How To Make Graham Cracker Crust
Knowing how to make an easy cookie crust as a base for pies and tarts is a great skill to have for preparing delicious desserts when you're short on time. This easy homemade 3-ingredient Graham Cracker Crust recipe is the perfect base for many types of pies, and it is especially common as the classic crust for American cheesecakes. Although it may be simple, there are some techniques to understand in order to have success with a crisp base that holds together neatly. If you love making pies and cheesecakes with graham cracker crusts, try my Salted Caramel Cheesecake, Blueberry Crumble Cheesecake or this popular Perfect Creamy Vanilla Cheesecake. If you also love making pie dough, you can ready my full tutorial on how to make flaky pie crust.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Simple ingredients - the base is a simple mixture of graham cracker crumbs, melted butter and brown sugar. It makes a crisp and sturdy base for this lovely cheesecake.
- Crisp and sturdy - a bit of sugar helps the crust hold together better after baking and makes a nice sturdy base.
- Easy to make - you can use a food processor to speed up the process, or you can place the graham crackers in a resealable bag and use a rolling pan to crush them up.
INGREDIENTS FOR GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST
- Graham crackers - you can use any type of dry biscuit to make a crust for cheesecake and graham crackers are a popular choice because they are not too sweet and have a lower fat content which allows you to control the added fat to make a suitable crust. Regular cookies have high sugar and high fat which creates a sweeter crust that is more prone to oil seepage.
- Sugar - I use a small amount of sugar (either brown sugar or regular white granulated sugar) to help bind the crust and allow it to crisp up further in the oven.
- Butter - you can use unsalted or salted butter to make the crust.
WHAT ARE GRAHAM CRACKERS?
Graham crackers are a type of biscuit commonly sold in North America. They are dry and not too sweet with a mild brown sugar flavor. Many varieties have a hint of honey and cinnamon. Graham crackers are typically used for making s'mores, the iconic American campfire treat with chocolate and toasted marshmallows. They're often sold in sleeves with two square biscuits divided by a score mark to make one large rectangular biscuit that you can easily break in two.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS: HOW TO MAKE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST
- STEP 1). Process graham crackers. Place whole graham crackers into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until they form crumbs, similar to the size of coarse bread crumbs. Be cautious not to over-process as the mixture can clump and seep oil if ground too finely.
- STEP 2). Melt the butter. Place melted butter in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium-low heat on the stove until it is just melted. Do not over-heat. Set it aside to cool so it is not hot. This will help prevent a greasy crust.
- STEP 3). Blend in other ingredients. Tip the crumbs out into a medium bowl and add brown sugar. Mix to blend evenly. Then, add melted butter and stir it in well until the mixture is homogeneous and the crumbs are evenly coated.
- STEP 4). Press the crumbs into the pan. Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom and about ½ to 1-inch up the sides of the pan. I like to use a straight edged drinking glass or the bottom of a ½ cup measuring scoop to pack it evenly and smooth it out along the bottom and push it gently up the sides. For a 9-inch pan, you will just have enough to make a flat crust.
- STEP 5). Bake for 8-12 minutes until lightly golden and feels dry.
- STEP 6). Cool. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Your crust is now ready to use. Try it with this New York Cheesecake, Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake or Salted Caramel Cheesecake.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Cool the butter. If the butter is melted and very hot, it can cause the crust to leak oil as it bakes.
- Don't over-process the graham crackers. If you blend to much, the crumbs will turn into cookie butter and the oils used to make graham crackers will leach out during baking.
- Add some spice. A bit of cinnamon is a nice touch to spice up the crust.
- Bake just until golden. If you bake too long, the crust will become dry and crumbly, but too short will mean it hasn't cooked enough to make a solid base.
RECIPE FAQ
Graham cracker crust doesn't look too much different after it bakes compared to before you bake it. It doesn't really puff up or change shape much. How to know it is perfectly baked is to look for a nice golden color with barely browned edges and it should feel dry to the touch.
Yes, it is ideal to cool the crust before adding the filling to prevent excess absorption of the filling into the crust which can make it soggy.
Your crust may leak butter during baking if the graham cracker crumbs were processed excessively. The heat and friction of the blades on the food processor can cause the oils to seep out and separate. Be sure to use cooled butter when making the crust and avoid pulsing the crumbs too fine.
If you're adding a liquid filling, such as a custard or cheesecake batter, to your graham cracker crust, it will inevitably soften from moisture migration. Nevertheless, it should have some snap to it for the first day as long as it is made and baked correctly.
STORING AND FREEZING
Graham cracker crusts are fragile which is why they are sold in the pan pre-made in grocery stores. If you choose to freeze it, I recommend baking it in an aluminum pan, let it cool, wrap it well and freeze in a resealable freezer bag for up to 2 months.
I recommend using your graham cracker crust the same day you make it for freshness. You can also freeze it as stated above.
If you love cheesecake, check out these recipes!
Peanut Butter Fudge Swirl Brownie Bottom Cheesecake Creamy Burnt Basque Cheesecake Perfect Vanilla Cheesecake Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies Healthy Homemade Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups Buckeye Peanut Butter Fudge Brownies White Chocolate Blueberry Cheesecake Bars Creamy Black Cherry Cheesecake Bars Cookies & Cream Oreo Cheesecake BarsCheesecake recipes
These are some of my favorite cheesecake recipes to use this crust:
Video
Homemade Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (160g) graham cracker crumbs (weigh out 160g graham crackers and then crush into crumbs as per instructions below)
- 2 tablespoon (30g) packed light brown sugar
- 5 tablespoon (70g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the sides of an 8-inch round non-stick springform pan or 9-inch round non-stick springform pan and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.
- Process graham crackers. Place whole graham crackers into the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until they form crumbs, similar to the size of coarse bread crumbs. Be cautious not to over-process as the mixture can clump and seep oil if ground too finely.
- Melt the butter. Place melted butter in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium-low heat on the stove until it is just melted. Do not over-heat. Set it aside to cool so it is not hot. This will help prevent a greasy crust.
- Blend in other ingredients. Tip the crumbs out into a medium bowl and add brown sugar. Mix to blend evenly. Then, add melted butter and stir it in well until the mixture is homogeneous and the crumbs are evenly coated.
- Press the crumbs into the pan. Press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the bottom and about ½ to 1-inch up the sides of the pan. I like to use a straight edged drinking glass or the bottom of a ½ cup measuring scoop to pack it evenly and smooth it out along the bottom and push it gently up the sides. For a 9-inch pan, you will just have enough to make a flat crust.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes until lightly golden and it feels dry to the touch. The baking time depends on the size of the pan.
- Cool. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Your crust is now ready to use. Try it with this New York Cheesecake, Creamy Vanilla Cheesecake, Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake or Salted Caramel Cheesecake.
