There is nothing quite like a buttery homemade Graham Cracker Pie Crust. The filling options are endless, from cream pies to ice cream, to no-bake cheesecakes. You can pop just about anything in a graham cracker crust. We have lots of pie recipes involving graham cracker crusts, but I thought this was a great, basic recipe that should have its own blog post so you can refer to it when you need it instead of looking around for another recipe that might involve one. Ya know? So here it is, forever in our index so you can find it next time you need it. (Also, since everyone always asks, here is a link to the gorgeous pie plate in this post. It comes and tons of gorgeous colors and it’s my absolute favorite!)
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Graham cracker crumbs – You can buy pre-crumbled graham cracker crumbs at many grocery stores, but smashing your own doesn’t take long! You’ll notice I don’t call for a certain number of cracker “sheets” because all brands tend to be a little different so it’s a better idea to measure the crumbs. And while I buy generic brands of a lot of things, I’ve had some really less-than-stellar off brand graham crackers so I stick to good ol’ Honey Maid. I pulse my crackers in a food processor to get nice even crumbs.
- Brown sugar
- Cinnamon – Optional.
- Melted butter – Always use real, salted butter if you can!
How to Make a Graham Cracker Pie Crust
- Combine your cracker crumbs with some brown sugar. Cinnamon is optional and I almost always add it, unless the flavor of the pie I’m making would be weird with it. That being said, it doesn’t make it taste overly cinnamon-y, it just adds a great depth of flavor so it does go with most things.
- Combine all that together with a fork and then add in melted butter. Don’t cheat and use margarine or light butter or anything weird. There are only 3 ingredients here, so use good ones!
- Mix that all up with a fork until all the butter is distributed and it looks like wet sand. (And taste it. So good.)
- Press this mixture into your pie plate, making sure it’s even all around.
- You have two options now. You can either bake the crust for 5-6 minutes and then let it cool completely, which will give you a crispier graham cracker crust, or you can leave as is and refrigerate for a soft crust. Once it’s cooled, fill it with something delicious, like our Lemon Cream Pie, or even your favorite ice cream. You can’t go wrong with this classic crust!
Storing and Other Tips
- If making your crust ahead of time, feel free to just cover and set aside at room temperature. After you’ve made your pie, follow storage recommendations for your filling recipe, which will usually be in the refrigerator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep, just cover tightly with plastic and set aside at room temp until ready to use. For best results, I’d plan to fill the crust within 24 hours.
Absolutely!
Yes, this recipe will work with any cookie that is a similar crunchy texture to graham crackers. Chocolate or ginger wafers work well. You could even use crunchy varieties of chocolate chip cookies.
Graham Cracker Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (165 grams)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon optional
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- Combine cracker crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon if using. Pour in melted butter and stir with a fork until well blended.
- Press into a standard pie plate and up sides. You may refrigerate unbaked for a softer crust, or bake at 375℉ for 5-6 minutes for a crispier crust. Cool and set aside.
Notes
- If making your crust ahead of time, feel free to just cover and set aside at room temperature. After you’ve made your pie, follow storage recommendations for your filling recipe, which will usually be in the refrigerator.
Questions & Reviews
First time I’m making graham cracker crust I think I made maybe have made it once before but I’m doing a little bit more baking now that all the children are gone laughing out loud but a very simple recipe I’ll take pictures soon thank you
How many Graham crackers does it take for 1 cup of crumbs?
i have wondered if you can use vanilla wafers or the new lemonnilla’s instead of graham crackers to make the crust? if so can that be baked to make it cruncher?
I bet you could–I’ve never tried it, but now I kinda want to, haha!
Yum! Thank you!
Love this! Thanks
Thank you! Any chance of converting this to ounces or grams? That would certainly help with adapting this recipe for different brands and sizes of graham crackers.
I have used this recipe so many times I lost track for my cheesecake! Won’t use any other