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Graham Cracker Crust

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This Graham Cracker Crust is sweet and crunchy, with a crumbly texture that complements soft and creamy pie fillings. It is super easy to make and can be prepared in advance to save time and stress!

A plain baked graham cracker crust in a white pie plate.

Easy & Delicious Graham Cracker Crust

I am a total sucker for a good graham cracker crust. Buttery, crumbly, slightly nutty, with that delicious unmistakeable graham flavor. It’s also insanely easy, calls for 3 only ingredients, and can be no-bake. What’s not to love??

As easy and simple as it is, I’ve had my fair share of lackluster graham cracker pie crusts. Soggy, too sweet, too thin. But never fear. I’ve worked out the kinks and I’m here to provide you with everything you need to know to produce a fantastic graham cracker crust every time.

A slice of key lime pie in a graham cracker crust with a swirl of whipped cream and a slice of lime.

Ingredients you need to make a Graham Cracker Crust:

  • Graham Crackers– Technically, you can use any brand of graham cracker here. However we have found that the name brand crackers tend to produce a crispier crust. You can use a food processor or a good old bag and rolling pin to crush them- just make sure you get a nice, fine crumb without any big chunks. The size of the crackers than vary slightly. You want to end up with 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs.
  • Butter– I like to use salted butter in my graham cracker crust. If using unsalted, you may want to add a pinch of salt.
  • Granulated Sugar– The sugar helps to brown up and bind the crust when baking. The graham crackers are already sweet, so you only need a little bit. That being said, we have made our crust without sugar and had good results.
Ingredients you need to make a homemade graham cracker pie crust.

How to Make a Graham Cracker Crust:

  1. Crush the graham crackers. Place the graham crackers into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until you end up with very fine graham cracker crumbs. You can also place them in a large, heavy duty resealable bag and crush them with a rolling pin (my kids love this job! Who am I kidding. So do I.) Put the crumbs in a medium sized mixing bowl.
  2. Melt the butter. We absolutely love this handy dandy silicone melting pot. No more melted butter exploding all over your microwave, and it makes it super easy to transport and pour.
  3. Stir it all up. Add the butter and sugar to the bowl with the graham crackers and stir until well combined. Make sure you don’t have dry pockets of crumb. Get in there with your hands if necessary!
  4. Press into a pie plate. Pour the mixture into your pie plate. Using your hands, a spoon, or the bottom of a measuring cup, press the mixture evenly and firmly on the bottom and up the sides of the plate.
  5. Bake. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Fill as desired. You can also pour your filling in before baking, or skip the baking all together. I find that if you are using a wetter filling, baking helps to prevent getting a soggy crust. You also get a bit more crunch and caramelized flavor. But it’s tasty either way!
Process shots for how to make a graham cracker crust.

Tips & Suggestions:

Change up the cracker. For a yummy change of pace, try replacing the graham crackers with Ritz crackers, speculoos cookies, or vanilla wafers. Yum!

To bake or not to bake. If I am using a no-bake pie filling, I prefer to bake my graham cracker crust. Baking the crust helps it to hold together better and prevents a soggy crust. This is, however, optional. If you are using the graham cracker crust in a baked pie, it isn’t necessary to pre-bake the crust.

Pack it in. You want to pack the crumbs in firmly until they hold together, but try not to press too firmly so that you end up with a dense crust. You want it to hold together nicely, but still taste light and crumbly. Use your fingers, a spoon, or the bottom of a cup or a measuring cup to gently press the crust into the pan. Avoid getting too thin on the edges, or your crust might fall apart when you try to slice and serve it.

Make it pretty. Ok, this part is entirely optional. But in my humble opinion, you can’t have too much graham cracker crust. If desired, you can combine 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 1 teaspoon sugar. Mix well and sprinkle along the edges of your finished crust. You can also increase your crust ingredients accordingly, and simply reserve some of the crumbs for the garnish.

A close-up shot of a blueberry pie with lemon zest and a graham cracker crust crumble.

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4 from 1 vote

Graham Cracker Crust

This Graham Cracker Crust is sweet and crunchy, with a crumbly texture that complements soft and creamy pie fillings. It is super easy to make and can be prepared in advance to save time and stress!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 75kcal

Ingredients

  • 12 full sheet graham crackers (1 1/2 cups crumbs)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 5 tablespoons salted butter

Instructions

  • In a food processor, add graham crackers and pulse until they are fine crumbs. If you don't want to use your food processor, you can put the graham crackers in a gallon ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into crumbs.
  • Add the sugar to the graham crackers crumbs and stir to combine. Then add the melted butter and stir to mix it all together. The mixture will be very thick and you can use your hands to finish combining.
  • Pour the mixture into a pie dish (no need to grease it). Use your fingers to gently press the mixture into the bottom and sides of your pie dish. You don't need to pack it in to much because it will make the crust really hard when you are trying to eat it.
  • You can either pre-bake the crust at 350℉ for 10 minutes, bake it with your pie filling according to the pie directions, or leave it unbaked for a no-bake dessert. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 75kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 66mg | Potassium: 5mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 219IU | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Keyword : graham cracker crust recipe

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Natalie Monson

I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.

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