A piece of s'mores pie in a graham cracker crust, on a white plate.
Rating
4 from 1 vote
Comments 6 Comments
Adapted From Allison Kave
Photographer Ulterior Epicure

Contents

This graham cracker crust recipe is essential for S’mores Pie and a perfect counterpoint to the tart, creamy filling of Key Lime Pie. You’re sure to find many uses for this sweet, versatile crust.–Allison Kave

☞ READ: WHY WERE GRAHAM CRACKERS INVENTED? IT’S A CRAZY REASON

LC Sugar-Free Note

You may notice that this graham cracker crust is sugar free. Well, that is, it’s devoid of added sugar. There is, of course, some sugar in the crackers. But the recipe itself calls for no granulated sugar. It’s just not needed, seeing as most pie fillings are amply sweet. If you’re thinking that this is wrong and that you’re accustomed to adding a smidgen of sweetness to the graham cracker crust recipes of your childhood, just humor us this once. Then let us know how it goes in a comment below.

A piece of s'mores pie in a graham cracker crust, on a white plate.

Graham Cracker Crust

4 from 1 vote
This graham cracker crust works well with certain fillings, especially anything sweet. A different texture than pie crust, graham crackers give you something closer to a cookie. Fill accordingly!
David Leite
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CourseDessert
CuisineAmerican
Servings8 servings
Calories130 kcal
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 1 1/2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs
  • 5 to 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
  • Crumble the graham crackers into the work bowl of a food processor and process until finely ground. (Alternatively, you can toss the graham crackers in a resealable plastic bag and whack them with a rolling pin until they’re finely crushed.)
  • Dribble 5 tablespoons butter into the graham cracker crumbs and, using your hands, mix until the butter is fully incorporated and the mixture has the texture of wet sand. It may be necessary to add more melted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to obtain the desired consistency.
  • Firmly press the crumbs against the sides and bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. (The underside of a glass measuring cup works really well for smoothing the bottom of the crust.) Refrigerate the graham cracker crust for at least 15 minutes.
  • Bake the graham cracker crust for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Let the crust cool completely before filling.
First Prize Pies Cookbook

Adapted From

First Prize Pies

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Nutrition

Serving: 1 crustCalories: 130 kcalCarbohydrates: 12 gProtein: 1 gFat: 9 gSaturated Fat: 5 gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3 gMonounsaturated Fat: 2 gTrans Fat: 0.3 gCholesterol: 19 mgSodium: 105 mgPotassium: 30 mgFiber: 1 gSugar: 4 gVitamin A: 219 IUCalcium: 15 mgIron: 1 mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2014 Allison Kave. Photo © 2014 Ulterior Epicure. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

Susan Bingaman

I made the graham cracker crust recipe with graham cracker crumbs and it was a total snap. Since graham cracker crumbs tend to be drier than graham crackers themselves, I used 7 tablespoons butter. I could have gotten away with 6, but I was feeling indulgent. Ten minutes in the oven seems too long, as the edges got quite dark after the go around in the oven with the filling.

Natalie Reebel

This graham cracker crust recipe is very good. Under the right circumstances, I could sit down with the crust alone. It’s buttery with just the perfect amount of sweetness. It needed just the 5 tablespoons melted butter to hold it together. I baked the crust until it was lightly golden, which took the full 10 minutes. It would be fantastic with many of your favorite fillings.

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About David Leite

David Leite has received three James Beard Awards for his writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.

Read More About Me

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Recipe Rating




6 Comments

  1. 4 stars
    Made it today. Almost all gone. However, I used not 1 1/2 cups of sugar in the filling but 1 1/4 cups, and next time I’ll use even less. Overall a success, but the crust by the dish walls was a bit too hard. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop anybody.

    Reply

    1. Miriam, lovely to hear from you and I’m glad you tweaked it to suit your own personal preferred sweetness. I dare say that the brand of graham cracker used plays into that as much as personal preference, seeing as there’s a lot of difference in sweetness out there. As for the crust getting a bit hard, I’m wondering, did you by chance use a glass pie plate? I’ve had the same thing happen to me before I learned that I was supposed to turn the oven down by 25° if using glass. If you used metal, I’m wondering—and forgive me, I’m not trying to assign blame, merely trying to troubleshoot—if perhaps it’s possible the crust was thicker on the bottom and lower sides of the dish? Or do you mean that everywhere the crust was in contact with the dish, it was hard?

      Reply

    1. Lev, not at the moment. By way of explanation, over the years we’ve asked our testers to try a couple different recipes for homemade graham crackers, and the recipes we’ve tried have been lackluster. I remain on the lookout for a better recipe, but have yet to find it. Rest assured, when we do come across the right recipe, we’ll link to it from this and every other recipe on the site that calls for graham crackers.

      Reply

  3. I like to add some coarse ground pecans and cinnamon to the mixture. And thin rings of melted dark chocolate after the baking and before the filling … mmmm 🙂

    Reply