Skip the stale, store-bought crusts and make your own! My Graham Cracker Crust recipe takes 5 minutes to make and can be used for pies, cheesecakes, and more. Includes a how-to video!
A Quick & Easy Pie Crust
I can understand being intimidated by a traditional pie crust recipe, with all the rolling, chilling, and blind baking. But a graham cracker crust? That’s easy! There’s rarely an excuse to ever buy one from the store; they don’t taste nearly as good as homemade, and they are so supremely simple to make from-scratch!
Today I’m walking you through the four simple steps of my go-to pie crust recipe. The entire process takes about five minutes, and once you try the final result, you’ll never want to go back to the store-bought crusts.
Why use my recipe:
- Can be used for baked or no-bake recipes.
- Cuts nicely without crumbling apart.
- Just four basic ingredients!
- Works for both pies (like my chocolate pie) and cheesecake.
- Takes minutes to prepare and tastes SO much better than store-bought!
What You Need
Just a few ingredients come together to make this easy crust! It’s so simple to make and 100% worth the (very little) effort. Here’s what you need:
- Graham crackers. You can pulverize graham crackers or use pre-crushed graham cracker crumbs. If you are pulverizing your own crackers, you will now need 11 graham cracker sheets to reach the 1 ½ cups; I previously recommended using 10, but it turns out graham crackers are shrinking (isn’t everything in the supermarket these days?). If you don’t have graham crackers where you live, digestive biscuits will also work (more on this below).
- Sugar. I like to use a mix of both white sugar and brown sugar, but you can use just one or the other if you like. The brown sugar adds a slightly richer flavor (something you don’t get from a semi-stale store-bought crust!).
- Butter. This acts as the glue that holds the whole graham cracker crust together. You can use salted or unsalted butter, but I tend to prefer salted here (it helps balance the sweetness of the dessert!).
SAM’S TIP: Still buying your Oreo crusts from the store? I also have a recipe for an easy Oreo crust that tastes so much better than the pre-made version.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make a Graham Cracker Crust
- Crush the crackers – Process your graham crackers in a food processor (or place them in a large ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them) until you have fine, sandy crumbs.
- Add the sugars – Transfer your crumbs to a bowl and stir in the sugars.
- Melted butter – Pour in melted butter and toss everything together with a fork.
- Mix it up – Toss the ingredients together until all of the crumbs are moistened and the mixture is well-combined.
- Press into your pan – Transfer your crumbs to your pie plate or springform pan and press them tightly into the bottom of the pan and up the sides.
- Smooth the sides – Use your fingers to press the crumbs firmly all around the sides of the pie pan to make a nice even edge.
All that’s left is to use as directed! Follow your recipe for any baking instructions, or place in the fridge/freezer for a no-bake recipe.
SAM’S TIP: I like to use the (clean) bottom of one of my measuring cups to press the crumbs into the pan for a smooth, even surface. You can also use the bottom of a small drinking glass for this.
Frequently Asked Questions
It really depends on the recipe, so follow that first. Pre-baking isn’t usually necessary, but many bakers like to pre bake their crust so it is extra crisp.
Now, if you are making a crust for a no bake recipe (like my no-bake cheesecake!), you can just slip the pie plate/springform into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before adding the filling. The crust will still cut nicely without baking it!
If you didn’t make any substitutions (reducing the sugar, swapping the butter, etc.) then the issue most may lie in how tightly you packed your crust into the pan. You want to make sure your crust is firmly packed into the sides and bottom of your pie plate/springform pan.
Another issue could be if you waited too long to press your crumbs into the pie plate. As the butter cools, it re-solidifies and if the crust hasn’t been pressed, it won’t cling together but will stay crumbly. If this happens you can always toss your crumbs back in the microwave in 5 second intervals, stirring in between, until the butter is warmed and the crumbs will cling together again.
Yes! If you don’t have graham crackers where you live, you can absolutely use pulverized digestive biscuits instead. You will need 12 digestive biscuits to get 170g of crumbs (you will have a bit extra after weighing).
This recipe isn’t just for pies! I use it in many of my cheesecake recipes as well, like my key lime cheesecake (pictured above!).
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Easy Graham Cracker Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (170 g) graham cracker crumbs (or 11 graham cracker sheets pulverized to crumbs in a food processor)
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 7 Tablespoons (100 g) butter melted
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Pulverize graham crackers in food processor until finely ground into crumbs (skip this step if starting with graham cracker crumbs).1 ½ cups (170 g) graham cracker crumbs
- Stir together graham cracker crumbs and sugars in a medium-sized bowl. Add melted butter and use a fork to combine ingredients well until crumbs are all moistened.2 Tablespoons sugar, 1 Tablespoons brown sugar, 7 Tablespoons (100 g) butter
- Pour mixture into pie plate or springform pan. Use the (clean!) bottom of a measuring cup to firmly pack crumbs into the bottom of the pan and (if using a pie pan) gently press up the sides. Use your fingers to pack crumbs tightly into the sides of the pie pan.
- If the crust needs to be pre-baked, bake on 350F (175C) for 10-13 minutes and allow to cool before filling. If using this crust as part of a different recipe, bake according to your recipe's instructions. If this crust is for a no-bake recipe, refrigerate or freeze for 10-20 minutes before filling.
Notes
Sugar
You can substitute more granulated sugar if you do not have brown.Video note:
I accidentally say the wrong oven temperature in the video. Always follow my written recipe.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Sharon
I’ve been using store bought pie crust when making my cheesecake and it bakes for 40-45 minutes for filling to set up and my crust is always over done and can’t cut a nice slice. Making my own crust today with crumbs and want to know if this will also overbake with the time of 40-45 minutes required filling to be done
Sam
Hi, Sharon. The crust should be perfectly fine to bake that long with the cheesecake in it. Enjoy! 🙂
Cristina
LOVE, LOVE, love this super simple awesome recipe!!! Serious game changer for my coconut cheesecake pie! Thanks for sharing!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy it, Cristina! That sounds like an excellent pie! 🙂
Rae
Added cinnamon and used for a pumpkin pie. Was perfect 👌 thank you 😊
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it! ☺️
Kim
I made this last night and found out they sell boxes of crushed graham crackers! Couldn’t have been easier and tastes great! I like the combo of brown and white sugar. Decided to make a second dessert today using your crust again. I will definitely use again…. Cheesecake is one of the few desserts my daughter likes. 🙂
Sam
I’m so glad the recipe was helpful, Kim!! Thank you for commenting, and Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂
Denise
I am making this recipe today for a Chocolate Cream Pie. Sounds like some interesting flavors going on with the two different sugars. And thanks for the tip about buttering or spraying the pan first. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours
Sam
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you love it! 😊
Alexandra
Would the measurements in this work for your pumpkin cheesecake recipe if you don’t push the crust up the sides of the spring-foam pan and just spread it out along the bottom of the pan?
Sam
I am not sure what you mean exactly. Are you going to make the bottom crust really thick? You can always leave whatever crust you don’t want to use out.
Darlene Mitchell
Tried the Graham cracker crust and will never do store bought again.
Sam
Isn’t it so easy to make at home!? I’m glad you enjoyed, Darlene! 🙂
Sara
Sounds exactly like the way (minus the food processor or plastic bags which weren’t available back then). She would crush the graham crackers inside a cotton dish towel and then add the other ingredients in a bowl. Stir them and put them in a prebuttered glass pie crust. My favorite was filled with cooked chocolate pudding poured in and then topped with banana slices and served with whipped cream on top. Yummy. Am planning to use this recipe for the crust and make it haven’t had it in years.
Sam
Those all sound delicious! Lucky for us, we have the technology of food processors!. I’ve never heard of it done in a towel. That’s interesting!
Trish
Just double checking, if you are using the crust for a pie that won’t be baked, do you bake the pie crust first and then put in freezer. Or not bake it at all. If you do bake the crust, what temp and for how long?
Thank you so much!
Sam
Hi Trish! I usually do not bake it and just freeze it. You *can* bake it at 325F for about 10 minutes if you prefer (and then allow it to cool completely), but i usually just assemble and then put it in the freezer without baking. I hope that helps!
Mary Rockwell
I’m making two Key Lime Pies for Thanksgiving at my son’s (wife and two wee ones). I cannot wait to make this crust. Seems so simple and easy to clean up and tasty.
Sam
I hope you love it, Mary!!
Erin
I did this and the crust was completely stuck to the pan. Should I try staying or greasing my pie pan first?
Erin
*spraying
Sam
Hmm, I’ve never had it stick before but I don’t think it would hurt to try greasing or spraying the pan first.
Tricia
Seven Tbl of butter should prevent it from sticking. My crust is in the oven now. It is for a Key Lime pie.
L Buscher
I usually spray pie pans with a little PAM and works great.
Twila Chaplin
Easy and yummy! This recipe worked well for Pumpkin pie. 🙂
Sam
I’m so glad to hear it!! Thanks for coming back and letting me know how it worked for you!! 🙂
Amanda
How much for a 13 ×9 cake pan im not making a pie but making something rlse that involves a crust please email me tonlet me know if i need to double or tripple the ingredients
Sam
I think doubling the recipe would work great. Enjoy, Amanda! 🙂
Shelly
Worked great for my recipe
Sues
I love a good graham cracker crust… This is an awesome tutorial!!
Mikaru86
I still have never tried any graham crackers, but I’ve used Butterkekse for any recipes that require them and that seems to have worked out well so far (although I have no idea how they compare in taste). So I can recommend that as a viable substitute for anyone over here on this side of the big pond that doesn’t have ready access to graham crackers.
By the way, I love the instructional style with the progress pictures. In the past there were quite a few recipes where upon reading the instructions I wished for some more illustrations to go along with them (in the end I always managed, but they would have helped XD). But from my own experiments with documenting my baking I know how time consuming it is to stop after every step and take a pause to snap some pictures. So I’m hardly blaming you for not including more like this 😉
Craig
I am using your recipe for crust of “Mom’s lemon meringue pie!” You have no baking time for crust, will bake for 7 minutes. Thank you so much,Craig
Tsp
It says 7-10 minutes