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.
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. And 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.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Big Flavor with Little Effort: Warm spices and molasses flavors with a simple mix-and-press method.
- No fail Crust: Holds together, slices clean, and stays crisp.
- Make Ahead Friendly: Mix, press, and chill or bake-stores well.
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.
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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!
Best Gingersnap Cookies to Use?
We really like to use the thin, super crispy gingersnap cookies from the grocery store for pie crust. The really crunchy ones on the top shelf. 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.
Key Ingredients
- 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.
How To Make
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Or you can make a no-bake version and assemble, press it into a pie plate, and freeze for 10 minutes before filling.
- 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-inch pie plate.
- 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.
Recipe Variations
- Chocolate Ginger: Stir in 2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder; pair with chocolate or mocha fillings.
- Maple Brown Butter: Use browned butter and 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup for a deeper flavor.
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free gingersnaps; add 1 extra tablespoon of butter if the crumbs are too dry.
Tips for the Best
- Crush Fine, Not Powder: Aim for sandy, even crumbs so the crust packs and slices cleanly.
- Warm the Butter: Melted butter coats the crumbs evenly. Mix until the texture looks like wet sand.
- Pack Firmly: Use the bottom of a measuring cup to press crumbs tight on the bottom and up the sides.
- Bake vs. No Bake:
- Baked Fillings: Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes at 350°F to set and enhance flavor.
- No Bake Option: Chill 30-45 minutes if your filling sets in the fridge and isn’t too wet.
- Cool Completely: Let a baked crust cool before addig filling to keep it crisp.
- Add a Pinch of Salt: Balances sweetness and brings out the spice.
Storing and Reheating
- Make-ahead: This can be made the day before, covered, and stored at room temperature overnight.
- Storing frozen: Once you have pressed your gingersnap mixture into the pie dish, wrap well in plastic wrap and toss into a freezer bag. Store frozen for up to 1 month. To use, pull from the freezer and fill immediately.
Ways to Use Gingersnap Crust
Gingersnap Pie Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups gingersnap cookies, crushed into coarse crumbs
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a food processor, pulse the gingersnap cookies until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Transfer the crumbs to a large bowl along with the brown sugar, melted butter, and salt. Mix well with a spatula until 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. Enjoy!
Notes
- Make-ahead: This can be made the day before, covered, and stored at room temperature overnight.
- Storing frozen: Once you have pressed your gingersnap mixture into the pie dish, wrap well in plastic wrap and toss into a freezer bag. Store frozen for up to 1 month. To use, pull from the freezer and fill immediately.
- Make-ahead: This can be made the day before, covered, and stored at room temperature overnight.
- Storing frozen: Once you have pressed your gingersnap mixture into the pie dish, wrap well in plastic wrap and toss into a freezer bag. Store frozen for up to 1 month. To use, pull from the freezer and fill immediately.
Nutrition
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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
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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!
Categories:
Christmas, Desserts, Fall Recipes, No-Bake, Pies, Spring Recipes, Summer Recipes, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian, Winter Recipes,
What an easy crust recipe! Love how many different recipes I can use this for, perfect for all the upcoming holiday baking!
That’s a lovely pie crust. So flavorful. I will have to bake something with this crust this weekend. Thanks!
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!
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!