Basic Crumb Crust

Name: Basic Crumb Crust
Yield: One 9-inch / 23-cm pie
Ingredients: 210 g / 1¾ cups cookie, cereal, chip, or cracker crumbs; Up to 50 g / ¼ cup granulated sugar (optional); 2 g / ½ teaspoon fine sea salt; 85 g / 3 ounces / 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more if needed

By Erin Jeanne McDowell

October 27, 2020

two whipped cream and carameltopped custard pies with cups of tea

Photo by Mark Weinberg

Crumb crusts are even easier than press-in cookie crusts. You don’t even have to bake them—see the variation at right. The crumbs can be made out of cookies, crackers, cereal, pretzels, even potato chips! Sometimes sugar or other flavorings are added to the crumbs (here the sugar is optional), and then fat (usually melted butter) is added to bind the mixture to form a crust. The crumbs can be coarse, for a crunchier texture, or finer, for a smoother texture. Different base ingredients will behave differently, so the first time I test a crumb crust with a new ingredient, I always have a little extra on hand in case I need more crumbs, or a little extra melted butter, should it be needed.

Crumb crusts don’t generally require chilling before baking, but you can refrigerate for up to 1 hour or freeze for 15 minutes, if desired, to firm them up before baking.

Recipe notes

Palets Bretons

Palets bretons are oversize cookies that feature butter, and because they’re from Brittany, they’re traditionally made with beurre salé, salted butter.

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Native American people made these with cornmeal dumplings, simmering them with wild grapes, which were harvested at their peak sweetness.

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Yes, it's a shortcut in a microwave. It's also a gooey, fudgy, wildly good chocolate cake.

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Easy lemon icebox pie recipe with a graham cracker crust and whipped cream topping.

Wampanoaug Clam Fritters

The clams’ natural briny sweetness serves as a surprising foil for the tender fritter batter—just be sure to pull off the tough outer coating of the siphon.