Learn how to make a thick, buttery homemade graham cracker crust with this easy recipe and my perfected shaping methods. You need just 3 ingredients, and it tastes so good, I guarantee you’ll never go back to store-bought graham cracker crust. And if graham crackers aren’t available where you live, we’ve got a tested-and-approved biscuit crumb crust alternative for you!
Today I’m teaching you my practiced-and-perfected method for making a deliciously buttery, sweet graham cracker crust that’s wonderfully crisp and crumbly, but still holds shape. You can use it for pies, bar desserts, cheesecakes, and more—like cheesecake pie, banoffee pie, and lemon blueberry cheesecake bars.
Master a graham cracker crust, and the rest is as easy as s’mores brownie pie. 🙂
Can’t I Just Buy a Pre-Made Graham Cracker Crust?
Yes, you can! But a homemade graham cracker crust is much easier and quicker than you think. Pre-made crusts always seem to lack flavor… and definitely taste a little stale.
When it comes down to it, the taste and texture of a homemade graham cracker crust is on a completely different level. Maybe even a different planet. Buttery, sweet, crispy, crumbly… and made from only 3 ingredients. Just THREE! And here they are:
Grab These 3 Ingredients
- Graham Crackers: (Well, obviously.) You need about 12 full sheet graham crackers, to yield about 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) crumbs. You can also purchase graham cracker crumbs in most grocery stores in the baking aisle. Graham crackers are an American pantry staple and come in classic honey flavor, but you can also find chocolate, cinnamon, and low-fat versions. Any flavor would be fine in this graham cracker crust recipe. I prefer to use the Nabisco Honey Maid brand original graham crackers—more info on that below.
- Butter: Melted butter binds the tiny crumbs together, and makes this crust taste unbelievably buttery and delicious. You need 6 Tablespoons (85g) of butter for a pie crust, but only 5 Tablespoons (71g) for a cheesecake crust. (Full cheesecakes can be really heavy and wet, so that is why I slightly reduce the butter.)
- Granulated sugar: As the crust bakes, the sugar crystals assist the butter in binding the crumbs together. Graham crackers are already sweet, so we don’t need to add much sugar, just 1/4 cup.
Nabisco Honey Maid Brand vs. Store Brand
After testing multiple brands, my very scientific conclusion (LOL) is that the best graham crackers to use for this crumb crust are the Nabisco Honey Maid brand. The store-brand graham crackers we tried were lighter in color and the texture wasn’t quite as crispy.
When pressing the crust made from store-brand crackers into the pie dish, it felt more moist, and a bit mushier. Which makes sense, because the Honey Maid ones feel harder/crispier as if they’ve been baked longer, so the store-brand graham cracker crumbs feel a bit mushier when you add the melted butter.
All that said, you can certainly still make this crust with any brand of graham crackers you have! (And I’m not getting paid by Nabisco to tell you to buy their products, just genuinely a fan!)
Graham Cracker Math
Graham crackers can also vary slightly in size and weight, and occasionally manufacturers change the size or amount you get in a package—which means my team and I have to go through all our recipes that use graham crackers and update them! (In case you’re wondering why your printed recipe may no longer match the recipe on the website.) Some math info you may find helpful:
- 12 graham crackers should yield about 1.5 cups of crumbs when they’re finely ground, or about 180g. (12x15g)
- 1 full sheet graham cracker = 14–16g, or about ½ an ounce
- 12 full sheets = 168–192g
- 1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs = roughly 180g
How to Make Your Homemade Graham Cracker Crust (It’s Easy)
Start by grinding up your graham crackers. You can use a food processor or blender for this, but if you don’t have one, just put them in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin. You want really fine crumbs, so feel free to take out all your frustrations on these crackers!
Mix the crushed graham crackers with the granulated sugar, and then stir in the melted butter. The mixture will be thick, sandy, and coarse. Try to smash/break up any large chunks.
Prevent Your Graham Cracker Crust From Falling Apart
The ratio of ingredients is important, but what matters most is how you press the mixture into your pan. The technique you use can make or (literally) break a great graham cracker crust:
- Don’t be nervous that it’s crumbly: The mixture inevitably feels too crumbly as you start pressing it into the pan, but when you start applying pressure, it will stick together.
- Use your hands first: Press the bottom and around the sides with medium-firm pressure until the crumbs aren’t moving around anymore—you don’t want any loose crumbs. You can use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help smooth out the surface, just don’t pack it down too hard.
- Don’t pack too tightly: The crust needs to be compact, so it doesn’t crumble apart, but not so tight that it bakes into a hard, dense crust. You really just want to pack it until the shape has set and it’s no longer crumbly.
- Keep it rounded if making a pie: This sounds a bit odd, but you don’t want a right angle at the bottom edges where the sides and the bottom meet. Instead, you want it a little bit rounded so it stays connected when you slice into it—so the side crust doesn’t immediately separate from the bottom crust. Slide a spoon around the inside of the crust where the sides and bottom meet, to get that rounded shape.
I like to use my thumb on one hand and 4 fingers on my other hand to go around the top and sides. You can see me do this in the video tutorial below, too.
And, as explained in the 4th success tip above, running a spoon around the inner sides helps the crust keep a rounded shape, so the slices of your pie stay intact:
FAQ: What Size Pan Does This Fit?
You will want to use an ungreased 8-inch, 9-inch, or 10-inch pie dish, cake pan, springform pan, or square pan for this recipe. It’s not enough for a 9×13-inch pan. If you’re making a 9×13-inch dessert, I recommend 1.5x the recipe.
FAQ: Does Graham Cracker Crust Need to Be Baked?
Typically, yes. After shaping into your pan, this crust should be baked, and the amount of time really depends on the recipe you’re using, and whether it’s a baked or a no-bake filling. Check the pie or cheesecake recipe you’re using for crust baking and cooling instructions.
I usually pre-bake this graham cracker crust for at least 10 minutes at 350°F (177°C) before adding a filling. If you’re making a no-bake pie/dessert: cool the crust before filling it, unless the no-bake pie recipe you are using states otherwise.
Or try my no bake cheesecake, which uses a brown sugar graham cracker crust that isn’t baked at all.
Digestive Biscuit Crumb Crust Alternative
For non-US readers, my team and I tested out making this crust with digestive biscuits (we used McVitie’s brand), and here are our findings:
Though different in size and shape, 1 standard digestive biscuit weighs just about the same as 1 full sheet graham cracker, about 15g. Digestives are similar in flavor to graham crackers, but the texture is slightly different. Digestives aren’t quite as crispy-crunchy as graham crackers, and disintegrate faster when wet, as those who like to dip them into their tea will know. We found that we needed some extra crumbs in the crust to help absorb the melted butter.
We’re also adding a bit more sugar, because digestive biscuits contain about half the amount of sugar as graham crackers. So the final recipe for a digestive biscuit crumb crust that works as a great alternative to this graham cracker crust is:
- 200g digestive crumbs (about 2 cups; 13–14 standard digestive biscuits)
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
Prebake for a bit longer than the graham crust, 12–15 minutes at 350°F (177°C).
Graham cracker crust is the base of so many incredible desserts, so it’s important to have a really solid recipe for this baking staple under your belt (or apron ties). And it’s so easy to master. Not to mention, unbelievably good. Repeat: It’s buttery! Thick! Crunchy! Graham crackery! Just the best!
Other Crumb Crust Alternatives
You could also make this crumb crust with speculoos biscuits (like Biscoff), vanilla wafers, or Ritz crackers instead of graham crackers. For an easy Oreo crust, see my Oreo Crust guide.
Q: Have you tried any other alternatives for a graham cracker crumb crust?
PrintGraham Cracker Crust
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 1 9-inch pie crust
- Category: Pie
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Learn how to make a thick, buttery homemade graham cracker crust with only 3 ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups (180g) graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full sheet graham crackers)
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, melted
Instructions
- If you’re starting out with full graham crackers, use a food processor or blender to grind them into fine crumbs. You can also place them in a zip-top bag and crush them into fine crumbs with a little arm muscle and a rolling pin.
- Stir the graham cracker crumbs and granulated sugar together in a medium bowl, and then stir in the melted butter. The mixture will be thick, coarse, and sandy. Try to smash/break up any large chunks.
- Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8-inch, 9-inch, or 10-inch pie dish, cake pan, springform pan, or square pan. With medium pressure using your hand, pat the crumbs down into the bottom and up the sides to make a compact crust. Do not pack down with heavy force because that makes the crust too hard. Simply pat down until the mixture is no longer crumby/crumbly. Tip: You can use a small flat-bottomed measuring cup to help press down the bottom crust and smooth out the surface, but do not pack down too hard. If making a pie, run a spoon around the bottom “corner” where the edge and bottom meet to help make a rounded crust—this helps prevent the crust from falling apart when you cut slices.
- For a baked dessert, pre-bake this crust per your filling recipe’s directions. I usually pre-bake for 10 minutes at 350°F (177°C). For a no-bake dessert, cool the crust completely before using, unless your filling’s recipe instructs otherwise.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: It’s freezer friendly! Freeze the prepared crust in your pan for up to 3 months. Thaw before using in your recipe. For shorter storage, keep the prepared crust in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before using in your recipe.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Food Processor | Glass Mixing Bowl
- What Size Pan Does This Crust Fit? Use an 8-inch, 9-inch, or 10-inch pie dish, cake pan, springform pan, or square pan for this recipe. It’s not enough for a 9×13-inch pan. If you’re making a 9×13-inch dessert, I recommend 1.5x the recipe.
- Graham Crackers: Use cinnamon, honey, or chocolate flavor graham crackers depending on your dessert recipe. I usually use honey flavor because it is the standard graham cracker flavor. If I’m baking a chocolate treat, I like to use the chocolate graham crackers. The best graham crackers to use for this crumb crust are the Nabisco Honey Maid brand (not sponsored, just our conclusions!).
- Other Cookies/Crackers: You can substitute the graham cracker crumbs for speculoos biscuit (like Biscoff), vanilla wafer, or Ritz cracker crumbs. For an easy Oreo crust, see my Oreo Crust recipe.
- Non-US Readers: Don’t have graham crackers where you live? Use 200g ground digestive biscuit crumbs (about 2 cups; 13–14 biscuits), 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar, and 6 Tablespoons (85g) melted butter. You may need to add a few extra minutes to the pre-baking time, as digestive biscuits are not quite as crispy-crunchy as graham crackers.
Keywords: graham cracker crust
This recipe is perfect. I’ve used it for classic key lime pie. I have also turned it into a chocolate crust by adding a quarter cup cocoa powder and a heaping teaspoonful of instant coffee powder (Starbuck’s Premium Instant).
★★★★★
in my original cheesecake recipe i used Zwieback for the crust. it is less sweet than the graham crackers (especially if you use HoneyMaid. that recipe came from my father-in-law.
★★★★★
Hi Sally and team 🙂
I would love to use this crust for your coconut cream pie recipe, and I just wanted to confirm that if I am using this crust for a no-bake dessert, I should only bake the crust for 10 minutes at 350. I want to make sure that the instructions here are not only for a pre-bake, so the crust doesn’t fall apart 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
Sarah
Hi Sarah! Yes, 10 minutes (10-12, or until slightly golden brown).
I found it needed 20 mins to turn golden and become solid enough for a no-bake dessert. I was using 8×8 Pyrex pan at 325 convection. Still turned out great!
Can I use this type of crust for your coconut cream pie?
Absolutely!
This looks so good. Can I make it with salted butter? I don’t have unsalted butter.
Yes, absolutely. No other changes necessary.
This is a recipe I have used for years. I love making my Key Lime Pie in this crust. I was fighting for a while with the prebake as it seemed to make the crust so hard after filling it and baking another 10 minutes. Maybe I was packing it too firmly? So I just went with no prebake and bake the Key Lime Pie for 10 minutes and seemed to cure the problem. Thoughts? I have also used butter cookies the same way as this recipe when I make my Rosemary infused Chocolate Torte
★★★★★
I made a crumb crust that tastes delicious half Graham half ritz crackers, but it stuck badly. I came here to troubleshoot. I packed the crust too tightly. Now I know what to do next time
★★★★★
hi sally! is it possible to freeze the prepared crumbs for later use? i made way too much (another pies worth!). i could vacuum seal and freeze if you think that’ll work.. ty 😉
Yes, absolutely!
I would like to make individual 5″ pies. The pans I have are non-stick and I’m afraid to use metal utensils in them. Would this graham crust ‘pop out’ of the pans so the mini pies can be plated?
Love your site!
Hi Barb, I don’t think the smaller crusts would release from the pans all in 1 piece. Crumb crusts can be difficult for that!
Will I need 5 or 6 Tbsp butter for a baked key lime pie?
Hi Niti! We use 5 in our key lime pie, since it’s such a wet filling.
I just started making making cheesecakes. I’m retired from work. I was a cement mason so now I stay home all the time and I have nothing to do so I took up cooking I made made quite a few cheesecakes, and they always came out pretty good they’re getting better and better but I had a hard time with the crust. It was always too hard so now I realize from your recipe I was packing it down too tight anything to say thank you very much for your your recipe. Help I’m gonna attempt a new type of crust with graham cracker crust, pecans a little bit of honey and vanilla. I’m gonna make a cheesecake a new one wish me luck.
Good luck and happy baking, Tony!
This recipe was so easy to make, but the pie crust stuck to the glass pie plate that I was using. How can I avoid that happening again?
Hi Carroll, make sure that the crust isn’t too tightly packed in — you’ll want it packed, but if it’s too much it can make the crust difficult to remove. Does it seem overly dry, too? If so, you could also try a minute less in the oven next time. Glad you enjoy this recipe!
How many mini cheesecakes will this crust make?
Hi Courtney, about 2 dozen. Here is our mini cheesecake recipe if you’re interested, using a scaled down version of this crust.
This was hands down the best graham cracker crust recipe. I baked it about 10 minutes. Cooled it and used it with lemon ice box pie ingredients. The pie was infinitely better than usual. It is now my go to recipe. Thank you
★★★★★
Are Graham’s crackers like digestive biscuits.im in the uk
Hi Mel, read the section in the middle of this post called Digestive Biscuit Crumb Crust Alternative. Enjoy!
I’m making mini cheesecakes for Passover and I’m substituting matzos for the graham crackers. Hope they turn ok!
Have you ever made this crust with the addition of toasted coconut? I’ve been searching for the perfect graham cracker crust with toasted coconut recipe. Your recipe looks perfectly balanced and would be wonderful canvas.
Hi Emma, we haven’t tried this but please let us know if you do!
Hi Sally, I am an American living in France. I used your ratios (it was excellent) and am sharing the recipe with French friends.
Instead of digestive biscuits I found advice that advocated for equal parts (a) petite beurre and (b) spéculoos cookies. It was great, and those are very easy to find in any French grocery store. Thank you!
★★★★★
This is so helpful, thank you so much for sharing! I’m excited to test that if I can get my hands on a package of Petite Beurre. 🙂
I just finished making my Graham Cracker Crust. I’m and going to bake it for approx 5-6 minutes. I’m making a simple “Banana Cream Pie” with banana pudding (not vanilla) and sliced Banana’s with Cool Whip on top for more serving appeal than anything. The pie will be ate quickly. I’m not worried about the Banana’s going soggy or brown. I did add 2 pinches of Cinnamon. I love Cinnamon and eat it quite often. So for me I added an extra pinch. This was a simple recipe on making a pie crust, and I know I’m going to enjoy making other crust as well. I always enjoyed making or baking cakes, cookies and pies. I use to buy my Graham Cracker Crust. But I knew it would not be that hard to make. When the price of crust at Walmart or Meijers is now $3. + and not tasteful, I said “no way”. It took me no time to make this & really No Mess. I see so many people buying for lunch or dinner everything precooked, or premade and to me it does not look
appetizing. Just take your time, be creative, follow Sally’s recipe and have fun!!!
★★★★★
Great recipe, and the detailed instructions are wonderful. It was my first time making this kind of crust, and all my questions were answered. But to make the crumbs, I didn’t use a rolling pin. I put the crackers in a good plastic bag and pounded them with my heavy meat tenderizer. They didn’t stand a chance! Didn’t take long at all and, to me, it was easier than taking out the blender — not to mention washing it afterward.
★★★★★
Do you have to bake this crust first even if you’re making a no bake dessert?
Hi Stephanie, It isn’t completely necessary to bake the crust for a no-bake filling, but we recommend baking the crusts for a quick 5 minutes in a 350°F (177°C) oven. The crusts are a little sturdier this way.
I love how Sally takes into consideration all the circumstances and questions her readers might have for a recipe, from availability of ingredients to common substitutions or differing pan sizes. I made the digestive biscuit version because I live in Taiwan. It worked perfectly. I was really impressed with how it stuck together. It wasn’t as crispy, but I only had time to bake it for 8 minutes. It still worked out nicely and my girls (5, 2) said the crust was their favorite part.
★★★★★
I am so happy to read this, and so glad that all the extra notes and tips helped you make a tasty crust. Thank you for the very thoughtful comment!
I wonder if other graham cracker brands work just as well as the Honey Maid ones?
Hi Allison, We prefer using Nabisco Honey Maid graham crackers, as they seem to be the crispiest of the available options. You can certainly still make this crust with any brand of graham crackers you have!
Informative, delicious, easy! Thanks for including gram measurements since graham crackers vary considerably.
★★★★★
Easy, and perfect
★★★★★
This recipe calls for to much butter for crust started dripping and smoking very disappointed.
Hi DL, thank you for giving this recipe a try. Did your mixture look like the photos above? It should be a sandy texture before being packed into the pan.
But I put in 5 tablespoons of butter instead of six once I start putting the melted butter in I mixed it and that’s what happened
I’d love to see a blog post on how to not have a soggy crust if you make your pie a couple days before serving. Strategies I’ve read about include: 1) brushing the crust in egg whites BEFORE baking the crust, 2) brushing the crust in egg whites AFTER baking the crust but before adding a filling, 3) brush the inside of the crust with melted chocolate after baking the crust but before adding a filling (for pies that go well with chocolate). I’ve never tried these strategies, but would love to see an experimental blog post on what worked best to prevent soggy crust for things like key lime pie, banana cream pie, etc. Just an idea that I think your readers would appreciate!
Hi Teresa, I love this idea! Are you talking about a graham cracker crust or a traditional pie crust? I’ve tried brushing traditional pie crust with egg wash and blind baking before adding a filling and it works nicely. I’ve never done it with graham cracker crust though. I imagine a creamy filling, for example, wouldn’t adhere very nicely to a crust baked with the egg white brushed on top. Again, I haven’t tested it!
Melted chocolate (that has set) on top a baked crust before adding a no-bake filling works nicely though!