Skip the store-bought, pre-packaged graham cracker crusts and make your own! A good graham cracker crust takes only a few ingredients and several minutes to make, with this solid, simple recipe you’ll never need to buy a storebought crust again!
I kind of understand the hesitation to make your own pie crust when it comes to traditional pastry crusts. I know the frustration of trying to roll out a perfectly circular crust, of sprinkling flour over your whole counter-top to keep things from sticking, and the annoyance of cleaning up afterwards.
I always opt to make my own crusts, but I can at least understand why someone might choose the pre-packaged variety.
But when it comes to graham cracker crusts, I really feel that there’s no excuse to ever buy one from the store. For one, they don’t taste nearly as good as one that you could make yourself, and secondly they are so supremely simple to make that it’s almost laughable.
Today I want to walk through the simple steps to make your own graham cracker crust. The whole process takes about five minutes, and once you have this recipe I have a feeling you’re going to avoid the storebought crusts from now on.
We start with graham crackers, or pre-crumbled graham cracker crumbs. You’ll need approximately 10 graham cracker sheets, which translates to 1 ½ cups of graham cracker crumbs.
Process them in a food processor or place them in a large ziploc bag and use a rolling pin to pulverize them into fine, sandy crumbs, like below:
Add your sugar — I like to use a split of both white sugar and brown sugar, but you can use just one or the other if you would like. I feel that the brown sugar gives it a slightly richer flavor (something you don’t get from a semi-stale storebought crust!).
Next comes the butter, which essentially acts as the glue that holds the whole crust together.
Use a fork to toss everything together. I prefer to use a fork rather than a spoon or a spatula because it does a good job of evenly incorporating everything together.
After a little bit of mixing, the crumb mixture should be well-combined and slightly damp.
Now you’re ready to transfer everything to your pie plate.
You can use a 9″ pie plate, which I used here, but this graham cracker crust recipe also works for cheesecake in a 9 or 10″ springform pan.
Transfer your crumbs to your pie plate and press them tightly into the bottom of the pan. I like to use the (clean) bottom of one of my measuring cups to press the crumbs — it makes for a smooth, even surface.
Finally, tend to the sides of the pie crust. Use your fingers to press the crumbs firmly all around the sides of the pie pan.
Your graham cracker crust will need to be baked in order to firm it up, that way when you cut into your pie the crust cuts nicely and doesn’t crumble. If your recipe is one that requires baking the pie, just follow the instructions in your recipe.
If it is for a no-bake recipe, then you can just slip it into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes before using. 
And that is it! Just a few super simple steps to your own homemade graham cracker crust.
Full recipe just below the video
Easy Graham Cracker Crust Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (or 10 graham cracker sheets pulverized to crumbs in a food processor) (170g)
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1 Tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 7 Tablespoons butter melted (100g)
Instructions
- Pulverize graham crackers in food processor until finely ground into crumbs (skip this step if starting with graham cracker crumbs).
- Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugars in a medium-sized bowl. Add melted butter and use a fork to combine ingredients well.
- Pour mixture into pie or springform pan. Use the (clean!) bottom of a measuring cup to firmly pack crumbs into the bottom of the pan and (if using a pie pan) gently press up the sides. Use your fingers to pack crumbs tightly into the sides of the pie pan.
- If the crust needs to be pre-baked, bake on 375F for 7-10 minutes. If using this crust as part of a different recipe, bake according to your recipe's instructions. If this crust is for a no-bake recipe, refrigerate or freeze for 10-20 minutes before filling.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Now that you’ve made your pie crust, fill it with something good like this Lemon Cream Pie!
judy mah
What would the ingredients be for a pumpkin cheesecake in a 7 inch pan?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Judy! You could try cutting our pumpkin cheesecake recipe in half for your pan 😊
Traci
HI! I am going to try this crust. I feel like you’ve been clear about your directions but I still feel unclear. I am making a lemon ice box pie (no bake) and homemade graham cracker crust. I think the way i do this is that i bake the graham cracker crust….let it cool…..and then add the filling and probably the meringue after that and then pop in the oven again to brown the meringue. Does that sound right? Thanks
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Traci! Our recipe can be used for bake or no-bake recipes. Since yours is no-bake, you will be fine to just chill the crust while you prepare your filling–no need to bake. Hope that helps 😊
Brenda
not sure….recipe states bake at 375, but video says 325?
Sam
Sorry for the confusion. It’s always best to follow the written recipe. Sometimes a correction in the video is just very difficult to make. 🙁
Sara
How do I know if it needs to be baked? I’m making cherry cream cheese pie and am unsure 🙂 Thanks!
Sam
Hi Sara! If you are baking the pie then you shouldn’t have to bake your crust. 🙂
Kay
See number 4 in the instructions. I don’t think you are baking a Cherry Cream cheese Pie. But you do need to bake the crust in order to melt the butter and sugars so the crust holds together. If you don’t bake it and let it cool, the crust will turn to crumbs when you cut it.
Abby
Should i use salted or unsalted butter?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Either will work 😊
Jenny
Yes
Shelby
Could I use shortbread cookies in place of graham crackers for a press in shortbread crust
Sam
Hi Shelby! I suppose it could work, but I’m not sure what/if any alterations would need to be made here.
James Allen
I buy the shortbread cookies from the 99 Cents store if they ever get a little stale from being open too long are use them for piecrust they’re perfect for that…. I love shortbread cookies the best