Easy Pie Dough Roses (Pastry Roses)

These lovely little pie dough roses are ridiculously easy to make, and will immediately up your pie-making game!

Unbaked, latticed topped blueberry pie, decorated with pie dough roses.

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What's the Story on Pie Crust Flowers?
Simple 4-Circle Pastry Rose (Step-by-Step)
FAQs & Expert Tips
More Pie Recipes
Easy Pie Dough Roses

These sweet little pie dough roses are so easy to make that, until an eleventh hour change of heart, this entire post was just another paragraph in my Sweet & Easy Pie Crust recipe.

Made from leftover dough, you can make two of these easy pastry roses in less than a minute. (Really!)

What's the Story on Pie Crust Flowers?

I've always been a little intimidated by people who can make fancy, ornate pies; the kind most of us see only in the front windows of fine European-style bakeries.

One pie artist whom I particularly admire, Helen Nugent, elevates pie decorating to fine art; festooning her pastries with delicate, carefully braided strands of pastry dough, interwoven and laced with intricate, winding organic details. (If you're looking for some next-level pie-decorating inspiration, check out her amazing work on on Instagram at BatterednBaked.)

While I don't think I'll ever even walk in the same pie-decorating neighborhood as Helen, these simple pie crust flowers have measurably upped my pastry embellishment game.

Simple 4-Circle Pastry Rose (Step-by-Step)

Four-circle pie dough roses are so easy to make; it's almost embarrassing. They each take just seconds to form, and immediately raise your pastry aesthetic to a whole new level!

For each pair of pastry roses, roll pastry to about ⅛-inch thick, and cut four pie dough circles of the same size.

Assorted pastry dough circles on a cutting board, dwith a biscuit cutter in the upper right.

Line four pie dough circles up, overlapping each one about ⅓. Gently press the overlap together with your fingertip as shown.

You can add a drop of water between the layers to help them adhere better if you want to, but it isn't necessary.

Beginning with the circle on the bottom, begin carefully rolling up the line of dough circles.

2-panel collage: four pie dough circles in a row, rolling circles up from bottom

Pinch the center together slightly as you roll the circles together.

Pie dough rose in progress, rolled but not yet cut in half.

This will result in a barbell-shape that is slightly fanned on the ends.

Using a sharp knife, cut the barbell in half. To complete, gently fan out the rose petals.

Process for rolling dough roses; barbell, cut in half, leaves fanned.

I did not invent this wheel: the "4-circle rose" technique one employed by bakers around the world. Fast and easy, bakers use this method to shape and adorn all types of doughs; from beautiful rose-shaped soft rolls (like these drool-worthy Cinnamon Roses!) to the simple pastry decorations shared here.

See! I told you pie dough flowers were super easy to make!

Sizing Pastry Roses

Sizing pastry roses is as easy as changing the size of the dough circles you use: which is to say, smaller circles will yield smaller roses. (I used a biscuit cutter to make the larger circles below, and a melon baller for the smaller ones.)

FAQs & Expert Tips

How do you make leaves for pie crust roses?

To decorate the pastries shown here, I used a one of the cutters from my Mini Autumn Leaf Cookie Cutter Set. I've had this little set of pastry cutters for over 15 years, and find that it comes in handy for all kinds of projects.

Pastry leaves can also easily be cut freehand, using a sharp paring knife.

Every successful pie starts with great pie dough: be sure to check out my Sweet & Easy Pie Crust recipe! If you're looking for more ideas, here are a few more easy ways to decorate pies (BBC Good Food).

45-degree shot of baked blueberry pie, decorated with pastry roses.

More Pie Recipes

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Easy Pie Dough Roses

These lovely little pie dough roses are ridiculously easy to make, and will immediately up your pie-making game!

Prep Time 1 minute

Total Time 1 minute

Materials

Fresh pie dough

Tools

Biscuit cutter or other round cutting tool
Rolling pin

Instructions

For each pair of pastry roses, roll pastry to about ⅛-inch thick, and cut four pie dough circles of the same size.
Line four pie dough circles up, overlapping each one about ⅓. Gently press the overlap together with your fingertip as shown. You can add a drop of water between the layers to help them adhere better if you want to, but it isn't necessary.
Beginning with the circle on the bottom, begin carefully rolling up the line of dough circles.
Pinch the center together slightly as you roll the circles together.
This will result in a barbell-shape that is slightly fanned on the ends.
Using a sharp knife, cut the barbell in half. Now you have two roses!
To complete, gently fan out the rose petals.

Notes

You can cut out the pastry circles with just about anything. Bottle caps or a melon baller work particularly well.

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