Learn How to Make Graham Cracker Crust with just 3 ingredients and a few easy steps. It's fresher and tastes so much better than store-bought! Whip up this crust and make your favorite pie, crumble, or try our no bake cheesecake.
This is our go to pie crust recipe. It's simple, tasty, and goes well with any pie or cheesecake. If you want extra flavor, add some cinnamon or chopped nuts.
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About Graham Cracker Pie Crust
- Taste - The crust is buttery and sweet yet light.
- Texture - The combination of graham crackers, butter, and sugar is perfectly crunchy.
- Effort - This recipe is easy. All you need to do is break down the graham crackers, mix them with the other ingredients, add the mixture to a pie dish, then bake.
- Time - It takes just 5 minutes to prep the crust then 10 minutes to bake it.
Ingredients
- Graham cracker or graham cracker crumbs - Graham cracker or graham cracker crumbs are the base of the crust.
- Granulated sugar - Granulated sugar provides sweetness.
- Butter or dairy-free butter - Butter holds the graham crackers together and adds richness.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Chocolate - Substitute some of the graham crackers or crumbs with chocolate graham cracker or crumbs for a chocolatey twist.
- Cinnamon - Add a little cinnamon for a warm and woodsy flavor.
- Finely chopped nuts - Mix in finely chopped nuts for a hearty crunch.
- Brown sugar - Use brown sugar or a mix of granulated and brown sugar for a deeper caramel sweetness.
Instructions
- Make crust - Add graham crackers to a food processor and pulse until it forms a sandy texture. (Photo 1, 2, and 3)
- Add ingredients to a bowl - Then transfer to a mixing bowl and add sugar and melted butter. (Photo 4)
- Stir to combine - Stir the mixture with a silicone spatula or a fork until the crumbs are coated and moist. (Photo 5)
- Form into crust - Transfer to a pie dish and use the bottom and sides of a measuring cup and your fingers to gently press the crumbs to make an even layer on the bottom and sides of the pie dish. (Photo 6 and 7)
- Bake crust - Bake the crust on the middle rack at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. After baking, remove from the oven and use for a baked dessert or allow to cool for a no-bake dessert. (Photo 8)
Pro tip - Gently press the crust into the pie pan. If you press too hard, it can make the crust hard instead of delicate.
Storage
You can make this pie crust ahead of time then use it within it 3 days. You just need to refrigerate it in plastic wrap or an air-tight container. You can also freeze this pie crust for up to 2 months.
Top Tips
- Pour the graham cracker mixture in the center of the pan then spread it out to the edges to ensure the crust has an even thickness.
- Use unsalted butter for better control over the saltiness of the crust.
- Mix the crushed graham crackers and any other ingredients thoroughly to ensure an even distribution of flavors and textures.
- For a 9x13-inch dish, double the recipe!
- For mini muffin-tin cheesecakes, make 1 crust batch for 24 mini cheesecakes or cut the recipe in half for 12 mini cheesecakes. Use the base of a small glass to press the crust into the cupcake liners.
Recipes FAQs
If your crust is too crumbly, it might need more butter to bind it. You can try adding a bit more melted butter and mixing until the crumbs hold together better.
This can happen if you use too much butter or you press the graham cracker mixture too hard.
No, the butter in the crust prevents it from sticking. But you can grease the pie dish if you want to make the crust a little crispier.
With regard to texture, a baked graham cracker crust is crispier while an unbaked graham cracker crust is softer. If you are using a particularly wet pie filling, like a fruit filling, bake the crust or it will get soggy.
This can happen if you don't use enough butter to hold the crust together. This can also happen if you don't bake the crust long enough.
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📖 Recipe
How to Make Graham Cracker Crust
Equipment
- 1 pie dish
Ingredients
- 12 graham crackers or 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoon butter or dairy-free butter melted
Instructions
- Make crust - Add graham crackers to a food processor and pulse until it forms a sandy texture. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add sugar and melted butter. Stir the mixture with a silicone spatula or a fork until the crumbs are coated and moist. Transfer to a pie dish and use the bottom and sides of a measuring cup and your fingers to gently press the crumbs to make an even layer on the bottom and sides of the pie dish.12 graham crackers or 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoon granulated sugar, 6 tablespoon butter or dairy-free butter
- Bake crust - Bake the crust on the middle rack at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. Remove from the oven and use for a baked dessert or allow to cool for a no-bake dessert.
Video
Notes
- Gently press the crust into the pie pan. If you overpack it, it can make the crust hard instead of delicate.
- Pour the graham cracker mixture in the center of the pan and spread it out to the edges to make the crust have an even thickness.
- Use unsalted butter for better control over the saltiness of the crust.
- Mix the crushed graham crackers and any other ingredients thoroughly to ensure an even distribution of flavors and textures.
- You can make this pie crust ahead of time then use it within it 3 days. Just refrigerate it in plastic wrap or an air-tight container. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months.
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