The incredibly easy to make Graham Cracker Crust is a staple for so many delicious desserts and a great base for beginner bakers! This 'better than store bought' crust can be used for just about any pie you can think of, to cheesecakes, cream pies, ice box pies, and decadent dessert bars! Best of all, a perfect graham cracker crust only takes 3 ingredients and can be done in 5 minutes or less!
Graham Cracker Crust Recipe
If you have just one pie crust in your recipe tin, this really should be it! This easy, no fuss pie crust can virtually be used for any pie that you can think of or dream up! It can be used as a completely no bake pie crust option, or almost no-bake too!
No matter what version you make, using store bought or hand crushed graham cracker crumbs, your homemade graham cracker crust is just better than the ready made version available at stores! It's rich and buttery flavor shines through, adding to your dessert creation perfection!
How To Make A Graham Cracker Crust From Scratch {or with boxed Graham Cracker Crumbs}
There's a couple of ways to start out with your graham cracker crust, other than the store bought pre-made version. Trust me, it doesn't taste as good! And you certainly can't make modifications to a store bought graham cracker crust, either. *I'll talk about modifications below, from basic to extra flavorful, and tailored to match your desired pie or dessert!
You'll need to start out with the ready-to-use boxed graham cracker crumbs, or make your own. To make your own, you can either crush them by hand or use a food processor...or something similar, my NutriBullet works fabulously for making crumbs.
Make Your Graham Cracker Crumbs
To make your own crumbs, by either method, you will need 10 whole graham crackers. The number is necessary, don't try to get away with using the standard set of 9 graham crackers in the packaging unless you have a small tart pan or 8 x 8 baking pan that you are using. I tried it, there wasn't enough to get a good crust up the side of my pie dish. Sigh.
You can crush the graham crackers in a large one gallon plastic ziploc storage bag that has had the air squeezed out. Use a rolling pin or the flat side of the mallet of a meat tenderizer to crush all of the crackers until you have a fine crumb.
If you choose to use a food processor, pulse the crackers until you have a fine crumb. You can also add the remaining ingredients to your food processor, add the sugar and pulse to blend. Then add the melted butter and pulse a few times to combine and get a crumbled mixture.
If you are mixing by hand, transfer the graham cracker crumbs to a medium size mixing bowl and add the sugar. Three tablespoons of either white granulated sugar, or firmly packed light or dark brown sugar, will work in this recipe. Choose your sugar by what you have on hand, and what will go best with your planned recipe.
Mix the sugar with the crumbs before adding the melted butter, then use a fork to combine the crust ingredients.
When the crumbs have formed a nice crumble, they are ready to transfer to your baking dish of choice. This recipe works for a standard 9 inch pie pan or a 9 to 10 inch springform pan, as well as similarly sized tart pans and an 8 x 8 baking pan.
Shape Your Graham Cracker Crust
Transfer the combined crust crumble to your baking dish and spread evenly over the bottom. Then firmly pack the crust down into the pan using the bottom of a measuring cup or glass. Start at the center and work toward the edges, then push the excess crumble up the sides of your baking dish.
Use your fingers to tightly pack the graham cracker crust up the sides of the pan ( and into fluting, if needed ). Once done you can bake, refrigerate or freeze the crust to set it up depending on the instructions of your dessert recipe that you plan to make.
To bake the crust, preheat your oven to 375ºF ( 190ºC ) and bake for 7 - 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool completely before filling.
To chill your crust in the refrigerator, refrigerate for about an hour before filling. To chill your crust in the freezer, freeze for 10 - 20 minutes before filling.
Note: In my experience with this graham cracker crust, if you have a recipe that calls for the crust to be baked but then freeze the cream or icebox pie for 3 - 4 hours, you can skip the baking step. My crusts have always held up to being warmed at room temperature, then sliced and served.
Great Stir-Ins To Enhance Your Graham Cracker Crust Flavor
The really simple way to take your graham cracker crust to the next level is to add some wonderful spices!
Cinnamon is the obvious choice to compliment so many desserts that are typically paired with a graham cracker crust. You'd be surprised how well cinnamon works with lemon too!
Other great spices are the ones that I typically keep in the baking section of my spice cabinet. Spices like nutmeg, allspice, cloves, ginger, star anise, cardamom, caraway and mace.
Spice blends like garam masala, pie spice blends, and British mixed spice can also be used to elevate your pie crust flavor!
Other great additions are nuts, toasted or not, then ground to match the crumble consistency. The most popular nuts to use are walnuts, almonds, and pecans but I think macadamia nuts would be an extra special add-in!
Coconut could also be used, and like nuts, would be a fantastic flavor enhancement whether plain or toasted. You can also opt for unsweetened or sweetened coconut, shredded or dessicated coconut ( which can be found already ground at times ).
Other flavors like coffee grounds and candied or zested citrus peel are also incredibly tasty ideas!
Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (about 10 graham crackers, if crushing manually or using a food processor)
- 3 tablespoon sugar (or brown sugar)
- 7 tablespoon butter (salted, melted)
Instructions
- If you are not starting with the boxed graham cracker crumbs, you will need 10 graham crackers (my Honey Maid brand package held 9 crackers). Use a large ziploc plastic storage bag and crush the crackers with a rolling pin or the mallet of a meat tenderizer until they reach a fine consistency. Or pulse the crackers in your food processor until you have finely ground crumbs.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with sugar (or the same amount of packed brown sugar) then add the melted butter. Use a fork to combine the ingredients and to evenly distribute the butter throughout the crumb.
- Pour the graham cracker mixture into your pan and spread evenly. Use the bottom of a clean measuring cup to firmly pack the graham cracker crust into the bottom of your pan, then use your fingers to pack the crust up the sides of your pan.
- Follow your recipe instructions if it calls for your graham cracker crust to be baked. In general, I have found that despite recipe instructions, any pie that will be frozen to set up for several hours can skip the pre-baking.To pre-bake: bake for 7-8 minutes at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).For no bake: refrigerate and chill for about an hour or freeze the graham cracker crust for 10-20 minutes before filling.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
Jennifer says
I'm looking for a recipe that will make enough crust for eight 4-inch mini tarts. Any idea on if a single batch would work or double?
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Since this recipe lines an 8-9 inch tart pan or pie pan, I would go with doubling the recipe to make sure you have more than enough (rather than running short). Have fun with your tartlets!