Inside: All of the details you need to make the absolute BEST graham cracker crust! Many people turn to the beloved graham cracker crust when looking for an alternative or shortcut to traditional pie crust, but so many fall short. This is seriously the ONLY recipe you will ever need. It tastes amazing and comes out perfectly every single time, PLUS you can use it for no-bake pies or pies where the crust needs to be baked.
You want to make a super-fast no-bake pie for that summer cookout you’re heading to tomorrow, so you Google a graham cracker crust recipe.
Or maybe you just use the crust recipe that comes with the pie recipe.
It’s fiiiiiine, but wouldn’t you totally love a graham cracker crust recipe that tastes AMAZING, that you would totally eat by the spoonful, and sets up perfectly, never crumbling, each and every time? One that you could insert into any pie recipe you wanted to make, ever? And never need to Google another crust recipe again?
I’ve got you covered.
What Makes This Graham Cracker Crust the Best?
I know, graham cracker crusts seem so elementary, but if you’ve ever lifted a slice of pie out of the pan and had the crust break and crumble all over the plate (mortifying if you’re serving to company and just plain annoying otherwise!), then you KNOW how important a good crust is! Let’s discuss…
Perfectly Moist – I’ve had the (dis)pleasure of making graham cracker crusts that both crumble as described above, and that leak liquid because there is too much butter. This recipe strikes the perfect balance to create a crust that holds together beautifully and never crumbles.
Flavor! It might not seem important in something like a graham cracker crust, but honestly? I could eat this crust ON ITS OWN. Using brown sugar takes it from boring-basic graham crust to something truly delicious on its own.
Clean Slices Every Time – Quite possibly the most important aspect of any crust recipe. You want super clean slices every single time. Get that crust packed in nice and tight (follow the instructions in the recipe!) and you’ll have perfect pieces of pie from now until infinity.
Only Four Ingredients Needed!
This crust comes together incredibly quickly thanks to needing only four ingredients and a super simple mixing process.
Graham Cracker Crumbs – Of course! You can use whole graham crackers and crush them up or buy a box of ready-made graham cracker crumbs. If crushed them yourself, you could use a food processor and pulse until you get fine crumbs, or put the graham crackers in a zip-top bag and crush them with a mallet, can, or anything pseudo-heavy.
Sugar – We use light brown sugar to keep the crust moist and give it a little more of a browned-butter/toffee flavor.
Butter – This is a smidge more than is used in most crust recipes, but it really helps to bind the crust together and keep it from crumbling apart when it’s sliced. (Want to ratchet this crust up a notch? Use browned butter!)
Salt – Because salt makes EVERYTHING (sweet and savory) taste better!
Mix these four ingredients together for the most amazing crust you ever will meet.
How To Make The Best Graham Cracker Crust
This is super basic, but let’s walk through the steps together!
Start with Graham Cracker Crumbs – If you haven’t purchased pre-made crumbs, then grab your graham crackers and crush them up into fine crumbs, measure out 2 cups, and place them in a medium bowl.
Add the Brown Sugar and Salt – Stir together the graham cracker crumbs with the brown sugar and salt, making sure that there are no lumps of brown sugar left in the bowl.
Stir in the Melted Butter – Drizzle the melted butter over the graham cracker mixture and use a fork to mix everything together, ensuring that it is evenly moistened. Attempt to not eat the entire bowl right now (important step).
Press and Pack the Crust Into a Pan – This is VITAL! Years ago, I heard about the tip to press a graham cracker (or Oreo) crust into the pan using the bottom and sides of a measuring cup and it is a total game-changer. Getting that crust packed in nice and tight means that it holds together beautifully when sliced instead of crumbling all over the place. Seriously, take the extra few minutes to do it! You can use anything – dry measuring cups, a liquid measuring cup, a regular old drinking glass – anything that has a round bottom will do!
Pies Using a Graham Cracker Crust:
Now that you’re armed with the best (and easiest!) graham cracker crust recipe, start adding these pies to your must-make list!
An easy graham cracker crust that you can make from scratch with only a few ingredients. Can be used for both baked AND no bake pies!
Ingredients:
2
cups
graham cracker crumbs
(approximately 14 full graham crackers)
⅓
cup
light brown sugar
½
cup
unsalted butter
(melted)
Pinch
salt
Directions:
In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and salt, ensuring no lumps of brown sugar remain.
Drizzle the melted butter over the graham cracker mixture and toss to combine with a fork, ensuring that the mixture is evenly moistened.
Press the crust mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate, 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan and pack tightly using the back of a measuring cup.
If using in a no-bake recipe, place the pan in the freezer for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the filling and proceed with the recipe.
If the graham cracker crust needs to be pre-baked, bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, then proceed with the recipe as written.
Recipe Notes:
You can crush whole graham crackers or buy a box of graham cracker crumbs, whichever you prefer.
For an extra oomph of flavor, go the extra step of making browned butter instead of simply melting the butter.
If using a springform pan, the crust won’t go the entire way to the top of the pan, that’s okay!
If you'd like to use this crust for a 9x13-inch pan, simply double the recipe.
This is the most amazing, by far, graham cracker crust I’ve ever made or eaten. The secret- I believe- is browning the butter! When pressed into an 8” fairly deep pie pan, this made a beautiful thick crust- perfect for my Key Lime Pie!
What am I doing wrong? I firmly press into the pan so it won’t crumble apart when serving. I prebake but it ALWAYS comes out hard as a rock and nearly impossible to cut through. I follow directions to a T. GAHSOFRUSTRATING!
I went through a couple dozen recipes before I found yours — and originally I was only looking for a baking time! But I liked all of what you had to say so I am going to try your recipe this coming week and I WILL led you know how things turn out. Interestingly enough I will be using a springform pan so that will add another dimension to things.
The recipe is good but I used the crust in cupcakes, for a strawberry cheesecake spin using cake and filling etc. The crust for my particular application was way too toffee flavor forward and over powered all of the strawberry flavor. Would be good maybe for a regular cheesecake or something.
The first time I made this it turned out fine. The second time, the crust wouldn’t stay together, and I had packed it tight. Why do you suppose this happened?
One of my secrets for cheesecake is to use crushed gingersnaps instead of graham cracker crumbs in the crust. I’ll have to try that swap in your recipe!
I would think that using honey grahams rather than plain graham crackers would also add a nice touch to the flavor of this crust. Or even cinnamon grahams depending upon what you’re filling your graham cracker crust with. Which graham crackers would you recommend or use? The brown sugar rather than granulated is a great idea. Next time I need a graham cracker crust I’ll give this one a try.
Hi Michelle, I always use honey grahams, since that’s what I always have in the house, delicious! :) I used to adore cinnamon graham crackers with peanut butter :) For all-purpose uses, I go with the honey grahams, but could definitely use cinnamon depending on what you’re making!
I have never thought to swap out regular sugar for brown sugar…cannot wait to try that! Have you ever made it with gluten free grahams? Honestly, that would be so amazing because a quick and easy, and delicious, gf dessert would be fantastic! I will give it a go soon and let you know how it turns out :-)
I hate having graham crackers crusts crumble on me, so I’ve got to try your idea of using brown sugar! I know it’s pretty obvious when the salt should be incorporated, but it’s not mentioned in the recipe or in the post above… (I usually just use salted butter.)
This is the most amazing, by far, graham cracker crust I’ve ever made or eaten. The secret- I believe- is browning the butter! When pressed into an 8” fairly deep pie pan, this made a beautiful thick crust- perfect for my Key Lime Pie!
What am I doing wrong? I firmly press into the pan so it won’t crumble apart when serving. I prebake but it ALWAYS comes out hard as a rock and nearly impossible to cut through. I follow directions to a T. GAHSOFRUSTRATING!
If you add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the crumbs, you’ll be amazed at how much better it tastes!
I went through a couple dozen recipes before I found yours — and originally I was only looking for a baking time! But I liked all of what you had to say so I am going to try your recipe this coming week and I WILL led you know how things turn out. Interestingly enough I will be using a springform pan so that will add another dimension to things.
Thanks for all the interesting info.
The recipe is good but I used the crust in cupcakes, for a strawberry cheesecake spin using cake and filling etc. The crust for my particular application was way too toffee flavor forward and over powered all of the strawberry flavor. Would be good maybe for a regular cheesecake or something.
The first time I made this it turned out fine. The second time, the crust wouldn’t stay together, and I had packed it tight. Why do you suppose this happened?
How does it work with GF graham crackers?
Hi Ruthie, I haven’t tested it, but I imagine it would work just fine.
This recipe is delicious!
One of my secrets for cheesecake is to use crushed gingersnaps instead of graham cracker crumbs in the crust. I’ll have to try that swap in your recipe!
Yes, that would totally work, too!
I would think that using honey grahams rather than plain graham crackers would also add a nice touch to the flavor of this crust. Or even cinnamon grahams depending upon what you’re filling your graham cracker crust with. Which graham crackers would you recommend or use? The brown sugar rather than granulated is a great idea. Next time I need a graham cracker crust I’ll give this one a try.
Hi Michelle, I always use honey grahams, since that’s what I always have in the house, delicious! :) I used to adore cinnamon graham crackers with peanut butter :) For all-purpose uses, I go with the honey grahams, but could definitely use cinnamon depending on what you’re making!
Thank you so much for this recipe. It could be a game-changer, as I too am sick of crumbling crusts!
You’re welcome! Hope you love it as much as I do :)
I have never thought to swap out regular sugar for brown sugar…cannot wait to try that! Have you ever made it with gluten free grahams? Honestly, that would be so amazing because a quick and easy, and delicious, gf dessert would be fantastic! I will give it a go soon and let you know how it turns out :-)
Hi Marty, I’ve never tried it with gluten free graham crackers, but I have confidence it would work! If you try it, come back and let us know!
Your recipe lists salt as an ingredient, but the directions don’t indicate when to add it
Salt is listed in the first step of the directions.
Hi Jen, Thanks for the catch, I’ve fixed it!
I hate having graham crackers crusts crumble on me, so I’ve got to try your idea of using brown sugar! I know it’s pretty obvious when the salt should be incorporated, but it’s not mentioned in the recipe or in the post above… (I usually just use salted butter.)
Hi Jenny, Thanks for the catch, I fixed that above! Enjoy the crust :)
I love graham crackers crust! It’s so easy and quick – perfect for quickly making no bake pies. Looks gorgeous!
Thank you, Natalie! Hope you enjoy!