The Best Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
Today I am sharing the best homemade Graham Cracker Crust recipe from my bakery. You can easily make your own homemade graham cracker pie crust from scratch. This was the exact recipe that I used at my bake shop for over a decade, so this is tried and true!
If you are looking for more pie tutorials, check out some of my others like How to Make Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust from Scratch, How to Lattice a Pie Crust, and How to Make Pie Crust in a Mixer.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: The Best Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
- Ready In: 15 minutes
- Makes: 1 pie crust
- Main Ingredients: butter, graham crackers, cane sugar
- Flavor Profile: buttery, honey graham cracker
- Dietary Info: eggless
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: better than store bought buttery homemade graham cracker crust
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- From Scratch: I love making my own pies from scratch because it allows me to choose organic ingredients!
- Easy: This is one of those easy recipes that makes you wonder why you ever bought a store-bought graham cracker crust before, because once you make it from scratch you'll realize how simple it is!
- Use in Many Recipes: This Homemade Graham Cracker Crust can be used for everything from pies to cheesecakes to bars that need a graham cracker pie crust recipe.
- Pie Pan or Square Pan: This easy pie crust is something you can use for so many recipes. You can use this recipe for a standard 9-inch pie pan or use it in a square 8×8-inch or 9×9-inch pan. It will also work for a 9-inch or 10-inch springform pan for traditional cheesecake recipes or if you're making something like my Easy Mango Cheesecake.
- Organic Pie: While you can buy a graham cracker pie crust at the grocery store, it's not the same as making it at home! I use only 3 organic ingredients in this graham cracker pie crust from scratch!
Ingredients
You only need 3 organic ingredients to make this pie crust recipe! Making homemade graham cracker crust pie crust is simple and easy! I'm noting the exact brands we used at my bakery, incase you want that exact flavor as ingredients really matter!
- Graham Crackers: I use Annie's Organic Honey Graham Crackers, they are a favorite. This is what we used at my bakery.
- Butter: I use organic salted butter here. You can use your favorite butter, even unsalted butter if you prefer. If you are using unsalted, be sure to add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the food processor. Check out my post Best Salted Butter for Baking for my top picks. Be sure your butter is softened, not melted. This will ensure you get the best buttery crust that isn't greasy. Using soft butter instead of melted butter also ensure that the pie crust will slice easily and not crumble. This was something we tested at my bakery and softened butter really gives it the best texture!
- Cane Sugar: I use organic cane sugar for a little sweetness, we always used Wholesome at my bakery. Granulated sugar is the conventional version of organic cane sugar, it works the same, but won't taste as good.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Baker's Tips for the Best Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- Ingredients really matter since there is so few! So, choose high quality ingredients you like the flavor of.
- You can use this homemade graham cracker crust recipe for any dessert recipe that calls for graham cracker crust.
- This recipe works for a 9-inch pie pan. You can also use it for a 9×9-inch square pan, an 8×8-inch square pan, a 9-inch springform pan, or you can double the recipe if you need crust for a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- I'm usually always preaching about the right pie pan for the pie, and because this pie is not an all butter pie crust, you can use a pie plate like glass or ceramic here and it won't make a difference, like it does with a butter pie crust. So, use your pretty pie pan for this!
- You can prep this ahead of time, up to 2 days in advance if needed!
- If you are looking for a chocolate graham cracker crust, check out How to Make Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust from Scratch.
How to Make the Best Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.In a food processor, add half the graham crackers, butter, and cane sugar. My trick for the ensuring this easily mixes together quickly is adding half the graham crackers, butter on top, then add the sugar right on top of the butter as this helps prevent it from sticking to the sides. Last add in the remaining half of graham crackers.
- Pulse, and then mix until you have a uniform mixture and there are no chunks of graham crackers or butter.
- Grease a 9-inch pie pan with butter. Transfer the graham cracker mixture to the pie pan, and lightly press it into the sides of the pan first. Use the remaining crust, and press it down into the bottom of the pan. (You can watch me do this in the video tutorial below!). Bake for 5 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Allow to cool completely before using.
How to Use
- You can put any kind of filling you want into a graham cracker pie crust.
- You can use pudding like Eggless Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding or Homemade Vanilla Malt Pudding. Fill it with custard, ganache, or your favorite cheesecake.
- Check out my Apricot Cheesecake Tart, Bakery Famous Banana Cream Pie With Graham Cracker Crust, or Coconut Sweet Cream Pie With Graham Cracker Crust, for some ideas!
Recipe FAQ's
You only need three simple ingredients to make an organic graham cracker crust recipe! Those ingredients are: organic salted butter, organic honey graham crackers, and organic cane sugar.
I don't recommend it as I like to have very fine crumbs and a uniform mixture of graham crackers for the best texture in the crust. But, crushing up graham crackers in a zip bag with a wood rolling pin will work in a pinch. Then, you can mix together the ingredients in a mixing bowl until you have a uniform mixture.
While you do not have to bake graham cracker crust, I do believe it tastes better when the butter is baked and baking for just 5 minutes helps the butter set and creates a sturdier crust, especially for baked pies and cheesecakes. So, I always recommend baking it.
Yes, unsalted butter is fine if you prefer. I recommend adding 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the food processor if using unsalted butter.
I use softened butter and not melted because melted butter it makes the finished pie crust buttery instead of greasy. It also makes it slice easier and not crumble. Think about how melted butter in a chocolate chip cookie can cause the cookie to become greasy, flat, and spread out more with unreliable edges and doesn't break in half very nicely. Using soft butter in a chocolate chip cookie allows the cookie to bind together and bake up into a beautiful round shape that breaks easily. This is just like the graham cracker crust.
I use Annie's Organic Honey Graham Crackers, which is what we used at my bakery. If you want to use a cinnamon graham cracker, you can also do that too for a cinnamon graham cracker crust.
Yes, graham cracker crumbs are great to use for crust because they are already partially broken up. And you may not use these for other things, so it's a great way to reduce food waste.
Yes, love using cinnamon graham crackers here during the fall season when you want a little bit of spice.
You can use gluten free graham crackers if you prefer. Just be sure to weigh them so you have the right ratios.
This recipe works for a 9-inch pie pan. You can also use it for a 9×9-inch square pan, an 8×8-inch square pan, a 9-inch springform pan, or you can double the recipe if you need crust for a 9×13-inch baking pan.
You wan to lightly press it into the sides and bottom of the pie pan. Greasing your pie pan helps with removal of the pie slices too, but lightly pressing the crust will ensure it bakes together and sets, but also is easy to slice.
If you don't measure ingredients properly, you can get incorrect butter to graham cracker ratios. Also, not pressing firmly enough, or under-processing the crumbs can all cause a crumbly crust. This is also why baking the crust helps, because it helps the butter bind into the crust.
Overpacking the crumbs or over baking the crust can make it difficult to slice cleanly. Also, be sure to grease the pie pan well with butter to ensure you can easily slice it.
You can bake graham cracker pie crust from scratch ahead of time. I will usually bake mine a day in advance of filling the pie. They are fine to sit out on the counter overnight. You can even make them two to three days in advance if you need to! Just leave them out on the counter don’t cover them or anything, and they are good to go.
Yes, this is a great pie crust to make the day before as it stays fresh for a couple days.
This pie crust will stay good for 2 days in advance if you need to prep it ahead. I don't recommend prepping it much in advance of that, as you do want to allow a few days for the pie you make with it to stay good too!
If you want to freeze this, I recommend prepping the crust but not putting it in the pie pan yet. Prep the crust and transfer to a freezer safe container. When you're ready to use it, remove it from the freezer and let it thaw. Then, you can form it into the pie pan and bake it.
More Homemade Pie Recipes
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The Best Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
Equipment
- Digital Food Scale
- Food Processor
- 9-Inch Pie Pan
Ingredients
- 204 grams honey graham crackers (crushed)
- 113 grams salted butter (softened)
- 57 grams cane sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a food processor, add half the graham crackers, butter, and cane sugar. My trick for the ensuring this easily mixes together quickly is adding half the graham crackers, butter on top, then add the sugar right on top of the butter as this helps prevent it from sticking to the sides. Last add in the remaining half of graham crackers. Pulse, and then mix until you have a uniform mixture and there are no chunks of graham crackers or butter.
- Grease a 9-inch pie pan with butter. Transfer the graham cracker mixture to the pie pan, and lightly press it into the sides of the pan first. Use the remaining crust, and press it down into the bottom of the pan. (You can watch me do this in the video tutorial below!).
- Bake for 5 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Allow to cool completely before using.
- Store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Video
Notes
- Always weigh ingredients for the best results.
- Ingredients really matter since there is so few! So, choose high quality ingredients you like the flavor of.
- You can use this homemade graham cracker crust recipe for any dessert recipe that calls for graham cracker crust.
- This recipe works for a 9-inch pie pan. You can also use it for a 9×9-inch square pan, an 8×8-inch square pan, a 9-inch springform pan, or you can double the recipe if you need crust for a 9×13-inch baking pan.
- I'm usually always preaching about the right pie pan for the pie, and because this pie is not an all butter pie crust, you can use a pie plate like glass or ceramic here and it won't make a difference, like it does with a butter pie crust. So, use your pretty pie pan for this!
- You can prep this ahead of time, up to 2 days in advance if needed!
- If you are looking for a chocolate graham cracker crust, check out How to Make Chocolate Graham Cracker Crust from Scratch.
- High Altitude — Follow the recipe as noted.
Nutrition
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I’ve been making this graham cracker crust in my bakery for over a decade! It’s my go to for pies and cheesecakes!