Graham Cracker Crust Apple Pie

Graham Cracker Crust Apple Pie is an apple pie made with a thick, but simple graham cracker crust, a sweet apple filling, and a generous crumb topping. It's simpler than a classic apple pie and avoids all the fuss of a traditional pie crust.

A graham cracker crust pairs well with the fall flavors of a classic Apple Pie and it simplifies the typical steps that come with making a pie crust.

Topping this pie with a crumb topping also helps to simplify the top crust, meaning you’re side-stepping any lattice tops or fancy pie crust designs.

Jump to:

• 🍎 Choosing Apples
• ✏️ Variations
• 🛒 Ingredients
• 📝 How to Make Graham Cracker Crust Apple Pie
• 🍴How to Serve and Store
• ✔️ Graham Cracker Crust Apple Pie FAQs
• If You're Interested In Other Desserts, You May Love These:
• Graham Cracker Crust Apple Pie

🍎 Choosing Apples

Two easy go-to apples for apple pie that are widely available are Granny Smith and Honeycrisp. However, these two apples are very different from one another and need to be treated differently in apple pie.

• Granny Smith: These apples are crispy and crunchy, but they tend to be more sour. If using these apples for apple pie consider adding an extra ¼ to ⅓ cup of granulated sugar to the filling. However, if you don’t mind a pie that is a little less sweet, this is not necessary.
• Honeycrisp: These apples are also crispy and crunchy but they are much, much sweeter and require less sugar. If you want a less sweet apple pie, you could consider reducing the amount of sugar in the filling by a couple of tablespoons. Honeycrisp apples also tend to have higher water content. Let these apples sit for longer in the sugar mixture to drain excess moisture from the apples.

✏️ Variations

• Apples Varieties: There are plenty of apples that work well in apple pie, and lots of different varieties are available across the country. One of my favorites is Jonamac, but this local variety is not widely available.
  • Mixing apples: You could consider using multiple varieties of apples in the same pie.
  • For more recommendations on baking apples, see the guides available at Sally’s Baking Addiction, BonAppetit, and Epicurious
• Caramel: You could add caramel to the filling when assembling the pie, similar to this Dutch Caramel Apple Pie.
• Pie Crust: You could make the Pie Crust With Biscoff cookies, or gingersnap cookies.
• Without a Crust: You can even make apple pie without a crust, like in this version of Crustless Apple Pie.
• Classic Apple Pie: Or if you’re weighing whether to do a graham cracker crust versus a traditional pie crust, you may want to look over this Classic Apple Pie.

🛒 Ingredients

Below are the ingredients needed to make Graham Cracker Crust Apple Pie broken down by Filling, Crust, and Crumb Topping.

Filling

• Apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp): Choose 6 or 7 large apples. They will be piled high into the crust.
• Granulated Sugar: Adds sweetness but also draws out extra moisture from the apples before assembling the pie. I use granulated sugar rather than brown sugar so that the flavor of the apples shines, rather than being overpowered by the molasses flavor of brown sugar.
• Flour: Helps to coat the apples and soak up extra moisture.
• Lemon Juice or Apple Cider Vinegar: Adds acidity to cut the sweetness of the pie. You cannot taste these flavors distinctly from the rest of the pie.
• Cinnamon: Just 1 teaspoon to allow the apple flavor to shine. I don’t like to add nutmeg to apple pies because I find that even a small amount can be overpowering. I strongly recommend buying high-quality cinnamon. I use Ceylon Cinnamon from a company called Simply Organic.
  • The taste of the cinnamon can greatly impact the taste of the pie. Apple pie takes some work. You don’t want to go through all the effort of making the pie only to be displeased with the taste of poor-quality cinnamon. It is the one spice that I find using a higher quality brand makes the biggest difference in baking.
• Salt: To balance flavor.

Graham Cracker Crust

• Graham Crackers: This recipe calls for a whopping 18 graham crackers or 2 of the 3 packages in a standard graham cracker box. Apple Pie is a heavy pie, and this crust is designed to be thicker to hold up to the filling. Graham Cracker Crust is also great for Chocolate Cream Pie or Key Lime Pie.
• Butter: Binds the graham cracker crumbs together.
• Brown Sugar and Cinnamon: Adds a subtle layer of flavor to the crust, but can be omitted.

Crumb Topping

• Butter: Binds the ingredients and adds fat (flavor).
• Flour: Use all-purpose, unbleached flour.
• Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar: Adds moisture, flavor, and sweetness.
• Cinnamon: Use high-quality cinnamon.
• Salt: To balance flavor.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

📝 How to Make Graham Cracker Crust Apple Pie

Below are the step-by-step instructions and photos for how to make Graham Cracker Crust Apple Pie.

Step 1. Apples: Peel and slice the apples. Place them in a large mixing bowl and combine them with granulated sugar, flour, lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar), cinnamon, and salt.

Pour the apples into a large pasta strainer over a plate or in the sink and let it sit for 30-60 minutes while you work on the crust and the crumb topping. The sugar and the salt extract excess moisture from the apples, which helps to prevent a soggy pie crust. The longer the apples sit, the more liquid is removed.

Step 2. Graham Cracker Crust: Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Add the graham crackers to a blender or food processor and pulse until crushed into fine crumbs. You can also do this by adding the graham crackers to a large gallon-sized bag and crushing them with a rolling pin, which is a great way to get kids involved!

Melt the butter in a large mixing bowl. Add the graham cracker crumbs to the melted butter and mix to combine. Press the mixture into a pie plate with the back of a spoon or even better with your fingers. Make sure to press the crust into the bottom of the pie dish and up the sides.

This graham cracker crust is designed to be a thick crust to be able to support the weight of the apples.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

Step 3. Crumb Topping: Add the softened butter, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt to a large mixing bowl. Roughly combine with a spoon, then use your fingers to scrunch the ingredients together. You should be left with some pea-sized crumbs and some larger crumbs.

Step 4. Add the Apples: Strain and remove any excess water from the apples in the strainer. Layer the apples into the graham cracker crust a little at a time. Shimmy the apples so that there are no large gaps between the apples or layers of apples.

Step 5. Add the Crumb Topping: Layer the crumb topping on top of the apples in the pie crust. Press gently if needed to prevent any crumbs from sliding off.

Step 6. Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Remove the pie and carefully cover the pie with aluminum foil to prevent the crumbs from burning in the oven. Bake for another 20-30 minutes. Allow the pie to cool fully before serving.

🍴How to Serve and Store

• To Serve: Allow the pie to cool fully. If you want to serve the pie warm, you can reheat it gently in the oven at 375°F for 10-15 minutes. Serve it on its own or topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
• To Store: Cover with plastic and leave on the counter for 1-2 days, or cover and place in the fridge for up to 5 days.

✔️ Graham Cracker Crust Apple Pie FAQs

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If you tried this Graham Cracker Crust Apple Pie or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I'd love to hear from you!