This is my go-to graham cracker crust recipe and I love it because it’s easy, inexpensive, and the taste and texture are far superior to anything you’ll buy at the store.
How to make graham cracker crust:
Mix ingredients in bowl. Combine graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar in a bowl. Pour in melted butter and stir well to combine. The butter is the key to ensuring you have a graham cracker crust that doesn’t fall apart!
Press into pie dish. Pour the mixture into a pie pan. Use lightly greased hands or the back of a measuring cup to firmly press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. This step is important! The crust needs to be pressed really firmly into the dish to help ensure it sticks together!
Bake or chill. This step will depend on the recipe you’re using and what you plan to put on top of the graham cracker crust. See baking directions below.
To Bake or not to Bake?
Baked graham cracker crust:Baking allows for the butter and sugar to bind to the point that the crust is sure to hold together. I find that baked graham cracker crusts yield the best result. To bake the crust, place it in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. A baked crust will have a sturdier texture, but it wont be crumbly and will hold the pie together so that it’s easy to cut and serve! No-bake graham cracker crust: If you don’t want to (or cannot) bake the crust, you could chill it for several hours in the refrigerator, to the point that the butter becomes hard enough to hold the crust together.
Serving Graham Cracker Crust:
Fill a baked crust with Key Lime Pie filling. Fill a baked crust with Banana Cream Pie filling. Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream : make an ice cream pie with your crust or stir the crumbled crust into the ice cream. Make a No Bake Cheesecake Make Magic bars!
Recipe Variations:
No graham crackers? Substitute digestive biscuits, vanilla wafers, crushed gingersnaps, flavored wafer cookies, crushed cereal (like Chex or cornflakes), or crushed ice cream cones. There are a lot of ways to be creative here! Vegan graham cracker crust: Be sure your graham crackers are vegan (most brands are) and substitute vegan butter or margarine. Sub the sugar: If you don’t have regular granulated sugar, you can substitute brown sugar. If you want to use honey, I would recommend using a combination of honey and granulated sugar because the sugar crystals help bind the crust. Sub flavored graham crackers: Feel free to use your favorite flavor of graham crackers including chocolate or cinnamon. and buy whatever brand is cheapest.
Make Ahead And Freezing Instructions:
To make ahead: Graham cracker crust is a great make ahead recipe. I often prep the crust 1-2 days ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator until ready to use. To freeze: prepare the crust and do not bake it. Cover it well and freeze for 2-3 months. Allow to thaw completely before using. You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST for more great recipes! RATE and COMMENT below! I would love to hear your experience. I originally shared this recipe July 2018. Updated November 2020. This post contains affiliate links.
