Get ready to take your dessert game to the next level with this delicious gluten-free graham cracker crust recipe! This crust is easy to make in just a few minutes and adds the perfect sweet and crunchy touch to any pie or cheesecake.
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Skill Level: Beginner
Flavor Remix: Swap out the GF graham crackers for other gluten free cookies like shortbread or wafer cookies.
Allergy Watch: Dairy Free Option, No Eggs, Nut-Free
Store-bought GF graham cracker crust tends to be very dry and stale. The good news is you can make this in just a few minutes.
Use this recipe for more than just key lime pie. You can use it for pumpkin pie or chocolate silk pie, cheesecake, s'more bars and more.
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten Free Graham Crackers: You can use whatever brand of traditional graham crackers (GF, of course)you like in this recipe but I recommend one of three brands. All have been tested with this recipe: Kinnicknick S'moreables, Pamela's Honey Grahams, and Schar Honeygrams.
- Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter so I can control the salt. If your butter is salted skip the salt in the recipe. You can use dairy-free margarine or vegan butter in this recipe.
- Brown Sugar: I prefer light brown sugar but you can use dark brown sugar or coconut sugar in this recipe.
Pan Sizing
To make this crust, you will need to use either an 8-inch or 9-inch pie dish or tart pan for full side coverage. If you only need bottom coverage, you can use a cake pan or springform pan up to 10 inches in size.
If you plan to use this recipe for a deep dish pie pan or a larger dish like a 9x13 inch, you will need to increase the recipe by 1.5x to 2x to ensure proper coverage.
You can also use a muffin tin, it should make 12 to 16 muffin-sized cheesecakes.
How to Make Graham Cracker Crust
A step-by-step visual guide for making gluten-free graham cracker crust. You can skip to the recipe for the full written instructions.
Crush
I prefer using a food processor to crush graham cracker sheets. Place them in the bowl, usually, 8 ounces will yield the correct 1.5 cups of crumbs needed for this recipe. Pulse for 30 to 60 seconds. You want fine crumbs like sand at the beach.
Mix
Melt the butter, but cool it a bit before adding to the other ingredients. It should look coarse and crumbly.
Press
Transfer the crumb mixture to your baking dish. Use the back of a measuring cup to press the dough into place. Start by pressing in the bottom before working up the sides of the pie plate.
Recipe Tips
- Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes until set. Do not bake longer than 12 minutes.
- The baked crust may look a bit oily when you take it out but it will reabsorb as it cools.
- Let cool for at least 15 minutes before filling, and potentially baking again, according to your recipe. Allowing the crust to cool will prevent the crust from getting a soggy bottom.
- Even if your recipe says not to par-bake the crust, you should. Bake the crust for at least 8 minutes to ensure it doesn't crumble when served.
More GF Pie Crust Recipes
Make Ahead and Storing
Make Ahead: You can make this gluten-free crust 2 to 3 days in advance. Bake crust for 10 minutes and cool completely.
Storing: Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until you need to use it.
Freezing: Technically, you can freeze but I find they often get damaged so it isn't my preference.
📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (228 g) gluten-free graham cracker crumbs
- 3 Tablespoon (33 g) light brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 Tablespoon (84 g) unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and salt. Add the melted butter and stir until the crumbs are evenly moistened. The mixture will still be quite crumbly.1 ½ cups gluten-free graham cracker crumbs, 3 Tablespoon light brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, 6 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan. Use the bottom of a small glass to firmly press the crust down and guide it up the sides.
- Bake the crust for about 10 minutes, or until just set. Let it cool completely.
Equipment
- food processor
- pie plate
Video
Notes
- Place whole crackers in a food processor and pulse until broken up. Or place them in a zip-loc bag and crush them with a rolling pin.
- Keep the prepared crust, cover with plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before using it in your recipe.
- Use an 8-inch or 9-inch pie dish for side coverage. For bottom coverage only use a cake pan or springform pan up to 10 inches for this recipe. Make 1.5x to 2x for use in deep dish pie pans and larger dishes like a 9x13 inch.
- Use homemade graham crackers or store-bought. You can also use chocolate flavor graham crackers depending on your dessert recipe. You can substitute gluten-free Oreos, Lance butter crackers, or GF vanilla wafers in this recipe.
- Dairy-Free: Simple substitute vegan butter or dairy free margarine.
Nutrition
Recipe Questions
Always bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes before filling. Even if your recipe says not to. Allow the baked graham cracker crust to cool before filling.
The only way to know if the graham cracker crust is cooked is to go by time. Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes max. It will already be golden brown. And by the time you can smell it, the crust will be burnt.
I first published Gluten Free Graham Cracker Crust recipe on my food blog Peel with Zeal.
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