Advice While cheesecake does not require a graham cracker crust, it is definitely regarded as the best possible crust for this classic dessert. Some recipes substitute shortbread, chocolate wafers, vanilla wafers, or various types of cookie crumbs for graham crackers. The ingredient list may change, but the method will stay the same! 1To make a 9-inch pie crust, we used 15 graham crackers (1 1/2 cups crushed) and 6 tablespoons melted butter. 2 Using your hands, break the graham crackers into smaller pieces. There are a variety of ways to turn the pieces of cracker into crumbs. The first option is to use a food processor or electric blender . When using an electric device, blend until coarse crumbs are formed.