A homemade graham cracker crust is much better than store-bought and is super easy with only 3 ingredients! This graham cracker crust recipe is all you need for your favorite pies with graham cracker crusts. This graham cracker crust can be used for baked or no-bake recipes.

No longer will you want to use store-bought pre-made graham cracker crusts for your favorite pie recipes. This homemade graham cracker crust has so much more flavor and hits the mark! It stays together and is a thicker crust for those graham cracker crust loving people, like me!

Easy graham cracker crust recipe

You will not believe how easy it is to make your own graham cracker crust. You'll never buy pre-made again! When you use store-bought, you're limited to the foil pan. Now you can use your own pretty pie plate with this homemade crust recipe!

For this graham cracker crust recipe, you will need the following 3 ingredients:

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter

That's it! I always add a dash of salt, too, but it's totally optional!

You can give this graham cracker crust a twist by sprinkling in a teaspoon of cinnamon or brown the butter before mixing with the crumbs. I don't do any of these because I love it just the way it is, but you can have fun with it! Try brown sugar instead of white sugar for a deeper toffee flavor.

If you need a graham cracker crust for a no-bake recipe in a 9x13-inch pan, just double the recipe!

Why does my graham cracker crust crumble?

If you follow this graham cracker crust recipe and a few of my simple tricks, your graham cracker crust should hold together well! A few tips to helping your graham cracker crust stick together:

Thoroughly mix the ingredients until perfectly moist before pouring into the pie plate. Use a fork to achieve this.
Pack the crust tightly into the pie plate.
Lightly spritz water onto the edges of the formed crust to further moisten, but not too much that it becomes soggy.
Bake the crust for about 10 minutes, or refrigerate for at least 1 hour before using to ensure the crust holds together.

How to make graham cracker crust

This graham cracker crust come together very quickly, thanks to only 3 ingredients and very simple steps! Here's how to make the graham cracker crust:

In a medium bowl, toss together the graham cracker crumbs and sugar.
Pour in the melted butter and use a fork to combine until perfectly moist.
Spread evenly into the pie plate, using a 1-cup measuring scoop to line the sides. Make sure you press and pack it well!
Bake for 10 minutes, or chill for at least 1 hour.

I'll be honest, I don't always crush my own graham crackers to make graham cracker crumbs. I like to keep a tub of graham cracker crumbs on hand, but if I run out, I know that I can easily crush a few crackers to get my crumbs. To make graham cracker crumbs from crackers, simply place the graham cracker crumbs in a zipper bag. Seal it and crush with a rolling pin until fine crumbs are formed. For this recipe, you will need to use about 9 full sheets of graham crackers, because 3 full sheets of graham crackers equals about ½ cup of graham cracker crumbs.

Some people avoid making their own graham cracker crust because they simply do not know how to form the crust into a pie shell and up the sides without it falling down. The solution to this is simple! Use the outside of a 1-cup measuring scoop to form the base and sides of the crust. Push the cup against the edges of the plate and press with your hand. I've attached a photo above that shows you how.

My other trick is spritzing the edges of the pie crust with water before baking or chilling. This moistens the edges a little more to help keep the crust together. Do not use too much water! Just a little goes a long ways!

Pies that use graham cracker crust

Try the following recipes that use a graham cracker crust:

S'mores Coffee Pie
Butterscotch Pie
Lemonade Cheesecake Pie
Key Lime Pie
Freezable Lemon Bars
Peanut Butter Pie

Recipe Card

graham cracker pie crust with peanut butter pie in background

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