Name: Graham Cracker Crust
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 1 crust
Ingredients: 2 cups crushed graham crackers or chocolate graham crackers (about 32 squares); ⅓ cup granulated sugar; 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Sweets

Graham Cracker Crust

Author: Mary DiSomma

Making your own pie dough or tart crust might sound complex, but it’s actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it! Once you get this graham cracker crust down, other crusts will come easily. I love graham crackers! If you love them as much as I do, you may want to make a 1½- or double-batch of this easy crust. Extra graham cracker crust won’t hurt your recipes—it’ll just add more crunchy, buttery goodness to the final result. If you like chocolate, simply swap regular graham crackers for chocolate graham crackers. Get creative!

I have two helpful hints for how to flawlessly execute the humble graham cracker crust. This classic pie crust option is so simple to make… almost deceptively simple. It just tastes so dang good! Press it firmly into the pan and refrigerate, refrigerate, refrigerate! Because the crust has a fine texture, you need to pack it firmly into place (I press with my hands and then switch to a flat-bottomed glass). Chilling the dough in the refrigerator or freezer before adding your pie filling firms up the butter and makes the crust less likely to shrink during baking. If you’re interested in learning how to make pastry crusts and need inspiration for endless pie fillings, get yourself (or another baker in your life) a copy of My Life in Pies.

Graham Cracker Crust

If you love graham crackers, this buttery crunchy crust is such a simple way to enhance your desserts. You can easily double this recipe and keep the second crust in your freezer for ice cream pies! And if you like chocolate, you can simply swap out the regular flavor for chocolate graham crackers.

Yield: 1 crust
Prep Time: 20 minutes 20 min
Cook Time: 0 minutes0 min
Total Time: 20 minutes 20 min

Ingredients

2 cups crushed graham crackers or chocolate graham crackers (about 32 squares)
⅓ cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

Instructions

If the graham crackers are whole, place them in a food processor and pulse until ground to crumb consistency. In a mixing bowl, combine the crumbs and sugar. Add the melted butter and mix.
Spray a 9-inch pie pan or springform pan with nonstick cooking spray and transfer the crumb mixture into the pan. Firmly press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and side of the pan.
Refrigerate or freeze the crust for 30 minutes before baking and/or filling. This will firm up the butter in the crust and help the crust hold together.

View Mary's Tips

Ingredient Tips

There are two steps to creating a perfect graham cracker crust:

The mixture needs to be firmly pressed into the pan. I start by using my fingers, then switch to a flat-bottomed glass. Press the bottom of the glass onto the crust (but not too hard!) to pack it firmly into place.
Refrigerate or freeze the crust before adding your pie filling. That extra chill will firm up the butter and make the crust less likely to shrink during baking.

That's it!

I love graham crackers! Using extra graham cracker crust won’t hurt your recipes—they’ll just add more of that crunchy, buttery goodness to the final result. You can also sprinkle extra over your favorite ice cream for an easy treat. If you love them as much as I do, you may want to make a double batch and freeze a second crust for a future pie!