Graham Cracker Crust
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Buttery, crisp, and sturdy enough to slice cleanly, this homemade graham cracker crust is an easy upgrade from store-bought.
A good graham cracker crust is one of those basic recipes every baker should have in their back pocket. This one takes just a few pantry ingredients and works beautifully for cheesecake, key lime pie, lemon meringue pie, and all kinds of cream pies and no-bake desserts. I always pre-bake the crust, even when the filling itself doesn’t require baking—it gives the crumbs a toastier flavor and helps the crust set so it holds together when sliced. You can also make it ahead or freeze it for later.
What You’ll Need To Make A Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
- Graham Crackers: You can start with whole crackers or boxed crumbs. If crushing your own, you’ll need about 12 whole crackers. Grind them very finely—the finer and more uniform the crumbs, the better the crust will hold together.
- Light Brown Sugar: Adds sweetness along with a subtle caramel flavor and helps bind the crumbs as the crust bakes.
- Unsalted Butter: Melted butter coats and binds the crumbs, giving the crust its rich flavor and crisp texture.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make A Graham Cracker Crust
Make the crumbs: If starting with whole graham crackers, process them until they have a fine, sandy texture with no large pieces. A food processor is quickest, but a zip-top bag and rolling pin work too. Fine, evenly sized crumbs are much easier to pack into a sturdy crust. (If you’re using boxed crumbs, skip this step.)
Mix the crust: Stir the crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter together until evenly moistened. The mixture should resemble wet sand and hold together when pressed between your fingers.
Press into the pan: Start with the sides, then fill in and compact the bottom. A flat-bottomed measuring cup or glass makes it easy to create an even layer and get into the corners. Press firmly enough that the crumbs hold together, but don’t pack them so aggressively that the crust becomes hard and dense.
Bake and cool: Bake until the crust is set and lightly golden—you should also begin to smell the graham crackers toasting. Let it cool before adding the filling. Pre-baking gives the crust more flavor and makes it sturdier, which is especially helpful with no-bake fillings.
Pro tip: While this basic recipe calls for a standard deep-dish pie pan, it will also work in a tart pan or springform pan.
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Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
- 1½ cups finely crushed graham cracker crumbs, from about 12 whole graham crackers
- ⅓ cup (packed) light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- If making your own cracker crumbs, break the graham crackers in half, add them to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, and blend until the mixture is finely chopped. If using store-bought crumbs, skip this step.
- In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter; stir until the mixture is evenly combined and moistened.
- Pour the mixture into a 9 x 1.5-in (23 x 3.75-cm) (deep-dish) pie pan. Using your fingers or the back of a spoon, press the crumbs evenly along the sides of the pan, working them up toward the rim. Press firmly but gently, making sure the sides are an even ¼-inch thickness and well-compacted without being overly dense. Once the sides are formed, use the remaining crumb mixture to fill in the bottom of the pan. With the flat bottom of a dry measuring cup or glass, press the crumbs firmly into an even layer, making sure to press into the corners where the sides meet the bottom so everything holds together. Check for any uneven spots and smooth them out with your fingers or the measuring cup.
- Bake for about 10 minutes, until just slightly browned. Let the crust cool on a wire rack.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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This graham cracker crust was easy and delicious! Tastes so much better than anything store bought. The whole family enjoyed it underneath a chocolate pudding pie. I’m going to make another one and try freezing it.