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    Home - Basics

    Published: Jun 9, 2020 · Modified: Oct 5, 2021 by Amanda Powell · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Easy Graham Cracker Crust

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    The crust is always the best part when you use this buttery, never crumbly graham cracker crust recipe.

    ingredients for making crust

    How to make a graham cracker crust

    Making a crust for your cheesecake or pie is so incredibly easy. It doesn't take a lot of ingredients or prep.

    1. Crush your graham crackers - I usually have the box of pre-crushed graham crackers, but it is about 10 full sheets of the full crackers.
    2. Stir in the other dry ingredients until well-combined.
    3. Drizzle in the melted butter and stir until everything looks like wet sand.
    adding brown sugar to graham cracker crumbs

    Pro-tip for sturdy crust

    So I don't know about you, but I never put any thought into how to press in your crust into your springform pan or pie pan. There is, however, an ideal way to press in your crust to ensure you have the best structure to hold up to any type of filling you may be using.

    Start with the sides and the edges where the sides meet the bottoms, then with the remaining crumbs, press in the bottom.

    You don't need nearly as much for the bottom of crust as you may think. Having sturdy sides and edges not only ensures your pie holds up to being cut, but it won't fall apart against the weight of the filling.

    adding butter to graham cracker crumbs

    Substitutions

    This crust recipe serves to be an amazing base for you to make substitutions for all situations.

    If you don't have graham crackers, you can use Nilla wafers, digestive biscuits (with or without chocolate), shortbread, or anything similar.

    Similarly, you can substitute the brown sugar with granulated sugar.

    ingredients for crust mixed together in bowl

    I do not recommend substituting the butter, especially if what you want to substitute the butter with has a lower melting point and you do not plan on baking the crust (for example, coconut oil).

    This is because when you do not bake your pie crust, you are depending on your butter to solidify to hold the crust together. Lower melting points means your substitute might soften sooner and leave you with a crust that falls apart.

    If you want to use coconut oil or similar substitutes, I recommend haking the crust because then the sugar will melt and caramelize which will hold the crust together.

    graham cracker crumbs in pie pan

    Graham cracker crust F.A.Q.s

    Do I need to bake this crust?

    Nope! Chilling or freezing the crust will work just fine to keep it together.

    graham cracker crumbs being pressed into pie pan with back of measuring cup

    Recipes you'll love

    If you've got your graham cracker crust ready and want some inspiration on what to make now, try this s'mores pie or s'mores brownies. You can also use it on this blueberry ice cream pie. It'll also be great for this birthday cheesecake, caramel nut cheesecake, and lemon meringue cheesecake. Want to know what to do with your leftover graham crackers? Use it in these s'mores cookies.

    close up finished crust in pie pan
    graham cracker crumbs being pressed into pie pan with back of measuring cup

    Easy Graham Cracker Crust

    Amanda Powell
    A foolproof easy graham cracker crust that is guaranteed to not get crumbly!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Total Time 5 mins
    Course Basics
    Cuisine American
    Servings 1 crust
    Calories 192 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon optional
    • ¼ cup packed brown sugar
    • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ cup unsalted butter melted

    Instructions
     

    • In a bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon (if using), packed brown sugar, and sea salt together.
    • Pour in the melted butter and stir well.
    • Add the crumbs to your springform pan or your pie tin.
    • Press in the sides, then the edges, then the bottom. Use the bottom and/or sides of a lightly greased cup. to ensure the crumbs are tightly pressed in.
    • This crust does not need to be baked, and will do well just being frozen for a few minutes. If your recipe calls for a baked crust, follow the instructions for that recipe.

    Notes

    Press in the crumbs in the order recommended so you are sure you have sturdy sides and edges to hold up your filling.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1sliceCalories: 192kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 1gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 142mgFiber: 1gSugar: 9g
    Keyword cheesecake, cheesecake crust, crust, graham crackers, pie, pie crust
    Tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram! @acookienameddesire #acookienameddesire

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    About Amanda Powell

    Baker, photographer, and sometimes world traveler behind A Cookie Named Desire. Obsessed with helping people live life sweetly with delicious food to share with the special people in your life and creating lasting memories.

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    Hi, I'm Amanda! I am the baker and photographer behind A Cookie Named Desire. I'm a world traveler (sometimes) with a major weakness for cookies and cheese. While I'm mostly self-taught, I recently received a degree in Food Science!

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