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This homemade graham cracker crust is buttery, crisp, and made with just four simple ingredients. It’s my go-to thick graham cracker crust for cheesecakes, springform pans, and deep-dish desserts, and it takes just 10 minutes to bake.
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Pin ItI’ve made SO many cheesecakes and pies over the years, and a graham cracker crust is still one of my favorite dessert bases. There’s no dough to roll, it’s incredibly easy, and I love the sweet, buttery crunch with a creamy filling.
If you’re looking for a traditional pastry crust, try my classic pie crust, or for an extra buttery cookie-style base, my shortbread pie crust is another favorite.
Slice of a no-bake birthday cheesecake with graham cracker crust.
Why You’ll Love This Graham Cracker Crust
Just 4 ingredients: Graham crackers, butter, sugar, and salt.
Quick and easy: No rolling, chilling dough, or complicated pie-crust technique.
Perfect for pies AND cheesecakes: I use graham cracker crust for everything from my classic cheesecake to creamy chilled pies.
Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients
Graham Crackers: I like Honey Maid graham crackers for this crust. Pulse whole crackers into fine crumbs in a food processor, or start with prepared graham cracker crumbs.
Unsalted Butter: Melted butter coats the crumbs and helps the crust hold together.
Sugar: Adds just enough sweetness to the crust.
Salt: A little salt balances the sweetness and buttery flavor.
How to Make a Graham Cracker Crust
1. Make the crumbs: Pulse graham crackers in a food processor until you have 3 cups of fine crumbs. You can also place the crackers in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
2. Mix the crust: Combine 3 cups graham cracker crumbs, 12 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir until the crumbs are evenly coated.
3. Press into the pan: Press the mixture firmly and evenly across the bottom and up the sides of a buttered springform pan. I like using the flat bottom of a measuring cup to get an even crust.
4. Bake: Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Let the crust cool completely before adding the cheesecake or pie filling.
Eden’s Tips for the Best Graham Cracker Crust
Use fine crumbs: Large pieces make it harder for the crust to hold together. I use a food processor to get a fine, even texture.
Press firmly, but not too hard: You want the crumbs compact enough to hold together without creating a crust that’s difficult to cut.
Use a measuring cup: The flat bottom of a measuring cup makes it easy to press the crust evenly across the bottom and neatly up the sides.
Cool it completely: Let the baked crust cool completely before adding a chilled or creamy filling.
Follow your filling recipe: Some desserts may require slightly different crust preparation, so always follow the directions for the pie or cheesecake you’re making.
Recipes That Use Graham Cracker Crust
This is one of those basic recipes you’ll use over and over. It’s especially good with creamy fillings because the crunchy graham cracker crust gives them a little texture.
For cheesecake, use it with my classic cheesecake, no-bake cheesecake, pumpkin cheesecake, blood orange cheesecake, or whipped ricotta cheesecake.
It’s also perfect for pies like my frozen pumpkin mousse pie, chocolate pudding pie, strawberry lemonade pie, and coconut macadamia key lime pie.
Make Ahead & Storage
You can make a graham cracker crust ahead of time, which is especially helpful when you’re making a cheesecake or pie with several steps.
Once prepared and cooled, cover the crust well and refrigerate it for up to 3 days before filling.
For longer storage, wrap the crust well and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw before adding your filling.
Graham Cracker Crust FAQs
No. A graham cracker crust can be baked or chilled depending on the dessert. I prefer prebaking when I want a firmer, toastier crust, but a chilled crust works well for many no-bake desserts.
Make sure your graham crackers are crushed into fine crumbs and that the butter is evenly distributed throughout. The crust also needs to be pressed firmly enough to hold together and then baked or thoroughly chilled before filling.
Packing the crumbs too aggressively can create a crust that’s difficult to cut. Press them firmly enough to form an even crust, but don’t compact them as hard as possible.
Yes! Put the graham crackers in a zip-top bag and crush them into fine crumbs with a rolling pin.
Absolutely. It’s one of my favorite cheesecake crusts. I use graham cracker crusts for everything from classic cheesecake to pumpkin cheesecake.
You can use digestive biscuits to make a crumb crust, but I wouldn’t tell readers to swap them 1:1 with this recipe unless you’ve actually tested that ratio. Digestives have a different texture and sweetness level, so the butter and sugar may need to be adjusted.
More Dessert Recipes
This easy graham cracker crust is one of those recipes you’ll want to keep in your back pocket. If you make it, leave a star rating and comment below and let me know what you filled it with!
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Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs, finely crushed crumbs
- 12 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Add 3 cups graham cracker crumbs, 12 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt to a bowl. Stir until the crumbs are evenly coated.
- Press the mixture evenly across the bottom and up the sides of a buttered springform pan. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to help create an even crust.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Let the crust cool completely before adding the cheesecake or pie filling.
Notes
- This recipe makes a thick graham cracker crust and is designed for a springform pan or deep-dish dessert.
- For a standard pie or thinner crust, your old card says to cut the recipe in half. I’d keep that ONLY if you’ve actually made it that way and know half fills your standard pie plate.
- Use finely crushed graham crackers so the crust holds together well.
- Press the crumbs firmly into the pan, but don’t compact them excessively.
- Cool the crust completely before adding a chilled filling.
- For a dessert that specifically calls for a no-bake crust, follow that recipe’s chilling instructions.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I struggled a bit with this recipe as it was really crumbly and hard to press into pie plate. I just added a bit more melted butter and that did the trick! I also used half graham crackers and half digestive biscuits as that was what I had on hand. Also I only had salted butter and should’ve cut back on adding extra salt. I didnt, and the crust ended up being fairly salty, but with the sweet filling it wasn’t very noticeable. Over all it was very easy, and baked up quite nicely!
Whatever the crust is filled with in the first picture looks so good – what is it?
That is this recipe and graham cracker crust.