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    Home » Recipes » Pies

    Published: Apr 7, 2023 Modified: May 26, 2023 by Nicole This post may contain affiliate links.

    Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    promotional graphic for Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

    Make an apple pie with graham cracker crust and crumb topping with this simple recipe. Packed with warm flavors and crisp apples, this recipe is almost too good to share.

    aerial view of a sliced apple pie with grham cracker crust and crumb topping

    Apple pie season is always a great time of year, but apple pies are a perfect dessert any time of the year. Make your holidays and gatherings more special with this apple pie recipe with graham cracker crust.

    This pie is very well spiced and warm, perfectly inviting for some caramel sauce and vanilla ice cream. Yum!

    If you love apple pie recipes, make sure to check out my Easy Butterscotch Apple Pie, Apple Pie Bites, and Applesauce Custard Pie.

    Why This Recipe Works

    1. It's simple. Made with an easy DIY graham cracker crust (or storebought) this pie is pretty simple and easy to throw together.
    2. Basic ingredients. We don't need anything fancy, and we don't need any eggs either. This recipe is great for using up pantry staple ingredients and some fresh fruit.
    3. You can make the filling in the Instant Pot! This stovetop filling is actually a variation of my Instant Pot Apple Pie Filling, so if you wanted to, you can simply whip up the filling in the pressure cooker and add it to the crust for even less effort.
    Jump to:
    • 🥘 Ingredients
    • 🍽 Equipment Needed
    • 🔪 Instructions
    • 🧾 Substitutions
    • 🍴 Recipe Tips
    • ⏲️ Make Ahead Instructions
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 Storage
    • 💭 FAQs
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments
    labeled ingredients needed to make apple pie with graham cracker crust

    🥘 Ingredients

    For the Graham Cracker Crust, you will need:

    Graham crackers- You will need some graham cracker crumbs to make the crust of this pie. Buy them as prepackaged crumbs from the store's baking aisle, or crush them yourself.

    Sugar- Adding a little sugar to the crust helps to hold it together when baked and adds a nice sweetness.

    Butter- Use melted butter to moisten the crumbs and add a rich flavor.

    For the Apple Pie Filling, you will need:

    Apples- You will need some fresh baking apples for this recipe. I like to use pink lady, granny smith, or a variety of apples for different flavors and textures.

    Lemon juice- This will help to keep the filling tasting fresh.

    Butter- For added richness.

    Sugars- Use both granulated sugar and brown sugar for sweetness, caramelization, and depth of flavor.

    Spices- For a nice warm spice flavor you will want to use ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves.

    Salt- This is a natural flavor enhancer and will help the pie to taste even better.

    Water- This will help to soften the apples as they cook and will become the binding gel to hold the filling together.

    Cornstarch- We use cornstarch as a thickener so that our pie filling isn't too runny.

    For the Crumble Topping, you will need:

    Flour- All-purpose flour will be the base of this crumble recipe.

    Cinnamon- For added warmth and spice.

    Butter- Cold butter will hold everything together and help to create a crumbly texture.

    Brown sugar- This adds sweetness and depth of flavor.

    Salt- A natural flavor enhancer.

    For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.

    🍽 Equipment Needed

    BeeyondCereal is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.

    • Measuring Cups
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Wooden Spoon
    • Large skillet
    • Pie Plate
    • Food Processor
    • Vegetable Peeler

    🔪 Instructions

    Check out how to make Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust with these simple step-by-step instructions:

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

    graham crackers in a food processor

    Add your graham crackers to a food processor.

    graham cracker crumbs in a food processor

    Blend until fine crumbs.

    sugar and melted butter in a food processor with graham cracker crumbs

    Add in the melted butter and sugar.

    wet graham cracker mixture in a food processor

    Pulse again until combined.

    graham cracker crumbs in a glass pie plate

    Pour the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate.

    graham cracker crust in a pie plate

    Press out into a crust. Make sure to cover the bottom and sides well so that there are no gaps.

    Carefully place the pie crust into the oven and cook for 10 minutes.

    peeled apples on a cutting board

    While the crust is baking, peel your apples. *This is optional

    sliced apples on a cutting board with a knife and a bowl of apple slices

    Slice your apples into larger sized pieces, about 8-12 pieces per apple. Remove the core and seeds.

    a large skillet with apple slices, spices, sugar, lemon juice and butter

    Add the apple slices, lemon juice, butter, sugars, spices, and 1 ¾ cups water to a large skillet over medium-high heat.

    wet spiced apple in a large skillet

    Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Add the lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.

    flour cinnamon brown sugar and butter in a bowl

    Add the crumble topping ingredients to a bowl.

    crumb topping in a small bowl

    Stir together the crumble ingredients until the size of coarse crumbs or peas. Set aside in the fridge until needed.

    cornstarch and water in a liquid measuring cup

    Add the remaining ¼ cup of water and ¼ cup of cornstarch to a small bowl or liquid measuring cup.

    cornstarch slurry in a liquid measuring cup

    Stir together to create a slurry. Set aside.

    simmered apple pie filling in a large skillet

    After the apples have simmered, remove the lid and give them a good stir.

    cornstarch slurry added to apple pie filling in large skillet

    Add in the cornstarch slurry and stir again to combine.

    thickened cooked apple pie filling in a large skillet

    Continue to cook and stir until the apple filling has thickened. Then remove the skillet from the heat and turn off the stove burner.

    apple pie filling in a graham cracker crust

    Pour the pie filling into the baked crust. Be careful not to disturb the sides, or the crumbs may fall. I like to use a slotted spoon to scoop the apple pieces and fill the crust before adding enough liquid to fill the gaps in the pie. This way, it's a better apples to filling ratio.

    crumb topping on top of an unbaked apple pie with graham cracker crust

    Spread the prepared crumble topping over an apple filled pie. There will be crumble mix leftover.

    baked apple pie with grham cracker crust and crumb topping

    Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.

    Remove from heat and let cool for 1 hour before placing in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.

    Let the apple pie cool before slicing and serving. The filling will thicken as it cools.

    a side view of a slice of apple pie with graham cracker crust and crumb topped that has been topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

    🧾 Substitutions

    Spices: You can swap out the apple pie filling spices for apple pie spice instead. Use 3 teaspoons of apple pie spice in place of the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

    Butter. For a dairy free version, swap out the requested butter with a good plant based option.

    🍴 Recipe Tips

    Cooking the filling for this recipe is very important for getting the best results. Cooking the filling on the stovetop before adding it to the cust helps it to set properly and keeps the crust from malfunctioning while baking.

    I learned this trick (the hard way) in my lemon bars with graham cracker crust recipe. Graham cracker crusts don't like to get too wet or else they fall apart or rise when baking.

    The most important thing to note about this easy apple pie filling is that the size of your apple slices matter. The thinner you slice them, the more "applesauce-like" they'll become.

    For actual apple texture, cut them larger. I recommend cutting a single apple into no more than 8 slices for perfectly sized apples, which do end up thick when cooked, but they'll be fork-tender too. Peeling the apples is optional and completely up to you.

    I LOVE granny smith apples in my apple pies because I like a nice tart apple pie. That said, using a sweeter baking apple variety or a blend of apples can give you a much nicer depth of flavor and would help to sweeten the pie. Using a variety of baking apples is ideal for the best flavor profile.

    ⏲️ Make Ahead Instructions

    You should make this pie at least 4 hours ahead of whenever you want to present it. This will give the pie plenty of time to cool down and thicken. If chilled completely, the filling holds together very well when sliced. If sliced too early, the filling will run.

    👩🏻‍🍳 Storage

    Keep any uneaten apple pie covered and stored in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.

    While I have not tried to freeze this pie, I can't see it turning out well because once the pie thaws, the added moisture might cause the crust to turn out too soggy.

    💭 FAQs

    What is the best apple for apple pie?

    A baking variety of apples include Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, Jonagold, Braeburn, and more. These apples hold up well to the baking without becoming grainy, and all have their own level of sweet and tart flavors that can make your pie unique.

    Do I have to bake the apple pie?

    Since the filling and the crust are both technically cooked before being assembled you don't really NEED to bake the pie. I do however recommend it for the best results as the added bake time will help to thicken the filling some more and help it to adhere to the crust well so they don't separate when served.

    What to serve with apple pie

    I like to serve apple pie with a nice dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Adding caramel syrup is also great for adding more flavor to every slice.

    aerial view of an apple pie with graham cracker crust and crumb topping and a pie server off to the left side

    More great pie recipes to check out soon

    • No Bake Smores Ice Cream Pie
    • Homemade Peach Pie Filling
    • No Bake Lemon Icebox Pie
    • No Bake Cool Whip Cheesecake

    📖 Recipe

    an upclose side view of a slice of apple pie with graham cracker crust and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

    Make an apple pie with graham cracker crust and crumb topping with this simple recipe. Packed with warm flavors and crisp apples, this recipe is almost too good to share.
    Prep Time 30 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 528kcal
    Cost Recipe $9.42 / Serving $1.18
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • Measuring Cups
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Wooden Spoon
    • Large skillet
    • Pie Plate
    • Food Processor
    • Vegetable Peeler

    Ingredients

    Graham Cracker Crust

    • 1 ½ cups Graham crackers (1 sleeve) ($1.26)
    • 2 Tablespoons Granulated sugar ($0.02)
    • 6 Tablespoons Butter, melted ($0.56)

    Apple Pie Filling

    • 6-8 cups Apples, sliced ¼ inch thick (about 6 apples) ($5.34)
    • 2 Tablespoons Lemon juice ($0.48)
    • 2 Tablespoons Butter ($0.16)
    • ½ cup Brown sugar ($0.19)
    • ½ cup Granulated sugar ($0.11)
    • 2 teaspoons Ground cinnamon ($0.20)
    • ½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg ($0.05)
    • 1 pinch Ground cloves ($0.01)
    • ¼ teaspoon Salt ($0.02)
    • 2 cups Water, divided ($0.00)
    • ¼ cup Cornstarch ($0.08)

    Crumble Topping (makes enough for 2 pies):

    • 1 cup All-purpose flour ($0.08)
    • 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon ($0.10)
    • ⅓ cup Cold butter ($0.56)
    • ½ cup Brown sugar ($0.19)
    • ¼ teaspoon Salt ($0.01)
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    Pie Crust

    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    • Add your graham crackers to a food processor and blend until fine crumbs.
    • Add in the melted butter and sugar and pulse again until combined.
    • Pour the mixture into a 9-inch pie plate and press out into a crust. Make sure to cover the bottom and sides well so that there are no gaps.
    • Carefully place the pie crust into the oven and cook for 10 minutes.

    Apple Pie Filling

    • While the crust is baking, prepare the filling.
    • Slice your apples into larger sized pieces, about 8-12 pieces per apple. Remove core and seeds. Peeling is optional.
    • Add the apple slices, lemon juice, butter, sugars, spices, and 1 ¾ cups water to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
    • Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
    • Add the lid and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes.
    • Prepare the cornstarch slurry by whisking together ¼ cup of water and ¼ cup of cornstarch in a small bowl until well mixed.
    • After the 10 minutes are up, remove the lid and add in the slurry.
    • Continue to cook and stir until the apple filling has thickened. Then remove the skillet from the heat and turn off the stove burner.
    • Pour the pie filling into the baked crust. Be careful not to disturb the sides, or the crumbs may fall. I like to use a slotted spoon to scoop the apple pieces and fill the crust before adding enough liquid to fill the gaps in the pie. This way its a better apples to filling ratio.

    Crumb Topping

    • Stir together the crumble ingredients until the size of coarse crumbs or peas.
    • Spread over an apple filled pie. There will be crumble mix leftover.
    • Bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
    • Remove from heat and let cool for 1 hour before placing in the fridge to chill for at least 2 hours.
    • Let the apple pie cool before slicing and serving. The filling will thicken as it cools.

    Notes

    Substitutions

    • Spices: You can swap out the apple pie filling spices for apple pie spice instead. Use 3 teaspoons of apple pie spice in place of the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
    • Butter. For a dairy free version, swap out the requested butter with a good plant based option.

    Recipe Tips

    • Cooking the filling for this recipe is very important for getting the best results. Cooking the filling on the stovetop before adding it to the cust helps it to set properly and keeps the crust from malfunctioning while baking.
    • I learned this trick (the hard way) in my lemon bars with graham cracker crust recipe. Graham cracker crusts don't like to get too wet or else they fall apart or rise when baking.
    • The most important thing to note about this easy apple pie filling is that the size of your apple slices matter. The thinner you slice them, the more "applesauce-like" they'll become.
    • For actual apple texture, cut them larger. I recommend cutting a single apple into no more than 8 slices for perfectly sized apples, which do end up thick when cooked, but they'll be fork-tender too. Peeling the apples is optional and completely up to you.
    • I LOVE granny smith apples in my apple pies because I like a nice tart apple pie. That said, using a sweeter baking apple variety or a blend of apples can give you a much nicer depth of flavor and would help to sweeten the pie. Using a variety of baking apples is ideal for the best flavor profile.

    Make Ahead Instructions

    • You should make this pie at least 4 hours ahead of whenever you want to present it. This will give the pie plenty of time to cool down and thicken. If chilled completely, the filling holds together very well when sliced. If sliced too early, the filling will run.

    Storage

    • Keep any uneaten apple pie covered and stored in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
    • While I have not tried to freeze this pie, I can't see it turning out well because once the pie thaws, the added moisture might cause the crust to turn out too soggy.

    Nutritional Information

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 528kcal | Carbohydrates: 85g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 420mg | Potassium: 197mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 56g | Vitamin A: 639IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2mg
    Author NicoleDurham
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Tried this recipe?Mention @BeeyondCereal on Instagram and hashtag it #BeeyondCereal
    To view how this recipe was calculated you can visit my Pricing Disclosure Page for more information.

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