Homemade Graham Cracker Pie Crust
A good Homemade Graham Cracker Pie Crust is easy to make for a variety of different pies. Simply pop it into the oven for a quick 8 minutes, then cool. There’s even a No Bake version to keep that oven off during hot days of summer, or for when your oven’s busted. Ha! Just pop it in the refrigerator to let the butter harden up.
Store bought pie crusts are great for convenience sake, but there’s no substitute for homemade.
And the kicker is, this pie crust is super easy to make with only 3 ingredients.
You can bake it or not, your choice.
When I make my Mango Cream Cheese Pie, I chill the crust, (no bake version).
The cream cheese needs to set up anyway, might as well let the crust set up, too.
When I make my Pumpkin Marshmallow Pie, I bake it first.
I like how the crust is a little crunchier baked, which adds contrast to the creamy fluff of the filling.
What’s the difference? Glad you asked.
If you don’t bake it, you won’t have to turn your oven on, or wait for the crust to cool before filling it.
Instead, you mix everything together and put it in the fridge to chill.
Additionally, however, it’s a little harder to get out of the pan and sometimes it falls apart on the edges.
Try a little non-stick spray on the bottom.
Because it hasn’t been baked, you rely on the butter re-hardening in the refrigerator to hold itself together, which works pretty good.
If you do bake it, obviously you have to turn the oven on and wait for it to cool before filling it, but it holds together a little better when taking a piece of pie out of the pan.
Oh yeah, and the baked version is a little darker and crunchier.
Overall, the differences are pretty minor and they both taste buttery, graham crackery (new word of the day), and delicious.
Making a Homemade Graham Cracker Pie Crust
The key is getting the graham cracker crumbs as small as possible without them becoming dust.
The smaller the crumbs are, the better the butter can hold them together.
This is especially true if you use the No Bake method.
For convenience sake, I buy the graham cracker crumbs already in crumb form.
If you want to make the crumbs yourself in the blender, processor, or in a bag using a rolling pin, just check for large pieces.
If you find any large pieces, I highly recommend you eat them to keep your energy up while you’re baking.
Mix the crumbs and sugar together, then stir in the melted butter.
Completely off topic, every time I smell melted butter, I crave buttered popcorn. You, too?
Back to the recipe, make sure you mix the melted butter in really good.
Now, before putting it into the pie plate, it’s decision time…to bake, or not to bake, that is the question.
No Bake Option
If you are NOT going to bake it, spray a little non-stick spray in the bottom of a 9″ pie pan.
Then, press the crust mixture evenly across the bottom and up the sides.
Lastly, place the crust in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare the rest of the pie filling.
The No Bake option works on chilled pies best, such as pudding or cream cheese filled.
The crust needs at least 4 hours to let the butter harden up, which is why I like this version when using cream cheese or pudding as filling.
Bake Option
Preheat the oven to 350° while you prepare the pie crust.
Press the crust mixture evenly across the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan.
Bake for 8 minutes, then allow to cool to room temperature before filling.
The picture above is a baked pie crust with my Pumpkin Marshmallow Pie.
More Dessert Recipes:
- Ice Box Berry Cake
- Bittersweet Chocolate Cheesecake
- Churro Dessert Bars
- Homemade Lemon Curd
- Tropical Carrot Cake
- Apple Pecan Snack Cake
Homemade Graham Cracker Pie Crust
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 6 Tbsp. melted butter
Instructions
- In small bowl, mix all ingredients thoroughly.
- Ingredients should be evenly moist and dark from melted butter.
- For No Bake method: spray bottom and sides of pie plate with non-stick spray. Press crumb mixture evenly on sides and bottom, then chill in refrigerator for minimum 30 minutes before filling.
- To bake, preheat oven to 350°. Press crumb mixture evenly on sides and bottom of pie plate. Bake for 8 minutes, then cool on wire rack. Allow to cool completely before filling. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Homemade Graham Cracker Pie Crust
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