I used to view pie crust as simply a necessary vehicle to eat pie filling - especially if that crust was a dinky little store-bought crust. I'd been missing out, though, because a Homemade Graham Cracker Crust is so much tastier than store-bought. Plus, it's easy to make!
A homemade graham cracker crust is super quick if you start with packaged crumbs, but it doesn't take much longer if you decide to just crush leftover graham crackers you already have. It's also versatile - you can sub in chocolate grahams, animal crackers, or even a little cereal if you run out of cookies!
Plus, when you make your own crust, your house smells amazing.
I always make my own crust when I make Coconut Cream Pie, but my grandma's Chocolate Pie would also be good in it. Really, any kind of cream pie filling should go well in it. You can also bake your filling into a graham cracker crust, like I do for my Key Lime Pie!
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Ingredients & Equipment
Graham cracker crusts have a short ingredient list - just graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter!
If you don't have, or can't find, graham cracker crumbs, you can go old-school and make your own. You'll need about 10.5 whole graham crackers (just over 1 sleeve).
Using a food processor is the easiest way to crush them. You can also put them in a quart-sized zipper bag and crush them with a meat mallet or your fingertips. (Kids often want to help with that!) You want very small crumbs, and no big pieces.
(If you use graham cracker crumbs, I highly recommend you try my 5-Ingredient Cookie Bars with the leftover crumbs!)
You can also use chocolate grahams, uniced animal crackers, or other small, plain cookies instead of graham crackers. If you run out of grahams, you can substitute in a small amount of a plain rice, oat, or corn cereal, very finely crushed. Cereal tends to hold its texture and may make for a crunchier crust. It will add a different flavor, so I do that as a last resort.
Whatever you use, be sure that the package is fresh. Since graham crackers are made with graham flour, a kind of whole wheat flour, it can give the crust an off-taste if they are stale.
Don't skip the granulated sugar; it makes for a tastier crust.
If you wanted to go dairy-free, a non-dairy butter should work. I also expect that melted coconut oil would work, but I haven't tried it; it would likely make your crust taste coconutty. Check your graham crackers to be sure that they're dairy-free.
I make this in a 9-inch pie plate (affiliate link). You can also use a slightly larger pie plate or a deep dish pie plate (affiliate link), and it will work fine. Your crust will be slightly thinner, but there's plenty of crumbs here. I highly recommend using glass or ceramic dishes instead of metal. Metal will heat more quickly, and may crisp your crust too much.
Instructions
I've adapted this recipe slightly from the Betty Crocker Cookbook (affiliate link), and it's super easy to make!
Crush your graham crackers if you're not using packaged graham cracker crumbs. You want them to be finely crushed, all about the same size. You don't want whole pieces of graham crackers in your crust!
- Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. The crumbs should be sandy and loose once mixed. Check the bottom of the bowl for clumps.
- Pour the moistened graham cracker crumbs into a pie dish.
- Use medium pressure and the back of a measuring cup to pat the crumbs along the bottom and up the sides of the pie dish. You want the crust to stick together, but don't want it to be too hard in the corners. Use your thumb to press the edge down and against the measuring cup as you pat.
- Bake at 350F to set the crust. This also toasts the crust to make it extra tasty, and smells great.
If you're making a cream pie (like my Coconut Cream Pie) and won't be baking the crust again, allow your baked crust to cool completely (about an hour) before adding the filling. If you fill the crust too soon after baking, it can become soggy.
If you're making a pie where you bake the filling, like with my Key Lime Pie, you can add the filling immediately and bake.
Recipe FAQ
Yes and no. I often buy store-brand graham crackers and crumbs, and find that they work fine. However, IIRC, not all brands contain graham flour, which is a type of whole wheat flour. Always look at the ingredient list to be sure that graham flour is included; it's sometimes the second ingredient. Without it, you just have lightly sweetened cookies.
Use fresh graham crackers or crumbs whenever possible. Since they're made from whole wheat flour, they can age and go rancid, leading to an off-taste in your crust.
When I've been using leftover graham crackers to make a crust and don't have quite enough, I reach for something that tastes as similar as possible. Plain, uniced animal crackers work fine. An unglazed cereal will also work.
However, cereal often has additives that help it stay crisp in milk, so your crust may be slightly crunchier. If you use cereal, be sure to get your crumbs very, very fine.
You can make the crust in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a few days, or in the freezer for a few months. However, I've never done this as I'm always afraid I will tip the container and it somehow won't stick together 😆 If you do make the crust in advance, be sure to thaw it and bring it to room temperature before filling it or baking it again.
It's pretty quick to make the crust, so I usually make it when I need it. If you're concerned with time, I'd recommend using packaged graham cracker crumbs or crushing your graham crackers in advance, keeping fresh crumbs in the refrigerator until you're ready to bake the crust.
🥧Favorite Pie Recipes
I love using a graham cracker crust to make these pies:
Interested in other recipes? I save and share recipes I like or want to try on my Pinterest page - follow me there! You can also check out my Facebook page for more recipes and helpful tips. I'm also happy to try to help troubleshoot my recipes there.
Have you tried this recipe? Or have a question about it? Rate it or leave a comment below! (PS: rating my recipes helps other people find them, too!)
📖 Recipe
Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
Equipment
- 9-inch pie plate (affiliate link)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs (160 grams)
- 2 tablespoons sugar (25 grams)
- ⅓ cup butter (70 grams, melted)
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Mix them until everything is sandy, scraping up any crumbs that have clumped together at the bottom.
- Pour moistened graham cracker crumbs into a 9-inch pie plate (affiliate link). With medium pressure, use your hands and the side of a measuring cup to press the crumbs along the bottom and sides of the pan. If you pat too hard, the crust will be hard; if you don't pat much, the crumbs won't stick together. Don't bother making a crust over the rim; it doesn't usually stay attached.
- Bake crust at 350F for 10 minutes. (It will smell amazing!)
- If baking a filling into the crust, you can fill and bake immediately.
- Cool completely before filling with a premade filling. Crusts filled before cooled run the risk of becoming soggy.
Leona Konkel says
Making a graham cracker crust is so fast and easy that I will never buy one at the grocery store. I hope you have just as much success with my recipe as I do. If you ty it, let me know how it turns out!