The Best No Fail Pie Crust Recipe from Scratch

Anyone can make this no fail pie crust recipe! This recipe is buttery, and easy, with only 5 ingredients that will turn out great every time. 

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Having a flaky pie crust is the ultimate goal and this recipe will help you make an insanely good pie crust. 

We recommend making this pie crust recipe for any type of pie whether it’s apple pie, pumpkin pie, or chocolate pie you can use this crust for any type.

This crust is a must to bake for any holiday like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any other occasion. 

So, remember this recipe.. it will become a staple for holiday desserts. 

No fail pie crust recipe Table of Contents

As someone who’s always feeding a family of six every day, when I’m in the kitchen I need things to be fast and simple. This pie crust recipe is just that simple and quick!

The end product always turns out yummy, buttery, and flaky.

You can move down to the bottom of this post and print out the recipe or go through all the detailed information on how to make the best pie crust ever.

No fail pie crust recipe: Ingredients

These simple ingredients are key to this recipe. With simple pantry staples, you will be able to make a pie crust. You don’t have to be a pro-baker to use this recipe, it is actually great for beginners.

Let’s get into the ingredients for this recipe and why we chose them.

• All-purpose flour– To hold the shape of a pie as well as keep it light with a flaky crust all-purpose flour is the best flour to use. You can use whatever all-purpose flour you have as long as it’s all-purpose.
• I recommend using only organic all-purpose flour just because limiting the amount of glyphosate you consume is best. Glyphosate is the main ingredient in Roundup that is spread on all corn and wheat in the United States. Learn more about how to avoid glyphosate HERE.

• Salt – I add salt to everything even in baking because it gives it a little boost and helps bring out all the flavors.
• I use only Himalayan pink salt and all my baking because it’s not highly processed like regular table salt, and it’s healthier for you and the environment.
• Butter– Butter will be your binding agent and why your pie will be buttery, flaky, and yummy. You can use any butter you like as long as it’s cold.
• Water– You will be surprised how little water you need to make this pie crust so it can come together beautifully. Just like the butter, make sure the water is nice and cold before you pour it into your flour mixture. The temperature of the water and the butter together help create a flaky pie crust.

How to Make the Best No-Fail Pie Crust recipe from Scratch

Now let’s make the best no fail pie crust recipe from scratch. This recipe is literally foolproof so anybody can do it even if you’ve never made pie crust before.

To make it even easier for you we have step-by-step photo instructions in a video so let’s get to it.

It’s the easiest, flakiest homemade pie crust ever! The best part is no kitchen gadgets are required to complete this recipe successfully.

Step 1

The first step is to add your flour to a good size bowl, we love stainless steel bowls since they last forever and are non-toxic. 

Step 2

After you add your flour go ahead and add your other dry ingredients, and mix them into the flour.

Step 3

Take your cold butter out of the fridge and use a cheese grinder to start shredding away.

After your butter is all shredded into little pieces, dump it in your flour and go ahead and use your hands to clump everything together until you get a nice lumpy flour mixture that has at least penny size to nickel-size butter chunks in it.

Step 4

Add cold water to your flour mixture. The more you mix it the more it will come together. After you have all the ingredients mixed and it starts to stick together to form dough into a ball. 

Step 5

After your dough is formed into a ball, cut it down the middle to make two shapes like discs.

Pop your pie dough in the freezer for later usage or in the fridge if you’re going to use it that day. Let it chill for at least two hours in the fridge or at least 30 minutes in the freezer.

Step 6

After your dough has chilled, roll it out flat and place on pie pan.

Step 7

Crimping Pie Dough

You’ve probably seen plenty of pie photos and you see them looking so beautiful because of the crimping that is done to give it its nice pie shape.

Let’s go ahead and show you how to do this technique yourself. It’s a very simple and easy way.

After you roll out your pie dough in a pie pan ( a 9-inch pie pan is a good size) , go ahead and lay the dough flat and press it up against the edge of the pan, and cut off the excess dough that is hanging.

You will get your knuckle and press dough up against the outer edges while taking your other hand and pressing it from behind creating this cripple shape.

Keep doing this technique around your pie dough and at the end, you’ll have this nice crippling hide that doesn’t make your pie look nice and pretty.

Keep doing this technique around your pie dough and place it in the fridge until you have your pie filling ready so you can bake it at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes.

If all fails you can always buy pastry-cutting tools, we liked some recommendations below.

No Fail Pie Crust Recipe Video

Why Does This Pie Crust Recipe Work?

This pie crust recipe works because it only has five ingredients you can’t mess up.

The amount of butter we use is just enough to give you the nice buttery flaky texture and flavor every pie needs.

There are no special ingredients or special processes to make this pie crust. 

That’s why it works so well because anyone at any level of baking skill from no baking skills can make this pie crust successfully. That’s why it’s called no foolproof crust.

Making Pie Dough in Advance

Making pie dough in advance is the way to go! To do this successfully, here are a few tips!

Double the recipe to make to have a bulk supply ready when needed. This will help you have a pie in advance for any occasion.

When using the recipe, you can make enough pie dough to have you split it in half to make two separate pie dough disks.

Store your pie dough in the freezer by forming it into disk-like shapes. This shape is best because it is easy to roll out the dough and easy to store when placed in the freezer.

If you are making pie in advance, make sure you don’t make too much of it as you can only keep it for a shorter amount of time in the fridge, and freezer.

You don’t want all your hard work of making perfect pie crust to go to waste because of spoilage.

How to Freeze Pie Crust

This pie dough is freezer friendly and will be great to make pie crust ahead of time to freeze for later. Here are some quick tips on how to freeze our pie crust. 

To freeze pie crust it’s a good idea to have a pie crust pan that will help you keep the shape and keep your pie crust intact.

You can also use the one-time use of an aluminum pie pan to form your pie crust. This also helps when it comes to storing it in the freezer for later use.

To prevent your dough from getting freezer burned, make sure you wrap it up and secure it in freezer friendly container, or plastic wrap.

According to the USDA, the dough should be left in the freezer for no more than two months and in the fridge for no more than four days.

If you have the dough in the freezer, let it thaw in the fridge before using and if you have fresh dough place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 to 3 hours and then in the freezer for at least 30 minutes before use.

Make sure to use a permanent marker or tape or anything that you can get your hands on to label your pie crust so you remember the date you put it in the freezer.

No fail pie crust recipe: Tips Success

Overall it’s good to have a few tips and tricks to make this no fail pie crust recipe successful.

• The key to making flaky layers in your pie crust is to work with cold ingredients. Butter is the one key ingredient you need to keep cold, so be sure to keep it in the fridge until you use it. 
• Use a cheese grater to shred butter to help break up the butter better. You can use your hand to break the butter into the flour or use this useful tool. Ultimately, shredding butter with a greater is working smarter not harder. 
• Another cold ingredient that is essential in this homemade pie crust recipe is using ice water. All you need is a small amount of water to help bind the pie crust dough, and having just enough water is key in a never fail pie crust.
• You can also use a food processor next time you mix all your dry ingredients. I don’t use it but I have seen a lot of people use this method and still turn out to have gotten a perfectly flaky pie crust.

• When making a single crust make sure to have a lightly floured surface to help the crust not stick to your pie dish. A flour work surface is key when also shaping your dough or when using your rolling pin.
• For best results when trying to make pretty much anything with your dough always top off the dough with egg wash so it can make a nice light brown crust.
• Always use organic flour for this go-to pie crust recipe or any baking recipe for that matter. It’s important to try to lessen the glyphosate in the flour you consume, read all about it in “Ultimate Guide to Clean Eating Desserts.“

• Be sure to start with a clean surface before you place a little flour to help you roll the dough.

What to use pie dough for:

I can write a whole other post on just the uses of pie but I will give the different ways and most popular ways to use your pie crust.

• Make a traditional pie like a caramel apple pie, pecan pie, blueberry pie, or any other sweet mike with a fruit mixture in the middle
• Chicken pot pie, below you can see a video of a homemade chicken pot pie baked in a cast iron skillet.
• Savory pies are a great alternative to sweet pies like coconut cream pie or any other sweet pie filling.

No fail pie crust recipe: FAQ

How do I get the top of my pie crust golden brown?

Applying an egg wash on top of your already-shaped pie dough will help you get a golden brown crust.

Is pie crust better with butter or Crisco?

Pie crust is made with butter instead of Crisco because of multiple reasons.

First, butter gives your pie crust a flaky and buttery taste, second Crisco is not good for you as it is unhealthy and highly processed.

When it comes to butter you can get a high-quality product since you can buy butter that is made with grass-fed and organic milk which is healthier for you in the long run.

Why do people put vinegar in pie dough?

Some recipes add vinegar to their dough to lessen the development of gluten to prevent tough dough. It’s not necessary but it can be prevented tough dough if you by mistake kneed your dough too much.

What is the trick to making pie crust?

The trick to making pie crust is the amount of butter you put in it. The butter is a reason why piecrust has its flaky, yummy, and buttery taste. That is why this recipe was the right amount of butter to give you great results.

How do I keep my pie crust bottom from getting soggy?

To keep pie crust from getting soggy on the bottom, as soon as you take the crust out of the oven place it on a cooling rack.

A cooling rack will prevent your crust to get soggy because it lets your pie crust cool evenly without suffocating the dough and breaking it down to make it soggy.

In my opinion, this is a go-to recipe that can become your best pie crust recipe to use for years to come.

I hope you enjoy this no fail pie crust recipe to make an unforgettable homemade pie recipe.

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