No bake Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust (VIDEO)

You will love this easy No-bake Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust for Thanksgiving and beyond! The 3-step recipe is made using a simple 2-ingredient pie crust that is filled with delicious apples that are cooked to perfection in a mixture of butter and brown sugar. The entire Graham cracker crust apple pie only takes 30 minutes to make and is the perfect No-bake Pie for the Fall!

Jump to:

• 🌟 Why this is the best recipe
• 📝 Ingredient notes
• 👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe
• 📚 Flavor variations
• 🎓 Expert tips
• 🥣 Equipment notes
• ❓Recipe FAQs
• 🍎 More Apple dessert recipes
• No bake Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust

🌟 Why this is the best recipe

1. Simple recipe – What is the easiest pie to make for a beginner? No-bake pies! And with no fancy ingredients required and no pastry making this is hands down an easy Apple pie with graham cracker crust even for the most novice baker.
2. Super delicious – A crunchy graham cracker crust is filled with perfectly caramelized apples and then beautifully decorated with a light mascarpone whipped topping. This simple pie is incredibly delicious and even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
3. From scratch recipe – All my recipes are made from scratch. Yet, always easy and never complicated. So if you've ever thought about how can I make a pie from scratch? This homemade pie only takes 30 minutes to make and is amazing.
4. No special equipment is needed – All you need is a pie pan and a basic digital scale to make this Apple pie recipe with graham cracker crust. No fancy stand mixer, hand mixer, or even an oven!
5. It's a detailed tutorial - This 3 step pie recipe may sound like a lot of work, but it's actually ridiculously easy! And better yet, I've outlined all the steps as much as possible to make it foolproof. So, don't skip the expert tips or FAQ!

📝 Ingredient notes

For the Graham Cracker crust

1. Biscuit Crumb: You can use graham crackers crumbs, digestive biscuits, Biscoff cookies, or any hard biscuit to make this No bake Apple pie.
2. Butter: Always use unsalted butter in baking to control the level of added salt.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

For the Apple Pie filling

1. Apples: Choose apples that are both firm and crisp in texture such as Granny Smith, Fuji, Gala, or Honeycrisp. Any kind of apples will work, but if too soft they won't hold their shape when cooked.
2. Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed lemon juice balances the sweetness and helps to keep the apples from turning brown.
3. Sugar: Granulated sugar or Light and dark brown sugar are all good choices. Brown sugar has molasses in it, which creates a more caramel flavor, while granulated sugar will provide a lighter color. If you want to learn more about the different types of sugar and how to use them in baking, please read my sugar guide.
4. Butter: Always use unsalted butter for all baking unless a recipe indicates otherwise. I use European-style 82% fat content butter in all my recipes.
5. Spices: Cinnamon is the most common spice used in combination with apples. However, you can also mix in some ginger, nutmeg, or cardamon as well to spice up the apple pie even more.
6. Cornstarch: A small amount is used to thicken the apple filling. Yet, if you prefer not to use cornstarch, arrowroot flour or tapioca flour can also be used as a substitution.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

For the Whipped mascarpone decoration

1. Mascarpone: It's like an Italian cream cheese that is rich and holds its form, which makes it perfect for decorating. But do make sure you use the full-fat variety (41%+ fat content) to achieve the best results.
2. Heavy Cream: Also called whipping cream or double cream it needs to be really cold. And like the mascarpone, it also needs to be a full-fat variety (36%+ fat content) for it to work properly.
3. Powdered Sugar: Adds just a slight touch of sweetness to the whipped mascarpone and helps to fluff up the icing without making it too sweet.

🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post

👩‍🍳 How to make this recipe

1. How to make the crust

1. Melt the butter in the microwave and then allow it to cool slightly while you make your biscuit crumbs.
2. Crumble the biscuits and add the butter. To do this, there are two ways to crumble the biscuits. You can put the biscuits in a zip lock bag and then beat it with a rolling pin being careful not to tear the bag. Or, you can simply pulse the cookies in a food processor. Either way, make sure that the crumbs are fairly even in size and that there are no visible big chunks left. Then, mix the biscuit crumbs with a dash of salt and warm butter until it holds together. It's important that the butter be warm and not hot for this step.
3. Add the crust mixture to the pie tin. Now, spread it out evenly and press the crumb mixture firmly into the pan along the sides and bottom until you have formed the graham cracker crust for the apple pie. At this point, if the mixture seems to be too runny just place it in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up and then proceed with forming the crust.

💡Top Tip:  Chill the crust for at least 15 minutes to ensure that it holds its shape before adding the apple filling.

2. How to make the apple pie filling

1. Peel and cut the apples into small pieces that are all about the same size. Then sprinkle the pieces with freshly squeezed lemon juice to keep them from turning brown as you cut each apple.
2. Put the apples, unsalted butter, brown sugar, and spices into a saucepan and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes on medium heat.
3. Stir the apples to prevent them from sticking to the pan and cook them just until they are slightly soft. It's important not to overcook the mixture.
4. Remove the cooked apples from the saucepan using a slotted spoon. Yet, make sure to leave all the liquid in the pan.
5. Put about a quarter cup of the cooked apple liquid into a small bowl. Then add the cornstarch and mix until it's fully dissolved. There should be no lumps.
6. Pour the cornstarch mixture back into the saucepan with the apple liquid. Now, cook the mixture for 2 to 3 minutes to thicken up while whisking constantly. Then put the cooked apples back into the saucepan and mix them with the glaze.
7. Remove the apple pie filling from the heat and let it cool to room temperature.

💡Top Tip:  It's important to cut the apples into identical size pieces so that they cook evenly and you don't end up with some apples overcooked and others undercooked.

3. How to assemble

1. Pour the apple pie filling into the frozen crust. Now, distribute it evenly and smooth out the top.
2. Put the filled pie crust in the fridge and let it chill for at least 4 hours to set.

💡Top Tip:  Before you add the filling, the pie crust needs to be fully chilled and set to prevent it from falling apart.

4. How to decorate

1. Using an electric hand mixer, whip together the mascarpone, heavy cream, and powdered sugar for about 1 to 2 minutes or until it's light and fluffy. Do not continue to whip the frosting once it reaches a pipeable consistency. Overwhipping can cause it to break and become runny.
2. Put the mascarpone mixture into a piping bag with a star tip nozzle
3. Once the Apple pie sets, pipe the decoration all around the pie.
4. Once decorated, serve the pie right away or store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

For a more detailed tutorial check my mascarpone frosting recipe.

💡Top Tip:  The apple pie with graham cracker crust must be kept chilled at all times once decorated or the frosting will melt.

📚 Flavor variations

This apple pie with graham cracker crust is so easy to customize and you can do it in a variety of ways. From the amount of sugar used to adding different spices.
To modify the level of sweetness, all you have to do is use more or less sugar when cooking the apples. You can also use honey, agave, or maple syrup in place of the sugar. Maple syrup with a dash of bourbon could be an amazing maple bourbon apple pie filling. And if you like you can even just omit the sugar altogether. Just keep in mind that how much sugar you use does affect the consistency of the filling. So if the mixture seems too saucy you'll need to add a little more cornstarch.

It's also easy to add some more flavor to the apple pie with graham cracker crust by using different spices. Some of my favorites are nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and cardamom. You can simply just mix them into the apple mixture when it's cooking or biscuit crumbs before adding the butter.

You can also swap the biscuit. eg. Biscoff crumbs or Oreo crumbs can make it a completely new dessert.

💡Top Tip: When using spices, it's best to add just a little bit at a time and then taste.

🎓 Expert tips

1. For the most delicious no bake Apple pie with graham cracker crust, use a high-quality 82% fat content European style unsalted butter.
2. Use a variety of apple that is both firm and crisp in texture like Granny Smith apples. Softer apples tend to fall apart when cooked.
3. Stir the apples as they cook so they don't stick to the bottom of the pan and caramelize evenly.
4. If the pie filling seems too runny, add a little more cornstarch to the mixture. If it seems too thin you can add a tiny bit of water or juice.
5. Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the pie pan when making the apple pie graham cracker crust. This helps to ensure that it doesn't fall apart and sets properly.
6. Allow the crust to chill in the freezer for at least 15 minutes so that the butter fully sets before you add the filling.
7. The mascarpone and heavy cream must be the high-fat versions or the decoration most likely won't come together. The low-fat versions contain more water which often creates a frosting that is too thin to pipe.
8. Be sure to sift your powdered sugar before adding it to the frosting. You do not want a lumpy frosting.
9. Whip the frosting just until it gets fluffy, which should only take about 1 to 2 minutes. Overwhipping by just one minute can cause it to become runny and break.

🥣 Equipment notes

You will be happy to hear that making this Apple Pie with Graham Cracker Crust does not require any fancy equipment!

For the crust, I used a 20cm(8-inch) loose base pie pan. It's the perfect size for this pie recipe. Yet, if you don't have a pie pan or don't have time to buy one, it's no problem! You could easily make a variety of mini apple pies with graham cracker crust in small dishes or ramekins.

As for the decorations I used a piping bag with a star tip nozzle. But you can use any style tip you like to decorate your no-bake apple pie.

However, you should always use a digital scale to measure the ingredients. This is the one piece of equipment that is always necessary for the best results in any pastry recipe.

❓Recipe FAQs

🍎 More Apple dessert recipes