This is the only pie crust recipe you’ll ever need! Buttery, flaky, and foolproof, my easy homemade recipe is perfect every single time, thanks to a key secret ingredient. No messy pastry cutter needed! Recipe includes a video tutorial.
Why You NEED to Make This Pie Crust Recipe This Year
- It’s easy. No heavy lifting with this recipe as a food processor makes quick work of the dough, no pastry cutter needed (and I’ve include notes in case you don’t have a pastry cutter).
- It’s flavorful. And flaky, and buttery, and I could go on…. My secret ingredient (sour cream, trust me on this) adds beautiful depth of flavor to the pie, without revealing its origin to the taster. This pie crust is truly tasty enough to eat on its own.
- It makes enough. This recipe will fit easily in a 9″ or a 10″ pie plate. It makes enough that you won’t have to worry about fussing with a paper-thin, fragile sheet of pie dough. It folds under itself on the edge of the plate for a sturdy, substantial crust (which you’re going to want, once you taste it). I’ve been using this recipe for over a decade, but several years ago bumped up the ratios a bit to make sure I had plenty to work with, without it being too much excess to handle, either.
- Great for blind baking, too. Or making a lattice pie crust, or pie crust cookies, or just using anywhere you need a pie crust. Oh, and did I mention it doubles like a dream?
This shockingly simple pie dough works perfectly for blind baking (great for making apple pie or pecan pie), and can easily be doubled for two-crust pies or a lattice pie crust.
What You Need
You don’t need anything fancy or complicated to make my homemade pie crust recipe–just five common ingredients you probably already have:
- Flour. Use all-purpose flour, and make sure you’re measuring your flour properly, or you may end up with a dry, crumbly crust.
- Sugar. The small bit of sugar in this recipe can be eliminated, but I like that it adds a subtle flavor to the end result.
- Salt. Just a little salt flavors this homemade pie crust without making it salty.
- Butter. Your butter should be very cold when you drop it into your dry ingredients. You can pop it in the freezer for a few minutes before you are ready to start making your crust to make sure it’s cold enough. Use unsalted butter since we are adding salt ourselves. For an even more flavorful crust, splurge for European-style butter.
- Sour cream. Yep, sour cream! Sour cream is the secret ingredient in my pie crust recipe (and in my sour cream pound cake, among others!). Using sour cream takes a lot of the guesswork out of this recipe and there’s no fussing with various amounts of ice water. It gives this homemade pie crust a lovely depth of flavor that is not overwhelming or obvious, but does add an extra special subtle touch to the finished product. Mostly, though, I just love it because it makes this recipe so easy! If you don’t have sour cream, full-fat Greek yogurt will also work, but try to use sour cream if you can!
SAM’S TIP: That’s right, you don’t need ice water to make my pie crust recipe! I use an exact amount of sour cream instead. No more guessing how much ice water to use or worrying if your water is cold enough.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Homemade Pie Crust
- Pulse dry ingredients together in the bowl of a food processor. Add cubed cold butter and pulse a few times until your mixture is combined and resembles coarse crumbs, but note that you should still have distinguishable pieces of butter remaining in the food processor, aim for chocolate-chip-sized bits!
- Add sour cream, and pulse a few more times until mixture is still crumbly but beginning to cling together.
- Transfer dough onto a clean surface and gently, quickly work into a ball before flattening into a disk. Wrap disk in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 45-60 minutes.
- Remove dough from fridge and roll out to a 12″ circle. Arrange in pie plate and crimp/flute the edges before blind baking or filling.
SAM’S TIP: Making a pumpkin pie or a chocolate pie? You’ll need a blind-baked crust! While I share some notes on blind-baking in this recipe, I will be sharing an entire post dedicated to blind-baking very soon. Stay tuned!
Tips for Success
While this recipe is designed to be straightforward, here are a few things you can do to guarantee your success:
- Make sure your ingredients are cold. This is so important, the butter should be ice cold (I place mine in the fridge for up to 30 minutes before beginning). Cold butter = flaky, tender pie crust. Warm butter could even leak out of the dough.
- Don’t overdo it. Don’t overwork the dough. The food processor is a boon to the pie making process but can quickly overdo it if you’re not careful. You want to have some pieces of butter remaining, go just until the dough will cling together. If it’s overdone, the crust could be too tough or it won’t be flaky.
- Pulse means pulse. Do not simply blend the dough nonstop. Pulse in 1-second intervals, otherwise you’ll end up with a wet, overworked dough.
- Don’t let it stick. As you roll your dough, it will warm and becomes prone to sticing to the counter surface. To avoid this, generously flour your surface before beginning and, periodically, turn the dough. If it sticks, slide a thin spatula to pry it free and add more flour beneath the crust.
- Move it carefully. This is a sturdy crust, but kitchens get warm, especially if your ovens are blazing cooking Thanksgiving side dishes and whatnot. Take care when transferring your dough, gently wrap it up around the rolling pin and use that to carry it to the pie plate and gently unroll it (I demonstrate this in the video).
- Chill the dough. Again, cold dough is key to perfect pie crust. However, if yours is cracking as you try to roll it, it may be too cold. Let it rest at room temperature for 5 minutes, then try again.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a pastry blender, knife, or a grater to cut your butter into your dough.
I highly recommend investing in a food processor though–it will make your baking so much easier and less messy!
Yes! Just make sure your pie dough is tightly wrapped before freezing. It will keep for several months in the freezer. When you’re ready, let it thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
I know it seems like an unusual pastry ingredient, but I’ve found that sour cream yields an exceptionally tender, flaky, and shockingly flavorful (it’s delicious even on its own, or as pie crust cookies) crust. Plus, using sour cream means this pie crust recipe is much easier and less fussy to make than many traditional recipes. Worried about the flavor? Don’t! Sour cream adds flavor without making your crust taste like sour cream (no one will be able to tell what the secret ingredient actually is).
If you’re looking for pie crust alternatives, try my graham cracker crust or puff pastry.
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! Subscribe to my newsletter and make sure to follow along on YouTube where I have over 500 free video tutorials! 💜
Pie Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar optional
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- 8 Tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter very cold and cubed
- ¼ cup (60 g) sour cream
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Combine flour, sugar (if using), and salt in the canister of a food processor and pulse briefly to combine.1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons granulated sugar, ¼ teaspoon table salt
- Scatter butter pieces over the top of the flour mixture and pulse again until butter is mostly combined and mixture resembles coarse crumbs (there should still be discernible pieces of butter remaining in the mixture, some as large as a chocolate chip).8 Tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter
- Add sour cream and pulse again until mixture just begins to cling together. The mixture may still seem dry, but if you pinch it between your thumb and forefinger and it clings together, you’re ready to move on — don't overdo it!¼ cup (60 g) sour cream
- Transfer dough to a clean surface and work into a ball (try not to over-handle the dough, you want it to stay as cold as possible to keep the butter from melting and your hands are very warm!). Flatten into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and transfer to refrigerator to chill for at least 45-60 minutes before proceeding/using as desired.
- If arranging into a pie plate, remove the dough from the refrigerator once it has chilled and transfer to a clean, lightly floured surface. Use a rolling pin to roll into a 12” circle (add flour as needed and be sure to lift the pie dough and add flour beneath it while rolling to keep from sticking, if needed) and arrange into a pie plate, crimping or fluting the edges (I provide a visual on fluting the edges in my video above).
- Transfer to pie plate and use according to your pie filling recipe’s instructions, or see my detailed tutorial on how to blind bake pie crust.
Notes
Sour cream
Full-fat sour cream is your best bet for this recipe, but in a pinch you could substitute full-fat plain Greek yogurt.Making without a food processor
If you do not have a food processor you may use a pastry cutter, grater (freeze the butter for 20 minutes then grate it into the flour mixture), or even a knife to cut the butter into the flour mixture before stirring in the sour cream.Blind baking:
To blind bake this pie crust (that is, bake it completely without any filling so it can be cooled and filled with a filling that does not need to be baked), see my detailed tutorial on how to blind bake a pie crust.Lattice crust
I have a detailed tutorial on exactly how to do a lattice pie crust. You will need to double this recipe in order to do so.Making in advance:
This pie dough may be made up to 5 days in advance of rolling out and using. Store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator. If chilling for this long, you will likely need to let the dough soften on the counter at room temperature for 15 minutes or possibly longer to make it soft enough to roll without cracking.Freezing:
This pie dough may be frozen and will keep for several months in the freezer if tightly wrapped. To use, thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then use as desired.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Sonny
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
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
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
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
Thank you Sam for all these recipes I can make
Sugar Spun Run
Thank you for following my blog, Sarah! I hope that you enjoy the pie recipes! Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Deb
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
I love Galettes! I hope that you enjoy the pie crust recipe and it works perfectly for you! 🙂
A G
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
Thank you so much! I am so glad that you enjoyed the pie crust. 🙂
Janet P.
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
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
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
Thanks so much for the feedback, Ann! 🙂
Megan
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
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
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
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
Hello, Sarah! I have had others substitute greek yogurt and have had success. Let me know how your pie crust turns out! 🙂
Shirley Johnston
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
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
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
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
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
Sounds interesting, Roberta! I have never tried it this way. Let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Dianne Ellenberger
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
I am so glad that everyone enjoyed the pie crust, Dianne!