Gluten-Free Graham Crackers
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
Finding store-bought gluten-free graham crackers at your local grocery store can sometimes be a challenge. Don’t worry, it’s so easy to make gluten-free graham crackers at home using ingredients you probably already have on hand.
You can whip these up for your next gluten-free s’mores night around the bonfire or to make a gluten-free graham cracker crust for your favorite dessert! They are great in my air fryer s’mores recipe, on my s’mores board, as a dipper in my gooey s’mores dip, or as part of a crust in my gluten-free cheesecake or gluten-free key lime pie!
If you’re like me and have celiac disease and have to follow a gluten-free diet, you may have thought that graham crackers were off the table. But, these graham crackers are perfectly spiced with a touch of cinnamon, honey and molasses for that classic graham cracker taste you know, miss and love. Baked to perfection, they’re so crispy and delicious!
For those of you looking for vegan graham crackers or dairy-free graham crackers, this easy recipe can also be made dairy-free and vegan with a few simple swaps. Just follow the notes in the recipe card.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- gluten-free flour blend – I’ve tested this recipe with both Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour and King Arthur Baking Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour. Both of these gluten-free flour blends are formulated to work as a1-to-1 swap with all-purpose flour. They already contain xanthan gum, which means you do not need to add it to the recipe. I can only vouch for this recipe using these two blends. If you use another gluten-free flour blend, it may not turn out as expected.
- xanthan gum – As stated, the two gluten-free flour blends I have tested this recipe with already contain xanthan gum. If you use a flour blend that does not contain xanthan gum, you will need to add it. Xanthan gum is an often corn-based food additive that is used as a thickener in many foods. In gluten-free baking it helps provide some elasticity so that your baked goods don’t crumble and fall apart.
- butter – Use unsalted butter that is very cold and cut into small cubes. If you use salted butter, you will want to cut back on the salt in the recipe. I don’t recommend salted butter because you cannot control the amount of salt you are putting in the graham crackers. I have also tested this recipe with vegan butter for a dairy-free and vegan option. I recommend Smart Balance.
- honey – Honey is used to provide great flavor to our graham crackers. There is nothing more classic than honey grahams. If you want to make this recipe vegan, you can substitute honey with the same amount of agave, which I have also tested in this recipe.
Step-by-Step instructions
It’s very simple to make gluten free graham crackers at home, perfect for all your s’mores needs! Just follow the step-by-step instructions below with matching pictures to make this recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for more information, tips, substitutions, and additional notes. You can also print the recipe card if you wish.
Making graham crackers at home is very easy with the help of a food processor. While you can do this recipe also in a large bowl and cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, it’s much quicker to make in the food processor.
The order in which you add the ingredients to the food processor is very important. Be sure to follow the steps so you know when to add in your dry ingredients, butter, and wet ingredients.
After making the dough in the food processor, all you have to do is roll out the dough, cut it into squares, poke holes in it with a fork, chill and then bake. It’s all very manageable to do and these step-by-step photos will guide you through it.
Expert Tips
- Graham cracker dough is very sticky. The key to making these gluten-free graham crackers without making a huge mess is in the parchment paper. Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper. Then place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough. Use your hands to press the dough into a disk. Roll out the dough with the parchment paper on top, ensuring that the dough never touches your rolling pin. It’s mess free!
- You can bake these graham crackers for 14-15 minutes to get a soft and chewy graham cracker cookie. To get crispy graham crackers, perfect for s’mores, bake the graham crackers for the full 17 minutes. The graham crackers’ crispness will also depend on how thinly you roll out the dough. If you roll them thick, they will be softer. If you roll them thin, they will be very crispy.
- Make sure you cut your parchment to the size of the baking sheet, which should be about 11×15-inches. Use the parchment paper as a guide for how big to roll out your graham cracker dough. It should just about reach the edges of the parchment paper. This will help you get the optimal thickness for your graham crackers, ensuring that they are crispy.
- I personally like to roll out my dough while it is still soft instead of refrigerating the dough before rolling. I find the chilled dough too hard to roll out very thinly. Instead, I refrigerate the dough after rolling out before baking.
Storage Tips
Store leftover graham crackers in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature. Do not store them in the refrigerator as I find they get softer as they soak up the moisture from the refrigerator.
You can freeze graham crackers for up to 3 months. Freeze the graham crackers in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper for an hour. After flash freezing, transfer the graham crackers to freezer-safe containers or freezer bags.
Recipe FAQs
No. Traditional graham crackers are not gluten-free. Conventionally, they are made with graham flour, which is a coarse wheat flour. Many homemade graham crackers are made with wheat flour or whole wheat flour. I’ve created these graham crackers using a gluten-free flour blend to make them gluten-free!
No, graham flour is not gluten-free. Graham flour is a coarse-ground wheat flour that is commonly used to make graham crackers, hence where they got their name!
Yes, you can make these gluten-free graham crackers also dairy-free. To do so, use a non-dairy butter, like SmartBalance. Non-dairy butters tend to be softer than regular butter, so I like to freeze the butter before using. Use a non-dairy milk, like almond milk.
To make this recipe vegan, follow the dairy-free instructions. Additionally, swap the honey for agave nectar. Also, be sure to check that your sugar is vegan as some sugars are processed with bone char, which makes it not vegan.
Related Recipes
- Gluten-Free Pumpkin Pie with Graham Cracker Crust
- Mini Pecan Pie Cheesecakes – Grain-Free and Gluten-Free
Did you make this recipe?
I’d love to know! Please rate it and leave a comment below. You can also share your pictures and tag @adashofmegnut on Instagram.
Gluten-Free Graham Crackers
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free flour blend (280g (I've tested with both Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour and King Arthuer Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour, which already contain xanthan gum))
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum (if your blend doesn’t already contain it)
- ½ cup brown sugar (100g)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (chilled and cubed (113g), (see tips for dairy-free and vegan option in notes))
- ¼ cup honey (84g, see tips for vegan option in notes)
- 1 tbsp molasses (15g)
- 3 tablespoons whole milk (45g (see tips for dairy-free and vegan option in notes))
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). In a food processor, add the gluten-free flour blend, xanthan gum (if your blend doesn’t already contain it), brown sugar, ground cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pulse until the mixture is blended.
- Place the cold butter into the flour mixture.
- Pulse the food processor about 10-15 times, until the butter is in small pieces, the largest being about the size of a pea.
- Add the honey, molasses, whole milk and vanilla extract to the food processor.
- Blend until a dough is formed.
- Place the dough on a piece of parchment paper the size of a half sheet pan, 11×15-inches large. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of the dough.
- Roll out the graham cracker dough until it’s a rectangle the size of the parchment sheet and rolled to ⅛ to ¼ of an inch thick. Peel back the top sheet of parchment paper.
- With a pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough into squares, about 2.5 x 2.5 inches in size. I use a ruler to mark off every 2.5 inches on the dough. You’ll get 24 squares total.
- Use a fork or skewer to poke rows of holes in each square.
- Slide the parchment paper with the dough on it onto the baking sheet. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to chill the dough.
- Bake at 375°F (190°C) for 15-17 minutes, until the edges are slightly brown and crispy, and the top of the graham crackers no longer looks shiny.
- Place the pan on a cooling rack and immediately reinforce the score lines by slicing through them again with a pizza cutter or knife. Let cool completely to crisp up.
Notes
- This recipe was tested with both Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour blend and King Arthur Baking Gluten Free Measure for Measure flour. Both of these blends already contain xanthan gum, which means you will not need to add it to this recipe. Only add the xanthan gum if your blend does not already contain it.
- As always be sure to check ingredient labels to ensure that everything is gluten-free.
- For best results, follow the metric measurements provided. Using a food scale is easier (less dishes!) and more accurate than using a measuring cup.
- Storage Tip: Place leftover graham crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. I do not recommend storing in the refrigerator as they will get soft.
- Freezing Tip: Freeze leftover graham crackers for up to 3 months. First, flash freeze the graham crackers on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper for an hour. Then, place the graham crackers in a freezer-safe bag or container. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour when ready to use!
- Dairy-Free: Use non-dairy butter in place of the unsalted butter. Non-dairy butter substitutes are much softer than regular butter so you will want to freeze it before using. Substitute whole milk for almond milk or other non-dairy milk.
- Vegan: Follow the guidelines above for dairy-free. In addition, instead of honey, use agave syrup. Also, be sure to use vegan brown sugar. Some sugars are processed with bone char making them not vegan.
Nutrition
I’m Megan
A gluten-free food blogger from Chicago and lover of all things food, showing you gluten-free can be easy and delicious, too. Let’s make gluten-free stress free together! Read more…
So good.
So glad you enjoyed these!
Hi! Making graham crackers for a child who is medically gluten-free, nut-free, and rice-free!! Cannot find any gluten-free flour blends that lack all three of these allergens.
Can you help, please, via email with info. on such flour blends that may exist and where I can obtain them and/or provide a scratch recipe for graham crackers that doesn’t require any of these 3 allergens? TY. I’d be very appreciative!
The Partake Graham Crackers are gluten-free, nut-free and look like they use no rice in them so I’d try those. They’re available at Target and other stores.