This scrumptious and super easy pie crust recipe comes together in minutes and has just three ingredients: flour, butter, and water. You don’t need any special tools to make it, just a little know-how. That’s right. Contrary to popular belief, making pie dough from scratch isn’t complicated. That’s what relationships are for.
What’s in a 3-ingredient pie crust?
Traditionally pie dough is just a mix of flour, liquid, fat, and salt. And while you can get super fancy with all of those ingredients, I use all-purpose for the flour and ice water for the liquid. By incorporating frozen, salted butter into the mix, I kill two birds with one stone. (For the record, I’ve never killed a bird with a stone, though my patio door did a number on one once). If you don’t have salted butter, add 2/3 teaspoon of sea salt to your flour.
I prefer using butter as opposed to other fats because it adds rich, creamy, nutty notes to the dough. You just can’t get that with shortening and other fats, which often leave a tasteless greasy film on the roof of your mouth. #shudder.
What is the secret to a good pie crust?
The secret to a good pie is never to break the golden rule: keep everything cold. I won’t get too deep into the science of it all, but if you’re interested, check out How to make perfect pie crust with the power of science.
For this easy 3-ingredient pie crust recipe, make sure to freeze your ingredients, especially in the summertime, when your kitchen can be a hot, steamy mess. Yes, I put everything in the freezer: the butter, flour, even the tools. When I worked in a kitchen with no AC (nightmare), I would roll out the dough on a frozen cookie sheet. If you don’t have the space/patience for all of that, just freeze the butter and make sure you use ice water.
Can I freeze pie dough?
Absolutely! Because it only stays fresh in the fridge for three days, I keep WAY too much of this dough tucked into my freezer, where it keeps for up to three months. (What can I say? I prefer to eat my fruits and veggies wrapped in flaky layers of pie crust. Judge me all you want. My life is delicious.) To prevent freezer burn, double wrap it in either plastic or beeswax and then keep it in a freezer-safe container. Thaw it out in your fridge a day before you plan to use it.
What can I make with pie crust?
What I love the most about this 3-ingredient pie crust is how versatile it is. You can use it to make a double-crust Apple Pie or a savory Chicken Pot Pie, or use half for a single-crust pie like our Chocolate Cream Pie. The dough is flexible enough for hand pies and sturdy enough for a galette, like our awesome Blueberry Lemon Cream Cheese Galette. You can even use the scraps to make the most amazing little cookies, which I should totally share with my kid, but instead, I stash them away because every mom needs her secrets. (If you know, YOU KNOW.)
Easy 3-Ingredient Pie Crust
Servings 2 CrustsIngredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (plus some for dusting) ($0.34)
- 2 sticks salted butter, frozen (1 cup) ($2.00)
- 1/2 cup chilled water* ($0.00)
Instructions
- Sift the flour through a fine mesh sieve and then spoon 2 3/4 cups of flour into dry measuring cups. Use the back of a butter knife to level the flour before adding it to a large bowl. Place in the freezer to chill while you grate the butter.
- Grate the butter sticks on the box grater's large holes. When the butter becomes challenging to handle, chop what's left of it into dice-sized pieces.
- Add the butter to the flour. Use a spoon to toss the butter and flour like you would a salad. Work quickly until the butter is completely covered in flour and the mixture resembles a shaggy, coarse corn meal.
- Spoon four tablespoons of chilled, icy water onto the flour/butter mixture. Mix quickly with a fork, incorporating the flour gathered at the bowl's bottom.
- Continue to add water tablespoon by tablespoon, mixing between each addition, until you can lightly pinch the flour/butter mixture and it holds together in a dough.
- Use your hands to press the shaggy bits of dough into a ball quickly. Then, lightly flour your work surface and shape the ball into a flat disc, about six inches in diameter and three to four inches thick.
- Wrap the disc of dough tightly in plastic or beeswax. Let it rest in the fridge for at least two hours, preferably overnight.
- Use the pie dough in your favorite recipe or keep the pie dough in the refrigerator for up to three days or frozen for up to three months. This recipe is for a double crust.*
If Making a Double Crust Pie
- Slice the rested dough an inch above the center line and shape both halves into a disc. Place the larger half on a lightly floured work surface. Roll from the center up, down, left, and right. Lift the dough, rotate 15 degrees, and repeat the sequence until it’s 14 inches in diameter and the thickness of an ear lobe
- Place your rolling pin on the bottom edge of your crust and roll it onto your rolling pin. Place the pin on the top edge of a greased pie plate, centering the crust. Unfurl the dough towards you, then press it into the plate.
- To prevent steam from forcing the bottom crust to bubble up, use a fork to dock the dough, pressing the tines all the way through. Optional if using a liquidy filling: separate an egg and beat the white until frothy. Brush a thin layer over the bottom crust to seal the crust. Rest the pie plate in the freezer.
- Roll out the top crust to 11 inches in diameter. Take the pie plate out, add your filling, and brush water on the outer edges of the bottom crust. Place the top crust over the filling, fold the bottom crust over it, and pinch the two together to seal.
- Optional: Beat the remaining egg yolk with a tablespoon of cream or milk and brush it onto the top crust. This will help with browning. You can also use plain milk or cream.
- To prevent the pie crust from bubbling up as it bakes, cut steam vents into the top crust. Rest the pie in the freezer for fifteen minutes.
- Place your chilled pie on the middle rack of a preheated oven and bake according to recipe directions.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Homemade Pie Dough – Step by Step Photos
For an accurate measurement of volume, sift your flour, and don’t scoop it into your measuring cups. Spoon 2 3/4 cups of sifted flour into the cups, and then use the back of a butter knife to level it off. Place it in a large bowl and put that in the freezer while you grate the butter.
Grate two sticks of salted butter that have been frozen solid. When you get down to a three-inch knob of butter, and it’s getting tricky to keep your knuckles out of the party, chop the remaining butter into diced-sized pieces.
Take the bowl of sifted flour out of your freezer and add the grated butter. Use a spoon to mix the flour and butter as if you were tossing a salad. Mix until all of the butter is coated with flour.
Add 1/4 cup of chilled water to the flour and butter mixture. Use your spoon to toss the mixture and incorporate the water. Continue adding water, tablespoon by tablespoon, tossing between each addition and incorporating flour that has shifted to the bottom of the bowl.
Once most of the flour has started to clump together with the butter, grab a bit and pinch it together. It should form a dough with a texture like play-dough, neither dry nor wet. If your dough is crumbly when you pinch it together, continue to add chilled water.
Press the bits of dough together into a ball and flatten it into a disc about 6 inches wide and three inches thick. Wrap it tightly in plastic or beeswax cloth and set it inside an airtight container. Let it rest in the fridge for at least two hours, preferably overnight.
How to Roll Out Pie Dough
Slice the rested dough an inch above the center line and shape both halves into a disc. Place the larger half on a lightly floured work surface. Roll from the center up, down, left, and right. Lift the dough, rotate 15 degrees, and repeat the sequence until it’s 14 inches in diameter and the thickness of an ear lobe.
Place your rolling pin on the bottom edge of your crust and roll it onto your rolling pin. Place the pin on the top edge of a greased pie plate, centering the crust. Unfurl the dough towards you, then press it into the plate.
To prevent steam from forcing the bottom crust to bubble up, use a fork to dock the dough, pressing the tines all the way through. Optional if using a liquidy filling: separate an egg and beat the white until frothy. Brush a thin layer over the bottom crust to seal the crust. Rest the pie plate in the freezer.
Roll out the top crust to 11 inches in diameter. Take the pie plate out, add your filling, and brush water on the outer edges of the bottom crust. Place the top crust over the filling, fold the bottom crust over it, and pinch the two together to seal.
Optional: Beat the remaining egg yolk with a tablespoon of cream or milk and brush it onto the top crust. This will help with browning. You can also use plain milk or cream.
To prevent the pie crust from bubbling up as it bakes, cut steam vents into the top crust. Rest the pie in the freezer for fifteen minutes.
Place your chilled pie on the middle rack of a preheated oven and bake according to recipe directions.
Look at all that flaky goodness for a little over a dollar! Yum!!
This recipe works so well for savory things and my sister and I use it often! Do you recommend adding sugar for sweeter things such as fruit and pumpkin pies? I also find that adding sugar can help create a flakier crust. Thank you for the recipes, we use them all the time!
Thanks for using it Caitlin. You can add sugar if you want. I usually brush jam on the inside to help create a barrier and add sweetness. XOXO -Monti
Hi! Any changes or tips for this recipe for high elevation?
Increase the liquid by a couple of tablespoons. And check out this article: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/high-altitude-baking-tips-article XOXO -Monti
How would this be for a chicken pot pie?
Great minds!! We used it for a chicken pot pie recipe and it was MAGNIFICENT. Recipe should be coming your way in September. XOXO -Monti
Hi Monti, can I ask how you make the cookies from the pie crust scraps? I made apple pie with this. It’s the first time I’ve ever made pie from scratch. Definitely will make it again (though maybe not in the immediate future haha)!
Hi CS! Congrats on making your first apple pie! It’s such a feeling of accomplishment, isn’t it? It sounds like it was a success. My first apple pie got pulled from the oven when my smoke alarm went off. LOLOLOL!! To make the pie crust cookies, first, pre-heat your oven to 350. Mix a little brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon in a mason jar. Press your scraps into a ball and then roll into a rectangle shape about 1/4 inch thick. Brush the dough with melted butter, sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar, and roll it into a log. (Like you would a cinnamon roll) Cut the log into 1/2 inch thick medallions and bake for about 15-20 minutes until golden brown. Drizzle them with a glaze of confectioner’s sugar and milk. Here is a ratio for the cinnamon sugar and butter that you can use for one ounce of left-over pie crust.
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1.5 teaspoons granulated sugar
1.5 teaspoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon whole milk
Thanks so much for sharing!! This sounds to die for and I can’t wait to try it. The apples pie was pretty good considering it was my first ever pie.
P.s. Also, I have two kids so I hide in the pantry to eat cookies or wait until they are asleep for dessert bc I don’t want to share.
BAHAHAHAH!!! Amazing!! Thanks for sharing your dessert adventures! #momlife
Hi pastry looks amazing but what are the metric conversion plz.
Hi Gillian, Here is a link to a converter calculator that you can use for all of our recipes. Happy cooking! https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/cooking/cups-grams.php XOXO -Monti
What degree do you bake it and how long
Hi Jill! Thanks for your question, You can blind-bake this dough at 350°F for about 40 minutes. Make sure to use pie weights to prevent bubbling and a foil ring to prevent burning. If you are making a filled pie, temperatures and bake time will vary, depending on the filling and the thickness of the required crust.
I have been making pies for years and have never tried some of these things. I am certainly going to try them a try. Thanks so much for your great ideas! Much appreciated
Janet!! We’re obsessed with you. Beth and I talked about how great your comments are yesterday! Much love and have an awesome day! XOXO -Monti
Hello! This recipe looks great! I was wondering how this would work for a 9 x 13 pan/dish? Would you use the whole recipe, or 3/4 of it? I’m thinking of using this crust for the cornmeal crust chicken pot pie. I love your writing style – it’s very “Beth-like” :) I didn’t realize it wasn’t Beth until I saw the kid comment. Is Beth on vacation or working on other projects? Thanks!
Hi Anita!! The pie dough is for a double crust and will work on a deep dish 9 inch pie plate, so it will be fine for a 9X13. No need to make less. Beth is going on a well-deserved vaca soon and the blog is expanding. She’s sitting next to me right now and says hi! XOXO -Monti
Hello from Ukraine! :)
Thank you for such a wonderful and affordable recipe. Do I understand correctly that the dough DOES NOT need to be kneaded for a long time, but only quickly mix with a spoon and then, without kneading, quickly make a ball?
Correct. You don’t knead pie dough, as the action of kneading creates gluten. These strands of protein are great if you’re making bread, but not so much for a tender crust. XOXO -Monti
I was very happy and impressed with the details of your instructions and notes but I can’t understand how you misstated the thickness of the disc of dough at the beginning of the rolling process. I assume you ment 3/4 inch thick. Is that correct?
Hi Gary, the disc of dough is 3 to 4 inches thick. It was written correctly. You are simply shaping the dough into a disc at this stage, not rolling it out. The more you fuss with pie dough, the more gluten that’s created, and the tougher it gets. Thanks so much for being here and for checking out the recipe! XOXO -Monti
Hi Monti, thanks for the recipe, but I have to agree with Gary. You have 4.25 cups of ingredients, and the recipe says that it will make a disc 6 inches in diameter and 3 to 4 inches tall. That’s a volume of 6 to 8 cups. Youtube videos with similar volumes don’t reach 6 inches wide by 3 inches tall. Most are maybe 4 inches wide and 3 inches tall. It might help to change the recipe to make a disc slightly wider than it is tall rather than explicitly call out a size as it won’t make sense if the recipe is scaled up or down.
How many grams is a stick of butter please?
Hi Titter! One stick of butter is equal to 1/2 cup, or 4 ounces, or 113 grams. XOXO -Monti
Can I substitute the butter for olive oil? If yes, how much should I put?
You can sub olive oil, but it will not give you a flaky pastry, but rather a dense, mealy one. You will need to freeze a cup of olive oil before adding it to the flour. I would do it in ice cube trays and chop it or grind it in as you would the butter. Again this is going to be a mealy dough. It will not roll out as easily as the butter dough. It will shrink, and you will need to work VERY QUICKLY. XOXO -Monti
My only takeaway from this (but the recipe looks delicious) is…YOU HAVE A KID??? Congratulations I had no idea!
ahhh Beth didn’t post this. I didn’t realize you added new authors – hi!
Hi, Sarah! Thanks for introducing yourself and for checking out the recipe! XOXO -Monti
Haahahahah!! My name’s Monti and I’m the new Senior Food Editor for Budget Bytes. My kid just turned thirteen. Pray for me. XOXO -Monti
I never made pie crust with more than 3 ingredients, unless you count salt, which you have dodged by using salted butter. I know there are recipes out there that call for vinegar, but I’ve never tried one. This recipe also calls for an egg, #4 ingredient, although it isn’t incorporated into the pastry. I use an egg wash, too, in order to get that lovely golden color. I’d probably use a bit of salt in this recipe, maybe 1/8 tsp. I forgot to add salt to the first piecrust I made as a new wife–with that canned white shortening as the fat. It looked flaky and wonderful, but tasted like wallpaper paste. Butter is always better–too bad it’s doubled in price during the past 2 months.
Warning! Do not put a very cold glass pie dish, ie straight from the freezer, into a hot oven. Big risk of cracking! Tempered glass does better, but even so, I’d use a metal pie pan for that transition.
Hi Janet! Great tips! Thank you for pointing out that glass is temperamental. I use ceramic and cast iron pie dishes and have never had a problem going straight from the freezer to the oven, and I make a ton of pies. (I’m even writing a book about it.) PS If you haven’t made a pie in cast iron I can’t recommend it enough!
You’re right, though. Glass is best brought up a few degrees if you’re pulling from the freezer, though room temperature might be going too far. Your butter will meltand that will ruin everything . It might be best to go straight from finishing the top crust right into the oven if you’re using glass. Ooh and a little gossip, as I’m sure you can appreciate this, Beth just bought a new Pyrex and it cracked as she was washing it!! Apparently, it’s happening to loads of people. (Do you remember when Pyrex was the best around?)
On pie dough, many doughs use a blend fats, (shortening, butter, yolks) a mix of flours (cake, ap, whole wheat), multiple liquids (water, broth, vinegar, alcohol) as well as sugar, salt, and spices. But I love the simplicity of salted butter, flour, and water for a basic everyday crust. I don’t count the egg as an ingredient because it’s optional, and there’s enough butter in the dough to get quite a bit of browning. I just love the glossiness of a wash, though. Don’t you?
Glad to meet a fellow pie-nerd here!! Make sure to tag us in your social platforms if you post pics of your pies! XOXO -Monti
I’ve never made pie crust from scratch before and this one seemed pretty straight forward so I gave it a try. I was really worried about messing it up, but to my surprise it came out great!! I used this crust to make a strawberry pie with organic strawberries that were going bad. While I enjoyed this recipe, because I’m pretty lazy, I might save it for special occasions only and go with the store-ready ones if I’m just making something for the week. Great recipe!
Thanks for making it! XOXO -Monti