Mock Apple Pie (The Ritz Cracker Pie With No Apples)

Somewhere in almost every family’s recipe box is a card for a pie that has no business tasting the way it does. Mock Apple Pie layers broken Ritz crackers in a lemon-and-cinnamon syrup, then bakes them under a double crust until they turn tender and spiced. The trick is acid and spice: cream of tartar and lemon juice supply the tartness apples would, so nobody guesses what is really inside. It takes about ten minutes to assemble, uses pantry staples, and makes a fine dessert when good apples are out of season.

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Mock Apple Pie is exactly what the name says: a pie built to taste like apple pie without containing any apple. Broken crackers go into a pastry shell, a hot lemon-and-sugar syrup gets poured over them, and the whole thing bakes under a top crust. The crackers absorb the syrup and soften into pieces that hold together the way cooked apple slices do.

The recipe traces back to the Ritz cracker box, where the National Biscuit Company printed it during the 1930s. Fresh fruit was expensive and often unavailable, crackers were cheap and shelf-stable, and cooks needed a company dessert they could make from what was already in the cupboard. Versions of it circulated in church cookbooks and recipe boxes for decades afterward, which is how most people first encounter it.

This particular version came out of my grandmother’s recipe collection. I made it, took it to work without telling anyone what was in it, and let people finish their slices before explaining. Not one person guessed, and several asked what kind of apples I had used.

Why this recipe works

Most of what your brain reads as “apple pie” is not apple at all. It is the combination of tart acid, warm spice, buttery pastry, and soft-but-not-mushy texture. This recipe reproduces every one of those signals with pantry ingredients, which is why the substitution holds up instead of tasting like a novelty.

Cream of tartar does the heaviest lifting. It is tartaric acid, the same family of acid that gives tart apples their bite, so it supplies the sourness the fruit would have brought. It also performs chemical work in the syrup: acid breaks down table sugar into glucose and fructose, which keeps the syrup smooth and pourable rather than crystallizing into something grainy as it cools.

Super easy to make Ritz Cracker Apple Pie!

This recipe is made with easy-to-find ingredients. While you don’t need any apples, you do need some Ritz crackers, two unbaked pie shells, lemon juice, sugar, and spices to turn into an amazing flavor that tastes just like apples.

Here’s a list of ingredients you need to make the pie:

• Water – Forms the base of the syrup that soaks into the crackers, softening them.
• Granulated sugar – Sweetens the filling and gives the syrup enough body to set around the crackers.
• Cream of tartar – Supplies the tartness apples would bring and keeps the sugar syrup smooth instead of grainy.
• Unbaked pie shells – Provide the top and bottom crust, which carries much of the buttery flavor people associate with apple pie.
• Ritz crackers – Stand in for apple slices, softening in the syrup into tender pieces that hold their shape.
• Lemon zest – Adds bright citrus oils that read as fresh fruit rather than candy.
• Lemon juice – Sharpens the syrup and keeps the sweetness in check.
• Ground cinnamon – Delivers the warm spice note most people identify as apple pie.
• Ground nutmeg – Rounds out the spice blend with a slightly woody depth.
• Butter – Dotted over the filling for richness and to help the top crust brown.

Ingredient Notes

• Use the original salted Ritz crackers, not reduced-sodium, whole-wheat, or a store-brand butter crackers. The salt level is part of why the filling tastes balanced.
• Use fresh lemon juice, not bottled. Bottled juice has a dull, slightly metallic edge that shows up clearly in a syrup this simple.
• Cream of tartar lives in the spice aisle next to the baking powder and is worth buying for this recipe. There is no perfect substitute, though the Substitutions section below covers the closest options.
• Refrigerated rolled pie crusts work well here and are what most people use. A homemade crust is better if you have one, and the filling comes together fast enough that making pastry is the only real time commitment.

How to Make Mock Apple Pie

1. You will need to make a syrup out of lemon juice, sugar, and spices.
2. The crackers are broken and placed into a pie shell along with some pats of butter.
3. You will pour the syrup over the crackers and butter.
4. Top with another unbaked pie shell.
5. You will then bake this delicious pie.

Why Does Mock Apple Pie Taste Like Apple Pie?

This recipe tastes just like apple pie because it’s made with the same easy-to-find ingredients that you would use for a regular apple pie. While you don’t need any apples, you do need some Ritz Crackers.

I hope you enjoyed reading my mock apple pie story and that you have fun making this Ritz mock apple pie. It is easy to put together, and you’ll enjoy fooling your family and friends.

This pie really does taste just like an apple pie. Make this Ritz Cracker pie and let me know what everyone thought about the amazing apple taste!

Love Apple Pie? Check out these recipes!

• Creamy Apple Pie
• Dutch Apple Pie
• McDonald’s Apple Pie
• Old Fashioned Apple Pie
• Sugar Free Apple Pie

Favorite Pie Recipes

• Cream Cheese Berry Pie
• Eggnog Pie
• Kool Aid Pie
• Pumpkin Pie with Cream Cheese Layer
• Shoney’s Strawberry Pie
• Texas Millionaire Pie
• Toll House Pie

Check out my easy pie recipes and the best dessert recipes here on CopyKat!