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Take the stress out of baking with your favorite desserts made with a graham cracker crust! From pies, to no-bakes, and of course cheesecakes, there’s a delicious graham cracker dessert for everyone!
When the holidays hit or if you’re hosting a gathering, the last thing you need is a complicated dessert. Graham cracker crusts make baking fast, and easy, and add a buttery sweetness to all kinds of treat.
With no rolling or chilling needed, a graham cracker crust saves time, so you can spend more of it with family and friends while serving up something delicious.
Graham Cracker Crust Ingredients
These are the standard ingredients for an easy graham cracker crust recipe.
Graham Cracker Crumbs– this can be achieved by crushing graham crackers in either a food processor or in a resealable bag with a rolling pin.
Melted Butter– Unsalted butter or salted butter works
Sugar– depending on the recipe, you can use white or brown sugar. I use white sugar for my basic graham cracker pie crust, but for my chocolate chip cheesecake, I add brown sugar for more of a caramel and cookie dough flavor.
Pinch of Salt– you can omit this if you’re using salted butter
Instructions
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar in a bowl. Depending on the recipe, press into a pie pan or baking dish.
I like to bake my graham crusts until golden brown and let them cool slightly before filling.
Full recipe instructions, including pro tips and tricks can be found in my full post for the perfect homemade graham cracker crust.
Desserts With Graham Cracker Crust
Graham cracker crusts aren’t just for pies! They can be the base or shortcut for many of your favorite desserts! From lemon bars to cupcakes, a graham cracker crust is a great start to any treat!
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Lemon Bars with Graham Cracker Crust
An easy way to make classic lemon bars on a buttery, toasty graham cracker crust. This shortcut base tastes amazing and cuts down the baking time!
These S’mores Cookie Bars are the perfect blend of chewy, soft, and downright delicious. These bars have a graham cracker crust for the base, a rich chocolate chip cookie dough filling, and finished with a gooey marshmallow topping and chocolate for that classic campfire taste in every bite.
Magic Cookie Bars are a timeless dessert favorite that’s as easy to make as it is delicious. Layers of chocolate chips, coconut, and pecans come together with rich, sweetened condensed milk, all baked on a buttery graham cracker crust for a treat that’s sure to please any crowd.
This No-Bake Banana Split Cake is a fun and easy layered dessert that brings all the flavors of a classic banana split to life. With creamy layers of pudding mix, cream cheese, chocolate, pineapple, and cherries, it’s a delicious way to enjoy your favorite ice cream treat in cake form—no baking required!
Adorable chocolate cupcakes sitting on top of a graham cracker crust and topped with a delicious buttercream. But the real magic is on the inside, where the cupcakes are FULL of marshmallow fluff!
You can make so many common pies in a graham cracker crust! Skip the process of rolling out and chilling pie dough and make a crispy buttery graham cracker crust instead. Topped with homemade whipped cream or even Cool Whip, these pies are delicious and easy!
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Chocolate Pie With Graham Cracker Crust
This creamy chocolate pudding pie with a buttery graham cracker crust is the ultimate no-fuss, show-stopping dessert. Skip the rolled dough and impress guests with this easy, and decadent treat! But don’t skip the whipped cream!
This easy No-Bake Strawberry Pie with cream cheese filling is perfect for your next party or gathering! A light and fluffy cream cheese filling is topped with sweet, glazed strawberries and nestled in a homemade graham cracker crust. It’s a fresh and sweet dessert that everyone will love!
The perfect pumpkin pie, without all the hassle! This creamy, spiced pumpkin filling comes together in minutes and bakes in a super simple graham cracker crust. The combination is a perfect match. No stress, just delicious, cozy fall flavor!
This homemade apple pie is the perfect blend of sweet and spicy, with a warm, flavorful apple pie filling nestled inside a toasty graham cracker crust. It’s topped with a buttery streusel that adds the perfect crunchy finish. Whether you’re serving it for a holiday or a cozy family dessert, this pie is sure to be a crowd-pleaser!
This easy Banana Cream Pie is made with a Graham Cracker Crust and instant pudding. Perfect for busy bakers, the graham cracker crust skips the hassle of rolling, and there’s no need to cook a complicated custard. Just layer, chill, and you’re done. Ideal for holiday gatherings, this pie is an easy way to serve up a classic dessert without the fuss.
Graham cracker crusts are the ideal base for creamy cheesecakes, adding that perfect buttery crunch to balance out the rich filling. They’re super easy to make and work with any cheesecake flavor you’re craving. You can’t go wrong with a classic graham cracker crust!
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Cherry Cheesecake
This smooth and creamy New York-style cheesecake has a classic graham cracker crust and is topped with a rich, homemade cherry sauce. This timeless cheesecake recipe is perfect for any special occasion!
No-bake cheesecake bars with a light and creamy pumpkin cheesecake filling sitting on a buttery graham cracker crust. The filling sets perfectly in the fridge, and is full of warm spices like nutmeg and cinnamon. This easy dessert is sure to impress your family and friends this holiday season.
Enjoy creamy, bite-sized cheesecakes with a crisp graham cracker crust–made in a mini muffin pan! These little treats come together in no time and are perfect for serving a crowd. Whether it’s for a party, gathering, or a simple treat, they’re sure to be a hit!
Enjoy a creamy New York-style cheesecake on a buttery graham cracker crust–cut into perfect little bars! You get all the deliciousness of a full cheesecake in a perfectly portioned treat. These are great for sharing or savoring on your own!
This special cheesecake starts with a buttery graham cracker crust, followed by a layer of fudgy chocolate ganache. The cheesecake filling is smooth and velvety, packed with chocolate chips. This show-stopping dessert is perfect for any special occasion or holiday gathering, guaranteed to be a hit!
Pouring puddings and fillings into a warm graham cracker crust helps them stick together, so your no-bake desserts stay nice and neat when you slice them up!
Plan ahead: Most graham cracker crust desserts require a long chill time for the filling and crust to set up. Prep most desserts the day before you need them.
Tips For Store-bought Crusts
For recipes like pies and cheesecakes, you can definitely use store-bought crusts if you’re short on time.
I recommend selecting a 10-inch or deep dish store-bought graham cracker crust to hold most pie fillings.
You don’t need to bake store-bought crusts, but I like to. The crust will crisp in the oven and improve the flavor a bit.
Homemade Whipped Cream
Perfect for pies and cheesecakes, whipped cream is the finishing touch to a perfect graham cracker dessert.
All you need just heavy cream, vanilla extract, and sugar. Whip the mixture with an electric mixer or whisk by hand until the cream is doubled in volume and stands up on the end of the whisk without falling over.
Spoon over the top of the pie before serving and enjoy!
Note: you can totally use Cool Whip for an easy and delicious shortcut.
