Easy Gluten Free Graham Cracker Recipe

By: Sarena Shasteen | June 5 2019

Once you try this easy gluten free (dairy free) graham cracker recipe, you will never buy those expensive cardboard versions again. There’s nothing like a homemade graham cracker once you’ve given them a try, and the bonus is they are easy to make.

It's camping season, friends and we have lived without good graham crackers for years. Honestly, these sweet treats turned out better than even I expected. The truth is, I thought this would be difficult with many versions of "not quite there" sweet crackers created and consumed, but not loved. Boy was I wrong. These crackers were not only exactly what we were looking for in the first round, but I tried them two ways with both versions being huge wins! You can even use them for a gluten free graham cracker crust if you are needing a gluten free pie crust.

Technically, graham crackers are made with graham flour. Graham Flour is a coarsely stone ground whole wheat flour, made from dark northern hard red wheat. It contains all the germ, oil and fiber from the whole wheat kernel. Unfortunately, that makes true graham crackers a no go for those of us that can't have wheat. Never fear! I've come up with a recipe that will have you questioning how these gluten free graham crackers made with gluten free flour could possibly taste like the real deal.

I'm giving you an alternate version of these sweet treats. The honey and cane sugar mixture tastes like honey graham crackers. It's a little sweeter than the brown sugar molasses version and the favorite in our house. The molasses and brown sugar version gives the crackers a richer less sweet flavor. These crackers are delicious, but more of a grown up flavor. Both are equally delicious and make the perfect s'mores. Nothing screams summertime quite like a graham cracker with a roasted marshmallow and some delicious chocolate.

Easy Gluten Free Graham Crackers

By Sarena Shasteen for Bob’s Red Mill Natural Foods

Yield: 10-12 crackers

Prep Time:          15 minutes

Cook Time:         20-25 minutes

Rest Time:           15 minutes

  • 2 cups Gluten Free 1 to 1 Flour (296 g)
  • ¼ cup Cane Sugar (54 g)
  • 1 tsp Baking Powder
  • 1 tsp Baking Soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 4 TBSP Dairy Free Butter Substitute (or real Butter), cold (56 g)
  • ¼ cup Egg Whites (60mL)
  • 2 TBSP Honey (30 mL)**
  • 2 TBSP Water (30mL), plus 2 more if needed
  • 2 tsp Cane Sugar for topping

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pulse 3 times to combine. Next add the cold butter and pulse to form a coarse meal.

Next add the egg whites, honey and 2 tablespoons of water to the flour mixture. Blend to combine. Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time if you need the moisture to bring the dough together. This should not be a super sticky dough, but a smooth dough that can be rolled out.

Place the dough on plastic wrap, form it into a square and wrap it tightly. Place the dough in the freezer for 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Once chilled, removed the dough from the freezer. Using another sheet of plastic wrap, cover the dough and roll to ⅛ to ¼ of an inch thick. Cut the dough into 2 x 2 or 2 x 4-inch pieces. Sprinkle with extra cane sugar. Score the dough with a fork. Place in the oven on a cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. After 15 minutes, cut the dough again to make sure it’s separated.  Bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes to brown. Allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes then place on a cooling rack to cool completely.

**You can also make these with molasses instead of honey. Leave the water out until you pulse the molasses in the dough. If you need more moisture, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to form the dough. In this version, use brown sugar instead of cane sugar to deepen the flavor. Top with cinnamon and sugar.

23 Comments

  1. Jeannine Foster
    I would like a gluten free challah recipe. Thank you
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Jeannine! You can find one here. Enjoy!

      Gluten Free Braided Bread (Gluten Free Challah)
      Reply
  2. Lori
    Can you sub flax egg for egg? If so, how much?
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      Hi Lori, that's a great question. I didn't test that exchange, but since you're looking for a crispy cracker, you should be able to exchange the egg with flax meal (egg replacer) with no problem. If I get a chance to test it soon, I will, but if you give it a try, will you let us know how it works for you?
      Reply
  3. Ginny
    I make my own GF flour blend (using Bob's Red Mill) flours. How much xanthum gum should I add because of this?
    Reply
    1. Sarena Shasteen
      Hi Gina, it's hard for me to say for sure since I don't know what your mix is made of. I would start with 1/2 tsp though. We have a chart on the back of our bag of xanthan gum that gives you guidelines for how much to use and for cookies it would be about 1/4 tsp per cup of flour in the recipe. Let us know how it turns out.
      Reply
  4. Gluten free dude
    Gluten free dude
    I just tried these... they are tough little planks. It's not fair to call these graham crackers. Please be honest about this - the dissappointment is very high right now...
    Reply
  5. Melissa Cogan
    My son is allergic to rice. Can I substitute the gluten free baking flour for the one called for?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Hi Melissa - we haven't tested this recipe using our Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. If you do, just remember you'll also need to add Xanthan Gum as the mix does not contain it. We recommend 1/4 tsp per cup for this type of recipe, so 1/2 tsp total.

      If you try it, we'd love if you shared your results!
      Reply
  6. Amanda
    Finally, a recipe without xanthan gum! My one question is will this work without the egg whites? Or can I do a whole egg?
    Reply
  7. Janie Sutton
    I just made these and they are delicious. They were quick and easy to make. I substituted the molasses and brown sugar as noted at the bottom of the recipe. Mine did not come out like tough little planks. They are crispy and a little chewy in the centers. I will make these again! Thank you for the recipe.
    Reply
  8. Anna
    Can this be used for a graham cracker crust for a cheesecake?
    Reply
    1. Whitney Barnes
      Absolutely. Just make the crackers as indicated then use as you would in a graham cracker crust recipe. Enjoy!
      Reply
    2. Russ
      I did a shortcut, direct to the cheesecake pan. (I substituted some stuff) Rolled oats ground to coarse flour, brown sugar, 1/2 tsp each baking soda and powder, 1/4 tsp each cinnamon and nutmeg, and no water. I melted the butter (like a graham cracker crust) and that probably made it all a little too wet. Oh, well. Worked great, Tastes wonderful, like an oat cookie crust.
      Reply
  9. Doreen
    I made these as directed. I also sprinkled a little cinnamon & sugar on top of some of them before baking. I used Miyoko’s vegan butter. I baked them on 325 degrees with the convection on in the oven. They were done in about 15 minutes. They were soft, but not gooey in the middle. The non-cinnamon topped ones were great with Nicciolata (an Italian dairy free hazelnut spread). Also tried them with Miyoko’s dairy free feta cheese (taste more like cream cheese) & sliced strawberries on top. I’ll try to molasses & brown sugar next time. I think the original recipe needs a bit more flavor & at least one of molasses &/or brown sugar would do it. These are worth making. Thank you for the recipe. Will be trying more.
    Reply
  10. Anne
    I’ve made these twice so far and they’re wonderful!! It’s so nice to have a GF graham crackers that are not primarily sugar and fat! Both times I made them I used one egg white and the rest flax “egg”. I also used half molasses and half honey, coconut sugar instead of regular, and added one teaspoon of corn starch because I prefer to have them slightly soft and chewy.
    My new favorite treat!!
    Reply
  11. Torill
    These were fun to make! Typically I like to make things a little less sweet, so I added something short of a 1/4 cup of sugar, and I probably shouldn't have! They tasted cardboard-ish. Also, the flavor of the baking soda came through, so I'm wondering if a teaspoon was too much...? Additionally, I added 1 tsp. of vanilla extract, which I think was good for the flavor. I will try again next time with a few modifications!

    Oh, and I did use flax meal with water instead of egg whites. I think the texture was fine for the dough (and baked fine), albeit a little dry, so I added some extra tablespoons of water.
    Reply
  12. Nancy Clark
    Been wondering just how to do Graham crackers. I think I may have some other grain allergies as well because when I use gluten-free flour I still break out. I have cellulitis and it is seemingly triggered by wheat, soy, cashews and peanuts. Turkey to find all the right ingredients even going Wheatfree.
    Reply
    1. Catherine
      You may be right about grains affecting your digestion. I am no longer able to use GF flour mixes that contain rice flour. In addition, corn and corn related products upset me. I previously blamed coconut, almond, various other ingredients or thought I had been 'glutened' but all is fine now that I know.
      Reply
  13. Steve Keylime
    We are a commercial bakery; we bake our own Graham crackers and are trying to come up with a Gluten-free recipe to put into production. Our "regular" Graham cracker recipe does not include egg whites, and as we attempt to simplify our list of ingredients, what is the purpose of adding egg whites to this recipe? Is this ingredient essential for a successful bake? Thanks in advance.
    Reply
    1. Elisabeth Allie
      Great question! The egg whites in this recipe are used as a binder. We haven't tried them without the egg whites, but you could either use a whole egg, an egg replacer or flax egg in it's place. You could also test it with a bit more butter and leave out the egg. You will need some liquid in place of the egg white if you remove it all together.
      Reply
  14. Vicky
    ThankYou! For posting your recipe with weights for the ingredients. To me this is the way to get consistent results from anyone following a recipe. Don’t most professional bakers use this method ?
    Reply
  15. Lynne A Mikulka
    Lynne A Mikulka
    I’ve been changing my recipes for about 25 yrs. It has been getting easier. Graham crackers I miss the most. I find using a scale works best for measuring, it’s more precise. It keeps recipes less dry. Going to try this recipe. Thanks for all your work making this allergy easier.
    Reply

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