Want to make baking a cake an even easier process than usual? Prepare a Graham Cracker Crust ahead of time and add the pie filling later! This homemade pie crust brings a hint of sweetness and is so buttery and tender!
But if you’re looking for a traditional tart, be sure to check out my Homemade Flaky Pie Tart, it’s AMAZING!
This is the BEST homemade graham cracker crust recipe!
All delicious cakes begin with a fundamental step: preparing a good shortcrust pastry. And this Graham Cracker pie crust? It’s one of the best.
You can use this homemade pie crust to make any pie you want. Apple pie, chocolate pudding pie, lemon meringue pie, cherry pie… literally any flavor you want will work. If you’re still trying to decide what kind of cake to make, don’t worry! Make this pie crust ahead of time, freeze it, and think about the rest later! (You also make a graham cracker cheesecake crust! More on that later…)
Making freezer-safe pie crusts, like this one from Graham Cracker, saves time. Of course, you can use store-bought pastry, but this homemade version is just as simple! If I get a sudden craving for cake (I mean, who doesn’t get some once every few weeks), or I need to whip up a quick dessert for guests, I already have half the dessert ready! Honestly, though, I could just eat this crust. That’s all. This is dessert. It’s the perfect amount of flaky, it’s buttery, it’s sweet… it’s everything you could ask for.
What you will need/Ingredients:
What’s inside this graham cracker crust? Not that much, actually! You will only need 5 ingredients – 4 if you don’t like cinnamon. Here’s the breakdown:
- Graham crackers: You will need crushed graham crackers to top this pie crust – you can crush whole sheets of graham crackers yourself, or you can purchase graham cracker crumbs from the store for convenience. You can also use any type of graham cracker you like. Cinnamon graham, honey graham… the choice is yours! You could even make this recipe with Oreo cookies!
- Sugar: I like to use regular granulated sugar for a little added sweetness.
- Butter: Fused. I generally use unsalted butter because you will be adding salt to the mixture later.
- Salt: Kosher salt is my favorite for this recipe.
- Optional add-on: Ground Cinnamon: Adds something special to the flavor and tastes great!
How to Make Graham Cracker Pie Crust
If you thought making shortcrust pastry might seem complicated, you can let go of your worries. This is one of the easiest prep jobs you’ll do all week. Here’s how to make a simple but tasty graham cracker pie crust:
Preheat the oven to 180°C: Then, in a blender or food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they are fine crumbs.
Combine all ingredients: In a large bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter, salt, and cinnamon, if using.
Form the crust and bake: Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of an ungreased 9-inch cake pan or hinged pan uniformly. Cook for 7-8 minutes, until lightly browned.
Tips for success
See what I mean? Easy dessert (half) completed.
If you’re looking for a couple more extra tips/guides, I have a few that helped me complete this pie crust:
- If using for a no-cook recipe: If you plan to make a no-bake pie, I recommend letting the crust cool for 1-2 hours – this will keep it better and be easier to cut.
- How to crush graham crackers: You can use a food processor or simply place whole sheets of graham crackers in a Ziploc bag, seal it tightly, and crush them with a rolling pin – it works either way!
- Press crust firmly into pan: To do this it is very useful to use the bottom of a measuring cup or glass cup. Make sure the crumbs are thickly packed into the pan so the crust doesn’t crumble too easily later.
Ways to Use This Graham Cracker Crust
There are so many ways to enjoy this tart! As I’m sure you know, there are many dessert recipes out there that can use a good pie crust. Here are just a few:
- No-bake cake: Some days you just don’t want to turn on/deal with the oven! (Especially in the summer.) No-bake pie is a great way to enjoy dessert while keeping the kitchen fresh like my frozen peach pie! Skip the store-bought crust and make your own from scratch!
- A normal baked cake: The classic baked cakes are also good. A cinnamon graham cracker crust goes perfectly with pumpkin pie!
- A cheesecake: If you want to make a cheesecake with this crust, use a springform pan instead of a pie pan. Like my Key Lime Cheesecake!
Make it ahead of time and freeze it
This graham cracker crust is a great recipe to make ahead! It keeps so well in the fridge or freezer, so you can make it a few days ahead and then refill it later, as mentioned above. If you want to freeze the crust, I recommend waiting to cook it. Press it into the 9-inch pie plate, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Make this in any pie plate you like, even a disposable aluminum one works great!
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Description
Want to make baking a cake an even easier process than usual? Prepare a Graham Cracker Pie Crust ahead of time and add the pie filling later! This homemade pie crust brings a hint of sweetness and is so buttery and tender!
- 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers (14 whole crackers)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 5 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- Optional – 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a blender or food processor, pulse graham crackers until fine crumbs.
- In a large bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, melted butter, salt, and cinnamon, if using.
- Press mixture evenly into bottom and sides of an ungreased 9-inch cake pan or springform pan.
- Cook for 7-8 minutes, until lightly browned. If using for a no-bake recipe, chill crust for 1 – 2 hours.
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