How to Make a Graham Cracker Crust

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Learn how to make a Graham Cracker Crust from scratch. Homemade Graham Cracker Crust is sweet, buttery, and miles ahead of anything you can buy at the store.

A graham cracker crust in a springform pan.


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From cheesecakes to custard pies, so make of my favorite dessert recipes start with a Graham Cracker Crust. As a classically-trained chef and a busy mom of 3, I know when itโ€™s fine to take a shortcut to save time and when homemade really is best. When it comes to graham cracker crusts, I encourage you to skip the store-bought version and make this recipe yourself.

Store-bought graham cracker crusts can taste bland or stale, or even worse, turn out to be cracked. Making your crust from scratch means you can use butter, rather than palm oil, to hold your crumbs together, too. A homemade graham cracker crust comes together with just 3 ingredients in minutes, and you can bake it or chill it as your final recipe requires.

Put your graham cracker crust to work in Vanilla Cheesecake, Cheesecake Bars, Chocolate Cream Pie, and more. And for extra credit, consider making Homemade Graham Crackers for the best flavor and texture you can imagine.

Homemade Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients

Graham cracker crust ingredients.

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

  • Graham crackers:ย Honey-flavored, cinnamon, or even chocolate graham crackers all work well. If graham crackers arenโ€™t available in your part of the world, you can substitute 1 ยฝ cups crushed digestive biscuits. (9 sheets of graham crackers yields about 1 ยฝ cups of crumbs.)
  • Sugar: Or substitute 2 tablespoons brown sugar or omit from the crust entirely.
  • Butter

How to Make Graham Cracker Crust

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor, blender, or in a plastic bag with a rolling pin, finely crush graham crackers (you will have about 1 ยฝ cups crumbs).
Crushed graham crackers in a food processor.
  1. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar.
Someone pouring melted butter into crushed graham crackers.
  1. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press the crust evenly and firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Someone using the bottom of a measuring cup to flatten a graham cracker crust.
  1. Bake until golden brown and fragrant, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.
A graham cracker crust in a springform pan.

How to Store Homemade Graham Cracker Crust

  • Yield: This Graham Cracker Crust recipe creates enough to fill a 9-inch springform pan, which will serve about 12 to 16 slices. Or, use this recipe for a 9-inch square baking pan.
  • Make ahead: After baking, cool completely and then store covered (or wrapped in plastic) in the refrigerator up to 3 days in advance.
  • Freezer: Freeze the baked, cooled crust up to 3 months in advance. Thaw at room temperature before using.
A slice of vanilla cheesecake on a plate.

Homemade Graham Cracker Crust FAQs

Can I make this a no-bake Graham Cracker Crust?

Sure. Keep your kitchen cool and the oven off; simply chill the crust (to solidify the melted butter and sugar mixture) for at least 2 hours before filling it.

How to use this recipe for Graham Cracker Crust?

You canโ€™t go wrong with Chocolate Cream Pie, No Bake Lemon Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie, Pumpkin Cheesecake, or Cheesecake Bars with Strawberry Topping. Or soften and scoop any ice cream flavor inside and finish with your favorite sundae toppings for a semi-homemade ice cream pie.

Do I have to use a springform pan?

This crust works great for desserts assembled in a 9-inch square pan, too.

How do you keep a graham cracker crust from falling apart?

To make sure your graham cracker crust stays together through slicing, start by grinding your graham crackers well with a food processor, blender, or in a bag with a rolling pin or pallet. Large, coarse pieces donโ€™t hold together as well as finely ground crumbs. Next, use enough butter to coat the crumbs evenly. Then, be sure to press it tightly into the bottom of your baking dish. I suggest using a flat surface such as the bottom of a measuring cup or glass, or even the back of a spoon. Be sure to either bake or chill the crust depending on your final recipe, too.

Why didnโ€™t my graham cracker crust set?

If your graham cracker crust didnโ€™t set, perhaps your crumbs werenโ€™t ground finely enough and had large, coarse pieces. You also may not have had enough butter to coat the crumbs, or you didnโ€™t press it tightly enough into your baking dish. If you havenโ€™t filled the crust yet, try regrinding the crumbs (butter and all) and pressing into your pie plate again.

Homemade Graham Crackers

This easy Homemade Graham Crackers recipe is made with 100% whole wheat flour and brown sugar. These crackers are truly something special and beyond anything you can buy at the store.

1 hour 20 minutes
View Recipe

Desserts with a graham cracker crust

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A graham cracker crust in a springform pan.

Recipe for Graham Cracker Crust

Learn how to make a Graham Cracker Crust from scratch. Homemade Graham Cracker Crust is sweet, buttery, and miles ahead of anything you can buy at the store.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 16 servings
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Calories 165
5 from 15 votes

Ingredientsย 

Instructionsย 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a food processor, blender, or in a plastic bag with a rolling pin, finely crush graham crackers (you will have about 1 ยฝ cups crumbs).
  • In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press the crust evenly and firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan.
  • Bake until golden brown and fragrant, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.

Recipe Video

Notes

  1. Graham crackers:ย Honey-flavored, cinnamon, or even chocolate graham crackers all work well. If graham crackers arenโ€™t available in your part of the world, you can substitute 1 ยฝ cups crushed digestive biscuits (9 sheets of graham crackers yields about 1 ยฝ cups of crumbs).
  2. Sugar: Or substitute 2 tablespoons brown sugar or omit sugar from the crust entirely.
  3. Yield: This Graham Cracker Crust recipe creates enough to fill a 9-inch springform pan, which will serve about 12 to 16 slices. Or, use this recipe for a 9-inch square baking pan.
  4. Make ahead: After baking, cool completely and then store covered (or wrapped in plastic) in the refrigerator up to 3 days in advance.
  5. Freezer: Freeze the baked, cooled crust up to 3 months in advance. Thaw at room temperature before using.

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 165kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 140mgPotassium: 41mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 208IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 21mgIron: 1mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill

5 from 15 votes (14 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Is it okay to substitute 5 TB dark honey instead of the butter when making graham cracker crust and also eliminate the sugar? Should that be sufficient to bind the crushed gram crackers to make a crumbly textured crust?

    Thank you,
    Yvonne Metzger

    1. Hi Yvonne, I havenโ€™t tried this substitution, so I can not say for sure that it would work. I would start with 3 to 4 tablespoons of honey, and add more to adjust the consistency of the crumbs. You can add more graham cracker crumbs, too, if you find the mixture tacky. Hope this helps! Please write back if you try it! โ€“ Meggan

  2. Hi Meggan,
    I see that some people use light brown sugar when making graham cracker crust. What is the difference between using brown or white sugar? What is best? Thank you.

    1. Hi Tee, using brown sugar and white sugar when making a graham cracker crust depends on personal preference. White sugar is neutrally sweet and helps the crust have a crumbly texture. Brown sugar adds a molasses flavors, moisture, some more light brown color to the crust, and helps the crust have a more chewy texture. Best is whichever you prefer! You can always experiment with one, the other, or a combination of both to find the texture you like best. I hope this helps! Please write with any more questions! โ€“ Meggan

    1. Hi Sherri, yes, possibly. The time it needs to bake may vary depending on the type of pie you are making, so I would recommend following the directions in the recipe. โ€“ Meggan