Learn how to make a thick, buttery homemade graham cracker crust with this easy recipe and my perfected shaping methods. You need just 3 ingredients, and it tastes so good, I guarantee you’ll never go back to store-bought graham cracker crust. And if graham crackers aren’t available where you live, we’ve got a tested-and-approved biscuit crumb crust alternative for you!
Today I’m teaching you my practiced-and-perfected method for making a deliciously buttery, sweet graham cracker crust that’s wonderfully crisp and crumbly, but still holds shape. You can use it for pies, bar desserts, cheesecakes, and more—like cheesecake pie, banoffee pie, and lemon blueberry cheesecake bars.
Master a graham cracker crust, and the rest is as easy as s’mores brownie pie.
How to Make Your Homemade Graham Cracker Crust (It’s Easy)
Start by grinding up your graham crackers. You can use a food processor or blender for this, but if you don’t have one, just put them in a zip-top bag and crush them with a rolling pin. You want really fine crumbs, so feel free to take out all your frustrations on these crackers!
Mix the crushed graham crackers with the granulated sugar, and then stir in the melted butter. The mixture will be thick, sandy, and coarse. Try to smash/break up any large chunks.
Nabisco Honey Maid Brand vs. Store Brand
After testing multiple brands, my very scientific conclusion (LOL) is that the best graham crackers to use for this crumb crust are the Nabisco Honey Maid brand. The store-brand graham crackers we tried were lighter in color and the texture wasn’t quite as crispy.
When pressing the crust made from store-brand crackers into the pie dish, it felt more moist, and a bit mushier. Which makes sense, because the Honey Maid ones feel harder/crispier as if they’ve been baked longer, so the store-brand graham cracker crumbs feel a bit mushier when you add the melted butter.
All that said, you can certainly still make this crust with any brand of graham crackers you have! (And I’m not getting paid by Nabisco to tell you to buy their products, just genuinely a fan!)
Graham crackers can also vary slightly in size and weight, and occasionally manufacturers change the size or amount you get in a package—which means my team and I have to go through all our recipes that use graham crackers and update them! (In case you’re wondering why your printed recipe may no longer match the recipe on the website.) Some math info you may find helpful:
- 12 graham crackers should yield about 1.5 cups of crumbs when they’re finely ground, or about 180g. (12x15g)
- 1 full sheet graham cracker = 14–16g, or about ½ an ounce
- 12 full sheets = 168–192g
- 1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs = roughly 180g
Should you Prebake graham cracker crust?
FAQ
Do you Prebake crust for cheesecake?
Does a graham cracker crust need to be prebaked?
Do Keebler graham cracker crust need to be baked?
Can you use a store bought graham cracker crust for cheesecake?