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Easy Homemade Pie Crust

This homemade pie crust is my personal favorite and is made using a food processor, which makes cutting the butter into the flour very simple, without overworking the dough. You can make a double batch of this and freeze the individually wrapped dough for future pie-related adventures.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course lunch/dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 8 people
Calories 4545.4 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 Food Processor Essential for quickly cutting butter into flour without overworking the dough.
  • 1 Small Mixing Bowl For combining ice water and vinegar.
  • 1 Measuring Cups and Spoons For accurate ingredient portions.
  • 1 Plastic Wrap For wrapping and refrigerating dough discs.
  • 1 Wooden Surface or Countertop For turning out and shaping the dough.

Ingredients
  

Main

  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup unsalted butter - chilled cut into tablespoon-size pieces
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 7 tablespoons ice water
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Instructions
 

  • Combine flour, butter, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 (1-second) pulses. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Stir ice water and vinegar in a small bowl.
  • Pour 1/2 of the ice water mixture into flour mixture; pulse to combine, about 3 (1-second) pulses. Pour in remaining ice water mixture; pulse until mixture starts to come together, about 8 (1-second) pulses. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Turn dough out onto a wooden surface, pat it into a circle, and divide it in half. Form each half into a disc, about 5-inches wide. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until ready to use. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
  • Use in your favorite pie recipe. Allrecipes/SparkleKat

Notes

Achieving a flaky pie crust hinges on keeping ingredients, especially butter, very cold. This prevents the butter from melting too quickly and allows it to create steam pockets during baking, resulting in a tender, flaky texture. The cider vinegar adds a subtle tang and helps tenderize the gluten, preventing a tough crust. Be careful not to overmix the dough in the food processor; pulse only until it just begins to come together. Overworking develops gluten excessively, leading to a tough crust. The resting period in the refrigerator is crucial, allowing the gluten to relax and the butter to firm up again, making the dough easier to roll and ensuring a superior final texture. This recipe yields two crusts, making it ideal for freezing one for future use.