Gingersnap Pie Crust Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (2024)

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This Gingersnap Pie Crust is perfect for no-bake desserts, cheesecakes, and your favorite holiday pies. It’s quick and easy to throw together, and the wonderfully warm, spicy ginger flavor makes a great alternative to graham cracker crust.

Ready to take your baking game up a notch? This gingersnap pie crust recipe is the perfect way to infuse a touch of warmth and spice into your favorite pie recipes. Follow along and I'll show you how to use gingersnap cookies to create a delectable pie crust that will take your desserts to the next level.

If you're looking for more no bake pie crusts, be sure to try our Biscoff Pie Crust, Nilla Wafer Pie Crust, Oreo Pie Crust, and of course our Classic Graham Cracker No Bake Pie Crust Recipe.

Gingersnap Pie Crust Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (1)
Jump to:
  • Easy and Delicious Gingersnap Crust Recipe
  • No-Bake Gingersnap Pie Crust
  • Desserts with Gingersnap Crust
  • Best Gingersnap Cookies to Use?
  • Ingredients in This Gingersnap Pie Crust Recipe
  • How to Bake Gingersnap Crust Recipe
  • How to Store Gingersnap Cookie Crust
  • Gingersnap Pie Crust Recipe
  • No-Bake Pie Crust

Easy and Delicious Gingersnap Crust Recipe

If you have ever made a graham cracker pie crust before, you know just how easy it is. The idea of this Gingersnap Pie Crust is exactly the same, only with a few simple substitutions.

You can use a food processor to crush the cookies up, or do it the old-fashioned way with a freezer bag and a rolling pin. Once you’ve got your cookie crumbs, all you need to do is mix together brown sugar, melted butter and a pinch of salt, then press into your pie dish. It really couldn’t be easier!

We absolutely love the warm ginger flavor of this pie crust paired with just about anything pumpkin, chocolate, sweet potato or even lemon. Top it off with freshly whipped cream, give it a try and let us know what you think!

No-Bake Gingersnap Pie Crust

While we have given you instructions on baking this Gingersnap Pie Crust, it works equally well as a no-bake crust for any of your favorite no-bake pies and cheesecakes.

After you have pressed your gingersnap mixture into your pie dish, simply toss into your freezer for as little as 2 hours, or as long as a month. If you need to freeze for longer, you’ll want to wrap the crust well in plastic wrap to keep it protected.

Once you have your filling made, pull the crust from the freezer, fill and ta-da! We like to make this crust first, then slide into the freezer while we make the rest of the pie or cheesecake filling. Easy peasy!

Gingersnap Pie Crust Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (2)

Desserts with Gingersnap Crust

Try making one of these easy no-bake cheesecake recipes with our gingersnap pie crust. It give a nice flavor balance to just about any cheesecake recipe. This Gingersnap recipe is a great flavor variation with our Chocolate Cheesecake, No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake, Nutella Cheesecake and our Classic No Bake Cheesecake.

Best Gingersnap Cookies to Use?

We really like to use the thin, super crispy gingersnap cookies from the grocery store for pie crust. They crumble well and retain a nice crumbly texture. Honestly, we’ve found the drier, the better!

If you really want to go all out and use homemade Gingersnap Cookies, we recommend pulsing or chopping the cookies, then laying them in a thin even layer on a baking sheet and baking in a 300 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes to help dry them out. Once you remove the cookie pieces from the oven, let them cool completely before pulsing again to make coarse crumbs.

Ingredients in This Gingersnap Pie Crust Recipe

  • Gingersnap Cookies - our favorite gingersnap cookies to use for this recipe are the store bought ones. They are a little drier than freshly baked homemade cookies, so they tend to make a better pie crust.
  • Brown Sugar - we like to use light brown sugar, but you can substitute dark brown sugar if you want an even deeper molasses flavor.
  • Butter - we recommend using unsalted butter.
  • Salt - sea salt tastes best.
Gingersnap Pie Crust Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (3)

How to Bake Gingersnap Crust Recipe

If you are making a traditional baked pie or cheesecake (we recommend pumpkin pie!), it’s a good idea to par-bake this crust rather than simply freezing it. This will make it less fragile and give it a nice texture once you bake it again with the filling.

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. In a food processor, pulse the gingersnap cookies until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
  3. In a medium bowl, combine the gingersnap cookie crumbs, brown sugar, melted butter and salt and mix with a spatula until well combined.
  4. Using your fingers, or a cup with a flat bottom, press the cookie crumb mixture evenly onto the sides and bottom of a 9-inch pie plate.
  5. Bake your crust in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes just to set the crust and make it less fragile. Remove from the oven and let the crust cool completely before filling.

How to Store Gingersnap Cookie Crust

You can make your gingersnap crumbs ahead of time and store them in a freezer bag at room temperature for up to a week, or the freezer for up to 2 months.

Otherwise, the best way to store this crust is in the freezer. Once you have pressed your gingersnap mixture into the pie dish, wrap well in plastic wrap and toss into a freezer bag. It can be stored frozen for up to 1 month. To use, pull from the freezer and fill immediately.

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Gingersnap Pie Crust Recipe

This Gingersnap Pie Crust is perfect for no-bake desserts, cheesecakes and holiday pies. It’s quick and easy to throw together and the wonderfully warm, spicy ginger flavor makes a great alternative to graham cracker crust.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 1 9-inch pie crust

Calories 223kcal

Author The Carefree Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups Gingersnap Cookies crushed into coarse crumbs
  • 4 Tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
  • 6 Tablespoons Butter melted
  • 1 pinch Sea Salt

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  • In a food processor, pulse the gingersnap cookies until the mixture resembles coarse sand.

  • In a medium bowl, combine the gingersnap cookie crumbs, brown sugar, melted butter and salt and mix with a spatula until well combined.

  • Using your fingers, or a cup with a flat bottom, press the cookie crumb mixture evenly onto the sides and bottom of a 9" pie dish.

  • Bake your crust in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes just to set the crust and make it less fragile. Remove from the oven and let the crust cool completely before filling.

Notes

No-Bake Pie Crust

You can also freeze your pie crust for a minimum of 2 hours (or up to a week) instead of par-baking. Just be sure and fill your crust straight from the freezer, then use with your favorite no-bake pie filling.

Nutrition

Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 207mg | Potassium: 32mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 285IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Here are some more no-bake desserts that we love!

  • Edible Cookie Dough
  • Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip
  • Nutella No-Bake Cookies
  • No-Bake Peanut Butter S'mores Bars
  • No-Bake Peanut Butter Cornflake Cookies

More of the Best Pie Recipes

  • Homemade Blackberry Pie
  • Homemade Razzleberry Pie
  • Best Pumpkin Pie
  • Homemade Whipped Cream
  • More Gingersnap Recipes
  • More Pie Recipes
  • More Dessert Recipes

This gingersnap crust is perfect for a no-bake pie crust, pumpkin cheesecake or any of your favorite holiday pies! It's so easy to make and comes together in just a few minutes!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gina

    What an easy crust recipe! Love how many different recipes I can use this for, perfect for all the upcoming holiday baking!

    Reply

  2. Natalie

    That's a lovely pie crust. So flavorful. I will have to bake something with this crust this weekend. Thanks!

    Reply

  3. Beth

    This looks sooo good! I love the suggestion of using this crust for a nutella cheesecake! Never tried it but I'm confident I'll love it!

    Reply

  4. Liz

    I loooove gingersnaps and I'm not usually a big fan of regular pie crust so this is going to be a new favorite! I'm going to fill mine with chocolate pudding!

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Gingersnap Pie Crust Recipe - The Carefree Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to crispy bottom pie crust? ›

Sprinkle dried breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes, or other types of cereal, on the bottom crust before filling and baking in the oven.

Should I bake the bottom pie crust first? ›

Pre-baking is a must if you're looking for a flaky pie crust. It's especially helpful for recipes with a wet center. Recipes for most tarts, pies, and quiches call for pre-baking to ensure that the final product doesn't end up soggy.

Can I substitute ginger snaps for graham cracker crust? ›

Easy Substitutes for Graham Cracker Piecrust

For every 1½ cups of graham cracker crumbs, you can use: 1½ cups of crushed gingersnaps (about 22 cookies): This crust is wonderful with apple, pear, and pumpkin pies.

Why does the bottom of my pie crust not cook? ›

Because there's liquid in the pie filling. Fruits like apples or cherries have a lot of water, pumpkin or sweet potatoes are going to make more of a custard, cream and eggs are very liquid, and so on. So the bottom crust is almost never going to cook through.

Should you poke holes in bottom of pie crust? ›

With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.

How do I stop the bottom of my pie being soggy? ›

5 Ways to Prevent Soggy Pie Crust
  1. Blind Bake. The most common way to ward off a soggy pie crust is by a process called blind baking. ...
  2. Brush With Egg. ...
  3. Brush With Chocolate. ...
  4. Bake on a Hot Baking Sheet. ...
  5. Keep Moisture Out.
May 1, 2019

How long do you Prebake bottom pie crust? ›

Line the crust with foil, parchment, or a paper coffee filter. Fill it about two-thirds full with dried beans, uncooked rice (or other uncooked grain berries), pie weights, or granulated sugar. Bake the crust in a preheated 375°F oven for 20 minutes, set on a baking stone or steel if you have one.

How long to prebake pie crust at 350? ›

If your recipe doesn't have instructions and you're wondering how long to pre bake the pie, here's what I do: I pre bake the prepped pie crust at 350°F. If the crust is homemade from scratch, I pre bake for 35 minutes. If the crust is store-bought, I pre bake for 30 minutes.

Can you use Ritz crackers instead of graham crackers? ›

I used the recipe inside the Philly box and subbed ritz for the graham crackers. Hubs and I both loved the touch of salt that the ritz cracker crust made with the cheesecake. It was just perfect against the creaminess of the cheesecake.

Is it better to bake graham cracker crust or not? ›

FAQ: Does Graham Cracker Crust Need to Be Baked? Typically, yes. After shaping into your pan, this crust should be baked, and the amount of time really depends on the recipe you're using, and whether it's a baked or a no-bake filling.

Why is my graham cracker crust falling apart? ›

Why is my crust falling apart? To get a graham cracker crust that doesn't crumble apart immediately, you need to use enough butter. Too little and the crust won't stick together and will be too dry.

Should I egg wash the bottom pie crust? ›

You've spent time and effort putting the pastry together, so don't sell yourself short by skipping the final step—the egg wash for the pie crust. The truth is that cream and egg washes are a simple but vital step to improving the appearance and flavor of pies and other baked goods.

What is the name of the bottom pie crust that is baked before filling? ›

Many sweet and savory pie recipes require pre-baking or "blind baking" a crust. No one really knows where the term got its name, but "blind" baking a crust means baking it without a filling.

Why are my pies always soggy on the bottom? ›

To prevent it, you need to either create a barrier between the wet filling and raw pie dough, or ensure the pie dough browns and sets before the filling has a chance to soak it.

What might cause a soggy bottom on a pie crust? ›

Wet pie fillings + raw dough are a tricky combination. If the bottom crust doesn't set before the filling soaks in, it's going to be gummy. A metal pie pan placed on a preheated surface will set the bottom crust quickest; once cooked, the liquids from the filling above won't soak in, and as a result: no soggy bottom.

How long do you bake the bottom crust of a pie? ›

Bake: For a pie that you will cook further, like a quiche, bake the crust until it's dry and just beginning to brown, but still pale in color, 45-50 minutes. For a pie that will need no further baking, like a chocolate cream pie, bake the crust until it's evenly browned and crisp-looking, 60 to 75 minutes.

What makes a pie crispy? ›

Shortening has a higher melting point than butter, which is why it yields flakier pastry. I make pie crust using all butter, with a splash of vodka mixed into the cold water (no more than a tablespoon). Alcohol evaporates quickly, so if helps puff up the crust. Too much messes with stuff and makes the crust rubbery.

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