Once you know how to make graham cracker crust, you’ll be able to whip up countless mouth-watering desserts. This simple recipe combines graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar. That’s all there is to it.
Just three simple ingredients makes the best foundation for just about any cream or custard filling you can imagine. Next time you’re making a No Bake Key Lime Pie or Strawberry Pie this crust is going to be a must!
What are Graham Crackers?
Graham crackers are sweetened brown crackers with a slightly toasty malted flavor. They are made from coarsely ground hard red wheat, one of the least processed wheat flours. You can grab them at the grocery store in the cookies aisle or buy them online.
Here’s an interesting historical aside. The flour was named for one Sylvester Graham, who, according Wikipedia, was a straight-laced 19th-century vegetarian and vocal advocate for dietary reform, including the use of whole-grain over white flour. Ironically, the crackers that now bear his name are today frequently used in some of the most decadently-rich and luscious desserts in the world and of course all kinds of S’mores recipes.
To Make a No-Bake Pie Crust
This delicious buttery crust is super easy:
- Place graham crackers in a blender or food processor to make crumbs. Alternatively, you can make crumbs by placing them in a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to smash them into crumbs.
- Mix with softened butter and sugar (per recipe below).
- Press the mixture into a pie plate and refrigerate to solidify.
Can You (or Should You) Bake It?
This is a totally optional step. There’s really no compelling need to prebake Graham cracker crust since the crackers are already baked. However, if your filling needs baking, then naturally the crust will need to go in the oven too. Many cream pies don’t require baking at all, so why not make it easy on yourself?
Some people like the way prebaking makes a crispier crust with more developed flavor, so it’s up to you. If you decide to bake it, place it in a 350°F oven for 8-9 minutes, being careful not to over-brown it.
What Pies Go Best in Graham Cracker Crust?
As mentioned, any custard filling combines well with this tasty homemade crust. Try these delicious pies and so many more!
- No Bake Strawberry Pie – fresh berries
- No Bake Pumpkin Cheesecake – Easy!
- S’mores Pie (No Bake)– family favorite
- Oreo Cheesecake – perfect creamy no-bake dessert!
- Key Lime Pie – 5 ingredient pie (easy)!
The list goes on. Anytime you are thinking about pie, don’t forget that easy homemade Graham cracker crust will always be your trusty ally!
No Bake Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons melted butter
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup sugar
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
- Using a fork, mix well until all ingredients are moistened.
- Pour into a 9" pie plate and press evenly on the bottom and sides.
- Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before filling.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Pie
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Made the crust, but did not put even 1 ounce of sugar in it because I’m diabetic. I also did not make it in the oven at all. I just pressed it into the pan and then added my easy cheesecake recipe and it was perfect.
Glad this recipe turned out delicious for you, Candice! Thanks for sharing your changes.
Could I use vanilla wafers instead of graham crackers?
Depending on the brand of vanilla wafers you are using, they are often sweeter than graham crackers. But it should still work well just sweeter!
for those wondering 1 1/2 cups of graham crackers is the exact same as one full packet of nestles honey maid crackers, so you can just crush them in the bag to avoid a mess, hard to make the walls but i went wall less for my pie crust
Thank you for the tip Apollo!
Can you please post the weights that you use for the graham crackers and sugar? I want to get it exactly right so it’ll come out like yours. thanks!
Hi Cherie, I don’t have these available in grams. I would suggest using an online converter for accurate conversion amounts. Enjoy the recipe!
Hello Cherie!
I’m a pastry chef, and like you, I prefer to weigh my ingredients. Here are the gram quantities of the Graham crust recipe above…
Graham cracker crumbs – 180 grams
Sugar -50 grams
Melted butter – 90 grams
Does anyone else get a sugar crunch when not prebaking? I don’t like that so will probably prevalent next time
I use Baker’s Sugar it comes in a carton that looks like a quart of milk, I bet that would do the trick..
Kristen, I melt the butter and add the sugar to it. I let the sugar melt by stirring it up well. Then I add the graham cracker crumbs, thus avoiding that sugary crunch! :)
Great crust!
I found that if I softened the butter and ground the crumbs in the food processor finely like the purchased boxed crumbs, that I could mix the crust very quickly with the hand mixer. Beaters in dishwasher, pie in freezer in under 7 min! (Press buttered crumb mixture very firmly). I found that I didn’t have to pre-chill the crust because the filling was so soft, & the finely-ground crumbs packed down so tightly. This also nicely fills an 8″ square pan. Thank you. Who knew it could’ve this easy!
Hoping this will be delicious for my banana cream pie my first time baking looking forward to this!
I think it will be very delicious Arianna! Good luck :)