Ridiculously tender and so flavorful, this easy 3-Ingredient Pie Crust uses a secret ingredient that makes for the best pie pastry. This sour cream pie crust recipe works equally well with sweet fruit pies as it does savory pies.
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Sour Cream Pie Crust
Hands down, this is the absolute best-tasting pie crust. Truly, this 3-ingredient sour cream pie crust is unreal. It's so tender, so flaky, and has a really amazing, buttery flavor. It practically melts in your mouth.
Plus, all you need are three ingredients to make it, which is pretty awesome. It's also made by hand (with the assistance of a hand-held metal pastry blender) so you don't need to clean a food processor after it's all said and done.
Pie Crust Ingredients
With only three ingredients making up this pie crust, I tend to splurge on better quality ingredients, such as European butter.
- All-Purpose Flour (as always, I recommend using a high-quality flour brand....I like King Arthur Flour or Bob's Red Mill)
- Salted Butter (much like the flour, using a high-quality european butter for this recipes makes a bit difference in the final outcome...my go-to is Kerrygold for this recipe)
- Full Fat Sour Cream (you know how sometimes sour cream has a little bit of liquid on top of it...don't discard it for this recipe, you'll want to just mix it right back in and use it like that)
Best Kitchen Tools to Make this Crust
There are tons of ways to make pie crust. You could use the bulkiest tool of all, a food processor, or you could use the tool you always have available: your hands! There are also many other tools you can use in between those two ends of the spectrum. Depending on what pie crust you make, each tool has its place.
For this pie recipe, I recommend using a hand-held pastry blender. A pastry blender is a metal hand tool with 4-6 thin metal strips or wires attached to a handle. It helps cut the butter into the flour without using your hands. I find it makes quick work of the task of cutting the butter into the flour, especially for this recipe, which I tend to use a higher quality European butter for. That type of butter is usually a bit softer, and I find the pastry blender is the perfect tool for making this recipe quickly without softening up the butter too much.
Why Sour Cream?
At its heart, good pie dough is a balance of three key ingredients: flour, butter, and water. However, in this recipe, sour cream replaces the water.
Sour cream consists of butterfat and water (also known as cream) that has been fermented by good bacteria which produces a lactic acid that makes the cream thick and tangy.
By replacing water with sour cream in a pie crust, it introduces additional fat to the pastry dough which results in a more flavorful and more tender pie crust. It is more tender because the fat coats the flour, inhibiting the formation of excess gluten, at least compared to if you were using just water. And it's more flavorful simply because fat makes creates the flavor.
How to Make Pie Crust
Never made pie dough by hand before? It's pretty simple, so don't overthink it. If you want to read more about it, I have an in-depth guide to making Butter Pie Crust which goes into further details about it.
But truth be told? Any homemade pie dough you make is worlds away better than anything you can buy at the store, so don't be worried if you are a beginner: you're going to do great!
Here is an overview of the steps:
- Mix together the flour and the cold butter chunks. Make sure the butter chunks are well distrubuted and coated with flour.
- Cut the butter in the flour using a pastry blender. Or, using your fingers by squeezing the butter chunks until they're flat and then rubbing the butter into the flour between the tips of your fingers. Some larger pieces can remain, up to the size of a marble. Continue this until the dough looks shaggy.
- Add in the sour cream. Combine it into the flour with a rubber spatula, making sure to really work it into the flour to hydrate it.
- Knead together the dough. Using your hands, knead the dough a few times to help blend the sour cream into the flour, until it just comes together as one large ball. If your dough feels too dry (which could possibly happen depending on the type of flour brand you use) you can add a few drips of water until the dough comes together. Remember, pie dough is a balance of adding enough hydration so your pastry comes together but not adding too much to cause it to be sticky.
Pie Crust Tips
- If your sour cream has any exuded liquid at the top, make sure to stir it back in (do not discard it).
- Weigh your ingredients! An electronic kitchen scale is not a huge investment. You can get one for around $25. I can't recommend enough that if you want to get good at baking, get a scale.
- Let the dough rest. I never advise making dough the same day you plan to bake it. It's essential for the dough to hydrate properly and so the dough should rest at least overnight. If you absolutely need to, you can make the dough and bake it all in the same day, but you must let it rest at least 2 hours before you roll it out.
- If you kitchen is hotter than 70 degrees you'll need to move quickly! Melted butter is the enemy here. If the kitchen is hot, utilize the freezer or refrigerator through the dough making process to ensure the butter doesn't turn soft. If it's very hot in the kitchen, freeze the butter for 15 minutes before working with it, especially if you are using the food processor. Soft butter will not allow your dough to come together evenly.
- The bigger the butter chunks, the flakier your pie will be. If you love the look of super flaky dough, that almost looks like puff pastry, leave at least some of your butter chunks the size of a marble. Though there is a limit for how big to leave your butter pieces, so take care to only leave a few pieces the size of a marble.
Storing It
As I said above, I don't recommend making pie dough the same day it needs to be rolled out or baked! Pie dough keeps really well either in the refrigerator or the freezer. But first, you need to wrap it well!
Wrap the pie dough as tightly as you can with plastic wrap, and then use a rolling pin to roll out the pie dough to shape it into a disk and flatten it so it fills any empty space and essentially makes an airtight seal with the plastic wrap. This helps prevent it from oxidizing (or turning a muddled gray color).
You can store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or the freezer for up to 3 months. If you plan to store it for an extended period of time then wrap it up twice.
Best Pies to Use with this Pie Crust
This pie is perfect for classic fruit pies or savory pies that will be served at room temperature or warm. This is a highly opinionated piece of advice, but this pie dough is not ideal for any pie that is to be served cold, like a cream pie. If you are looking for a pie crust that is good for a pie that is to be served cold, check out this Pâte Sucrée (Sweet Pie Crust) or Pâte Sablée (Sweet Tart Dough) recipe.
Here are some amazing pies to make with this pie crust:
How to Bake Pie Crust with Sour Cream
Almost as important as how you prepare pie pastry is how you bake it. There is one main rule to remember when it comes to baking a butter-based pie dough: very cold dough should be put in a very hot oven. All butter pie pastry should be thoroughly chilled before baking, and baked at a high temperature, ideally around 400ºF-425ºF.
As a general rule of thumb, it's always best to chill a pie crust either in the freezer for 10-20 minutes or in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to 1 hour before you bake it. While this is an extra step, it makes all the difference in the world.
One of the most common problems bakers ask me about is why their pie crust melted or lost its shape, or sank in the pie pan. And the most common reason for this is because the crust was too warm, or the oven wasn't at the right temperature.
So make sure to chill your pie crust and fully pre-heat your oven!
However, not all pie fillings can be baked at that high of a temperature, which means that sometimes the pie crust will need to be partially or fully blind baked. Usually, a pie recipe indicates how the pie crust should be baked, so reference those directions for pies using this flaky pie crust.
Additional Pie Crust Resources:
- How to Blind Bake Pie Crust
- How to Make Pie Crust By Hand
- How to Make a Lattice Pie Crust
- How to Make (and Use) an Egg Wash
- How to Bake a Double Crust Pie
- How to Bake a Frozen Pie
More Pie Crust Recipes:
Watch It: Pie Crust Tutorial
I am so honored when you make a recipe from my site! If you make this Sour Cream 3-Ingredient Pie Crust, please leave a comment and a star rating with your experience! If you have any questions about this recipe, feel free to comment here, too!
Print3-Ingredient Pie Crust
Ridiculously tender and so flavorful, this easy 3-Ingredient Pie Crust uses a secret ingredient to make for the best pie pastry. This sour cream pie crust recipe works equally well with sweet fruit pies as it does savory pies.
- Prep Time: 00:10
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 Pie Crusts
- Category: Pie Crust
- Method: By Hand
Ingredients
- 2-½ cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (226 grams) cold salted butter, diced
- ¾ cup (180 grams) full-fat sour cream
Instructions
- Add the flour into a large bowl. Add in the diced butter and toss to coat with the flour. Work the butter in the flour using a pastry blender. Or, using your fingers by squeezing the butter chunks until they're flat and then rub the butter into the flour. Some larger pieces can remain, up to the size of a marble. Continue this until the dough looks shaggy.
- Make a well in the center of the flour mixture, and add in the sour cream. Using a spatula combine the sour cream in the flour.
- Using your hands, knead the dough a few times to help blend the sour cream into the flour, until it just comes together as one large ball. Transfer the pastry to a work surface and divide it into two pieces, each about 12 ounces. Shape into a rough disk shape.
- Place each in a piece of plastic wrap and wrap tightly. Using a rolling pin, roll the wrapped dough out until it stretches to the corner of the plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
Notes
Weighing your flour is the most accurate way to measure. If you aren't going to weigh it, make sure to spoon it into the cup, and then level it off. If you scoop the flour out with the measuring cup and then level, it could change the outcome of the final product.
Have a question or looking for tips? The text written above the recipe is always a great first place to start! There are always loads of explanations, tips and technical advice shared before the recipe.
If you don't have salted butter, substitute in unsalted butter with ¼ teaspoon kosher salt.
Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links. Everyday Pie is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.
Jill
This pie crust was a hit with the family at Thanksgiving! I used this crust and your apple pie filling to make the pie ahead. I followed your instructions for freezing/baking a frozen pie. Not only was everything so good, the make ahead guidance really helped decrease the cooking and baking rush. Thank you!
Kelli Avila
Thanks for sharing! So happy you enjoyed! -Kelli
Connie
I really loved this pie crust recipe! Easy to make & work with! It’s not as flaky as my usual crust recipe but definitely delicious and so much easier!
Jeanne
Excellent pie crust recipe and excellent results. I made half and used them for fruit galettes. Used the FP and frozen butter, did a few envelope turns as well. Very flaky, brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with Demerara sugar.
Roxy
Hi Kelli, I would like to know if I can pulse in food processor. And then put in bowl and finish with sour cream as your recipe. I have some health issues. And this step helps me.
Thank you,
Roxy
Kelli Avila
Hi Roxy! Yes you can. And in fact, I bet you can also just add the sour cream in, and pulse it together. It should work! Good luck!
Kelli
Meredith Hall
I'm excited to try your recipe this year! I like to start my Thanksgiving prep way in advance. Quick question about storage: Can you freeze it instead of refrigerating the dough, and if so for how long?
Thanks so much!
Meredith
Kelli Avila
Yes! For 3-6 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight before you need to roll it out.,
Barbara Josephson
So pleased with your recipe! It came out perfectly and tastes very good! Highly recommend.
PattiAnn
Questions?
Can I use BRM pastry flour?
How about some sugar? 1 tea?
I made a version of this type of crust years ago, but can't remember what I did. But I do remember that it was a good crust, easy, and very forgiving.
Thanks for your reply.
Kelli Avila
Hi PattiAnn---as I said in the post I don't recommend changing this recipe much if you want to get the results I talk about. However, feel free to experiment on your own to get to the type of pie crust you are looking to achieve! Let us know how it goes.
Kyle
I'm so looking forward to pairing this crust with my pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving. The crust was very easy to bring together and is well hydrated. I've always had a hard time getting the right amount of water incorporated into my dough, and starting off with a specific amount of liquid (in the form of the sour cream) gave me a lot of confidence. I'll come back with a rating after baking, but 5 stars so far!
Kelli - I'm wondering about blind baking this crust for a pumpkin pie. Does the sour cream impact your "standard" recommendation of baking at 425? And would you recommend to dock this dough? Sorry if I missed info on blind baking this crust.
Kelli Avila
Hi Kyle! No, 425 is good for this pie. Do 25 minutes with pie weights, and then remove the pie weights and do 3-6 minutes, until the middle of the pie has a matte appearance.
Kyle
Thanks, Kelli, for the guidance. With blind baking, the crust got nicely browned.
I think I overworked the dough, but as you say, any homemade dough with issues is better than frozen!
Denise
Does it have to be chilled?
Sydney
Flakiest pie crust I have ever made! Loved the flavor of the crust and went well with the blueberry pie recipe.
Jolene DePaola
I meant to tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed your live video making hand made pastry with butter. I have never used butter and I have always used a pastry blender every since my first pie which was when I was about 8 years old. I’m now 78 and have just realized how long I have been doing this. I am anxious to try some of your other recipes. Thank you so very much for sharing them with us. Sincerely, Jolene .. Happy Holidays
Kelli Avila
Jolene, thank you for the kind words!
Jolene DePaola
How do you feel about making pastry with shortening i.e. Crisco? And do you have a recipe using it?
Kelli Avila
Hi! I don't have a lot of experience using it. I'm personally drawn to butter pie crust recipes and have never felt the need to use shortening to get a flaky result. Though I know some people use it in place of dairy in recipes!
Cynthia
I was working in a super hot commercial kitchen when I found and started to use the sour cream pie crust and I have no desire to go back to a regular crust now.This dough can be worked over several times and still taste amazing and be tender.I have always had problems making pie crust and this was the best crust I’m so happy to have found the recipe. I am super excited to try your flaky pie crust like puff pastry and see if I can possible get it good Thank you so much for all your hard work and recipes.
Alyssa
I love how simple this delicious dough is when you don’t feel like getting the food processor out. It’s delicious as well!
Kelli Avila
Thanks Alyssa! I agree about loving this for not needing the food processor!