Make your own gluten free graham cracker crust and a whole world of easy pies of all types is possible. And it’s easier than ever since there are so many gf graham crackers to buy!
If you prefer to use homemade gluten free graham crackers that taste just like Nabisco, I’ll show you my shortcuts for making that recipe really quick and easy.
My take
Nicole’s Recipe Notes
Texture: Crispy and crunchy, but never hard or tough.
Taste: Buttery and sweet, with the richness of molasses and honey
Ease: Mix graham cracker crumbs with sugar and butter in one bowl. Bake alone for a no-bake filling, or fill and bake!
Secrets to success: Make sure your crumbs feel soft in your fingers after processing, and don’t pack the crust mixture down too much!
what’s in it
Recipe Ingredients
There are only 3 ingredients in this crust. Here’s a little bit about each:
Gluten free graham crackers – The taste of the crust (and its structure) comes mostly from the graham crackers. I like the flavor of Pamela’s brand the best, but nothing beats homemade.
Sugar – The crackers are already sweet, but adding some granulated sugar to the crust helps it bind together in the oven. If you don’t plan to bake the crust, leave the sugar out.
Butter – Adds moisture, flavor, and brings the crumbs together.
How to make a gluten free graham cracker crust
To make a graham cracker crust, start with 8 ounces of gluten free graham crackers. Break them up a bit and process in a food processor or a blender just enough to create uniform crumbs. They should feel soft in your hands.
Whisk the crumbs together with some white sugar in a mixing bowl, then mix in melted and cooled butter.
The mixture will turn into moist clumps that hold together when you press on them with a spoon or squeeze in your palm. Transfer the clumps to a prepared springform or tart pan.
Use a large spoon to press into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a springform pan, or all the way up the sides of a tart pan.
Bake at 350°F for about 12 minutes or until no longer shiny in the center. Let cool completely.
My Pro Tip
Expert tips
Choose graham crackers you like best
The crust will mostly taste like the graham crackers you choose, so be sure to choose a brand you like the taste of, or make your own homemade crackers. I like Pamela’s and Schar brands best, but they are sometimes extremely crumbly. Try adding 1 tablespoon of your favorite gluten free flour blend to the mixture to help it hold together well if yours are really crumbly.
Make homemade crackers easier
If you’re using my recipe to make homemade gluten free graham crackers, add 3 more tablespoons (27 grams) gluten free flour to the raw dough. Place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper the same size as your baking pan, and roll them out into a rough rectangle thinner than usual, about 1/8-inch thick.
Either don’t cut out shapes, or just slice rough rectangles in the dough but don’t separate them. Place the parchment with the dough right on the pan, and bake at 325°F until golden brown all over (13 to 15 minutes). Let cool, and then grind into crumbs.
Make crumbs by hand
If you don’t have or don’t want to use a food processor or blender, place the graham crackers in a sealed ziptop bag and tap over and over with something heavy, like the smooth side of a meat mallet, a rolling pin or even a cast iron skillet. Don’t hit the bag too hard or the plastic will tear.
Don’t pack too much
When pressing the crumb mixture into the pan, make a gently sloped edge between the bottom and sides and don’t pack the mixture down too hard or it will become tough during baking.
Bake on foil
When you bake the crust, melted butter may drip from between the bottom and sides of a springform or tart pan. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on the oven rack below the pan during baking to catch any drips.
Ingredient substitutions
Here’s all I know about how to make this recipe friendly for people who have additional dietary restrictions.
Dairy free
Make sure the graham crackers you are using are dairy free (like Schar and Kinnikinnick). In place of regular butter, block-style vegan butter like from Melt or Miyoko’s Creamery work best.
Sugar
There is sugar in the graham crackers, but the added sugar in the crust recipe helps make the crust more stable after baking. If you’d prefer not to bake your crust, you can leave out the sugar and just chill the crust before filling it with a no-bake filling.
Prevent your screen from going dark
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If your filling is baked, skip this step. If your filling is no bake, preheat your oven to 350°F. Place a sheet of aluminum foil at least as large as the bottom of the pan on the center oven rack.
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Use some of the melted butter to lightly grease an 8-inch or 9-inch springform pan or 11-inch round tart pan. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper and set it aside.
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Place the graham crackers in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or a relatively powerful blender. The less power your machine has, the more you should break the graham crackers by hand into smaller pieces.
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Process until the cookies have become small, soft crumbs. If there are any large pieces left, break them with your hands a pulse a few times to process them fully.
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In a medium-size bowl, place the graham cracker crumbs and sugar, and whisk to combine.
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Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the melted butter. Mix to combine. The mixture should turn into moist clumps.
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Transfer the mixture to the prepared pie pan and, using a large mixing spoon, press into an even layer across the bottom and halfway up the sides of a springform pan or all the way up in a tart pan. Use only gentle pressure on the crust so it’s smooth, but don’t press to pack it in.
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If your filling is baked, place your pan in the refrigerator or freezer to chill and follow that recipe from this point.
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For a no-bake filling, place the pan in the center of the preheated oven on top of the sheet of foil. Bake until slightly puffed and matte-looking all the way in the center, about 12 minutes if your filling is no-bake.
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If the crust has developed bubbles, you can pop them carefully with a toothpick but they will settle down as the crust cools.
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Allow the baked crust to cool completely in the pan at room temperature. Run a dull knife around the edge to make sure it’s not sticking the sides of the pan anywhere.
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Follow the instructions for your no-bake filling pie recipe.
I usually use my homemade gluten free graham crackers, and it takes 1/2 of the recipe to make one crust. You can also use store-bought gf crackers. They have less flavor and are more crumbly, but that’s fine here. I’ve used and can recommend Schar, Partake Foods, Kinnkinnick, and Pamela’s brands. If the packaged crackers seem super crumbly, try adding 1 tablespoon (9 g) all purpose gluten free flour to them.
About added sugar
The added sugar helps the crust hold together after it’s baked. If you don’t plan to bake the crust, you can just leave out the sugar.
Food processor or blender
If you don’t have either one, just place the graham crackers in a sealed ziptop bag and tap over and over with a rolling pin.
Nutrition information
Estimated nutrition facts are for 1 slice of the crust only assuming a crust of any size is divided into 8 equal portions.
Serving: 1slice crust only | Calories: 274kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 4mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 350IU | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
make ahead/leftovers
Storage instructions
You can make the graham cracker crumbs up to 3 weeks in advance, and store them in a glass container at room temperature. You can also freeze them for longer storage in a sealed container.
Once you’ve baked the crust, you can let it cool completely, remove it from the pan, wrap it tightly in Glad Press ‘n’ Seal and freeze for up to 3 months. If you don’t bake the crust, you can warp it tightly and freeze it in the pan for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature.
FAQs
You can really make a graham cracker crust in any sort of pan, but a 2-piece springform pan or tart pan makes it easiest to slice the pie with the crust intact. An 11-inch tart pan will have a thinner crust than an 8-inch or 9-inch springform pan. You could always decrease the yield from 8 slices to 6 and make less crust, or increase the yield to make a thicker crust for a larger pan.
Yes! It works best in a mini cheesecake panel pan with removable bottoms, but you can also use a standard 12-cup muffin tin. Just make sure the nonstick coating on your muffin tin is intact or the crust could get stuck in there, or line each well with a “sling” of tinfoil or parchment paper. Bake at 325°F for 5 minutes for a no-bake filling, or bake with the baked filling in the recipe you’re following.
You could double the recipe for a thick crust in a 9×13 pan, or change the yield to 12 slices for 1 1/2 times for a somewhat thinner crust.
Generally, when your filling is baked, there’s no need to bake the crust alone first, unless the pie recipe you’re following directs you to parbake the crust. If it does, bake the crust at 350°F for 5 minutes on a piece of aluminum foil in the center of a preheated oven. Then, follow the other recipe’s instructions.
