Graham Cracker Crust

Continuing with my deep dive into homemade pie crusts, today I'm showing you how to make a graham cracker crust! This is just about the easiest pie crust you can make and it's scrumptious with all types of different fillings—Key lime, lemon , chocolate, and pumpkin cream to name a few. I've outlined everything below, including some step-by-step photos to guide you in the right direction. This is a pie crust you really can't mess up.

You just need three ingredients (graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and buttah) and 20 minutes, and you're set. You can even make a crust days, weeks, or months ahead of time (more on that below!) which I find immensely helpful during the holiday rush. Here's how it goes!

Do you need a food processor to make a graham cracker crust?

No, there are other ways to crush the graham crackers. The easiest is to place the crackers in a large zip-top bag and crush them using a rolling pin. Keep going until you have fine, sandy, uniform crumbs. You don't want any big chunks in there. Crushing crackers is oddly therapeutic!

Can you make a graham cracker crust ahead of time?

Yes, you sure can! A baked graham cracker crust can be wrapped in plastic and stored at room temperature for up to three days. Make sure you let it cool completely before wrapping it in plastic so it doesn't sweat and turn soggy. You can also wrap and freeze an unbaked graham cracker crust for up to three months. Let it thaw completely at room temperature before baking.

How to Make Graham Cracker Crust

INGREDIENTS

• Graham crackers: You need 12 sheets of graham crackers for this crust, which is a little less than half of a standard 14.4-ounce box. (Save the rest for s'mores!) Stick with classic graham crackers, or switch up the flavor by using cinnamon or chocolate graham crackers for a twist. Gluten-free grahams crackers can also be used.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar lightly sweetens the crust. It also helps the crust get golden and crisp since the sugar caramelizes in the oven.
• Butter: Butter holds the crumbs together to form the crust. To balance out the sweetness of the other ingredients, use salted butter. If you only have unsalted butter on hand, use it but add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the crumbs.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

A food processor helps this crust come together so quickly! Place the graham crackers in the food processor, snapping them in half as needed so they all fit. Sprinkle in the sugar and pulse away until the crackers break down into fine, uniform crumbs. Drizzle in the melted butter and keep pulsing.

Once the butter is fully incorporated, the crumbs should look like wet sand. Scoop some into your hand and pinch it. If the crumbs stick together, you're ready to move on to the next step. If the crumbs don't stick, pulse them together a few more times until the butter coats the crumbs more evenly.

Dump the crumbs into a pie plate and start to press them into the bottom and sides. You need something with a flat surface to pack the crumbs in well—the bottom of a measuring cup or a small juice glass works great for this! This recipe makes enough for a 9-inch pie plate, and since there's plenty of butter in the crumb mixture, there's no need to grease it first.

Pop the crust into a 350-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 10 minutes. When it's done baking, it will look lightly golden, dry, and firm. Be sure to let the crust cool completely before adding your favorite filling. This crust can be used with tons of different pies, including those with no-bake and baked fillings.

A full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.