These homemade cheese crackers are gluten free and taste great. Plus? They’re easy to make. Crackers might not be the first thing you think of when you hear the word homemade, but the ingredient list for this recipe is short and it doesn’t take long to make at all. You might want to double this cheese cracker recipe, though. They’re that good.
- Fact: Cheez-It crackers are crap food.
- Fact: Cheez-It crackers aren’t even a food really. They’re more like a food product.
- Fact: In spite of the fact that I haven’t eaten Cheez-It crackers in years, if I were stranded on a deserted island with only one kind of food, Cheez-Its would be right up there at the top of my wish list.
Good thing I’ve mastered this recipe for homemade cheese crackers.
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Gluten-free homemade cheese crackers?
Awhile back (inspired by a recipe sent by Amanda from High Prairie Homestead) my then sixteen-year-old son took it upon himself to try his hand at making homemade cheese crackers. He deemed them “awesome,” not to mention really easy to make.
Trouble is, I follow a gluten-free diet. And let me tell you: just smelling those homemade cheese crackers just wasn’t cutting it. So I decided to attempt a gluten-free version. The results? I would totally take these with me to a deserted island.
A cheese cracker recipe everyone can love
So, these crackers are gluten free. But don’t let that send you off in search of a “real” recipe for homemade cheese crackers. These crackers are tasty enough to serve to your wheat-eating friends. Really. This cheese cracker recipe calls for two alternative flours: Coconut and sorghum. Usually found in the health food section at the grocery store, these flours are gluten free.
Hot tip: Don’t freak out when you see the price of the coconut flour like I did the first time I used it. It’s not used at a 1:1 ratio, so a cup of coconut flour goes a LOT further than a cup of all-purpose flour. A small bag will last you through numerous batches of these homemade cheese crackers!
Related: Savory Pizzelles — DIY Lemon and Dill Crackers
★ Did you make these homemade cheese crackers? Don’t forget to give them a star rating below!
Homemade cheese crackers
Makes roughly the equivalent of a small box of Cheez-It crackers.
Ingredients
- ½ cup sorghum flour (plus more for rolling out dough)
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- 4 T cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, sharp or mild
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
- 5 T. cold water
Instructions
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Combine flours and butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse several times, then add cheese, salt, and cayenne pepper. Pulse until crumbly. Add almost all of the water and process just until the ingredients come together, adding remaining water as necessary.
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Preheat oven to 350º.
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Sprinkle a baking sheet with sorghum flour. Use your hands to form dough into a ball, sprinkle liberally with flour, and then gently roll dough out into a thin sheet (Use more flour to prevent sticking if needed). Aim for no more than 1/8-inch thick; too thin is preferable to too thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into one-inch squares. For a more authentic looking cracker, poke a hole in the center of each with a chopstick. Sprinkle with coarsely ground salt, if desired.
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Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until crackers are lightly browned and crisp. Break the crackers apart and cool. Any that don’t feel crisp enough should be popped back in the oven for another five minutes or so. Crackers not eaten immediately (ha!) can be stored in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes
Coconut flour is not used at a 1:1 ratio, so a cup of coconut flour goes a LOT further than a cup of all-purpose flour. A small bag will last you through numerous batches of these homemade cheese crackers!
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Reader Favorites from Attainable Sustainable
Sheryl
March 21, 2012 at 5:00 AMYou just reminded me how much I used to love cheez-its. Thanks for this healthier alternative!
SoniaR
March 21, 2012 at 7:12 AMOh, these sound incredible!…and so easy. Thanks, Kris!
From a Tiny Kitchen
March 21, 2012 at 10:05 AMLooks good. I will be sharing this for my GF friends. (And every once in a while, crap food product can hit the spot. mmmmtwinkies…)
Laura Weldon
March 21, 2012 at 10:34 AMAw, now I have a hankering for Cheez-Its! I probably haven’t had them since I ate handfuls while babysitting at homes where cool moms actually bought snack food.
I make gluten-free cheese crackers too. Mine are simply almond flour, cheese, homemade butter, and salt. Not sure they taste like Cheez-Its but still, pretty yummy.
Sarah
March 21, 2012 at 11:45 AMOh cool, Iʻll have to try these! They remind me of a recipe of my moms (using wheat flour of course). With those you roll out a log, refrigerate and then cut slices to bake.
I didnʻt know there is coconut flour. Where do I find it?
Attainable Sustainable
March 21, 2012 at 2:44 PMI get the coconut flour at my health food store. Bob’s Red Mill makes it. One thing about coconut flour. It’s a great flour for baking gluten free, but you need a lot less of it that you do regular flour (keep in mind when you gasp at the price tag). Where I’d use 1 cup of regular flour, I only need about 1/4 cup of coconut flour.
Sarah
March 22, 2012 at 6:42 AM@Attainable Sustainable Sure enough, I was at the health food store later in the afternoon checking out all the non-gluten flours and there it was! Thanks for the tip on not needing very much, I just got a little, since the price was near $5/lb.
Toni Welch-Hiner
March 21, 2012 at 2:29 PMTotally delicious! We made them into little stars. They get crispy as they cool. If someone needs to stay completely gluten free, then make sure to check ingredients on unsalted butter. With the coconut flour adding fiber are they still junk food?
FrugalKiwi
March 21, 2012 at 7:42 PMSounds nice except I’ve never, ever seen either sorghum or coconut flour for sale in NZ. Sigh.
Chelsea
November 3, 2013 at 9:23 PMTry ordering from iHerb. That site sells every kind of flour. They ship to where I live in Korea. I’m sure they can ship to you. =)
kerry dexter
March 22, 2012 at 3:20 AMI’ll be these not only taste great, but make your kitchen smell really good while you’re baking them, too.
Irene
March 22, 2012 at 3:39 AMDo these taste as good as they look? Hmm..yummy!
Living Large
March 22, 2012 at 4:22 AMI actually buy Cheez its to give to my dogs as little treats. Probably not the healthiest thing in the world for them, but better than some crap treat made in China with who knows what in it. These look awesome. I’m bookmarking the recipe!
Donna Hull
March 22, 2012 at 5:22 AMAs a Cheez-it fan (no, I don’t eat them anymore – I just lust after them), I have to try this recipe. What a great idea. I’m contemplating going gluten free. Recipes like this will help.
Alexandra
March 22, 2012 at 10:52 AMI have always been frightened of trying recipes like this one, but your illustrations make it sound so easy. Thanks for experimenting and coming up with real gluten-free!
MyKidsEatSquid
March 22, 2012 at 4:45 PMThese look tasty and I’m not even a Cheez-it fan. In fact, if I were stranded on that island I would request piles of chocolate
Jane Boursaw
March 25, 2012 at 3:17 PMThese look and sound amazing. And Cheez-Its are one of those non-foods where I could easily sit down and eat an entire box.
merr
March 27, 2012 at 4:52 AMIncredible! I wonder if you could sell these at your local farmer’s market?
Jennifer Margulis
March 29, 2012 at 7:45 AMI am so going to make these! A nutrition expert M.D. I interviewed used the term “edible food-like substances.” That pretty much describes Cheez-its…
Jeanine Barone
April 3, 2012 at 11:29 AMThis is a great idea. I love cheez-its as a very occasional snack food. I know a lot of friends that are going gluten-free so I’ll be passing this along.
CH Hellman
January 28, 2013 at 1:57 PMCoconut flour gives me cramps ahd other unpleasasnt side effects. Is there an alternative?
Lianna
November 12, 2013 at 3:37 PMWhat about almond flour as an alternative to coconut flour?
Kris Bordessa
November 12, 2013 at 3:45 PMI think flavor-wise it would be fine, but you’d have to figure out equivalents. Coconut flour is SO dense. 1/4-1/3 cup coconut flour subs for 1 cup regular flour!
Michelle
March 24, 2018 at 10:00 PMThese are a yummy snack and were easy to make.