5tablespoons(70 g) melted butter (vegan if you like, more or less as needed depending on dryness of graham crackers)
1tablespoon(8 g) sugar (coconut sugar, brown sugar, or granulated sugar)
½teaspoonground cinnamon (optional)
¼teaspoonsalt, 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.