Julie Clark
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Easy Oatmeal Pie Crust
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Tired of graham cracker crusts? This 5 ingredient, brown sugar, easy oatmeal pie crust makes the most delicious and unique base to creamy, no-bake pies. It tastes like an oatmeal cookie!
I’m always so thankful to be spend holiday weekends with the family. There are many times 18 of us plus at least 1 dog in the same house. Cousins playing. Memories being made. That’s something to be thankful for.
Although our Thanksgiving dessert table is filled with baked pies such as apple, pumpkin and cherry, sometimes there is a creamy, no-bake pie. Many times those pies have a graham cracker crust, but today I’m kicking things up a bit and inviting you to try this easy oatmeal pie crust as a base for your cream pies.
Why you’ll love this oatmeal pie crust recipe:
- It’s just 5 ingredients.
- The brown sugar gives a deep, rich flavor.
- It’s easy! Ready in less than 20 minutes and no rolling or chilling the dough necessary.
- And the best part? It tastes like an oatmeal cookie.
This oatmeal pie crust is a welcome change to traditional cream pies.
Oatmeal Cookie Crust vs Graham Cracker Crust
Graham cracker crusts are good, especially when you make them at home. And it’s nice that you can vary them by using gluten-free, cinnamon or chocolate graham crackers.
But sometimes you need something just a little bit different and that’s where this oatmeal crust recipe comes in. It’s just as easy as a graham cracker crust but has a deep buttery, brown sugar flavor and lightly crunchy texture. It tastes like an oatmeal cookie. It’s hard not to eat it by itself. It’s that good!
Ingredients for Oatmeal Pie Crust
- Quick-cook oats. I always use quick oats, but many have said that rolled oats work just as well. When you use the pastry cutter, it cuts up the oats slightly.
- All-purpose flour.
- Brown sugar. I like to use dark brown sugar, just because it deepens the flavor. Light brown sugar works just as well.
- Salt.
- Cold butter. Unsalted works best since there is already salt in the recipe. If you use salted butter, cut the salt by ¼ teaspoon. Use real, 100% butter…no margarine.
How to Make an Oatmeal Pie Crust
- Combine the oats, flour, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl.
- Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. You’ll end up with coarse crumbs.
- Press it firmly on the bottom and sides of lightly greased 9″ pie dish.
- Bake at 375º Fahrenheit for 13-15 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned.
Don’t worry if the crust shrinks back while baking. You can press it back up the sides while it is still warm. As it cools it will set.
Do you have to bake the crust before filling?
We’ve only used this with cream pies. However, if you want to use it for a baked pie, such as apple pie, do not bake the crust first. Many have used it in baked pies and love it.
It does not work the best for pies that have to bake a long time, such as cheesecakes. The crust can get overly hard if it is in the oven too long.
Can you make this pie crust in advance?
Yes! Make the crust, let it cool to room temperature, then cover and put in the fridge until you fill the pie.
Pie Ideas
Fill this crust with one of your favorite cream pie fillings and you’ve got a most delicious twist on the standard cream pie!
- Coconut Cream Pie
- Banana Cream Pie
- No Bake Peach Pie
- Maple Nut Pie
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake
- Frozen Pumpkin Pie
- Peanut Butter Pudding Pie
This is a sweet crust so I don’t recommend it for savory pies or quiches.
Recipe Variations
- You can make this a gluten free pie crust by using gluten free oats and all-purpose gluten free flour.
- Try adding: shredded coconut, sliced almonds, cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
Or you can try a different serving method:
- Spread the mix on a sheet pan and then break it into pizzas for oatmeal cookie dippers.
- Break the mix into small pieces and add to a homemade granola mix.
- Break the mix into crumbs and add as an ice cream topping.
Other Recipes with Oats
Easy Oatmeal Pie Crust
Tired of graham cracker crusts? This 5 ingredient, brown sugar, easy oatmeal pie crust makes the most delicious and unique base to creamy, no-bake pies.
Servings 8
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup quick-cooking oats 90 grams
- 1/3 cup sifted all-purpose flour 40 grams
- 1/3 cup dark or light brown sugar 74 grams
- 1/2 teaspoon salt 3 grams
- 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon
Instructions
- Combine the oats, flour, sugar and salt. 1 cup quick-cooking oats, ⅓ cup sifted all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup dark or light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon salt
- Using a pastry cutter, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. ⅓ cup cold unsalted butter
- Press it firmly on the bottom and sides of lightly greased 9″ pie plate.
- Bake at 375 for 13-15 minutes or until the crust is lightly browned.
- If the crust has slid at all, as the crust cools slightly, gently push the crust back up the sides of the pie plate.
- Once the crust has cooled completely, fill it with any desired cream filling.
Notes
The calories shown are based on the pie being cut into 8 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of pie. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 129kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 227mg | Potassium: 23mg | Vitamin A: 365IU | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 2mg
This was a great recipe for the bottom layer of my magic 7 layer bars recipe! I made it vegan by using coconut sugar (1/4 cup because I felt 1/3 cup was too sweet for this recipe) and I used 3 tbsp of coconut oil in place of the butter. I put the oats in my food processor so some of it was the texture of flour but there were still some bits of oats. It can easily out super crispy but in a good way! It holds together well and it’s not a crumby mess. I’ll incorporate this recipe… Read more »
This is really great. I made it with a cream filling and loved it. It tasted like a cookie/graham cracker base. I used gf flour and coconut oil and it still worked out lovely (I used 1/4 cup coconut oil, not 1/3 since coconut is, well, more oily).
Tired of all the sodium in your recipes? Replace the salt with 3/4 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar slowly added to the dough while it is being cut or mixed. You will get the salt ‘kick’ with none of he smell or taste of vinegar after the crust is baked.
I made this yesterday for my gluten free, dairy free pumpkin pie that I had put off making for over a year or two because I didn’t want to tackle making a gluten free crust. Then I thought, why not try an oatmeal pie crust? … and a Google search brought me to your recipe! I reduced the flour (used ‘Cloud 9’ which is an all-purpose gluten free flour), 1/4 tsp salt, 3 or 4 TBSP sugar and 3 or 4 TBSP margarine. The first thing I noticed was that it was too salty and still a bit too sweet.… Read more »
A++ This oatmeal pie crust is excellent. I have made it several times and actually prefer it over traditional flour crusts. Thank you for an awesome recipe.
Can you use solid coconut oil instead of butter to make it vegan?
Thanks, this receipt looks so healthy!
Can you tell me if you have tried making an apple pie with this crust?
Tickled to find this recipe! It will be easy to sub a little to make it gluten free and now my daughter can enjoy no-bake pies again. I know there are gluten free graham crackers out there but have you ever priced them? This is a really sensible option, thank you so much!
I ran out of cookies and graham crackers for a cheesecake recipe I have, sounds good I am going to try it now thanks rolf
If using this for pumpkin pie, would you still pre-bake the crust?
I think a peach custard filling would be so yummy with this crust. I’m just concerned about the baking time for the custard being so much longer than the crust… Would the crust burn before the custard was done cooking do you think? Just wondering what your thoughts are before I try it. Thanks
Could I use gluten free oats and coconut flour to make a gluten free version? Trying to come up with easy gluten free desserts the whole family can enjoy during the holidays.
Could you replace the quick-cooking oats with old fashioned oats?
What a great idea! I enjoy alternative pie crusts. I have made little oatmeal cups for yogurt but didn’t think to make them bigger for pies.
Love this!! Such a “clean” crust for a dessert!