This Gluten-Free Graham Crackers recipe uses oat flour, brown rice flour, molasses, and cinnamon for a delicious, sweet cracker. Vegan.
Graham crackers have a nostalgic quality to them. An after-school snack as a kid, s'mores around the campfire, or those little grahams shaped like teddy bears. Cinnamon-sweetened crackers that just never disappoint.
Going gluten-free throws a wrench in that, to be sure. But here is a gluten-free and dairy-free graham cracker recipe so that no one has to go without!
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Easy recipe
- Great flavor
- Simple ingredients
- Perfect for a gluten-free diet
Ingredients and substitutions
Here are a few quick notes about the ingredients in this recipe. You can see a complete list of ingredients and instructions in the recipe card below.
Gluten-free oat flour - Make sure you are purchasing certified gluten-free oat flour to avoid any cross-contamination. This recipe blends oat flour and brown rice flour for a flavor and texture similar to gluten-containing graham flour. The best substitute here would be sorghum flour.
Brown rice flour - Made from whole grain brown rice, this naturally gluten-free flour adds a great nutty flavor. The best brown rice sub for this recipe would be white rice flour. White rice flour is a bit grittier than brown.
Arrowroot starch - Also known as arrowroot powder, this helps bind as well as give a light, crispness to the crackers. If in need of a substitute, tapioca starch or corn starch would be your best bet.
Coconut sugar - Instead of regular or dark brown sugar, this unrefined sweetener adds a caramel-like flavor.
Organic cane sugar - This adds a nice sweetness and crunch.
Molasses and maple syrup - While these liquid sweeteners add a depth of flavor, they also help bind our gf graham crackers.
Ground cinnamon - Adds that signature flavor!
Vegan butter - The fat needed for our recipe, also adds a slight "buttery" flavor. Solid coconut oil can be substituted.
Unsweetened almond milk (or other non-dairy milk) - Just a little bit of this plant-based milk is needed to help hydrate our dairy-free cracker dough.
Step-by-step ingredients
Before you start: Grab your food processor, rolling pin, and cookie sheets! Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Place an additional piece of parchment paper (about 12x16) on a pastry or cutting board and sprinkle some oat flour on top.
Step 1: Add the dry ingredients—oat flour, brown rice flour, arrowroot starch, coconut and organic cane sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder—to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine ingredients
Step 2: Place 4 tablespoons of vegan butter into the mixture, pulsing again until the mixture becomes coarser and clumpy.
Step 3: Add the wet ingredients—molasses, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and two tablespoons of almond milk— and pulse until the mixture comes together and creates a dough.
Step 4: Turn dough out onto flour parchment paper. The dough will be sticky. Sprinkle with extra oat flour, patting and shaping into a ball until no longer sticky.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Step 5: Place dough back onto floured parchment and cover with an additional piece of parchment paper. Press down the dough then roll it out into a rectangle about an ⅛ to a ¼ inch thickness.
Step 6: Use a pizza slicer (pizza wheel) or sharp knife and slice off uneven ends. Score dough into squares (about 2x3) and gently transfer each square to the prepared baking sheet.
Reroll scraps and score into squares until all dough has been used.
Step 7: Pierce each square a few times with a fork. Sprinkle additional organic cane sugar on top of the dough.
Step 8: Bake for 8-10 minutes. Check the graham crackers at the 7-8 minute mark.
Thinner grahams will bake up faster and will be crispier. Thicker grahams will take about 10 minutes and result in a softer graham.
Helpful tips
- Before chilling the dough, if it seems too dry, add a teaspoon of almond milk at a time until the dough holds together like play-doh.
- If making thinner graham crackers, instead of transferring each square, transfer the entire piece of parchment with the scored dough onto the prepared baking sheet. They will break apart into squares after baking.
- Depending on the thickness of your crackers, thinner ones will bake up faster than thicker ones. Thin will result in crunchy crackers and thicker will result in more cookie-like crackers.
Storage
Store these homemade graham crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. The thicker they are, the more they will soften over time.
Serving suggestions
Graham crackers aren't just for gluten-free s'mores. How else do you use them? Here's what to eat with those cinnamon-sweet squares:
- Use them as a cheesecake base
- Crumble them and use them on parfaits, popsicles, and ice cream sundaes
- Spread peanut butter, almond butter, or chocolate hazelnut butter on top
- Crush and use graham cracker crumbs as a pie crust or tart crust, on cookies, on top of baked peaches, or in crispy treats!
- Layer in an icebox cake
- Dunk in chocolate s'mores dip or chocolate hummus
- Make chocolate-covered graham squares
FAQs
Traditional graham crackers are typically made from a combination of whole wheat flour, wheat germ, and bran which are gluten-containing ingredients. There are store-bought gluten-free graham crackers available at most grocery stores and online retailers.
Unsulphured molasses is a type of molasses that has been produced without the addition of sulfur dioxide during the extraction process. Sulfur dioxide is sometimes used as a processing aid in molasses production to extend its shelf life and prevent spoilage.
However, unsulphured molasses is made without the addition of sulfur dioxide, making it a more natural product.
More recipes with graham crackers
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📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Graham Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (145g) gluten-free oat flour
- ¾ cup (100g) brown rice flour
- 2 tablespoons (12g) arrowroot starch
- 3 tablespoons (36g) coconut sugar
- 3 tablespoons (30g) organic cane sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk or non-dairy milk of choice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.Place an additional piece of parchment paper (about 12x16) on a pastry or cutting board and sprinkle some oat flour on top.
- Add oat flour, brown rice flour, arrowroot starch, coconut and organic cane sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine ingredients and then add 4 tablespoons vegan butter sliced into small pieces.
- Process again by pulsing until mixture becomes coarser and clumpy. Add molasses, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and two tablespoons almond milk.
- Pulse until mixture comes together and creates a dough. Squeeze the dough with your hands to check if it comes together and stays together. If it is too dry, add an additional teaspoon of almond milk as needed. If it is too wet, add a tablespoon or two of oat flour at a time as needed.
- Turn dough out onto flour parchment paper. Dough might be sticky. Sprinkle with extra oat flour, patting and shaping into a ball until not longer sticky. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Place dough back onto floured parchment and cover with an additional piece of parchment paper. Press down dough then roll out into a rectangle about an ⅛ to a ¼ inch thick.
- Use a pizza slicer or sharp knife and slice off uneven ends. Score dough into squares (about 2x3) and gently transfer each square to the prepared baking sheet. Reroll scraps and score into squares until all dough has been used.
- If making thinner graham crackers, instead of transferring each square, transfer the entire piece of parchment with the scored dough onto the prepared baking sheet. They will separate into squares after baking.
- Pierce each square a few times with a fork. Sprinkle with additional organic cane sugar. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Check the graham crackers at the 7-8 minute mark. Thinner grahams will bake up faster and will be crispier. Thicker grahams will need about 10 minutes and result in a softer graham.
- Allow crackers to cool on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.
Andrea
So yummy.
Tessa
Thanks, Andrea! :)
Ali
Yum:)