This quick and simple Vanilla Wafer Crust is a versatile choice for pies and tarts, both baked and no bake. But it is especially convenient when you don’t want to turn on the oven on hot summer days.
I love a simple cookie pie crust since it requires almost no effort to make. And no matter what level your baking skills are at, you will be able to whip up this pie crust with perfection!
In this post, I will walk you through all the steps to make this vanilla wafer crust whether you’re using a food processor or prefer to make it by hand. I’ll also give you tips on chilling versus baking, and how to bake it if you want.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- This vanilla wafer pie crust requires just 3 ingredients and takes about 5 minutes to make.
- It’s a great choice for no-bake pies and tarts, but also yields a delicious buttery crispy pie crust when baked.
- It’s perfect for banana cream pie, ice cream pie, cheesecakes, and bars, etc.
Ingredients and substitutions
As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:
- Vanilla wafer cookies – you can use Nilla wafer or generic vanilla wafer. Some good substitutes for vanilla wafers would be Graham crackers, shortbread cookies, animal crackers or digestive biscuits.
- Salt – vanilla wafers are pretty sweet on their own, a little bit of salt will balance out the flavor of the pie crust.
- Butter – I use unsalted butter so I can control how much salt to add. If you use salted butter, it may make the pie crust too salty. If you do substitute salted butter, make sure to omit the salt called for separately so the pie crust doesn’t get overly salty.
Optional ingredient – Sugar – if you want the crust a little bit sweeter, add a couple tablespoons of granulated sugar or brown sugar to your taste.
Tools you’ll need
I used a food processor to make this Nilla wafer pie crust but you can certainly make it by hand. You just need to make sure to crush or chop the wafers into very fine crumbs another way.
You’ll also need a pie or tart pan to form the pie crust in. You could also use a springform cake pan if you’re making cheesecake or a square baking pan for things like lemon bars and pumpkin bars.
How to make vanilla wafer crust
The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Start with 4 cups of vanilla wafers along with kosher salt. Process everything in a food processor until the wafers become fine crumbs.
Drizzle in melted butter while the food processor is running and process until the butter is distributed and the crumbs start to clump together.
Tip: you may need to stop the food processor to scrape the side and bottom to get everything to mix more evenly. Pulsing the food processor will also help.
Turn the mixture out into your pie dish, tart pan or springform pan, ect. Press into an even layer on the bottom and up the sides of your pan to form the crust.
At this point, you can either let it set up in the refrigerator or freezer if you’re using it as a no-bake pie crust. Or bake it for a crunchy toasty crust.
Make it by hand
If you don’t have a food processor, you can still make this recipe with a little bit of manual labor.
First, you want to chop the wafers or crush them into very fine crumbs. The best way to do this would be to put the vanilla wafers into a ziploc bag and break them up with a rolling pin and then pound them into fine crumbs, larger pieces will not hold together well.
Next, transfer your crumbs into a mixing bowl, mix in the salt and drizzle melted butter over it. Mix it with a fork until the mixture resembles wet sand.
At this point, you can form the pie crust as instructed.
To bake or not to bake
There are two ways to use this Nilla wafer crust:
- Chill it for no-bake recipes.
- Bake it for a crunchier and sturdier crust. This can be used with either baked or no-bake fillings.
Chilling
If you’re planning to use this crust for no-bake pies and tarts, and you don’t want to bake it, simply chill it in the refrigerator for an hour or freeze it for 15 minutes before adding your filling.
No-bake vanilla wafer pie crust is held together by the solidified butter, so you’ll want to serve it chilled or frozen to avoid having the crust fall apart. This is best for recipes that should be served cold.
Baking
If you want a crispier crust with a toasty flavor, you can blind bake the crust and allow it to cool before adding your no bake filling.
To blind bake: line the crust with parchment paper and fill it with dry bean (or pie weight) and bake the crust for 10 minutes at 375°F.
For cheesecakes, custard pies and bars, it is best to par bake this crust first to give it a little bit of structure before adding the filling and continue baking according to the recipes.
Variations
- Amp up the vanilla flavor with a splash of vanilla extract or add a couple tablespoons of vanilla sugar to the crust.
- Replace a few tablespoons of the vanilla wafer crumbs with finely chopped nuts like walnuts, pecans, or pistachios.
- Add spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice to add warmth and Fall flavors.
More baker’s Tips
- If you have a blender but not a food processor, you can grind your vanilla wafers into fine crumbs using the blender. And then continue mixing it with melted butter in a mixing bowl instead.
- It helps to use something with a flat bottom like a measuring cup to press the crust into an even layer. Make sure to press firmly.
- This recipe will be enough to fill a 9” pie plate, an 8” or 9” springform pan for cheesecake, an 8” square baking pan or an 8” tart pan to make a thicker crust.
- You don’t need to grease the pie dish, this crust should not stick to the pan since it already has plenty of butter in it. Even the unbaked crust should release fairly easilly.
Storage
Store unbaked crust in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for 3 to 6 months.
You can also store baked crust at room temperature for up to 3 days, in the refrigerator for up to a week and in the freezer for 3 to 6 months.
Make sure to wrap the crust well to prevent it from absorbing odor from other food when storing in the fridge and freezer.
FAQs
Yes, absolutely. I gave instructions/tips on how to make it by hand in the section above or you can refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
If you are filling the no-bake crust with a moist cream filling, it could absorb moisture from the filling and become soggy and crumbly. Baking the crust before filling it will keep the crust crunchier and crispier. You can take it even one step further by brushing the crust with some beaten egg white creating a barrier to keep the crust from getting soggy.
Like I mention in the section above, you don’t have to bake this crust. Depending on the type of pie you’re making, you can choose to chill it instead of baking.
Absolutely! You can prepare this vanilla wafer crust a couple of days or months ahead. Store baked or unbaked crust in the refrigerator or freezer until you are ready to fill it or bake it.
More homemade pie crusts
- Traditional all-butter pie crust
- Pecan pie crust
- Oreo pie crust
- Chocolate pie crust
- Biscoff pie crust
- Graham cracker pie crust
Hungry for more?
Vanilla Wafer Crust
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups vanilla wafers, 230 g
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 oz unsalted butter, melted, 85 g
Instructions
Using a food processor
- Ground vanilla wafers in a food processor until fine crumbs form.
- Melt the butter in the microwave for about 30 – 45 seconds, stir with a fork to dissolve any remaining solid butter. Drizzle melted butter over the cookie crumbs while the food processor is running, then process for an additional 10 – 20 seconds until the mixture is the texture of wet sand.
Make it by hand
- Put the wafers into a ziploc bag, break them up with a rolling pin and pound them into fine crumbs.
- Transfer crumbs to a medium mixing bowl and stir in the salt. Drizzle melted butter over it and mix it with a fork until the mixture resembles wet sand.
Form the pie crust
- Turn the mixture out into a tart pan or pie dish and press into the bottom and sides of the pan to form a crust.
- For a no-bake recipe, wrap well and freeze (or refrigerate) until ready to use.
- For a baked recipe or simply for a crunchier crust, blind bake or par-bake the crust at 375°F for 10 minutes.
Notes
- Whether you’re processing the vanilla wafers with a food processor or blender, or by hand, make sure to process them into fine crumbs, larger pieces will not hold together as well.
- It helps to use something with a flat bottom like a measuring cup to press the crust into an even layer. Make sure to press firmly.
- This recipe will be enough to fill a 9” pie plate, an 8” or 9” springform pan for cheesecake, an 8” square baking pan or an 8” tart pan to make a thicker crust.
- You don’t need to grease the pie pan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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