A homemade Graham Cracker Cheesecake Crust with just 2 ingredients is so simple, but it will revolutionize your baking! This no bake cheesecake crust is stable, neat, crunchy, sweet (but not too sweet), and it holds its shape perfectly every time.
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🌟 Why this is the best recipe
- It is so easy – As fancy as it looks, this is a super easy cheesecake crust recipe. The no-bake crust is extremely quick too, and no special equipment is needed. Of course, you can turn it easily into graham cracker pie crust too!
- It is super delicious – I never compromise on taste! This is the perfect graham cracker crust with the loveliest biscuit flavor, a perfect crunchy texture, and a hint of sea salt that balances the sweetness.
- It is a detailed tutorial – This is the only Graham Cracker cheesecake crust tutorial that you will ever need. It is a thick cheesecake crust that is very stable and holds its shape.
📝 Ingredient notes
Graham Cracker cheesecake crust is made of a few simple ingredients you probably already have at home in your pantry and fridge.
- Graham Crackers - These give the best homemade cheesecake crust texture, with a satisfying crunch and a really delicious taste that works perfectly with a rich and tangy filling. You can use digestive biscuits too for a similar cookie.
- Unsalted Butter - I always use high-quality unsalted butter; I use European-style butter with 82% fat content in all of my recipes. With the butter melted, it is easy to mix the ingredients together to make the best Graham Cracker crust for cheesecake!
- Salt - A small amount of salt in dessert recipes is essential to bring out the flavors and balance sweetness. Don't be tempted to skip it!
Many recipes add brown sugar or other additional granulated sugar to a Graham Cracker crust for cheesecake but I do not recommend it. This cheesecake crust is crunchy and sweet enough, so there is no need to add extra sugar to it.
🛒 You’ll find detailed measurements for all Ingredients in the printable version of the Recipe Card at the bottom of this post.
👩🍳 How to make this recipe
1. How to make biscuit crumb for cheesecake crust
There are generally two ways of making biscuit crumb, either the old-fashioned way (that is perfect if you are stress baking!) or using a food processor.
- In a food processor - Pulse the Graham crackers for a few seconds until no larger pieces remain and the crumbs are all the same size.
- In a zip bag - Place the Graham Crackers into a plastic freezer bag/ziplock bag and hit with a rolling pin until you have a fine biscuit crumb.
💡 Top Tip: If you are using a zip bag, make sure to use a bag that is large and strong enough and won´t tear during the process.
2. How to make Graham Cracker crust for cheesecakes
- Melt the butter and let it cool slightly while preparing the Graham Crackers.
- Mix the melted butter and biscuit crumb while the butter is still runny. The butter will act as a binding agent in the cheesecake crust recipe.
- Press the butter crumb mixture firmly and evenly into the cake ring in an even layer. A bent spoon is often the best tool to use! Start with the sides and work your way up, then when it is neat and even, continue with the bottom/base of the cheesecake crust.
- Let this easy Graham Cracker cheesecake crust cool in the freezer so that the butter can harden and set before filling it.
- Leave the crust and cheesecake filling in the cake ring whilst the cheesecake filling sets. This is usually 4-6 hours, depending on the recipe.
- Enjoy your favorite cheesecake with Graham Cracker crust!
💡 Top Tip: The no bake cheesecake crust mixture might be runny once the ingredients are combined, but do not add more Graham Cracker crumbs. If you feel that the mixture is too runny to work with, put it into the fridge for 5 minutes. It will begin to set very quickly into a consistency you can use to make the crust with.
Storage & Freezing
Store Graham cracker cheesecake crust covered or in an airtight container in the fridge and use within one week. Alternatively, you can easily freeze cheesecake crust. Use within one month.
📚 Flavor variations & substitutions
Now that you have mastered the best Graham Cracker Cheesecake crust recipe, you can play with it to suit you. Here are some cheesecake crust alternatives! Why not add spices like ground cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla bean, chopped nuts, or even sesame seeds? My raspberry cheesecake crust is made with the addition of freeze dried raspberries that add both color and flavor. The possibilities are endless!
You can also make homemade Graham Cracker cheesecake crust using other biscuits or cookies. For example, try using Oreo cookies in this easy no bake cheesecake crust recipe, or crushed ice cream cones, pretzels, or any home baked hard biscuit. I love this fun pumpkin cheesecake for Halloween! Just remember that if the cookie you are using is very fatty, you may need to reduce the amount of butter.
One of the best things about this no bake Graham Cracker crust recipe is that you can turn this cheesecake crust into a no-bake pie crust, too! Just use your favorite pie pan and enjoy eating all the pies.
Troubleshooting the cheesecake crust
You might have a bad experience from the past with cheesecake crust being too crumbly and not holding its shape. This is probably due to not enough butter in the recipe. Butter is the glue that holds this crust together, so measure your ingredients carefully to get the correct biscuit crumb vs. butter ratio.
Apart from having a good cheesecake crust recipe, it is all about the technique! You have to really press the Graham cracker crumb to compact it together firmly and neatly on the side and bottom of the tin. This requires some patience and might take 10-15 minutes, but it's well worth it to enjoy all the Graham Cracker crust desserts afterward.
Having trouble removing the no-bake crust from the tin? Cheesecake crusts that stick to the tin usually do not contain enough fat content (butter). Since this Graham Cracker crust recipe contains just enough butter, there is no need to grease the tin and it will come out just fine.
🥣 Equipment notes
Always weigh ingredients by the gram using a digital scale for best results. Use a rolling pin or food processor to crush the Graham Crackers.
I use a Mousse cake ring (adjustable in size) set to 16cm / 6 inches to make the no bake cheesecake crust. It has a neat and tall design, however, it does not have a base. I rectify this by making one using kitchen foil! Alternatively, you can use a springform pan but please note that it does not have such neat, straight sides.
For pressing the crumb into the sides and base of the cake ring, I suggest using a spoon that you can bend.
🎓 Expert tips
- Always weigh ingredients using a digital scale. I do not recommend using the measuring cup system for baking.
- Heat the butter in the microwave on low heat or in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat. Watch so that it does not burn!
- Do not skip the salt; it balances the crust's sweetness.
- Do not change this recipe by adding less butter or more biscuit crumbs.
- Press the cookie crumbs very firmly and evenly into the side and the bottom of your cake ring to really pack them in.
- Respect the chilling time. Chilling time is necessary for the butter in the crust to set, creating a crunchy but firm crust to hold the filling.
- If you have additional Graham Crackers in your pantry and want another Graham Cracker recipe, why not also try these delicious Chocolate Covered Graham Crackers?
❓ Recipe FAQs
No, because butter hardens in the fridge which is what sets your cheesecake crust and makes it stable and able to hold its shape. Oil remains a liquid in the fridge, so this substitution will not work.
Yes, you can easily make this easy Graham Cracker crust recipe for cheesecake gluten-free by using either store-bought or home-baked gluten-free hard biscuits.
Possibly, but you will have to experiment with your chosen vegan butter and it must be a brand that will harden in the fridge so that the Graham Cracker crusts can set.
Correct! Butter is the only binding ingredient in this no-bake Graham Cracker crust without eggs.
🧀 How to use this cheesecake crust
You've made the crust; now it's time to make a Graham Cracker crust cheesecake! You'll never need store-bought crust again.
Have you tried this recipe?
Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well! I would love to hear about how your dessert turned out and your feedback also helps other Readers!
Graham Cracker Cheesecake Crust
Equipment
- Rolling pin or food processor
Ingredients
Crust
- 140 g (⅔ cups) Unsalted butter
- 300 g (1¼ cups) Graham Cracker crumbs or other similar, eg. Digestive biscuits.
- Pinch of salt
US customary cup measurement is an indicative figure only. Measure the ingredients with a digital scale by weight (gram). Baking is art but also science which requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
- Melt the butter in the microwave, then let it cool slightly whilst preparing the biscuit crumbs.
- Biscuit/cookie crumbs can be made in a food processor or by placing the crackers into a zip bag and using a rolling pin to crush them.
- Mix the crumbs with the melted butter and a pinch of salt until it comes together.
- Line a springform pan or Mousse cake ring (adjustable in size) (set it to 16cm / 6 inches) with the mixture and press it evenly and tightly. Start with the sides, then move to the bottom. If the mixture is too runny, place it into the fridge for a few minutes. Once the crust is evenly distributed, place it into the freezer while preparing your filling of choice.
- Use the crust according to the cheesecake recipe. Once the cheesecake sets (usually needs about 6 hours refrigerated), remove the ring/springform very carefully and serve.
Notes
- Measure your ingredients with a Digital scale for accuracy.
- Do not skip the salt; it will balance the flavors.
- Use good quality 82% unsalted butter (European style)
- Make sure you read my step-by-step instructions in the post above with all the details of how to make this cheesecake crust. A short recipe alone is not able to cover all the necessary details and science behind baking.
- Heat butter in the microwave on low power so it does not explode. Alternatively, use a saucepan on the stovetop.
- While preparing the crust, make sure that you press the crumbs firmly and evenly into the side and the bottom of your cake ring.
- Respect the chilling time. Chilling time is needed for the crust (butter) to set.
- Once you are a pro at making this cheesecake crust, feel free to experiment with flavorings e.g., adding cinnamon, roasted chopped hazelnuts, freeze-dried berries, etc.
Parichat Ch
This recipe is super helpful, you clearly explained of everything readers needed to know.Definitely will try this recipe and thank you so much for such a great blogs.
Kat
Hello! When adding nuts, how much do you recommend? I want to make this with macadamia nuts for a pineapple & roasted cherry cheesecake.
Thank you!
Katalin Nagy
Not more than 10%-20% of the biscuit, it should give enough taste but depends on the nut eg. nuts usually have better and stronger taste if roasted upfront. Also you might need to adjust the butter depending on the fat content of the nut.
Holly George
I would like to use your recipe as an apple crumble base. How would I do that? Do I put the crust in the fridge to set and then put my apples in and bake? Or do I put my apples on top right after I pat the crust into shape (ie. without setting the crust in the fridge). Your crust looks beautiful so I really hope it can work with my crumble!!
Kata
Hey , this is a no bake crust, I do not recommend to bake it.
Lynda
Hello Holly, better late than never. As this is succh an easy no-bake crumb, I would advise cooking your aples first (I also add pears). Once cooled and drained, they would make a wonderful filling.
What about the crumble, surely that need to be cooked?
There's an easy way round that too. Make a batch of all-butter shortbread. Cook, cool and then crush it as you did the crumb base but no need to add any firther butter. This can simply be sprinkled over your apples and served with whatever accompaniment you choose (cream, ice cream yoghurt etc)
Larisa Albulescu
Just love the final result!