Pie season is just around the corner, so I thought I’d share with you the only homemade pie crust recipe you’ll ever need! Made with an unexpected ingredient and made in the food processor, you can have a perfect pie crust chilling in your refrigerator in a matter of minutes!
This easy homemade pie crust recipe is essentially foolproof and comes out perfectly buttery and flakey every single time! This recipe has been my family’s go-to for over a decade and it’s what I use to make my chocolate pie. Be sure to check out the video at the bottom of the post walking you step-by-step through the recipe!
This is it, pie-loving friends. The only pie crust recipe I ever use, one that my mom has been making exclusively for over a decade.
You might have caught this easy pie crust recipe before on my website. I shared it with my apple turnovers and also my turkey pot pie, but it’s about time that this recipe gets its own post.
While it may be a little bit more effort than my graham cracker crust recipe, it’s one of the easiest pie crusts I’ve ever made and only one that has never failed for me. It has a classic pie crust taste, a buttery, flaky texture, and it comes together in a food processor (no obnoxious pastry cutters!) and uses a perhaps unexpected ingredient…
Sour cream!
Instead of worrying over adding exact amount of ice water, you’re going to simply add sour cream to this recipe. This ingredients yields one of the flakiest, best tasting pie crusts of your life. Unlike those ice water recipes, this easy pie crust recipe turns out for me perfectly, every time. And in case you’re worried, it does not taste like sour cream! Nobody is going to be able to tell that you used sour cream in this recipe.
How To Make Homemade Pie Crust
You’ll make everything in a food processor, combining your dry ingredients first and pulsing them until they’re combined. Next, add very cold butter that you’ve first chopped into pieces.
Pulse until your mixture resembles coarse, sandy crumbs.
Next, add your sour cream and pulse again until your dough just begins to clump together. It should look like this when it’s finished 👇🏼 (don’t overdo it!).
Next, transfer your dough to a clean, lightly floured surface where you’ll use your hands to gently knead the dough together.
Once it’s formed into a smooth, round ball, use your palms to lightly flatten the dough. Wrap your pie dough tightly with clear wrap and place it in your refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. If you chill the dough for longer, you may need to let it sit at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes before rolling it out, as the colder it is the stiffer and more difficult to work with it will be.
Roll your dough out onto a lightly floured surface into a 12″ circle. I like to roll my dough out slightly larger, and then use a pizza cutter to trim up the edges to that they are neat and even. If yours aren’t, you can always just fold them underneath for a prettier looking edge to your pie crust.
If you’re using this easy pie crust as part of another recipe, it’s likely that the recipe will have instructions for filling and baking the crust. However, some recipes, especially those with no-bake fillings, will require a pre-baked pie crust, so I’ve provided instructions in the recipe for blind baking.
How to Blind Bake a Pie Crust
Blind baking simply means baking a pie crust without filling it first. In the past, I’ve blind baked pie crusts by filling with beans or pie weights, but this method from Serious Eats using sugar has quickly become my favorite method.
- Arrange your rolled out pie dough into your pie plate as desired and place in the freezer while your oven is preheating
- After chilling, line your chilled pie crust with a large piece of aluminum foil or parchment paper. Be sure to use a piece large enough that it hangs over the edge of the pie plate so you can simply grab each end and and lift it out of the pie once it has finished baking.
- Fill the foil or parchment paper with sugar (pie weights or dry beans will work, but I really like using sugar). The sugar should evenly distribute its weight against the pie crust, holding it in shape as it bakes.
- Bake 50 minutes or until pie crust is baked through and lightly golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely (otherwise it may shrink!).
Once you are finished baking, allow your sugar to cool before lifting the parchment or foil from the pie crust. You can either re-use the sugar in your baking or you can save it separately to use for all of your future blind baking.
Making your own homemade pie crust is as simple as that. Try this recipe out for yourself and let me know what you think!
The BEST Easy Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter cold and cut into 12 pieces (85g)
- 1/4 cup sour cream (60g)
Instructions
- Make the crust first by combining flour, sugar, and salt in the canister of a food processor. Pulse to combine.
- Sprinkle butter pieces over the mixture and pulse again until coarse crumbs form.
- Add sour cream and pulse again until mixture begins to clump together.
- Carefully (remove the blade first!) remove the dough from the food processor and use your hands to shape it into a ball. Flatten slightly into a disc and wrap in cling wrap. Place in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Remove chilled pie dough from refrigerator and transfer to a clean, lightly floured surface. Allow dough to sit for about 5 minutes and then roll dough out into a 12" circle and place in a 9" or 10" glass pie dish.
- Gently lay the pie crust into a 10" pie pan, folding under the excess dough beneath itself and crimping with a fork.
- If pie crust is to be used with a baked filling, follow that recipe's instructions for filling and baking.
For Blind Baking
- If baking pie crust alone (or "blind baking"), transfer your prepared pie dish to the freezer and preheat your oven to 350F.
- Once oven is preheated, retrieve your pie dough and gently line it with aluminum foil or parchment paper*, being sure that the aluminum is molded to the sides of the pie crust, especially (you want to make sure they don't collapse or sag while baking) -- make sure the edges are covered so that they do not over-brown/burn.
- Fill the aluminum with sugar** and place pie pan on an aluminum cookie sheet.
- Transfer to oven and bake on 350F for 45-55 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before lifting out the aluminum foil and sugar**( and finishing with desired filling.
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase anything through these links I will get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Please view the disclosure policy for more information.
Tools used in this Pie Crust Recipe
- Pyrex 9 1/2″ pie plate (3 pack): I literally have 5 of these pie plates, they’re simple and easy to store and I love them!
- Wooden rolling pin: A classic for every kitchen, this is what I’m using in the video
- 8 cup food processor: I LOVE this food processor! I read hundreds of reviews before picking this one and have had no regrets.
Treat yourself to a FREE E-BOOK!
Originally published 09/18/17
Sonny says
I’d like to make a fruit pie for Thanksgiving and am wondering if the quality of the crust will be the same if I bake it the day before?
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, Sonny! Yes, it should be fine. I would just wrap it or store it in an airtight container to keep it fresh. Enjoy! 🙂
Valerie says
I’m excited to try this recipe. Can you specify of this is for a single crust, or a double crust? In other words, should I double the recipe for a pie with a top?
Thanks!
Sam says
Hi Valerie! This is a single pie crust, so you would want to double for a crust and a top layer. It doubles well! I hope you love the recipe!
Sarah says
Thank you Sam for all these recipes I can make
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you for following my blog, Sarah! I hope that you enjoy the pie recipes! Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Deb says
OMG!! Just baked this today and this pie is AMAZING! I’ve never been a pie baker because the crust always intimidated me. No more! I can’t wait to start baking for Thanksgiving!
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much, Deb! Congrats on baking your perfect pie crust. I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe and found it easy to follow. Stay tuned next week, I will be doing a thanksgiving pie round-up for ideas. 🙂
Carrie says
I have always had trouble with pie crusts so i tried yours. It is easy to make, rolls out like a dream and is delicious! My only problem is that it shrunk. I used foil and sugar when i blind baked. Help what did i do wrong!
Sam says
Oh no! Shrinking like that is a common and annoying problem with blind baking, it’s actually the reason I love using the sugar because it distributes the weight so evenly and I usually don’t have that problem. Was the sugar filled up almost all the way, so that it was weighted against the sides of the crust, too? Usually that is enough for me to keep the crust from shrinking.
Marti says
I am a first-timer (and rather terrified – no Stepford in my kitchen, just rescued Mastiffs) & love the clear , simple instructions. There’s a chance I might not screw this up.
What types of pies call for blind baking? I’m going in the Granny Smith direction from your recipes.. The weirdest thing about the apples that is our most recently adopted blonde boy, a 230 pounder, LOVES apples. It is hard to work around him & his very effective road blocks. Watermelon & cantaloupe? Forget it!
– Marti
Sam says
Hi Marti! Typically custard based pies like my chocolate pie call for blind baking. Thats a big puppy! My shepherd lovvveess to be in the middle of the kitchen floor when I’m baking. Gotta love em. 🙂
Marti says
I saw your GS love in the “about me” bit & dug you even more. My first dog, when I thought I was an adult, was a German Shepherd. Also there are many photos of me hugging & petting my aunt & uncle’s GS when I was about 2 or 3. When my husband, Luc, first came to meet in person he told me he was TERRIFIED of dogs, including my first German Shepherd. DEAL BREAKER ALERT! I told him I loved the dog longer that I’d known him. Buh-bye. Clearly Luc got over it as I type this 20 years later. He’s taught our Stay Puft Marshmallow Man to use a sofa as a stepstool to get into bed.
#1 German Shepherd was friendly, outgoing, and could be anywhere in public, letting anyone pet him or throw balls/Frisbees. He converted Luc, who insisted my – wait…OUR baby be at our rehearsal dinner. It was a BBQ at my parent’s. He became Luc’s baby too & who never put a limit on what we would do for him, including custom wheels for his back end months later.
Off topic my teeny 8 lb rescue cat – she had chutzpah, ‘tude but was very friendly – used to grab the dog’s face & groom him. Odd but really cute. I love my smoothcoat black kitty girls.
OK. Reeling it in, not my strong suit. Last night I made, with Luc’s help because I started way late, our first apple pie FROM SCRATCH, top to BOTTOM. CRUST! Let me say that again. CRUST! You weren’t kidding about your foolproof crust recipe. So easy. Sooooo easy. Can the discs be frozen & if so, what are does & don’ts?I’m admitting my shame in a public internet post: I have store bought crusts in my freezer. No more. Our son has autism and deficits in fine motor skills. I might give the frozen ones to him & tell him to look up and make a pie recipe. Eli tried the Granny Smith with Sour Cream pie and mumbled happy sounds. Really? After 12 years of speech therapy and being in Honors English? This on top of cis male teendom?. Oy vey!
Much gratitude, even from my cellulite,
Marti
Sam says
Thank you so much Marti! This comment really made my day. Dogs really are the best things on earth! I will always have a German Shepherd. Mine is so dopey but so loving. She is the exact same as your #1. She loves people and loves going out in public. I am so glad you enjoyed the crust so much. I hope you enjoy it for years to come. 🙂
Patti-Lynne says
Rustic pies aka Galettes are heaven! Ive struggled for years with perfecting pies, Galettes to the rescue! Love the carefree look of them with the same amazing taste. Ill be trying your crust for my savory and sweet galettes!
Sugar Spun Run says
I love Galettes! I hope that you enjoy the pie crust recipe and it works perfectly for you! 🙂
A G says
I used the recipe to make pie dough for turnovers. They turned out really crispy and flaky. Perfect really. The sour cream was a very nice change. I’m going to make them in big batches for holiday parties. Nice job on the recipe and thank you.
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much! I am so glad that you enjoyed the pie crust. 🙂
Janet P. says
My mom gave me the same apple dumpling recipe from the same Betty Crocker cookbook! In fact I still have that cook book. Great women think alike I guess. I wanted to see how you made your crust. I’ve only made a few pie crust but I never heard of using sour cream just butter. So will you explain to me why you use sour cream? Can you taste the sour cream in the crust? Does it make rolling it easier? Have you ever seen a recipe that has vanilla extract or vanilla paste in the crust? I’m thinking about trying it out on just one of the apple dumplings. I love vanilla. I just wanted to know what you might recommend. That’s enough questions for today! Thanks, Janet
Sam says
Ah that’s so cool! It’s been a family favorite here for… forever!
I use sour cream because it yields a tender but nice and flakey crust. It’s (in my opinion) much easier and less fussy to make than many traditional pie crusts (the food processor also helps with that!), but no it does not taste like sour cream. I don’t know that I’d say rolling it is easier, the rolling part is probably about the same with this recipe as with one that doesn’t use sour cream.
I’ve never used vanilla extract/paste in the crust, but I’m sure it could be done. Usually the crust doesn’t need much flavor of its own as that comes from the filling, but if you wanted to add some I’d mix it in with the sour cream. I think you’ll get more of a vanilla flavor from using it elsewhere, though. Maybe stir a teaspoon or so into the syrup after cooking it on the stovetop? I hope that helps, Janet! 🙂
Ann says
Hi just letting you know I did this recipe with my homemade butter from my beautiful jersey girls. And used cream instead of sour cream. Turns out perfect every time!!!
Sugar Spun Run says
Thanks so much for the feedback, Ann! 🙂
Megan says
Within the coming weeks, I am going to be doing dry runs of pies and stuff to prepare for the holidays (first time I am being the host and very excited). This seems simple enough and would rather attempt this instead of doing a store brought crust. As of now I do not have a food processor. Can this be done another way or am I just out of luck until I eventually do get a food processor?
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, Megan! If you don’t have a food processor you can use a pastry cutter instead. Let me know if I can provide you with any specific pie recipes you may be looking to bake. 🙂
Megan says
Thanks Sam! Out of luck on the pastry cutter as well! LOL I’m not going to do any dry run of pies just yet, few weeks away, but thought MAYBE if I felt up to it this weekend I was going to try the coconut cream pie. I’m going to wait until I do get the food processor.(BTW, thanks for linking to the one you use as that is the same one I have been looking at on Amazon so maybe it it’s a sign! LOL) For holidays I am planning coconut cream and apple pie, possibly pecan as well. I have made pies before, but not doing my own crust. So definitely wanting the whole thing from scratch. I made your homemade whip cream recipe a few weeks back for some chocolate ice cream shakes, so I know I am set with that. Looking forward to your pie recipes and pie crust. One other question, I have seen the coconut cream pie, by any chance do you have a coconut custard pie recipe?
Sarah says
Hi
Gonna make apple pie turnovers from ur recipe… N for that I’m making pie crust… but don’t hav sour cream…so can i substitute cold water or something instead?
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, Sarah! I have had others substitute greek yogurt and have had success. Let me know how your pie crust turns out! 🙂
Shirley Johnston says
I too am not a great baker, but this pie crust was wonderful. I will admit trying to roll it out in a circle and get it in the pie plate took several tries, but practice makes perfect. I took the left over bits of crust and baked them with a little sugar and cinnamon….YUMMY!!! I was going to save some to share with my husband, but took one for the team and ate them all. LOL!! Thank you for making baking a success for all of us novices. BTW, I made a pear pie like my grandmother used to make, she used sand pears off her tree. Haven’t tried it yet, but if smells count, it will be heavenly. Thank you again. On to my next baking project!
Sam says
Thank you so much, Shirley! I am so glad you enjoyed the pie crust. I would love to make a pear pie. Happy baking! 🙂
Mary says
5 stars for taste and because this is probably as easy to make as a pie crust could be.
However, I have decided that making pies is an art for which I am not gifted and lack the patience to try. The whole rolling out and fitting into the pan is too frustrating.
I made little cookies out of the remaining scraps of crust that I sprinkled with sugar. So I can say for sure that the crust is flaky, buttery, and utterly delicious.
Sugar Spun Run says
Hello, Mary! I am so happy that you loved the pie crust, despite fitting it into the pan. After a few attempts, you will be a pro! 🙂
Roberta says
How about a rustic pie? No pan used, simply roll out and fold up the crust around the filling. (Even the edges can be left alone.) I have used this when I didn’t feel like fussing with a pie pan.
Sugar Spun Run says
Sounds interesting, Roberta! I have never tried it this way. Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Dianne Ellenberger says
I am not a baker but had some apples so decided to make an apple pie and I used this pie dough recipe. I shared my pie with some friends and got a thumbs up and some great comments on the flavor and how flaky the crust came was. I took a picture of my pie and posted it on Facebook and everyone thought it looked delicious. I’ve also been asked to share your recipe!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful pie dough recipe!! It’s a keeper!!
Sugar Spun Run says
I am so glad that everyone enjoyed the pie crust, Dianne!