pies

Use this crust for Sweet Potato Pie with Canned Yams, Pumpkin Pie with Sweetened Condensed Milk, Pecan Pie, or Apple Pie. It is especially helpful for holiday baking because you can make the dough ahead, chill it, and roll it when you are ready.

For savory pies and pot pies

Use it as a top crust for Skillet Chicken Pot Pie, Turkey Pot Pie, or Chicken Pot Pie Casserole. The buttery crust works well with creamy fillings because you get a flaky topping without needing a bottom crust.

For quiche and custard-style fillings

Use this crust for quiche, custard pies, and other fillings that need a sturdy bottom crust. These are the recipes where blind baking or partial baking may matter most.

Easy Swaps and Variations

• Use it for sweet pies: I do not add sugar to this crust because pie fillings are already sweet. The buttery crust works well with pumpkin pie, sweet potato pie, fruit pies, and pecan pie as written.
• Use it for savory pies: This same crust works for quiche, pot pies, and savory pies without any changes.
• Make a double crust: Make two separate batches instead of doubling one large batch. This helps keep the butter cold and makes each disk easier to handle.

All Butter Pie Crust FAQs