Instant Pot Graham Cracker Crust Recipe
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This Instant Pot graham cracker crust is crispy and mouthwatering! Who says you can’t bake a graham cracker crust in the Instant Pot? Yes, you can!
I’m proud to say I’m the person who invented this method! Before I wrote this article, I searched the Internet extensively on Instant Pot graham cracker crust, and the only things I found was pressing the graham cracker crust mixture into the baking pan that fits inside the Instant Pot and using the crust UNBAKED. Some recipes called for putting the crust in the freezer so it becomes firmer. Some recipes (the Instant Pot ones) called for baking the crust in the OVEN. But NONE of the online recipes showed you how to BAKE a graham cracker crust inside the Instant Pot!
So I guess everyone thought it was impossible to bake the crust in the Instant Pot :) But right away I thought of an idea how to do it and decided to test it, and luckily it worked from the first try! I baked graham cracker crust in the Instant Pot and it turned out identical to how it would taste if I baked it in the oven! If you saw any other recipe on the Internet that does it the way I do, it means they copied it from yours truly!
So let’s now get down to business. What is the process for making and baking Instant Pot graham cracker crust?
How To Make Instant Pot Graham Cracker Crust
Step 1: Prepare the baking pan
You need a baking pan that fits inside the Instant Pot. I have two Instant Pot baking pans in my collection: a 6-inch glass pie dish and a 7-inch non-stick metal springform pan.
Pre-baking the crust inside the Instant Pot uses direct heat (as opposed to pressure cooking or steaming). If you aren’t planning to pre-bake your crust inside your Instant Pot before adding a filling, you can use either pan (glass or metal). However, if you are planning to pre-bake the crust right in your Instant Pot before adding a filling, only use the metal pan, as the glass one can crack from direct heat. NOTE: if you are using the oven to pre-bake the crust, the glass pan is oven safe and you can use either pan.
Once you selected the pan for your graham cracker crust, spray it with a non-stick cooking spray.
Step 2: Process the graham cracker crust ingredients in a food processor
Graham cracker crust is made out of crushed graham crackers, butter and sugar (for the exact proportions, see the printable recipe card on the bottom of this article).
Process for 2-3 minutes in the food processor until smooth.
Step 3: Press graham cracker crumb mixture into the baking pan to form a crust
Step 4: Put the metal pan with a crust inside Instant Pot
It should go directly into an inner pot of the Instant Pot – no trivet and no water!
Step 5: Cover with glass lid and cook on Saute setting for 15 minutes.
Cover Instant Pot with a glass lid, press the “Saute” button and set the time to 15 minutes.
Do not use regular pressure cooking lid that came with the Instant Pot. You need a looser lid (preferably glass so that you can see inside), it doesn’t have to be a perfect fit. Click here to get genuine Instant Pot glass lid accessory on Amazon (affiliate link). On the picture below I used a lid from one of my frying pans :)
Step 5: Remove baked graham cracker crust from the Instant Pot
Turn off the Instant Pot, open the lid and carefully remove the baked crust from the pot. It’s extremely hot, so make sure you wear the heatproof mitts.
Let the graham cracker crust cool and use it in your favorite Instant Pot pie and cake recipes! Here’s a perfect recipe for you with this crust:
Instant Pot Pumpkin Cheesecake – this is the only pumpkin cheesecake recipe you’ll ever need! So easy to make and always turns out perfect!
Want more Instant Pot recipes? View my whole easy Instant Pot recipes collection.
Instant Pot Graham Cracker Crust
Ingredients
- 8 graham crackers or 1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup sugar
- 6 tbsp butter
Recommended Kitchen Tools (click the links below to see the items used to make this recipe)
Instructions
- Put graham crackers, sugar and butter in the food processor and process until smooth (2-3 minutes).
- Spray a metal baking pan that fits inside the Instant Pot with a non-stick cooking spray (I use a 7-inch springform pan).
- Put the graham crumb mixture inside the pan and press with your fingers into the bottom and the sides of the pan to form a crust.
- At this point, you can use the graham cracker crust as is (unbaked), you can freeze it or you can bake it in the Instant Pot according to instructions below.
To bake the graham cracker crust in the Instant Pot
- Put the metal baking pan with a graham cracker crust in the Instant Pot (do not use the glass pan or it will crack). Do not add water and do not use a trivet (the bottom of the pan with a crust has to be directly touching the bottom of the inner pot of the Instant Pot). Cover the Instant Pot with a glass lid (do not use the actual lid that came with Instant Pot, use any loosely fitting glass lid from other pans).
- Press the "Saute" button and set the time for 15 minutes.
- When it's done cooking, turn off the Instant Pot and carefully remove the pan with the graham cracker crust from the Instant Pot (the pan is extremely hot, use the heatproof mitts).
Notes
Nutrition
More Instant Pot desserts:
For a low-carb and gluten-free alternatives to graham cracker crust, check out my walnut pie crust and almond flour crust.
This method of baking the crust right in the Instant Pot is very clever! Which sauté temperature setting do you use: less, normal, or more?
Normal
This Instant Pot graham cracker crust is delicious!
I’m so impressed that you invented this method for baking graham cracker crust in the Instant Pot! Incredibly, you figured out a way to bake it directly in the Instant Pot, especially since previous recipes didn’t cover this. Kudos for coming up with such an innovative solution!