Homemade Flaky Pie Crust Recipe Easy 5-Step Weeknight Baking Guide
A quick and easy homemade flaky pie crust recipe perfect for weeknight baking, delivering buttery, flaky texture with simple pantry ingredients.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes (for pre-baking crust; actual baking time varies by pie filling)
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ½ cups (310 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6–8 tablespoons (90–120 ml) ice cold water
- Optional: 1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice
Instructions
- Chill your ingredients: Place butter, water, and mixing bowl in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
- Mix flour and salt: Whisk together 2 ½ cups (310 g) all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon salt in the chilled bowl.
- Cut in the butter: Add 1 cup (225 g) cold cubed unsalted butter and cut into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized bits.
- Add cold water: Drizzle 6 tablespoons (90 ml) ice cold water evenly over flour mixture. Add 1 teaspoon white vinegar or lemon juice if using. Toss gently with a fork until dough holds together. Add up to 2 more tablespoons (30 ml) water if too dry.
- Form and chill dough: Turn dough onto floured surface, press into flat disk without kneading. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
- Roll out dough: Lightly flour surface and rolling pin. Roll dough from center outward to about 1/8 inch (3 mm) thickness or to fit a 9-inch (23 cm) pie dish.
- Fit into pie dish: Transfer dough to pie dish, press into corners, trim excess leaving 1-inch (2.5 cm) overhang, fold edge under and crimp.
- Chill again before baking: Place crust in fridge for 15 minutes before baking to prevent shrinking.
Notes
Keep all ingredients cold to ensure flakiness. Chill dough twice: before mixing and after rolling. Handle dough minimally to avoid toughness. If dough cracks, patch with water and scraps. Dough can be frozen for up to a month. For golden crust, brush edges with beaten egg white or milk before baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of pie crust
- Calories: 200
- Fat: 10
- Carbohydrates: 25
- Protein: 2
Keywords: pie crust, flaky pie crust, homemade pie crust, easy pie crust, weeknight baking, buttery crust, pie dough