:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Simply-Recipes-Soda-Cracker-Pie-LEAD-5-23e0bc4433c247d68372cd905a5ab638.jpg "Southern Soda Cracker Pie Recipe (5 Ingredients)")
As a child, I visited my grandma Olga Mae at her home in Noxubee County, Mississippi every summer. One of my favorite things about being there was Sunday supper. The food was always amazing—cornbread or biscuits, fried chicken, greens, butterbeans—all my favorite things. The desserts were the best! If we were lucky, we would get soda cracker pie topped with Cool Whip.
When grandma gave my brother a sleeve of saltines and told me to go out in the yard for pecans, I knew I was getting soda cracker pie that day. Because the best pecans came in September and October and this was high summer, grandma would make sure to tell me to only get the ones that I found on the ground. The ones still on the tree “were like to make you sick.”
My brother would get to crack the shells with the nutcracker and I got to use pointy metal tools to extract the pecans. I had the better job if you ask me—for every piece I put in the bowl, a tiny piece went into my mouth.
What Is Soda Cracker Pie?
Soda cracker pie is a Southern delicacy. I think of it as the best combination of a pecan pie and marshmallows. Grandma would whip the heck out of a bunch of egg whites and sugar until they were stiff peaks. My brother would crush a sleeve of saltines, and grandma would chop up my hard-won pecans, and then everything would get folded together.
Baked in a pie plate and served with Cool Whip or homemade whipped cream, this was an easy dessert shared between Olga Mae and her grandkids.
Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm
Quick and Easy Swaps
If you don’t have saltines, sometimes grandma would be fancy and use Ritz Crackers or Club Crackers. Grandma used a full sleeve of any cracker, but you can use as few as 20 and still get a good result.
We always used pecans, but if you don’t have them, use walnuts instead.
How To Serve and Store
If serving immediately, top with whipped topping and fruit, slice, and serve. If you’re not serving the whole pie, wait to add whipped topping to individual slices. Cover the soda cracker pie lightly with plastic wrap and keep on the counter for up to 2 days. Do not wrap too tightly or the meringue filling will become too sticky. Plop on some whipped cream and enjoy!
More Southern Sweets
Simply Recipes / Mark Beahm