Also called cookie crumb crust, this is the simple way to bake pies without making the traditional dough from scratch. It's a basic, 2-ingredient recipe that is fantastic for hot months because you can choose to bake it for just 10 minutes, or go the no bake road and simply refrigerate it until firm. It keeps well frozen and can be made with other plain cookies if you choose to. But graham crackers are the best imho.
As I mentioned above, this is the perfect crust to make when you don't want to work too much or turn on the oven for a long time.
Why it works
- Easy recipe: it involves little work and uses few ingredients which might just be the perfect combination.
- No bake: you can only chill it in the refrigerator (and omit the 10 minutes in the oven) and have a hundred percent no bake crust. Ideal for summer pies whose filling doesn't require baking.
- Make ahead: you can make it, cover it and keep it in the fridge for a week or frozen for a month.
- Different fillings: I think it's the perfect base for several kind of pies. I use it a lot, like for my go to Easy Pumpkin Pie, the Margarita Key Lime Pie, my favorite no-bake Banoffee Pie. And many others fillings and cream pies, like the Strawberry Pie with jello, or my family's Fresh Strawberry Cream Tart. Also great for an ice cream pie in the Summer when we want no bake desserts.
- Versatile: you can add spices, or ground nuts, or some brown sugar, or citrus zest, a handful of oats, and vary this basic recipe. The possibilities are so, so many.
Ingredients
Only 2 ingredients are needed to make this graham cracker pie crust. Told you it was perfect for hot months!
- Graham crackers: the traditional and popular ones from the store that are ground to fine crumbs.
- Butter: unsalted butter is used melted.
But, it's also quite versatile and you can add other ingredients to enhance it: some sugar to make it sweeter, spices to add more flavor, ground nuts to add crunch. Just to name some.
What are graham crackers?
They are old fashioned commercial cookies from the US made with graham flour (or whole wheat flour) that are flavored with honey and/or cinnamon. They are wildly popular for cheesecake bases mostly, but also used for bars and pies.
Years ago I tried two of the most popular recipes to see how they measured against each other, and it's all in this homemade graham cracker recipe post.
Easy steps
- The graham crackers have to be processed until you have fine crumbs. I use the food processor always. But, they can be crushed with a rolling pin. This will take a little while and the best way is to put them inside a large ziploc-style plastic bag, leave it opened a little and roll the pin until you have very fine crumbs. Don't be tempted to stop when you still have coarse pieces because the crust will no be compacted as it should.
- Combine graham cracker crumbs with the melted butter in a medium bowl until it resembles wet sand. If in doubt whether it's too dry or not, err on the side of more butter and add a few teaspoons more.
- Scatter this mixture in the pan you're using, preferably a springform pan unless you plan to serve it in the pie dish.
- Press mixture to form the sides and make sure the whole thing is tightly compacted. Leave the bottom of the pan for last.
- Use a spoon or a measuring cup to aid you, and also your hands.
- I recommend baking it 10 minutes at 350°F/180°C to achieve a more solid crust. A baked crust will have few chances of crumbling much.
You can also use the traditional glass or ceramic pie dish or pie plate that doesn't have a removable bottom. The way to press and make the crust is the same but I highly recommend you bake this one for ten minutes so that the crust is firmer and easier to cut and take out of the pan without crumbling.
I put together a step-by-step video to guide you 👇🏻
Top tips
- Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
- Fine crumbs: make sure the graham crackers are well processed and there are no large pieces, or coarse crumbs. A food processor is the best way to achieve this. The finer the crumbs the better compacted the pie crust will be and the result will be way better.
- Wet sand: make sure the mixture of melted butter and cookie crumbs is wet, like when you make a sand castle wet. Not dripping or with butter pooling anywhere. But all of the crumbs must be fully coated.
- Angles: after you scatter the crumb mixture in the pan, start with the sides of the pie plate, and pay special attention to the place where they meet the bottom. That angle needs to be more thick than not to ensure the whole crust has structure.
- Well compacted: it's very important that you press and compact it very well, making sure it is a thick layer all around. This is one of the key details when making this type of crust.
- Other cookies: though graham crackers have a unique flavor, this recipe works with with any other plain cookie or digestive biscuits, no matter the flavor. It just has to go well with the filling. I've made it with chocolate wafers for a baked cheesecake, with gingersnaps and a sweet potato pie filling and vanilla wafers for the Margarita Key Lime pie.
Frequently asked questions
With this recipe! Find the ingredients, instructions, and tips below in the recipe card.
It can and, in my opinion, it's better if you do. It depends on what you want to do, but baking it makes it firmer as the butter acts as a glue. If you don't bake it, you can still chill it until it's firm enough to fill and cut. But it's never as solid as when it has been baked.
You add enough butter and you bake it for 10 minutes. This will ensure it doesn't fall apart when you remove it from the pan and you cut it. When in doubt, always add a few more tablespoons of melted butter than less. A crumbly mixture is usually the result of too many cookie crumbs in relation to the amount of butter.
It's not necessary. The mixture has a lot of butter, so adding more to the pan is not recommended. However, if your pan is old or doesn't have a smooth finish, you might want to lightly butter it just to be on the safe side.
Other recipes you might like:
Let me know in the comments below if you made this recipe and loved it, and also if you had issues, so we can troubleshoot together. I love to hear what you think, always. Thanks for being here, it's much appreciated.
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Graham Cracker Crust Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Refrigeration time: 60 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Pies & Tarts
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Description
Also called cookie crumb crust, this is the easy way to make a homemade pie without making the traditional pie dough from scratch. It's a basic recipe that is fantastic for hot months because you can choose to bake it for just 10 minutes, or not bake it at all and simply refrigerate until firm. It keeps well frozen and can be made with other plain cookies if you choose to. But graham crackers are the best imho.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (200g) graham cracker crumbs
- ½ cup butter, melted
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350°F/180°C.
- Have ready a 9-inch pie pan with removable bottom. An 8-inch also works but the crust will be thicker. You can also use a pie plate without removable bottom, like with this Pumpkin Pie, which are very popular during the holidays.
- For the cookie crumbs, the easiest way is to use a food processor and process until you have fine crumbs. Make sure there are no large pieces or that it's a very coarse crumb mixture. That will prevent the mixture from compressing well. You can also make the crumbs by hand, but it takes a while and some patience. Crush the cookies with a rolling pin. It's easier if you put them in a large plastic bag, like a ziploc bag.
- Mix crumbs with melted butter in a medium bowl until it resembles wet sand.
- Pat onto a removable 24cm pan and press well, starting at the edges and the angles were it joins the bottom part and make sure it's pressed and compact. This will help when removing the pie from the pan.
- Bake for 10 minutes, until lightly golden and dry. Let cool completely on metal rack before filling.
- For a no-bake dessert, simply put the crust in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the butter to firm up. This will make it less sturdier and might crumble here and there when you cut it.
Notes
Organization: always read the recipe first and make sure you have all the ingredients, at the right temperatures, and also the rest of the equipment and space to make it. This will make the process so much easier!
Fine crumbs: make sure the graham crackers are well processed and there are no large pieces, or coarse crumbs. A food processor is the best way to achieve this. The finer the crumbs the better compacted the pie crust will be and the result will be way better.
Wet sand: make sure the mixture of melted butter and cookie crumbs is wet, like when you make a sand castle wet. Not dripping or with butter pooling anywhere. But all of the crumbs must be fully coated.
Angles: after you scatter the crumb mixture in the pan, start with the sides, and pay special attention to the place where they meet the bottom. That angle needs to be more thick than not to ensure the whole crust has structure.
Well compacted: it's very important that you press and compact it very well, making sure it is a thick layer all around. This is one of the key details when making this type of crust.
Keywords: graham cracker crust
your recipes are simple and easy to make i am going to try the cheesecake which is my husbands favorite dessert. He just found out that he has cancer so i will do and make anything he likes. Thank you for the
recipes. Keep them coming
Thanks for your comment Caroline and I'm sorry for the moment you're all going through. Will keep you in my thoughts ❤️