How to Make Pretzel Pie Crust
A pretzel pie crust is wonderful when you want to make your dessert both sweet and salty. It’s the dessert version of having a drink with a salted rim!
I love using it on all kinds of pie recipes – baked, no-bake, and ice cream pies. Try using this crust anywhere you would normally use a graham cracker crust or Oreo crust for a surprise salty twist!
Ingredients
There are just three ingredients in pretzel pie crust: pretzels, butter, and sugar.
I like to use tiny twist pretzels because they are easy to crush and they have a good proportion of pretzel to salt. Speaking of salt, make sure to use salted pretzels. If you don’t, you will miss out on the whole point of pretzel pie crust – getting the sweet and salty combination in your pies.
The butter is necessary to make the pretzel crust hold together. I suggest using unsalted butter. We want a salty flavor, but using salted butter in addition to salted pretzels will make the pie crust too salty.
How It’s Made
Pretzel pie crust is super easy to make – so so much easier than a classic butter crust.
The hardest part is crushing the pretzels, which I do in a mini food processor. I simply add all ingredients and start processing.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can also crush pretzels by putting them into a Ziploc bag and rolling over them with a rolling pin. Then, you can mix in the other ingredients by hand.
Even if you are using pretzel pie crust for a no-bake pie, I suggest baking the pie crust for about ten minutes at 350 F so the crust can set a little. If you don’t bake the crust at all, it will be harder to add the filling to the pie as the crust will be more crumby and may end up integrated into the filling.
Where to Use a Pretzel Pie Crust
This crust goes amazingly well on a key lime ice cream pie because of the salty/sweet combination!
Another ice cream pie that works really well with pretzel crust is my frozen mango margarita pie, which was featured in a cookbook by the National Mango Board. It’s that good!
Pretzel crust isn’t just for ice cream pies. I also use pretzel crust on my cheesecake brownie pie and people go crazy for the chocolate plus salt combination.
If you are up for trying something a little (OK, more than a little) different, make a pie with your favorite kinds of pie crusts – including this one!
This frozen strawberry cream pie from Greens & Chocolate is inspired by strawberry pretzel salad. Have you ever tried it?
The pretzel crust on this peanut butter mousse pie from Completely Delicious actually has peanuts mixed into it to bring out the peanut flavor even more!
This Nutella pie from Baking a Moment seems like such a perfect use of a pretzel crust. I want to pick up that fork and dig right in!
This peanut butter cheesecake from Bake or Break is just one example of a cheesecake that could be made with a pretzel crust.
Which pies would you make in this crust? Share in the comments!
Pretzel Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 2 cups small salted pretzels
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Crush all ingredients in a mini food processor until they look like wet sand. Or, place pretzels in a sandwich bag, crush with a rolling pin, and mix with other ingredients in a small bowl.
- Press into the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9″ pie pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Use with your favorite pie recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I got to try the key lime ice cream pie with the pretzel crust and I absolutely loved the way the salty crust enhanced the lime flavor. That is a genius combination!
Ummmm how have I never experienced a pretzel pie crust before? This sounds all kinds of amazing, and totally something a novice baker like myself could handle!
Ohhhhh man I can get on board with this. I’ve never heard of a pretzel crust, but it makes so much sense that I’m amazed I’ve never seen it before. I love that little hit of salt with my sweets, and pretzels are a perfect flavour to deliver that with. With the simplicity of it, ready availability, and all these awesome pie options, I can see myself trying a whole bunch of stuff very soon. Cheers!
I love this idea! How have I never thought of this before? I mean, I don’t bake often (so that might be why, ha!) but this would have never come to mind. Yet it totally makes sense. The sweet + salty thing is something to be really excited about. One of our fave restaurants in town has a bread pudding made up of challah bread and pretzel buns and it is to DIE for.
Pretzel pie crust is my absolute favorite!! Hubby and I had a throw down on Lime pie and my pretzel crust won although his topping won. The family did the judging and no-one knew who made what. We tied — I think I should have won since my crust was the best.
oh my goodness, I never thought to use pretzel as a crust! Such a great idea. The preztels would give such a delicious salty flavour to contrast the filling. I need to try this asap.
Lovely video! I love the idea of pretzel crust. I have never tried it myself but sweet and salty together sounds like an amazing combo for a pie. I can even see it delicious for a cheesecake. Right? And all those pictures of pies, oh yum! I am now craving a pie!
I have never heard of a pretzel pie crust. I will definitely show my hubby, he has an amazing cheater key lime pie recipe and I bet this would be amazing. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Realy!!!! I have to do it !!!! I never thought about it great idea.
I Will do all
Realy!!!! I have to do it !!!! I never thought about it Isabel a great idea.
I Will do all
WOW…this sounds amazing. For some reason I never thought of making pie crust from pretzels. I LOVE pretzel buns…and homemade pretzels. Hubby loves to snack on pretzels…along with our grandkids. I will for sure have to give this a try for my next no bake pie.
I’ve never even thought to make a pretzel pie crust but seeing all the variations and fillings that are a perfect match for the salty pretzels, I can see this being a dangerous precedent for my future pie bakings… Especially that chocolate/pretzel combo. Holy cow. This is just the kind of dessert my mother-in-law would swoon over. I definitely want to make that one for her. Great tutorial on making the crust too!
Great tips! Thanks for including my cheesecake among these great recipes! I’ve got my eye on that No Regrets Pie.
Thanks! The No Regrets pie is pretty amazing if you love pie crust in all forms.
How have I never had a pretzel pie crust before on anything?! This needs to change ASAP! So excited to try this recipe and some tasty new pies too – YUM!!!
LOVE this! The salty and crunch is perfect for so many desserts.