The Graham Cracker Crust that never lets me down. It’s sweet, sturdy, and buttery with the perfect ratio—and I’m sharing all the tricks to make it flawless every time.
Give this recipe a try with this Lemon Pie, Coconut Cream Pie, an easy Ice Cream Pie, or these Magic Bars.
author’s note
Golden, Buttery, and Gone in Seconds!
I grew up on my mom’s “famous” ice cream pie—she made it all the time, sometimes even weekly. She always used a store-bought graham cracker crust, and I remember picking around it because I just didn’t love it. But I’ll never forget the first time she made it with a homemade graham cracker crust—I was hooked. It was a total game-changer.
Everyone needs a homemade graham cracker crust recipe in their back pocket. It takes just minutes to make, tastes so much better, and works with tons of different desserts. This one has the perfect butter-to-crumb ratio and just the right amount of sweetness.
How To Make Graham Cracker Crust
These tips below will help to ensure a perfect crust every single time!
- Cool the butter: Let melted butter come to room temp before using. Hot butter melts the sugar and crumbs, causing a greasy crust.
- Measure the crumbs: Don’t count graham cracker sheets—brands vary. Blend first, then measure for accuracy.
- Blend well: Crush graham crackers into fine, even crumbs. Re-blend any chunks for a smoother, cleaner crust.
- Press up the sides: Start with the bottom, then press crumbs up the sides evenly so the crust holds together when sliced.
Quick Tip
Use leftover graham cracker crumbs in my favorite graham cracker cookies!
Variations
Switch Things Up
- Mini crusts: Grease or line mini muffin tin. Press 1 tbsp crust into each cavity and up the sides. Use a bottle cap to flatten. Chill 15–20 mins, bake at 350°F for 10 mins. Cool fully, then gently remove and fill.
- No-bake crust: Freeze for 10 mins or chill for 20 to firm up before filling.
- Chocolate crust: Use chocolate or cinnamon grahams instead of honey.
How To Make Graham Cracker Crust For Cheesecake
The method stays the same—only the amounts and bake vs. chill time change based on the pan.
Here’s a quick reference guide for different sized pans:
- 8×8-inch square pan: Double the recipe.
- 9×9-inch pan: double the recipe.
- Graham Cracker crust for a 9×13-inch pan: Triple the recipe.
- Jelly Roll Pan (10.5×15.5): Quadruple the recipe.
- Half-Sheet Pan (18×13): Quadruple the recipe.
Quick Tip
Before adding in the crumbs, line whatever pan you’re using with parchment paper. Once the dessert is done, you can use pull the parchment paper overhang rom the lined pan to easily and cleanly remove the dessert. Then cut into clean slices.
Storage
Storage
Use this crust the same day it’s made or bake it up to a day ahead and store tightly covered at room temperature. Avoid leaving unbaked crust uncovered for more than a few hours to prevent drying.
Graham Cracker Crust Desserts
- Frosted Honey Graham Cookies with a drizzle of honey
- S’mores Cookie Bars with chocolate and marshmallow fluff
- Cheesecake Bars vanilla with berry sauce
- S’mores Energy Bites with cashew butter
- Frozen Pumpkin Pie with graham cracker crust
Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
- 1-3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs about 12–13 full graham cracker sheets—see note 1
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar or light brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl. Once melted, set aside to cool for 5 minutes. (Hot butter will cause a greasy crust.) If you will be baking the crust, preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a blender or food processor, process the graham crackers until they are all fine crumbs (re-blend any large chunks). Measure to get a level 1 and 3/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs (see note 2) and add to a large bowl.
- Add in sugar and salt. Use a spatula to scrape every bit of the melted and cooled butter into the bowl. Gently stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan.
- Using your fingers, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Use the bottom of a flat 1-cup measuring cup to thoroughly compress the graham cracker crumbs into a firm crust.
- Bake or Chill: Bake in the preheated oven for 8 minutes and set aside to cool or chill the crust. (If baking, allow the crust to fully cool before adding the filling.) To chill: Cover formed crust tightly and freeze for 10 minutes or refrigerate for 20 minutes before filling to allow time for the crust to firm up and butter to re-solidify.
Video
Recipe Notes
- 8×8-inch square pan: Double the recipe.
- 9×9-inch pan: Double the recipe.
- Graham cracker crust for a 9×13-inch pan: Triple the recipe.
- Jelly roll pan (10.5×15.5): Quadruple the recipe.
- Half-sheet pan (18×13): Quadruple the recipe.
- Muffin tin crumb crust: Grease or line cavities of a miniature muffin tin. Add 1 tbsp of the prepared crust mixture into each cavity and press against the base and barely up the sides. Use the top of a milk bottle cap to firmly press the bottom. Chill the pan for 15–20 minutes, then bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Fully cool before using an off-set spatula to carefully remove the shells.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
To keep the crust from crumbling, here are my top tips:
–Thoroughly crush the graham crackers into fine crumbs (larger pieces will make the crust fall apart).
-Use melted butter.
–Compress the crust tightly (I like to use the bottom of a flat measuring cup).
Graham cracker crusts can get soggy fast. For wet fillings, bake and fully cool the crust first. Also, let melted butter cool slightly before mixing—it helps prevent a greasy, soggy base.
While no ingredient in the graham cracker crust needs to be baked, you can and often should bake the crust.
Baking the crust is solely to enhance flavors and/or ensure the crust does not get too soggy when the filling is added in.
