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    Home / Basics

    Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust (vegan & refined sugar-free options)

    Published Aug 31, 2021

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Gluten-free graham cracker crust made easily with just 3 main ingredients! With vegan and refined sugar-free options. Plus the best gluten-free graham cracker brands for making graham cracker crust, plus a recipe for homemade gluten-free graham crackers. 

    gluten-free graham cracker crust, baked and cooling on a plaster surface

    Ever since I shared my favorite gluten-free graham cracker recipe a few years back (and blueberry cheesecake popsicles that used them) I've been wanting to turn them into a gluten-free graham cracker crust. Problem was, a batch makes exactly the right amount of graham crackers for a crust, and I could never resist nibbling a few (or... a lot). Before I knew it, the batch would be gone and I was still crustless.

    Finally I smartened up and made a double batch; half for munching with tea, or nut butter, or chocolate pudding. I'm so glad I did. Most graham cracker crusts can be meh, but when made with these tasty AF gluten-free graham crackers, the result is a deeply flavorful, crunchy, salty-sweet, cinnamon-kissed crust.

    gf graham cracker crust with chocolate pie filling on a gray plaster surface with linen and plates

    Here, I used paleo chocolate pudding and paleo cream cheese frosting to create a vegan chocolate pie kissed with maple, vanilla, and peanut butter. Despite all that goodness inside, Jay said, "the crust is *actually* my favorite part!"

    High praise indeed!

    ingredients for gf graham crust: graham crackers in a blue graniteware tin, salt, melted butter, coconut sugar, cinnamon

    Ingredients and Substitution Suggestions

    • This recipe is all about the graham crackers, so be sure to use ones you love the taste of. I've listed some of my favorite brands below. Here I used my gluten-free graham cracker recipe because I love the flavors and friendly ingredients list. One batch makes the perfect amount of gluten-free graham cracker crumbs for crust, but I recommend doubling the recipe in case you need to snack on some first!
    • Melted butter brings the crust together. Use vegan butter if you like to make the crust dairy-free. Here I used Miyoko's vegan butter. 
    • A little sugar adds a bit of extra sweetness and richness. I used coconut sugar here to keep the crust refined sugar-free, but any sugar will work. 
    • A little cinnamon adds extra flavor and salt sharpens the flavors. Feel free to add any other flavors you like: vanilla, nutmeg, cardamom, and ginger would all be nice!

    sexy chocolate pie slices on a blue plate, one slice overturned and cracked

    What are the best gluten-free graham crackers for making crust? 

    Here are my top picks for storebought gluten-free graham crackers and how they stack up to my homemade GF graham crackers:

    • My favorite gluten-free graham cracker recipe (vegan & refined sugar-free options): Tender and crisp, with rich flavor from teff and oat flours, honey, vanilla, and cinnamon. Friendly to a variety of restricted diets. 
      • Made with teff, oat, and sweet rice flours, corn starch, brown or coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, butter (dairy or non-dairy), vanilla. See the post for more substitution suggestions in case you don't have the suggested flours!
    • Nairn's Gluten-Free Oat Grahams (vegan): These have a delicate, crisp texture full of oat flavor. Love the minimal ingredient list.
      • Made with gluten-free oats, palm oil, sugar, golden syrup, tapioca starch, baking soda, and salt. 
    • Schär Honeygrahams (dairy-free): Despite the unusual ingredient list, these taste remarkably similar to classic graham crackers; crisp, airy, and not-too-sweet. 
      • Made with corn starch, brown sugar, corn flour, palm fat, soy flour, soy bran, honey, modified tapioca starch, ammonium bicarbonate, baking soda, salt, caramelized sugar. 
    • Pamela's Honey Grahams: Crispy and classic with whole grain flavor and warm notes of molasses and honey.
      • Made with butter, brown sugar, brown rice flour, sorghum flour, white rice flour, tapioca starch, oat bran, molasses, honey, GF natural flavors, baking soda, salt, baking powder, xanthan gum, cinnamon.
    • Kinnickinnick S'moreables Graham Style Crackers (vegan): Not my favorite, texture-wise, but these are easy to find, allergy-friendly, and will do the trick. 
      • Made with pea starch, palm oil shortening, brown rice flour, potato starch, brown sugar, sweet rice flour, tapioca starch, water, cane sugar, rice bran, molasses, tapioca syrup, salt, sodium bicarbonate, pea protein, natural flavor, pea fiber, sunflower lecithin, inulin, mono calcium phosphate, cellulose, guar gum

    Generally speaking, is graham cracker crust gluten-free? 

    Usually the answer is no, unless specified otherwise. Conventional graham crackers are made with wheat flour. In fact graham flour is a type of wheat flour that's full of hearty wheat germ and wheat bran.

    In this case, if you use gluten-free graham crackers, the crust will be gluten-free! Do take care to source certified gluten-free ingredients: gluten-free graham crackers if using store-bought, gluten-free flours and ingredients if making your own.

    How to Make a Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Pie Crust

    Once you have your graham crackers baked or bought, you're almost there!

    broken up graham crackers in a food processor
    1. Break up the grahams and stick them in a food processor. 
    gluten-free graham cracker crumbs in a food processor
    2. Grind the grahams into gluten-free graham cracker crumbs.
    adding ingredients to the mixer
    3. Add the sugar, salt, cinnamon if using, and some of the melted butter. Pulse to combine. 
    graham cracker dough in the mixer
    4. Give the dough a squeeze and add more butter if it needs it. This will vary depending on the type of graham crackers you use. 
    pressing the crumbs into the sides of a vintage pie tin
    5. Press half of the crumb mixture into the sides of the pan. 
    pressing crumbs into bottom of pan using flat glass
    6. Press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan using a flat-bottomed glass for ease if you like.
    pressed in graham cracker crust
    7. Bake the crust, then press it down again after baking; this will help it hold together when sliced. 

    Make-Ahead

    Wrap and freeze an unbaked crust for up to a month or two. When you're ready for pie, bake the crust as directed, increasing the bake time by 5 minutes as needed. 

    No-Bake Graham Cracker Crust

    No oven? No problem! Just chill the unbaked crust for an hour or two. This will firm up the butter and allow the starches to absorb moisture. The crust may be more delicate when cut, but it should do the trick!

    slice of chocolate pie with gf graham cracker crust on a plate

    What to make with graham cracker crust? 

    Fill this crunchy GF crust with any of your favorite pie fillings. Here are some of mine:

    • vegan key lime pie
    • pumpkin pie
    • sweet potato pie
    • banana cream pie
    • vegan chocolate pie
    • classic cheesecake

    More Gluten-Free Crust Recipes:

    • Gluten-Free Pie Crust (vegan option)
    • Grain-Free Pie Crust (paleo, vegan option)
    • Gluten-Free Tart Crust (vegan option)
    • Gluten-Free Pizza Crust (vegan)

    *Bojon appétit! For more Bojon Gourmet in your life, follow along on Instagram,  Facebook, or Pinterest, purchase my gluten-free cookbook Alternative Baker, or subscribe to receive new posts via email. And if you make this gluten-free graham cracker crust recipe, I’d love to know. Leave a comment and rating below, and tag your Instagram snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet  and  #bojongourmet.*

    vegan graham cracker crust with text overlay

    5 from 3 votes

    Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crust (vegan & refined sugar-free options)

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    A simple crust redolent with brown sugar and spice for all your favorite pie fillings.
    Alanna Taylor-Tobin
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 18 minutes
    Total: 33 minutes
    Servings: 8 servings

    Ingredients

    • 6 ½ ounces (185 g) graham crackers, vegan if desired (store-bought or 1 batch of my homemade gluten-free graham crackers) (1 ½ cups ground)
    • 5 tablespoons (70 g) melted butter (vegan if you like, more or less as needed depending on dryness of graham crackers)
    • 1 tablespoon (8 g) sugar (coconut sugar, brown sugar, or granulated sugar)
    • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
    • ¼ teaspoon salt, if using unsalted butter

    Instructions

    • Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350ºF.
    • Break up the graham crackers, place them in the bowl of a food processor, and pulse until ground. If there are any large pieces, use your fingers to break them up. You should have about 1 ½ cups of ground graham cracker crumbs.
    • Add 4 tablespoons of the melted butter and all of the sugar, cinnamon (if using), and salt. Pulse to combine.
    • Give the dough a squeeze; it should easily hold together. If it feels dry, pulse in another tablespoon or two of melted butter until it holds together well. The amount needed can vary greatly depending on how absorbent your grahams are. My homemade graham crackers needed 5 tablespoons of melted butter.
    • Dump half of the crumb mixture into an ungreased 9-inch pie plate, tart pan, or springform pan. Use your fingers to press the crumbs into the sides of the pan, taking care to make the crust even and flush with the rim. I don’t recommend making a decorative rim as this may make the pie difficult to remove from the pan.
    • Add the remaining crumbs to the bottom of the pan and press them into an even layer, keeping the edges square. Using a flat-bottomed glass will make this easier and tidier.
    • Place the pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet and bake the crust until the edges are beginning to brown and the crust is fragrant, 12-18 minutes. It may puff or bubble slightly.
    • Remove the crust from the oven and use the back of a large spoon or a flat-bottomed, heatproof glass to press the crust down. This will help it hold together better when cut.
    • Proceed with your pie recipe!

    Notes

    Make-Ahead: Wrap and freeze an unbaked crust for up to a month or two. When you're ready for pie, bake the crust as directed, increasing the bake time by 5 minutes as needed.
    No-Bake Graham Cracker Crust: No oven? No problem! Just chill the unbaked crust for an hour or two. This will firm up the butter and allow the starches to absorb moisture. The crust may be more delicate when cut, but it should do the trick!
    Nutrition values are for 1 of 8 servings. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 185kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 1gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 32mgSodium: 139mgPotassium: 3mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 223IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg
    Making this? I'd love to see!Tag your snaps @The_Bojon_Gourmet and #bojongourmet!

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    the cover of the award-winning cookbook, Alternative Baker

    Hungry for more?

    Alternative Baker celebrates the unique tastes and textures of 14 gluten-free flours, from buckwheat flour to almond flour to sorghum and coconut! This cookbook will fill your kitchen with sweet treats that burst with flavor every month of the year.

    Learn more and find out where to buy →

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    I'm Alanna, a recovering pastry chef-turned food photographer, stylist, videographer, and award-winning cookbook author. The Bojon Gourmet is a celebration of the sweet, savory, and occasionally boozy recipes that I create in my San Francisco kitchen. About →

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    the front cover of Alternative Baker, a cookbook by Alanna Taylor-Tobin, winner of the IACP Cookbook Awards

    My cookbook, Alternative Baker, contains 100+ recipes featuring corn, oat, chestnut, almond, buckwheat, sorghum, and other gluten-free flours. Find out where to get your copy! →

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