Easy Graham Cracker Crust Recipe

The best base for just about any pie that you're going to make is a graham cracker one. When you use delicious graham crackers with just a hint of honey, you know you're going to satisfy your sweet tooth while pleasing your guests at the same time. When most people think of easy desserts to whip up, they think of cookies or Rice Krispie bars. But we believe that you need to add this simple graham cracker crust right up there with the rest.

Recipe developer Kristen Carli of Camelback Nutrition & Wellness is the brains behind this simple delight. There are plenty of different toppings that pair well with this crunchy crust, but Carli says that her favorite things to make are key lime pie and banana cream pie. Honestly, the possibilities are truly endless.

If you're ready to take a stab at this crust, keep scrolling to find out how to put it together. It only takes 10 minutes of prep time and another 10 minutes to make it, meaning you can have a delicious, easy crust ready in only 20 minutes. That's definitely a win in our book!

There's nothing better than a recipe that is filled with flavor but requires just a few easy-to-find ingredients. It doesn't get much better than that, does it? For this pie crust, you'll first need 12 graham cracker sheets. You can use any brand that you'd like, but Carli shares that she is "a Honey Maid fan through and through."

The remaining two ingredients you need are commonly used, so much so that you may already have them in your pantry or fridge. One of them is unsalted butter that you will need to melt. The other is ⅓ cup of granulated sugar. Yes, that's really all you'll need to make this graham cracker crust. Once everything is in front of you, it's time to get to work.

Before you do anything else, be sure to preheat your oven to 350 F. You want to make sure that it is nice and toasty for when you're ready to throw in your crust, so give your oven enough time to come up to and sustain the correct temperature. 

In the meantime, take out a large plastic freezer bag and put all of the graham crackers inside. Crush them all until fine crumbs are the only thing that remains. You can either use your hands or a rolling pin to help you get the perfectly sized crumbly pieces. Please note that it's okay to have some small chunks remaining but the majority should be almost like dust, which will ensure a cohesive, evenly textured crust later on. 

Once you crush the graham crackers, you can move on to the next step, which is simply mixing. Take out a medium bowl and add the crushed graham crackers to it. In addition, add in the melted butter and sugar. Stir everything well to combine. This will be the base of your crust, and the butter serves as the glue that holds it all together. The richness of the butter also adds a little more flavor, which is always a plus.

When you finish the mix, it's time to move onto the next step. Don't worry, though, as we're getting super close to finishing this sweet treat.

Now, take out your pie pan. You can either use a pan that's made out of heat-resistant glass, ceramic, or a disposable one that you've picked out at the store. In whatever case, make sure that your dish is safe to go into the oven. Then, add in the graham cracker mixture. Use your hands to press the crust into the pie pan. Make sure you form the crust along the bottom and up the sides, ensuring that it's evenly distributed throughout.

If you need to, you can also use the back of a measuring cup to help flatten the mixture and ensure that it's all of an even thickness. Once your crust is there, it's ready to go into the oven.

By now, your oven should be preheated and ready to bake the crust. Go ahead and pop in the crust and set your timer for 10 minutes. That's all it will take to make this fantastic crust, which will also fill your kitchen with the warm, toasty smell of buttery graham crackers. See? We told you it would be easy!

Once the timer goes off, use your oven mitts to take the pan out and set it to the side. Let the crust cool for a bit before adding any custard or pie filling that you'd like. As we mentioned before, Carli says that a few of her favorite recipes to make with this are key lime pie and banana cream pie. This will also work well as the base of a cheesecake.

Another good alternative? Eating the crust plain. Yes, really. "I actually love eating graham cracker crust crumbles for dessert," Carli shares. "Call me crazy, but it's delish!" Don't knock it until you've tried it!