Homemade Graham Cracker Crust

A simple pie crust can make all the difference. Whether you're pouring a classic cheesecake over it or a no-bake peanut butter pie, it's the perfect buttery base for pies, cheesecakes and more. If you've never made a homemade graham cracker crust before, our easy recipe is where you should start. Ready in 20 minutes, this delicious crust is the foundation to many of our no-bake desserts, and is a welcome homemade addition to any holiday dessert or Thanksgiving pie spread. 

Read on for our top tips on making this easy, buttery crust:

Does graham cracker crust need to be baked?

It's completely optional—you can pre-bake the crust if you want or leave it as is. Graham cracker crust doesn't need to be pre-baked unless your filling requires it. After sitting in the refrigerator, the butter will harden and keep the crust solid. If you do bake this crust, you have the opportunity to do some (careful!) reshaping of the crust while it’s still hot from the oven, before the butter solidifies.

How do I keep my graham cracker crust from falling apart? 

Nobody wants a too-crumbly graham cracker crust. The secret to holding it together? Plenty of butter, and packing it firmly. Our recipe is extra buttery and has just enough extra sugar to caramelize the crust, both helping the pie hold together. 

What should I fill it with?

We've got plenty of recipes where graham cracker crust is the star, including our banana pudding cheesecake, chocolate pudding pie and strawberry cheesecake pie. 

If you need some last-minute inspo, one of the easiest filling options is chocolate boxed pudding topped with whipped cream, crushed Oreos and shaved chocolate. Check out our recipe video above for how to turn this graham cracker crust base into a chocolatey pie dream. 

Have you made this yet? Let us know how it went in the comments below!