Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust comes together with gooey homemade apple pie filling, sweet and salty pretzel streusel topping, and a thick, buttery graham cracker crust for the best apple pie ever. Delicious, easy apple pie recipe for Thanksgiving or apple season.
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Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust is a scrumptious spin on a classic dessert.
The gooey apple pie filling is filled with cozy, warm spices (plus a hot one) and is pre-cooked to keep from getting the crust soggy. The homemade graham cracker crust is thick and buttery with a touch of cinnamon. And the brown sugar pretzel streusel is the perfect sweet and salty finish that ties it all together.
A pie like this could easily be too sweet, but it's not. It has just enough sugar to enhance the flavors of the apples and cookie crust without going over the edge.
It's the perfect pie for Thanksgiving, apple season, any time you're craving a comforting slice of apple pie.
If you still have apples to use up, try Mini Apple Pies with Puff Pastry, Apple Crisp without Oatmeal, Taffy Apple Salad, or dip them in Caramel Apple Dip!
Why You're Going to Love This Recipe
- Delicious twist on classic apple pie
- Gooey cinnamon apple filling with a spicy secret ingredient
- Thick, toasty graham cracker crust (not soggy!)
- Irresistible sweet and salty pretzel crumble
Ingredients
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients.
Graham crackers. For this thick, sturdy homemade crust, you'll need 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs, from 14-16 graham cracker sheets (size varies from brand to brand). You can also use a store-bought graham cracker crust, but a premade graham cracker crust is much thinner and nowhere near as flavorful.
Apples. A combination of sweet and tart apples keeps this pie from being too sweet. I used a blend of Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, and Granny Smith apples. Peel and core the apples and cut them into equally sized slices, about ¼" thick, so they cook evenly.
Brown sugar. Dark brown sugar adds rich, caramel flavor, but light brown sugar will also work well.
Spices. A combination of ground cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger gives warm flavor to the filling. You can substitute with apple pie spice if you like.
Cayenne pepper. In apple pie? Yes. Just a pinch kicks up the spicy flavor. You can definitely leave it out if you like.
Cornstarch AND all-purpose flour. Pie fillings with just flour can get too "floury." And cornstarch can get gluey -- plus, it doesn't freeze well. The combination of the two is just right and allows the filling to freeze well.
Pretzels. Crushed pretzels add saltiness and crunch to the crumb topping.
How to Make Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
Step 1: Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Firmly pack the crumb mixture into a pie pan with a measuring cup or flat-bottomed glass. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Brush the crust with beaten egg white and bake for 5 more minutes. Cool in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.
Step 2: Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple slices and stir and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Add the flour, brown sugar, spices, and salt, and reduce to medium heat. Stir and cook until the apples are fork-tender, 5-7 minutes.
Step 3: Combine the cornstarch and white sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle over the apples. Cook and stir for 3 minutes or until the mixture is thickened.
Remove apple mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and lemon juice. Spread the apple pie filling on a baking sheet and cool in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
Step 4: Grind or crush pretzels into a mixture of fine crumbs and small pieces (about ¼").
Combine flour, crushed pretzels, sugars, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter with a fork until the mixture is moist and crumbly.
Step 5: Spoon the cooled apple pie filling into the cooled graham cracker crust.
Sprinkle the pretzel streusel topping over the apple filling. Bake apple pie at 375 for 60 minutes or until the filling is bubbly.
Step 6:
Place on a wire rack and cool completely at room temperature.
Serve with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
How to keep a graham cracker crust from getting soggy
Follow these easy tricks to keep your graham cracker crust from getting soggy.
- Brush beaten egg white into the baked crust, and bake for 5 more minutes. The egg white creates a barrier that keeps the filling from making the crust soggy.
- For store-bought crust, no need to pre-bake, just brush with egg white and bake for 5 minutes.
- Cool the crust and the filling before assembling and baking the pie.
- Place the pie plate on a baking sheet, which helps conduct heat and make a crispy crust.
- Store the baked pie in the fridge (and definitely not on the counter over a running dishwasher ... she said from experience).
Expert Tips
- Instead of lugging out my big food processor, I use a mini food processor -- it's perfect for small jobs like making graham cracker crumbs and crumble topping
- Pack graham cracker crumbs firmly, but don't press too much, or the crust can become hard.
- Feel free to substitute apple pie spice for the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger.
- To avoid a soggy crust, fill the cooled crust with cooled filling and cool completely before covering and storing in the fridge.
- If the graham cracker crust tears while brushing on the egg white, let it cool for a few minutes before trying again.
FAQs
Store apple pie wrapped in plastic or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. If desired, let it sit at room temperature before serving. Warming the pie will make the crust very soft -- it's still incredibly delicious, though!
Yes. Freeze slices or a whole pie tightly wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil. Thaw in the refrigerator.
Not every type of apple is good for baking, but there are a variety of apples that are great in pie. Some popular choices include Granny Smith (tart), Honeycrisp (sweet), and Pink Lady (tart and sweet). You can also mix different apple varieties for a more complex flavor.
Yes. The best way is to prepare and store the filling and crust separately up to 3 days ahead of time.
Assemble the graham cracker crust, do not egg wash or bake, then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Make the apple pie filling and store it in a ziploc bag in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, egg wash and bake the pie crust, prepare the pretzel topping, and bake the pie according to the recipe instructions.
More Favorite Pies
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Gooey Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs 14-16 crushed graham crackers
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 tablespoons melted butter 1 stick
- 1 beaten egg white
Apple Pie Filling
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 8 cups apple slices 8-10 medium apples peeled, and cored. I use a mix of tart and sweet, such as Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Cosmic Crisp
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ginger
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper ⅛ teaspoon or less, optional
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pretzel Streusel
- ¾ cup flour
- ½ cup crushed pretzels About 1 ½ cups mini pretzel twists
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 8 tablespoons butter, melted and slightly cooled 1 stick
Instructions
Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Crush graham crackers in a food processor, blender, or ziptop bag and rolling pin.
- Stir the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture is the texture of wet sand. Firmly pack the crumbs into a pie plate with a measuring cup or flat-bottomed glass. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Gently brush the baked crust with the beaten egg white. Bake for 5 more minutes. After you remove the crust, turn the oven temperature up to 375 for the pie. Cool crust on the counter for a few minutes, then place in the refrigerator to cool while you prepare the filling.
Apple Pie Filling
- Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the apples. Stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the flour, brown sugar, spices, and salt. Reduce heat to medium. Stir and cook 5-7 minutes* or until the apples are fork-tender.
- While the apples are cooking, mix the cornstarch and granulated sugar together in a small bowl. Sprinkle cornstarch mixture over the apples. Stir for about 3 minutes or until the mixture is bubbly and thickened.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and lemon juice. Spread filling in a single layer on a baking sheet and cool in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
Pretzel Streusel
- Crush pretzels into a mixture of fine crumbs and small (¼") pretzel pieces.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, crushed pretzels, sugars, and cinnamon. Stir in the melted butter with a fork until the mixture is moist and crumbly.
Assemble the Pie
- Place the cooled apple pie filling into the cooled graham cracker crust. Sprinkle the pretzel streusel on top of the pie.
- Place the pie plate on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 60 minutes or until the filling is bubbly. As needed, cover the top with foil to keep it from getting too brown. I cover it around the 30 to 35-minute mark.
- Let the pie cool completely at room temperature. Store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Video
Notes
- Pack graham cracker crumbs firmly, but don't press too much, or the crust can become hard.
- If the graham cracker crust tears while brushing on the egg white, let it cool for a few minutes before trying again.
- Feel free to substitute apple pie spice for the cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger
- To avoid a soggy crust, place cooled filling into a cooled crust and cool completely before storing in the refrigerator.
This is the best pie I have ever tasted. I learned about cooking the apples first and that made a big difference in the consistency of the overall apple flavor. I followed the ingredients exactly which sometimes I don’t do, using the Apple recipe I have used for years. I am going to make some batches and freeze them as it is apple season and the apples are really good.
Ann, thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed the pie!