Straight from my grandma’s recipe box, this old-fashioned graham cracker pie is a nostalgic dessert that deserves a comeback! A buttery graham cracker crust filled with homemade vanilla pudding, topped with fluffy whipped cream, and finished with a generous sprinkle of sweet, buttery graham cracker crunchies.
What sets this recipe apart
Old fashioned favorite: This nostalgic dessert was popular in the 60’s and ’70s. The flavors are simple, comforting, and just as delicious today!
Whipped cream topping: Traditional graham cracker pie is often topped with meringue, but my version swaps the meringue for fluffy vanilla whipped cream. If you’re a fan of lemon cream pie or coconut cream pie, you’ll love this!
Graham cracker crunchies: This might be the best part of the whole pie (and my own special twist!). Crushed graham crackers are baked with melted butter, sugar, and a pinch of salt to create an irresistible sweet, buttery, crunchy topping. It’s the perfect contrast to the creamy filling and fluffy whipped cream.
Visual recipe overview
Full recipe below in recipe card
Crust
Prepare the graham cracker crust and bake for 10 minutes.
Vanilla pudding
Make the stovetop vanilla pudding. Cool to room temp then add it to the crust.
Refrigerate
Place the pie (without the whipped cream) in the fridge for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Graham crunchies
Combine crushed graham crackers, melted butter, sugar, and salt. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Assemble
Prepare the whipped cream and add it to the pie. Add the graham cracker crunchies and serve!
My recipe testing tips and notes
Plan ahead: This recipe requires several chilling steps for the crust, pudding, and assembled pie. Allow at least 10 hours of total chill time. The good news? This is a fantastic make-ahead dessert!
Graham crunchies: This crunchy, sweet, and buttery garnish really takes this pie over the top. Crush the graham crackers into small yet chunky pieces, do not make them fine crumbs like you do for the crust. To keep these crunchy, don’t add them to the pie until you are ready to serve. Feel free to make the crunchies up to two days in advance.
Vanilla pudding: This stovetop vanilla pudding will chill to the perfect consistency for slicing. For the best results, use a heavy-bottomed saucepan for even heating. Alternate between whisking and scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a silicone spatula to prevent sticking and ensure smooth pudding. Got a few lumps? Run it through a fine mesh sieve before chilling.
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Recipe
Graham Cracker Pie
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1½ cups (152g) graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
- ¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon (39g) cornstarch
- 3 cups (709ml) whole milk
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
Graham cracker crunchies:
- 4 rectangular sheets (58g) graham crackers
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- couple pinches salt
Whipped cream:
- 1¼ cups (295ml) chilled heavy whipping cream
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Crust:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spritz a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with nonstick baking spray and set aside.
- Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Pour in melted butter and stir until fully combined. Dump the mixture into the prepared pie plate and use the bottom of a measuring cup to press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides. Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes, until lightly toasted and fragrant. Cool completely. Proceed with the filling.
Filling:
- Combine sugar and cornstarch in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Slowly whisk in ½ cup of the milk (it will be thick and pasty). Whisk in the egg yolks, followed by the remaining 2½ cups of milk.
- Turn the heat on to medium and bring the mixture to a simmer, alternating between whisking and scraping the sides/bottom of the pan with a rubber spatula. Once the mixture is bubbling all throughout and beginning to thicken, simmer for one full minute, continuing to whisk/stir.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract and butter. If you notice any small lumps you can run the mixture through a fine mesh sieve (most of the time this is not necessary). Pour the pudding into a bowl and allow the filling to cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.
- Once the crust and pudding have cooled to room temp, spoon the pudding into the crust and spread into an even layer. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 8 hours, ideally overnight. Feel free to proceed with the graham cracker crunchies.
Graham cracker crunchies:
- Preheat (or reduce) oven to 325°F. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the four graham cracker sheets in a ziptop bag and crush them into pieces. There should be a mixture of smaller pieces and larger pieces, along with some crumbs (all pieces should be bite-sized or smaller).
- In a bowl, stir together the graham cracker pieces, sugar, melted butter, and a couple pinches of salt. Spread the mixture into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet and bake for about 8 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool completely. Once cool, you can store this in a seal container at room temp for several days.
Assembly and serving:
- Once the pie has chilled and shortly before serving, prepare the whipped cream topping. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment, beat heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form. Note: this whipped cream is sweetened slightly since the filling is so sweet. If you'd prefer the whipped cream sweeter you can add an additional 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar.
- Spread the whipped cream over the chilled pie or use a pastry bag and piping tip to add the whipped cream to the top of the pie (I use a large open star tip). Sprinkle the top with half of the graham crunchies, sprinkling the rest on each slice as you serve it.
Notes
Timing:
This pie needs nearly 10 hours to chill (about 8 hours once assembled, plus another hour or two for the crust and pudding to chill prior to assembly). This is a great make-ahead dessert. You can make it up to one full day in advance; hold off on whipped cream and garnish until serving. The graham cracker crunchies can be made several days in advance and stored tightly covered at room temp.Serving and storage:
Serve chilled, straight from the fridge. Add some graham cracker crunchies as a garnish on the whole pie and reserve the rest for sprinkling on each slice. Note: the crunchies on the pie will soften over time. Leftover pie should be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days.Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
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