Mi-Del Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust - Review

The last thing I expected to find at our local smaller Walmart a few months ago was a Mi-Del Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust.

While we used to pick up the Mi-Del Gluten-Free Gingersnap Pie Crust from our local health food store in Utah, I'd never seen those pie crusts here in Texas.

In our current area, gluten-free products are fairly scarce, although our local Neighborhood Walmart does carry more products than the traditional Wal Mart where we found the pie crust.

These are shelf-stable graham-cracker style crusts that were stocked right along with the regular shelf-stable graham-cracker and chocolate-cookie crusts, so you might have to look a bit closely to see if your own local store carries these.

Stockers don't always realize that there is a difference between the crusts. The last one that we picked up was sandwiched in between two regular graham-cracker crusts.

It was the only gluten-free graham-cracker crust they had left because these sell out really, really fast.

Buying Online is at Your Own Risk

Online reviews are not good for these crusts.

But not because they don't taste great. They do. They are fragile and don't ship very well.

A lot of people have reported that the crusts arrive pretty broken up. Some have even said that they were unusable.

I'm guessing this is why VitaCost doesn't stock them, although I've heard that Thrive.com does.

In my opinion, you're better off trying to find them at your local supermarket, so you can make sure that you get a gluten-free graham-cracker crust that's in good condition.

The one we found at Walmart cost $3.48 for a regular-sized crust, so they are a bit more expensive than a traditional graham-cracker crust, but way cheaper than the frozen gluten-free pie crust that we buy at Kroger.

A Bit Crumbly

These are a bit more crumbly than a traditional graham-cracker crust, so you'll also want to be careful with them once you open the package.

Graham crackers have gluten and the gluten helps the crumbs stick together.

The aluminum pan the crust comes in is quite flimsy. I sat mine down on a small cookie sheet to prepare the pie, even though we used it for a non-baked cheesecake.

This ensured that the filling didn't overflow the crust, and I didn't end up dropping it when I carried it to the refrigerator.

Certification

This gluten-free graham-cracker crust is certified to contain up to 10 ppm of gluten and processed in a facility that also processes eggs, milk, and soy. No wheat or gluten ingredients are listed on the label.

Methylcellulose

The only odd ingredient the pie crust has is methylcellulose. Methylcellulose is a white powdery compound that is derived from cellulose and turns into a gel when mixed with cold water.

It's often added to shampoos, toothpaste, or liquid soaps to give them a thick texture.

In this case, it's probably taking the place of gluten.

Methylcellulose isn't toxic.

It's a gel-like fiber that's not digestible, so if you're new to celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity and still have a leaky gut, it might give you a bit of trouble.

I didn't have any problems eating the crust, but I have had problems eating methylcellulose and other types of fibers in the past, before I started to heal.

We Love this Gluten-Free Graham-Cracker Crust!

Mi-Del is known within the gluten-free community for its graham crackers, gingersnaps, and chocolate sandwich cookies. The crust is just as high in quality, but you do have to be careful with it since it's not as sturdy as a homemade crust that's held together with an egg white.

It worked beautifully for our cheesecake, however, so I plan on trying it with other types of pies, as well.