This easy gluten-free graham cracker recipe is perfect, made with a touch of honey and almond flour in just one bowl. These crunchy crackers are perfect for snacking, s'mores, or a gluten-free graham cracker crust! Don't want to make your own? Find out the best store-bought options here as well!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love These Crackers
- Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Step-by-Step Instructions
- Tip for Crunchy Crackers
- Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crumbs
- Top Recipe Tips
- Do these crackers taste like a Honey Maid Graham Cracker?
- Best Store-Bought Alternatives
- Recipe FAQs
- More Gluten-Free Recipes You'll Enjoy
- Recipe
- Comments and Ratings
Why You'll Love These Crackers
If you're never satisfied with good enough, then it's time to make delicious homemade gluten-free graham crackers that rival the taste of regular graham crackers!
After several test batches and many tweaks to the recipe, I've finally come up with the perfect gluten-free graham crackers with a crispy, crunchy texture and all the subtle yet delicious flavors of honey, cinnamon, and molasses, just like a traditional graham cracker.
These crackers are perfect for snacking, gluten-free s'mores, or gluten-free graham cracker crusts, like in this gluten-free cheesecake recipe and this gluten-free turtle cheesecake recipe!
While making homemade crackers might sound intimidating, don't fret! This easy one-bowl recipe is made with simple ingredients and easy techniques. If you can stir ingredients and roll out dough, you can make this recipe!
Once you see how easy it is to make your own crackers, give my gluten-free cheez-its recipe a try!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Gluten-Free Flour Blend: This recipe works well with King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten-free Flour Blend and also Namaste Perfect Flour Blend. I am confident Bob's 1:1 gluten-free flour or Pamela's Artisan blend would also produce good results. I do not recommend Cup4Cup for this recipe, the crackers get too brown during baking.
- Almond Flour: Don't skip the almond flour if possible! It lends a slightly nutty taste and crisp texture, similar to what whole wheat graham flour adds to traditional graham crackers. If you can't use almond flour, substitute gluten-free oat flour. Almond flour is great in cakes too, like this gluten-free peach upside down cake!
- Butter: To make dairy-free graham crackers, substitute Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks. Do not use canola oil, coconut oil, or another liquid oil.
- We get a lot of the traditional graham flavor from cinnamon, which is naturally gluten-free, gluten-free molasses, and honey, which is also naturally gluten-free.
- Honey: Readers have noted that date syrup works well in this recipe as a vegan alternative. I think maple syrup would also be a suitable substitute.
- Additional Toppings: Before baking, feel free to sprinkle the top of the dough with coarse sugar or sugar mixed with cinnamon, if desired.
*See recipe card for full list of ingredients and amounts.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Blend the dry ingredients, then cut in the cold butter with a pastry knife.
- Step 2: Stir in the honey and water. Add just enough water to form a soft dough that comes together into a ball.
- Step 3: Roll the graham cracker dough to about ⅛-inch thickness. Use a ruler and sharp knife or pizza cutter, to cut the dough into roughly 2-inch squares. A square cookie cutter works as well.
- Step 4: Gently move the squares to a cookie sheet lined with a sheet of parchment paper. Line up the graham crackers so the sides are touching. Poke holes in the top of each cracker.
- Step 5: Pop the graham crackers into the freezer or refrigerator to firm up while the oven pre-heats. Then bake as directed in the recipe card below.
Pro-Tip: You can mix the dough in a stand mixer or food processor as well.
Tip for Crunchy Crackers
The secret to making homemade graham crackers that are crisp and crunchy is to bake the crackers twice! Do not skip this step!
The first bake sets the crackers. The second bake, at a lower temperature, will fully drive out all of the moisture, essentially dehydrating them. The result is a crisp graham cracker that stays that way!
Gluten-Free Graham Cracker Crumbs
If you'd like to use this recipe to make graham cracker crumbs for a graham cracker pie crust, you can streamline the process. Follow the steps in the recipe card, but you don't have to necessarily hassle with all of the shaping.
- Roll the dough out thinly.
- Place graham cracker sheets on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake according to baking times on recipe card below.
- Remove from the oven and cool.
- Use a food processor or rolling pin to crush the graham crackers.
- Form your crust and bake according to your cheesecake or pie recipe.
I have not tried rolling this dough like pie dough and baking that way, so I can't say for sure if that would work.
Top Recipe Tips
- It's ok re-roll the dough. Re-roll any scraps until you've used up all the dough.
- Make the dough ahead and chill overnight if desired. The dough can be chilled before or after rolling it out. Cover the dough with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
- If you're having trouble rolling the dough, try chilling it. Work on a piece of parchment paper and use enough flour to prevent sticking when rolling out the dough.
- If your crackers are soft and not crunchy after cooling, they need to be baked longer. Be sure to follow the directions and bake the crackers twice. If after the second bake at 250°F, your crackers have cooled and are still not crisp and crunchy, bake them again at 250°F for another 5-10 minutes.
- If stored in an airtight container, the crackers will stay fresh for at least 1 week.
Do these crackers taste like a Honey Maid Graham Cracker?
I cannot definitively answer that question as it has been years since I've had a Honey Maid graham cracker, but I've tried just about every store-bought one I could get my hands on!
These are some of the best graham crackers I've eaten since going gluten-free. They have great flavor and texture and are as close as I can remember to what a graham cracker tastes like.
Best Store-Bought Alternatives
Maybe you don't feel like making your own crackers. That's ok! There are plenty of store-bought options that are convenient and taste pretty good, too! Depending on what you want the crackers for; snacking, s'mores, or a gluten-free pie crust, you might choose a different option. Here are my thoughts on which gluten-free graham crackers taste the best and what they are best used for.
| Brand | Taste | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Simple Mills Sweet Thins | 10/10 | •Snacking •Graham cracker crusts |
| Schar Honeygrams and Chocolate Honeygrams | 9/10 | •Snacking •Graham cracker crusts •S'mores |
| Pamela's Honey Grahams | 8/10 | •Snacking •Graham cracker crusts •S'mores |
| Kinninnick S'moreables | 7/10 | •Graham cracker crusts |
| Nairn’s Gluten-Free Oat Grahams | 8/10 | •Snacking •Graham cracker crusts •S'mores |
| Goodie Girl Cookies Fudge Stripe Cookies | 10/10 | •Snacking •Graham cracker crusts •S'mores |
| Joy Cone Sugar Cones | 10/10 | •Snacking •S'mores - Campfire Cones |
- Simple Mills Sweet Thins: These are my favorite of all the gluten-free options, both the Honey Cinnamon and Chocolate flavor are so good! The large bag is always part of my Costco gluten-free haul!
- Schar Honeygrams and Chocolate Honeygrams: While these crackers taste nothing like a Honey Maid or Nabisco graham cracker, I do like them. They contain caramelized sugar and corn flour, which you can definitely tell from their nutty taste and somewhat sandy texture. I affectionately call them an 'old lady cookie', which means nothing except that I distinctly remember thinking that the first time I tried them.
- Pamela's Honey Grahams: Pamela's Honey Grahams are pretty good. They have a strong honey and cinnamon flavor to them.
- Kinninnick S'moreables: Contradictory to the name, these crackers are unfortunately not a top choice for s'mores; they are too small, thick, and dense compared to traditional graham crackers.
- Goodie Girl Cookies Fudge Stripe Cookies: Even though these are not a graham cracker, these cookies make also an excellent s'more! They are made with oat flour and the flavor is reminiscent of graham crackers. You don't even need a piece of chocolate to make a s'more with these because they are dipped in chocolate.
- Joy Cone Sugar Cones: While not a traditional graham cracker, these cones have excellent flavor and can be used to make a gluten-free campfire cones, which is a fun variation on traditional s'mores.
Recipe FAQs
Graham flour is not gluten-free. It is a type of coarse-ground whole wheat flour. It contains all parts of the wheat grain; the bran, germ and endosperm. Graham flour was named after Sylvester Graham, who invented the flour and was an early advocate for eating healthy foods, especially whole grains.
Traditional graham crackers are not gluten-free. They are made with graham flour, which is a coarsely ground whole wheat flour.
Honey Maid graham crackers are not gluten-free. They are made with graham flour, which is a coarsely ground whole wheat flour, and all-purpose flour.
Check your local grocery store for these brands; Schar Honeygrahams, Pamela's Gluten-free Graham Crackers, Simple Mills Sweet Thins, Kinninnick S'moreables, Nairn's oat crackers, or Mary's Gone Kookies graham-style snacks.
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If you enjoyed this homemade gluten-free graham crackers recipe, I think you'll enjoy these other nostalgic treats as well!
Recipe
Gluten-Free Graham Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup Gluten-free Flour Blend, such as King Arthur Measure for Measure or Namaste Perfect Blend
- ¼ cup almond flour, can substitute oat flour
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 tablespoons butter, for dairy-free use Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1-2 tablespoons water
Instructions
Form the Dough
- Whisk gluten-free flour, almond flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- Use a pastry knife to cut in butter until evenly incorporated.
- Stir in honey and 1 tablespoon of water. Add water gradually until mixture resembles wet sand and forms a ball when pressed or gently kneaded.
Make the Crackers
- Roll out half of the dough on a well-floured parchment paper to ⅛-inch thickness.
- Cut the dough into roughly 2-inch squares with a ruler and sharp knife or square cookie cutter.
- With a floured spatula, transfer the crackers to a parchment lined baking sheet allowing the edges to touch. Poke holes in the tops of the crackers.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
- Chill the tray with the crackers in the freezer or refrigerator until firm (approximately 10 minutes in the freezer).
Baking the Crackers
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Bake the crackers for 15 minutes.
- Remove the crackers from the oven and leave them on the pan to cool.
- Meanwhile, turn the oven off and leave the door ajar for at least 15 minutes to cool. Then turn the oven back on to 250°F.
- Place the crackers back into the oven and bake about 25-30 more minutes. The edges will feel firm to the touch and the center should feel almost as firm. The crackers should crisp up even more as they cool.
- Once the crackers cool, gently break them apart along the cut lines. Store in an airtight container.
Video
Notes
- You can mix the dough in a stand mixer or food processor as well.
- Re-roll any scraps.
- Feel free to chill the dough to make rolling easier or to make the dough ahead.
- If after the crackers cool, they are not crisp enough, just pop them back in to bake at 250°F for 5-10 more minutes.
- If stored in an airtight container, the crackers will keep for at least one week.
Rosie
They turned out great! I was a little concerned when the dough didn’t seem to be making a ball. I added 2 more T of water before I could form a ball. I gently rolled it out and cut my crackers. They turned out so good! In the morning I am going to make a graham cracker crust with them. I ate one to test it. It was so yummy! Thank you so much for this recipe!
Katie Olesen
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! I am glad you were able to adjust to suit your needs. That's the thing with gluten-free baking, we have to use our intuition sometimes! I also have a graham cracker crust recipe if you need! Enjoy!
Alexandra
I made these with dairy free butter and they were delicious. Thank you for the great recipe!
Elaine
Give yourself time ...but totally worth it! My brother-in-law was diagnosed with celiacs and misses graham crackers! The texture is sandy but I'm going to try a different flour blend next time. Next time I will also sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the top of some!
We made some into the classic graham cracker shape but I was making the recipe in order to make gluten free cheesecake crust. For half of the batch I simply poured the crumbs on a silpat and baked according to the directions and stirring occasionally. Perfect!!! Thank you for the recipe!
Elaine
Wanted to check in again and say I made these with my 11 year old Godson! He had SO much fun and was thrilled to be able to eat a gluten free treat that HE made. We added a touch more water to the dough to make it easier to handle. Thank you so much for the recipe!!!
Katie Olesen
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! It sounds like a great day for both of you!
Cheryl Baalmann
My family loves these more than regular box graham crackers. I am planning to make a pie for Thanksgiving that requires a graham cracker crust, I would like to use this recipe but use the mix BEFORE baking. Do you have a way to use this recipe for pie crust? Thanks
Sirisha
Hi,
It's an awesome recipe. Thanks for sharing. Could I know any homemade gluten free blend instead of these famous blends. I want to use own ingredients.
Vanessa
These are delicious and I’m ready to make some more. I just had to go GF and I am thrilled to find this recipe. I can’t wait to try these in a crust. Thanks!
Lesley-Anne
I want to make these but also would like to know if you could substitute the honey for syrup for someone who is vegan?
Katie | Wheat by the Wayside
While I haven't tried it, I think that should work just fine.
Rose
I’ve used date syrup and it worked great!
Joy
Is there a substitute for the almond flour? I am allergic to most nuts, including almonds. I miss my graham crackers and would love to make these!
Katie | Wheat by the Wayside
Just use an equal amount of the gluten free flour.
Jennifer
The are the absolute best graham crackers! My daughter and I have Celiac and missed having graham crackers for our s’mores. We served these to our family and friends (who are not gluten free) over the holidays and they all raved about them!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Katie | Wheat by the Wayside
So happy you enjoyed the recipe and thanks for the wonderful comment!