Learn how to make this easy Graham Cracker Crust Recipe, and you’ll be halfway to making all sorts of delicious desserts! This crust is buttery, thick, sweet, and crisp, just like it should be.
This basic graham cracker crust is the only one you’ll need when it comes to making a crust for Cheesecake, No-Bake Pies, and dessert bars.
It’s thick, rich, and totally easy to master using these simple instructions and just three ingredients.
This recipe for graham cracker crust is buttery, sweet, and crispy, exactly how you want it to be. Plus it takes just a few minutes to make!
Once you have this one down, learn to make my amazing all-butter pie crust. It’s perfect for all of your favorite fruit pie recipes.
Ingredients In Graham Cracker Crust
Here’s what you need to make a simple homemade graham cracker crust.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- Graham Crackers: For one pie, I find that 10 graham crackers are the perfect amount to make a thick graham crackers crust in a 9-inch pie plate or 8×8 inch square pan. Once they are crushed, they create 1 ½ cups of graham cracker crumbs.
- Sugar: Graham crackers are a bit sweet, but not sweet enough! A bit of sugar makes the graham cracker crust perfect. You can try using brown sugar to give your crust a bit of molasses flavor. On a technical note, sugar is also needed to help hold the crust together after it’s baked and cooled.
- Butter: You want to use melted butter to mix together the crumbs and sugar. Unsalted butter is ideal when making desserts since you can’t always be sure of how much salt is in your butter.
That’s it! Just three ingredients are needed to make a delicious graham cracker crust! I’ll talk to you more in a minute about how to adjust these ingredients to make other delicious cookie crusts.
Tip!
Don’t use pre-made graham cracker crumbs that come in a package! It’s just not worth it. The flavor and texture of your crust will be so much better when you crush the graham crackers yourself.
How To Make a Graham Cracker Crust
- Grind the Graham Crackers: Use your food processor to grind the graham crackers into crumbs. You can also do this in a blender, or the old-fashioned way – in a ziplock bag, beaten with a rolling pin! The graham cracker crumbs should look like coarse sand at this stage.
- Add Butter and Sugar: Put the ground graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar in a bowl, and stir to combine. Let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes so that the butter can fully absorb into the crumbs. Now you should have something that resembles wet coarse sand.
- Press: The key to making the best graham cracker crust is to press it down firmly into the bottom of the pan, as well as the sides. Use your hands, or a flat bottomed measuring cup or glass to evenly press the moistened crumbs into a baking dish that has been greased with butter.
- Bake (or don’t): If you’re making a baked dessert, you should bake the graham cracker crust in a preheated oven for 8 minutes, then remove it from the oven and allow the crust to cool completely before filling it. If you’re using this crust for a no-bake dessert, you don’t need to bake it, but you should chill it well in the fridge for 2 hours to set it.
Tip!
Keep pressing! You want to be sure that the crumbs are really packed down so that the crust holds together.
Graham Cracker Crust for Bars
You can use this graham cracker crust recipe for any dessert recipe that needs one, It makes a fabulous crust for cheesecake, pressed into a springform pan. It can also be pressed into a pie dish, or a square baking dish.
When making bars that use a graham cracker crust, like my Blueberry Cheesecake Bars, it’s very helpful to line the pan with parchment paper, leaving excess paper handles on the outside. This way you can lift the bars right out of the pan once they’ve cooled!
What to use instead of graham crackers
Graham cracker crust is the classic, but there are ways to make this crust different and delicious, to match any kind of dessert!
First, if you aren’t in the US, you may not be able to find graham crackers. To get a similar flavor, you can use digestive biscuits or Arnott’s Marie crackers. I suggest leaving out the sugar if you use digestive biscuits. You need 200g of whatever type of cookie/biscuit/cracker you decide to use.
In place of plain honey grahams, you can use other graham cracker flavors to make graham cracker crust. Try chocolate graham crackers or cinnamon graham crackers.
Instead of graham crackers, any type of cracker or cookie can be used to make a buttery, crispy crust. Use this method to make a crust from Oreos, shortbread cookies, pecan sandies, or vanilla wafers.
Storing Tips
Graham cracker crust can be made ahead! Store it in the fridge for 1-2 days, or wrap your crust really well and freeze it in the pan for up to three months. Thaw it fully before using it in your recipes.
Recipes With Graham Cracker Crust
- Classic New York Style Cheesecake
- Easy No Bake Cheesecake
- Blueberry Cheesecake Bars
- Million Dollar Pie
- No Bake Strawberry Pie
- No Bake Peanut Butter Pie
- Banana Pudding Lasagna (technically this one has a vanilla wafer crust!)
FAQs
You can use this crust recipe with any type of pan that your recipe calls for. I suggest using a springform pan when making graham cracker cheesecake crust, and a 9-inch pie plate for most no-bake pie recipes. This recipe will also work in recipes that use an 8 or 9-inch square baking dish.
I’m with you if you’re thinking that there is no such thing as too much graham cracker crust! You can increase the thickness of the crust by doubling or otherwise adjusting the recipe, but keep in mind that there won’t be as much room for your pie filling. You may also need to bake the crust for a few extra minutes.
Not necessarily. The goal is to make a crust that is fully formed and set so that it doesn’t fall apart. Briefly baking the crust and then cooling it will help ensure that it stays together. You can also chill the crust in the fridge for at least 2 hours for the same effect.
Otherwise, if your dessert recipe tells you to bake the crust, you should.
Save this graham cracker crust recipe by Pinning it! You’ll be looking for it time and time again, and it will be there to help you make all the best homemade desserts!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
- 10 sheets graham crackers 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs total, see note 1
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter melted
Instructions
- Grease a 9 or 10-inch springform pan, a 9 inch pie plate, or an 8×8 inch baking dish with butter. If you will be baking the crust, preheat the oven to 350F°/180°C (160°F for fan/convection oven).
- Crush the graham crackers in a food processor, a blender, or use a heavy tool to crush them in a heavy ziploc bag.
- In a bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and sugar. Stir and let sit for a minute so that the butter moisten the crumbs.
- Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan, and make it flat. This is best achieved by using a measuring cup or a flat-bottomed glass to really press it down evenly. If your recipe calls for it, press the crumbs up onto the edges of the pan as well.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes. then remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool completely before adding your filling.
- If you're making a no-bake pie, you can skip the baking step. Instead, place the pressed graham cracker crust in the refidgerator and chill for at least 2 hours before adding the pie filling.
Notes:
- Instead of graham crackers you can use 1 ½ cups (200g) of crumbs from Arnott’s Marie crackers (in Australia), or any plain cookie or biscuit. In the UK, I suggest using 14 crushed digestive biscuits but omit the sugar from the crust since they are already so sweet. This cookie crust can also be made with Oreos, shortbread cookies, or other graham cracker flavors.
- It’s important to press the crust down firmly so that the crust will hold together.
- Graham cracker crust can be baked, and should be if your pie recipe calls for it to be baked. For no-bake recipes, skip the baking step and chill the crust in the fridge for 2 hours.
- Ensure that the crust is cool before adding any fillings.
- Don’t use pre-made graham cracker crumbs that come in a package! The flavor and texture will be so much better when you crush the graham crackers yourself.
- To Store: Keep the crust in the fridge for 1-2 days before using, or wrap well and freeze for longer storage, up to 3 months. Thaw fully before using the crust in recipes.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Little Sunny Kitchen
Ann Kope says
I have tried several if your recipes and was pleased with the results. When I tried to add to my pinterest account I was blocked by the pinterest’s verification which no longer allows typing in birth info. Being an older user, to go through the past years by the month is frustrating and nearly impossible. Is there something on the contributors end causing this dilemma? Or is the fault purely pinterst’s attempt to block older users (aka “age discrimination”). I realize it’s probably not you personally but pinterest but I would like to know where to start in trying to fix my issue.
BTW keep up the good work your recipes sound really delicious.