This homemade Graham Cracker Crust is thick and buttery and so easy to make with 4 ingredients. Perfect baked or no bake pie crust for all your favorite pies and desserts.
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Instantly level up your desserts with this sweet, buttery graham cracker crust recipe made with brown sugar and a hint of cinnamon.
This homemade baked or no bake graham cracker crust recipe is nice and thick to provide a sturdy base for your favorite cream pies, cheesecake recipe, or any dessert with a graham cracker crust.
It's the perfect no bake graham cracker pie crust recipe for any no bake dessert recipe, no bake cheesecake, and no bake pies, like this Easy Chocolate Pudding Pie or No Bake Key Lime Pie.
You can also use this recipe to make a baked graham cracker crust if you want a firmer crust for a no bake recipe or in baked dessert recipes like Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust.
It's so delicious and easy to make, you may never buy store-bought pie crusts again.
Why You're Going to Love This Recipe
Easy graham cracker crust recipe with simple ingredients
Perfect base for baked and no bake desserts
Rich and buttery with brown sugar and cinnamon
Perfect graham cracker crust recipe for a 9 to 10 inch pie dish or springform pan
Ingredients
Graham crackers. 2 cups of graham cracker crumbs make a thick and sturdy crust.
Use store-bought graham cracker crumbs or make your own crushed graham crackers. Choose any flavor of graham crackers you love -- honey, cinnamon, chocolate graham crackers ... no wrong answers here!
Melted butter. Melted butter helps bind the crust together.
Brown sugar. Brown sugar adds a rich toffee flavor and helps the crust hold its shape. You can also use granulated sugar.
Cinnamon. A little bit of cinnamon levels up this homemade graham cracker crust. It's totally optional, but I highly recommend it in any recipe that works with cinnamon.
Should You Bake a Graham Cracker Crust?
This graham cracker crust recipe is great for baked and no bake desserts.
Whether or not you should bake it will depend on the filling recipe you're using and your preference.
Baked crust. Usually, when a graham cracker crumb crust is used in a baked recipe like this Pumpkin Pie, it needs to be pre-baked first. I pre-bake the crust for 10 minutes at 350 before adding the pumpkin pie filling.
You can also pre-bake a graham cracker crust for no bake desserts, which will make the crust firmer and a little more sturdy -- and maybe a little easier to remove clean slices from the pan.
No bake crust. This easy no bake crust is perfect for chilled no bake pie recipes like this Chocolate Pudding Pie and other desserts with no bake filling.
A no bake graham cracker crust will be a little more crumbly and softer than a baked crust, but you can see below that it holds together well.
Chill the graham cracker crust in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15 minutes before adding the filling. After filling the crust, chill the dessert for another 4 hours.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Make graham cracker crumbs.
Grind the graham crackers into fine crumbs in a food processor. You can also place the graham crackers in a zip lock bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
2. Mix the crust together.
Stir the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl to break up any clumps in the brown sugar and distribute it evenly throughout the graham cracker mixture.
Add the melted butter and stir until completely combined. It should be the consistency of wet sand.
3. Press the mixture into the pie plate.
Pour the crust mixture into the pie plate and use your hands to press the crumbs into the pan.
Start at the bottom of the pan and work your way up the sides. Use the bottom of a measuring cup or the bottom of a glass to pack the crumbs into the pie plate.
⭐Pro Tip: Use firm pressure but don't press too hard or the crust can become hard in a baked crust and cause a no bake crust to stick to the pan.
4. Even out the edges of the crust.
Work your way around the crust using one thumb to lightly even out the top of the crust and your other hand or a measuring cup to press the crust into the side of the plate.
5. Bake. Or not.
If you are baking the crust, bake it at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or according to the filling recipe instructions.
For a no bake graham cracker crust, chill the crust in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or freeze it for 15 minutes before adding your filling. Chill the dessert for 4 more hours before slicing.
Tips to Make the Best Graham Cracker Crust, No Bake or Baked
Set yourself up for success by keeping a few things in mind before you make your homemade graham cracker crust.
Use fine crumbs. Use store-bought graham cracker crumbs or make your own. The finer the crumbs, the better they'll hold together.
Mix well. Before adding the butter, stir the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon together to break up any clumps of brown sugar.
Press firmly, but not too hard. Press the crumb mixture into the pan with enough pressure to pack the crumbs into a compact crust. Be careful not to use too much pressure or the crust can become hard or stick to the pan.
Check for an even crust. If your pie plate is clear, hold it up to the light to see if there are any thin spots in your crust.
⭐Pro Tip: If the no bake crust sticks to the pan, dip the bottom of the pie plate in hot water for a few seconds and the crust should easily release.
FAQs
Yes. You can pre-bake a graham cracker crust for baked desserts and no bake desserts. Bake it for 10 minutes at 350 and add the filling for baked desserts. Let it cool completely for no bake pies and desserts.
There is really no comparison between pre-made graham cracker crusts and homemade graham cracker crusts.
Store bought crusts are usually thin, sometimes already broken by the time you get them home, and generally lacking homemade flavor. This homemade graham cracker crust recipe is buttery with a rich toffee flavor from the brown sugar and a touch of warm cinnamon.
Create your own delicious dessert recipes by making up your favorite pie crust flavors with:
Gingersnaps
Vanilla wafers
Sandwich cookies
Animal crackers
More Great Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Graham Cracker Crust (No Bake & Baked)
Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs about 16 graham cracker sheets
- 8 tablespoons butter 1 stick
- ⅓ cup brown sugar light or dark
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon optional
Instructions
- If you are starting with whole graham crackers, grind them into fine crumbs in a food processor. You can also place them in a heavy duty ziptop bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- Stir the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon together in a medium bowl, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar.
- Add the melted butter and stir until completely combined.
- Pour the graham cracker mixture into a pie plate or springform pan. Use your hands to press the crumbs into the pan. Start at the center and work your way up the sides of the pan. Use a glass or the bottom of a measuring cup to pack the crumbs into the pan. Use firm pressure but don't press too hard or the crust can become hard in a baked crust and cause a no bake crust to stick to the pan.Work your way around the crust using one thumb to lightly even out the top of the crust and your other hand or a measuring cup to press the crust into the side of the plate.
- Baked graham cracker crust: Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes or according to the filling recipe instructions.
- No bake graham cracker crust: Chill the crust in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or the freezer for 15-20 minutes before filling. Or follow the filling recipe instructions. Chill the filled pie for at least 4 hours before slicing.
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