Ritz Cracker Pie Crust Recipe
This easy 9-inch pie crust comes together in no time using Ritz crackers instead of graham crackers. Buttery, lightly salty, and perfectly crisp, it’s a simple twist that adds amazing flavor—just fill it with your favorite filling and enjoy!
Sometimes the simplest recipes are the ones you come back to again and again, and this Ritz Cracker Pie Crust is one of those easy kitchen staples. It’s buttery, slightly salty, and just sweet enough—making it the perfect base for all kinds of creamy, chilled, or baked pies. If you’ve never made a pie crust with Ritz crackers before, you’re going to love how quick, flavorful, and surprisingly versatile it is.
What is a Ritz Cracker Pie Crust?
A Ritz Cracker Pie Crust is an easy pie crust made from crushed Ritz crackers, butter, and sugar. It has a buttery, slightly salty flavor that makes it a delicious alternative to a traditional graham cracker crust. This crust is perfect for no-bake pies, cream pies, chilled desserts, and even some baked pies, adding a sweet-and-salty twist that pairs especially well with fruit, chocolate, peanut butter, coconut, and creamy fillings.
We’ve recently made Best Banana Cream Pie (with a different easy-press pie crust), and Lemon Ricotta Pie with a Ritz Cracker Crust, and we love the buttery flavors of this pie crust. Summer pies are my favorite!
Why You’ll Love This Ritz Cracker Pie Crust Recipe
- Easy to make with just a few simple ingredients
- A delicious sweet-and-salty twist on classic graham cracker crust
- Perfect for no-bake pies, cream pies, and chilled desserts
- Adds a buttery, crisp texture to your favorite fillings
- Great for holidays, potlucks, and make-ahead desserts
- A fun and unexpected crust that always gets people asking for the recipe
- Works beautifully with fruit, chocolate, peanut butter, coconut, and creamy pie fillings
Ingredients for Ritz Cracker Pie Crust
You only need a few simple ingredients to make this easy pie crust:
- Ritz crackers – Crushed Ritz crackers create a buttery, slightly salty base with delicious flavor.
- Butter – Melted butter helps bind the crust together and adds richness.
- Sugar – Adds just the right touch of sweetness to balance the savory crackers.
- Salt – A small pinch enhances all the flavors and gives the crust that perfect sweet-and-salty finish.
How to Make Ritz Cracker Pie Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a food processor, pulse the Ritz crackers into coarse crumbs.
- Or, crush them by hand in a zip-top bag using a rolling pin.
- Add the butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt.
- Pulse again (or mix by hand) until the mixture is crumbly but holds together when squeezed.
- Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
- Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.
Let cool slightly, then fill with your favorite pie filling, like lemon or banana cream.
Best Fillings for Ritz Cracker Pie Crust
This Ritz Cracker Pie Crust is buttery, lightly salty, and slightly sweet, which makes it a delicious base for all kinds of pies and desserts. It pairs especially well with creamy, fruity, and no-bake fillings.
Delicious filling ideas:
- Lemon pie filling – Bright and citrusy with the perfect sweet-and-salty contrast
- Banana cream pie – Rich, creamy, and classic with this buttery crust
- Coconut cream pie – A beautiful pairing with the crisp Ritz flavor
- Chocolate cream pie – Sweet, silky chocolate is so good with the salty crust
- Peanut butter pie – One of the best sweet-and-salty combinations
- Strawberry cream pie – Fresh and perfect for spring and summer
- No-bake cheesecake filling – Easy, creamy, and always a crowd-pleaser
- Key lime pie – Tart, smooth, and delicious in this crust
Sandy’s tips and substitions:
- Keep a box of Ritz crackers in your pantry for easy desserts like this one.
- Ritz crackers come in individually wrapped sleeves, making them easy to measure and use.
- Crush the crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
- No food processor? Place the crackers in a zip-top bag, seal, and crush with a rolling pin.
- Use the crust for a baked pie or chill it first for a no-bake filling.
- Make ahead: You can make this crust 1–2 days in advance and keep it covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- For baked crusts: Let the crust cool completely before filling.
- Store leftovers: If already filled, store the pie covered in the refrigerator, depending on the filling.
- Unfilled crust: Store the baked crust in an airtight container or tightly wrapped for up to 3 days.
- Freeze option: You can freeze the baked or unbaked crust, tightly wrapped, for up to 1 month. Thaw before filling or baking.
- Best texture tip: For the crispiest crust, fill it as close to serving time as possible if using a very soft or creamy filling.
This go-to graham cracker pie crust recipe can be used with pies, bars, little mini cups, and more. The recipe is easy to create for your favorite homemade desserts.
This is a great crust to prep ahead for holidays, spring gatherings, or anytime you want dessert to be a little easier. In my humble opinion, pie crusts are generally what really make a pie! A soggy pie crust? No thank you!
More pie recipes to try:
- Lemonaide Pie
- Sour Cream Lemon Pie
- Banana Cream Pie [made with Vanilla wafers]
- Incredible Apple Pie Recipe [RecipeGirl]
Get the Recipe:
Ritz Cracker Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 6 oz Ritz Crackers, about 2 sleeves
- ½ cup unsalted butter, very cold, cut into ½’’ cubes
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 3 ½ Tbsp brown sugar
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a food processor, pulse the Ritz crackers into coarse crumbs.Or, crush them by hand in a zip-top bag using a rolling pin.Add the butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt.
- Pulse again (or mix by hand) until the mixture is crumbly but holds together when squeezed.
- Press into a 9-inch pie plate, molding bottom and sides to the dish. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden and browned, before adding your desired filling, like lemon or banana.
Notes
Sandy’s tips:
- Crush the crackers in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
- No food processor? Place the crackers in a zip-top bag, seal, and crush with a rolling pin.
- Use the crust for a baked pie or chill it first for a no-bake filling.
- Make ahead: You can make this crust 1–2 days in advance and keep it covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Store leftovers: If already filled, store the pie covered in the refrigerator, depending on the filling.
- Unfilled crust: Store the baked crust in an airtight container or tightly wrapped for up to 3 days.
- Freeze option: You can freeze the baked or unbaked crust, tightly wrapped, for up to 1 month. Thaw before filling or baking.
- Best texture tip: For the crispiest crust, fill it as close to serving time as possible if using a very soft or creamy filling.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
you include salt in the recipe and don’t mention it in the steps…just fyi.
Thank you – we fixe it! :)
What temperature should we bake the crust at?
350 degrees! Recipe updated! Thanks!