Graham Cracker Crust

Oct 13, 2026 · By VanillaGoods

Baking Pies tarts Vanilla: Extract Easy

An unfilled, crimped graham cracker crust in a ceramic pie plate on a floured wooden board with a rolling pin beside it

The press-in crust for cream pies, key lime pie and cheesecake: graham crumbs, butter, a little sugar and vanilla, baked 10 minutes so it holds a clean slice.

Prep 10 min

Cook 10 min

Cooling 30 min

Total 50 min

Yield 8 slices

Diet —

Ingredients

Adjust yield

slices

1 ½ cups (180.0 g)graham cracker crumbs (about 11 full sheets)
¼ cup (50.0 g)granulated sugar
¼ tsp (1.5 g)fine sea salt
6.0 tbsp (85.0 g)unsalted butter, melted
1.0 tsp (5.0 ml)pure vanilla extract

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Instructions

Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Stir the crumbs, sugar and salt together, then stir in the melted butter and vanilla until the crumbs look like wet sand.
Tip into a 9-inch pie plate and press firmly over the bottom and up the sides with the bottom of a measuring cup, packing the corner where the bottom meets the side.
Bake 10 minutes until fragrant and a shade darker. Cool completely, then chill 30 minutes before adding a cold filling.

Tips

Pulse whole crackers in a food processor for even crumbs; uneven crumbs make a crust that crumbles.
For a no-bake crust, skip the oven and chill it 1 hour instead; it will be a little softer.

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Recipe FAQ

How long does it take to make graham cracker crust?

Plan on 10 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of cooking, plus 30 minutes to chill. The recipe makes one 9-inch crust.

How should I store graham cracker crust?

Cover the crust in its pan and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.

Can I make graham cracker crust ahead?

Bake the crust up to 3 days ahead and keep it covered in the fridge.

Can I use a different form of vanilla?

Yes. This recipe uses 1 tsp pure vanilla extract (5 ml). Each teaspoon of pure vanilla extract can be swapped for 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste, the seeds of half a vanilla bean, or 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla powder. Paste and seeds add the classic dark specks.

The press-in crust for cream pies, key lime pie and cheesecake: graham crumbs, butter, a little sugar and vanilla, baked 10 minutes so it holds a clean slice.

Estimated · per serving

Nutrition

Per serving = 1 of 8 servings this recipe makes.

199 Calories / serving

10.9g Fat

23.7g Carbs

1.6g Protein

13.1g Sugar

Whole recipe (8 servings): ~1592 cal · 87g fat · 190g carbs · 13g protein · 105g sugar

Estimated values per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not verified Nutrition Facts; actual values vary with brands, measurements, and preparation.