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4.90 from 46 votes

If you have missed those crispy Cheez It crackers since going gluten free, I am so excited to share my newest recipe with you. These cheesy, crispy Gluten-Free Cheez Its crackers taste just like the real thing! They are flaky and light and full of flavor!

Who used to love eating Cheez Its Crackers? I remember loving them way back before we went gluten free. My kids would snack on Cheez Its and Goldfish! They are the perfect finger food for snacking!! You can dip them into a hot cream cheese dip or enjoy them plain!

This cheese cracker recipe is also great for making Gluten-Free Goldfish Crackers! Check out the directions to make this classic kid snack!

Why these homemade Cheez Its crackers are the best:

  1. I can’t say enough about these homemade gluten free cheese crackers! They are buttery with flaky layers, crispy, and full of sharp cheddar cheese flavors! They taste like the real thing!!
  2. This dough is particularly well-suited for use with cookie cutters! I used my small star cookie cutter to make some star-shaped crackers, too!
  3. This dough is not that sticky, so it is easy to work with!

I also have delicious recipes for Gluten-Free Sourdough Crackers and Seed Crackers if you love to make crackers!

I just made your Gluten Free Cheez It Crackers-they’re fabulous! They’re ridiculously easy to make and taste even better than the original non-gf ones. I’ll be making them often.
Keep up the good work!”

jane, blog comment

Allergen Information:

My homemade Cheez Its recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, oat-free, and soy-free.

Photos of the gluten free cheez its ingredients.

Ingredient Notes:

For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.

A blue bowl filled with gluten free cheez its on the counter.

You are seriously going to love how easy this gluten free cheese crackers recipe is to make! I have only recently started to make crackers because I had this image in my mind that they were difficult to make…I wish I had tried sooner because I was so wrong! Crackers are easy to make, and it is easy to customize flavors!

How to Make Gluten-Free Cheez Its (Step-By-Step):

Gluten free cheez its steps 1 and 2 photos.

Step 1: Add all of your ingredients to a food processor. You want the cheese to get cut up into fine pieces, so mixing by hand will not have the same effect.

Step 2: Mix on medium speed for 30 seconds. This is what your dough will look like. If your dough isn’t easy to work with, your gluten free flour blend may be starchier than what I used. If that is the case, a tiny bit more water will help.

Cheez its steps 3 and 4 photos.

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📢 Sandi says: Every gluten-free flour blend has a different starch-to-grain ratio. The brand of gluten-free flour you use will affect the moisture of the batter. If your cake batter is too runny, add more flour, and if it is too thick, add more liquids.
Read Why Gluten-Free Flour Blends Vary to learn more about this.

Step 3: Preheat your oven to 375º F. Place your cheese cracker dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Dust your rolling pin with some gluten free flour to prevent sticking.

Step 4: Roll the dough out as thinly as you can, where you can still move the cut pieces of cracker. Use a pizza cutting wheel or pasta cutter to make cracker shapes.

Cheez its steps 5 and 6 photos.

Step 5: After you cut the crackers out, gently move each cracker with the pizza wheel, so there is a distance between them all. This will prevent them from sticking together as they bake.

Step 6: Use a chopstick to poke a hole into each unbaked cracker. Sprinkle the crackers with coarse salt. You can skip this step if you are trying to be low in sodium.

Cutting out star shapes out of the cheese cracker dough.

Don’t forget, you can use a mini cookie cutter if you prefer to make shapes like stars and goldfish.

Step 7: Bake the crackers for 15 minutes or until golden.

If you love these crackers, you will also love these crispy Gluten-Free Cheese Straws!

Frequently Asked Questions:

Are Cheez Its gluten-free?

Regular store-bought Cheez Its are not gluten free, which is why I am so excited about this new recipe for gluten-free Cheez Its!

Is shredded cheese gluten-free?

Most shredded cheese is gluten free, but it is very important always to read the labels to verify the shredded cheese you buy is gluten-free.

How do I store these gluten-free cheese crackers?

I store the crackers in an airtight container.

How long will these crackers keep fresh?

These crackers should last for up to 3 days. These crackers do not have preservatives like regular store-bought mass-produced crackers, so they will not keep fresh as long.

Star shaped gluten free cheez its in a white bowl.
Here are the baked cheese crackers in star shape!

First of all, thank you for sharing this recipe. My son and husband can not have gluten and are always trying to steal my girl’s cheese crackers. I wanted to try and find an alternative the whole family could enjoy and these were absolutely amazing.”

Sam, Blog comment

More Delicious Gluten-Free Snacks:

Love This Recipe?

💬 Did you make this gluten-free Cheez It cracker recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out—and which pan or flour blend you used! Your feedback helps others (and helps me keep improving these recipes for you). ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The top view of a big bowl of gluten free Cheez Its.

Gluten Free Cheez Its

4.90 from 46 votes
Crispy gluten free cheese crackers that are a copycat flavor to Cheez Its. Easy step by step directions to make this popular snack.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Total Time 27 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 286

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces cheddar cheese mild or sharp
  • 4 tablespoons butter unsalted
  • 1 cup gluten free flour blend * see note
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3 tablespoons cold water
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt for sprinkling over the crackers
Optional Additional Seasoning:
  • teaspoon onion powder

Method
 

  1. Add 8 ounces cheddar cheese, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 cup gluten free flour blend, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder, 3 tablespoons cold water, 1 teaspoon coarse salt , and 1/8 teaspoon onion powder to a food processor. You want the cheese to get cut up into fine pieces so mixing by hand will not going to have the same effect.
  2. Blend the ingredients on medium speed for about 30 seconds. If your dough isn't easy to work with, it is possible your gluten free flour blend is starchier than what I used. If that is the case a tiny bit more water will help.
  3. Preheat your oven to 375º F.
  4. Place your cheese cracker dough onto a piece of parchment paper. Dust your rolling pin with some gluten free flour to prevent sticking.
  5. Roll the dough out as thinly as you can where you can still move the cut pieces of cracker. Use a pizza cutting wheel or pasta cutter to make cracker square or rectangle shapes.
  6. You can also use mini sized cookie cutters to cut out shapes like goldfish!
  7. After you cut the crackers out, use the pizza wheel to gently move each cracker so there is distance between them all. This will prevent them from sticking together as they bake.
  8. Use a chopstick to poke a hole into each unbaked cracker. Sprinkle the crackers with coarse salt. If you are trying to be low sodium, you can skip this step.
  9. Bake the crackers for 12-15 minutes, or until golden.

Nutrition

Serving: 1personCalories: 286kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 12gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 883mgPotassium: 41mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 612IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 289mgIron: 1mg

Notes

  1. I have tested this recipe with King Arthur Measure for Measure GF and Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 GF blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work, I just have not tested other flours.
  2. If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1/2 teaspoon.
  3. I love using sharp cheddar best, but you can use mild. White cheddar will give a slightly different flavor, and it will not turn out with that famous Cheez It orange color.
  4. Because these crackers have no preservatives, they should keep around 2-3 days in an air-tight container. My guess is they will be eaten up much quicker than that though :-).

Nutritional Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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Recipe Rating




127 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    My daughter loved CheezIts before developing a gluten allergy. She was ecstatic, after a 7-year absence, at how close these were to the taste/texture of a CheezIt. Help someone and they are basically appreciative; however, help someone’s child and they are beyond-measure grateful. You helped me be a better Dad!

    It was important to mix all cheese in a food processor although I then mixed that processed cheese with dry ingredients by hand in a regular bowl. My dough was rolled quite thin but probably would try for even thinner next time. I baked them about 22 minutes before they got crunchy and the color, although not the fake orange of a CheezIt, darkened from starting very pale.

  2. 5 stars
    Thank you, thank you, thank you! These are delicious 😋! I was craving cheezits and found your recipe today a d made them. They are way better than the boxed, store bought version!! ❤️ I look forward to seeing more recipes from you!

  3. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. They double in thickness while baking, so do as the recipe says and make them as thin as you can (while still being able to separate them for cooking). I used Bob’s Mill gluten free without xanthum gum, so added the teaspoon of xanthum gum as suggested. I had really been missing cheeze-its and these hit the spot.

  4. 4 stars
    These satisfied my craving for cheese it’s! I am just wondering if I’m supposed to use melted or softened butter for these? Thank you for the great recipe!

  5. 5 stars
    What an easy and delicious recipe. can’t wait to experiment with different variations. Habinero cheese next! I actually made the dough and separated it into several bits wrapped them in wax paper and kept in the fridge for 4 days baking only what I wanted to eat that day. Perfect.

  6. 5 stars
    My son is on a restricted diet so buying snacks off the shelf doesn’t really happen… I decided to try these honestly I didn’t have high hopes of a gluten free crack. I was really wrong. These are DELICIOUS my son loved them. Thanks so much for this great recipe. Just make them…
    Also I end up using 4 tablespoons of water. Second time making them I seen them first time three tablespoons wasn’t enough and slowly added more until texture was right. I think every gluten free flour is different.
    Very simple and easy to make.

  7. 5 stars
    I used cup4cup gluten free flour and they were delicious! I’m going to try to make them thinner next time. Definitely make sure they are golden or they will remind you more of a biscuit than a cheez-it but delicious either way!

  8. 4 stars
    They’re tasty but don’t taste like cheese it’s. Totally different texture and flavor. I used sharp cheddar too but mine didn’t come out orange at all . I made them as thin as possible but they’re still kinda a little bit chewy in the middle. Still they do taste good!

  9. 5 stars
    I just made your Gluten Free Cheez It Crackers-they’re fabulous! They’re ridiculously easy to make and taste even better than the original non-gf ones. I’ll be making them often. Keep up the good work!

  10. 5 stars
    First of all, thank you for sharing this recipe. My son and husband can not have gluten and are always trying to steal my girl’s cheese crackers. I wanted to try and find an alternative the whole family could enjoy and these were absolutely amazing. Recipe was so easy and I’m all about great results with minimal effort. My 4 year old enjoyed rolling the dough out and it was not a big deal they were not perfectly shaped. I used a lactose free cheese and a truffle butter that needed to be used up along with French sea salt for the garnish. It’s great that I could alter slightly and still have them turn out! I was not thinking about my butter being salted and will take that into account in the future. Everyone loved these and I might be making more tomorrow! (The first batch is gone already)

    1. You made my day!! I am thrilled everyone loved these Cheez Its and you no longer need to worry about them getting into non-gluten free crackers! I love you experimented, it is good to know lactose free cheese worked so well. Thank you!

  11. 5 stars
    These are so yummy. I used sharp white cheddar because that is what I had. I will roll them out thinner next time.

  12. These are awesome! I made two sizes, one for dipping and one for munching. I also used aged cheddar so needed more water, but they taste amazing!

  13. 5 stars
    I’m pulling these out of the oven for the first time and couldn’t help but try a few, and I am pleasantly surprised how much they actually taste similar to cheez its. A great recipe!

  14. 5 stars
    I honestly have been missing Cheez Its so badly since my celiac diagnosis and no “dupe” was good enough. This recipe is perfection. Instead of a food processor I used my Ninja blender.

    Thanks so much! Can’t wait to make these again and again

  15. So good!
    I made it with goat milk cheddar, goat butter, and arrowhead mills 1-to-1 gluten free flour .
    It was still mostly soft after the prescribed baking time (maybe I didn’t roll them as thin as you) but they were so good we ate most and let a few bake for 5 more minutes to crisp up. I started with a half batch because I was afraid it might taste goat-y but it didn’t at all. I will definitely be making these again.

  16. Hello and thank you for sharing this recipe. Regarding the cheese, is it 8oz dry measuring cup after shredding or 8oz by weight?

  17. 3 stars
    This recipe is more challenging than it presents itself to be… flavor was good w/sharp cheddar cheese but cutting and trying to have uniform square crackers was my biggest disappointment..

    1. That is a bummer. Did you use a food processor as instructed in the recipe? That will grind up the cheese, making it much easier to roll and cut. As you learn how to use your rolling pin with even pressure, it can also help a lot. I am really glad you loved the flavor.

    2. 5 stars
      I think it is unfair for you to leave a low rating when it wasn’t the recipes fault that it didn’t work out as you hoped. This recipe is spot on. It sounds like you were the one that had the difficulty. This is a fantastic recipe. It deserves five stars.

    3. Good day Caty,

      I roll them into a log when chilling and shape it into a long rectangle. Then just thinly slice them and poke a hole! (don’t skip that step, it is needed AND fun :)!

      Hope that helps

  18. 5 stars
    I love them! It gets easier and easier to make. I use garlic salt instead of regular salt, so good. The broil at the end really gives that extra crunch! I’d love to share a pic!

  19. 5 stars
    Thank you! If I let myself I will go through a box of Simple Mills per week 😅 This is way more cost effective! I think I fixed the chewy “issuse” (I kind of enjoyed the texture, but I wanted the crunch. If you broil it on low for 2 minutes, it instantly gets crunchier! 🖤

  20. 5 stars
    I made this today using applewood smoked Gruyère cheese, and a pinch of cayenne. SO DELICIOUS!! And it mixed up in a minute in my food processor. This will definitely be a repeat.

  21. 5 stars
    Made this recipe using King ArthurGF blend and they are delicious. They would be good with old bay or smoked paprika too! You could also twist to make cheese straws.

  22. 5 stars
    I just used this to bake a mini muffin cup for some kind of savory bite (egg or tuna salad). I love the chewy texture when it’s warm.

  23. 5 stars
    I just tried this. I experimented with a large size cracker. Not sure how long I can keep the dough in the frig before baking. I shredded a block of sharp cheddar and used onion powder.

  24. ***I stuck them back in the oven a few minutes longer (4-5) and it drastically improved the chewiness on the df and gf ones!

  25. 5 stars
    I have a dairy and gluten allergy in my house so I gave this a try with dairy free cheese and it is yummy. The baked consistency has a little bit of a chewy middle but not bad. It is not very forgiving when you are rolling it so warming it up and kneading it in your hands helps. Using a small cutter is tricky but if you use a cutter such as a 1 inch flower or heart..something without a lot of points such as a star or fish… then it helps with the dough staying together. I have also made these just as the regular recipe gluten free and they are sooo delicious! Thanks for sharing!!

  26. 5 stars
    I made these crackers for my GF daughter. They were easy to make and they taste delicious! (My son and I even think so and we’re not GF!!) I used the Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour blend. We will definitely be making these often!

  27. 5 stars
    I have been gluten free for about 10 years and I have NEVER had a gluten free cracker this good. This is on its own level.

    First of all, YES they taste like Cheez-its!! My gluten-eating family agreed, we even did a blind taste test and they couldn’t tell.

    Secondly, these are super simple to make. Just pop the ingredients in the blender and roll out the dough. Clean up was minimal.

    I personally prefer mine crunchier, so I’d air on the side of 15 minutes in the oven. I promise you, these are religion inspiring. Try ‘em.

  28. Should the butter be room temp or cold? My guess is room temp, but seems an important detail as each would give a different consistency to the dough.

  29. 5 stars
    Delicious! I used a different gf flour and a white cheddar cheese and no salt on the top. When my son tasted it he said “these taste like Cheez it”. Everyone loved them! I halved the recipe in case I didn’t like it but wished I did the whole recipe! This recipe is a keeper! Thank you

  30. 5 stars
    My daughter who has celiac said these were the best cheez it’s ever! She can’t stop eating them. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!

  31. 5 stars
    These are so good I almost cried! I haven’t had a Cheezit since I was diagnosed with celiac 10 years ago, and this recipe was easy and delicious. Thank you!!!

  32. 5 stars
    I don’t normally leave comments, I do try to give a head up every now and then so this is the first time I’ve written about recipe. Love cheese crackers and I’ve really missed having them. Gluten free bought ones always missing something. And a number of recipes I’ve tried, never seem to hit the make. I do make sourdough ones from time to time, so thought I’d give yours a go. Boy, they are so additive! I made according to your instruction but used my own blend and it worked……and because I’m on my own I thought I’d split into three lots. Bake one try and freezer the dough for future use. Well, yea! that lasted….a couple of hours! Ended up and baked the lot and every time I walked into the kitchen grabbed a few! Didn’t last long, so have to make some more.Thanks for creating a cheese cracker that taste just the way I like it. By the way I did add some nutritional yeast and I usually use psyllium husk or linseeds as the binder. Works a treat. Thanks heaps.

  33. 5 stars
    Ok. These are AMAZING! Most of these type “copy cat” recipes never work out. However my family (and my very picky brother ) couldn’t keep their hands off of them!!
    I did notice I needs a little more water and made them a bit thicker (1/6” instead of 1/16”). To see how they would come out. Still amazing either way! I did have some “pillowing” in the crackers with some books and crannies on the bottom. I wonder if I did something wrong to have that happen or did others fine this too ? Again , either way TOTES AMAZEBALLS. 🤣 thanks so much for this awesome recipe. It’s a keeper!

  34. 5 stars
    Awesome and easy. Whole family loves them. Our college aged daughter is newly diagnosed Celiac this summer. She’s been sad about lots of her favorite foods not being easily available – and store bought gluten free “copy cat” version of things like this are very pricy and only so-so on flavor. But we’ve made lots of amazing GF homemade food since her diagnosis and these are among the best – will definitely try more of your recipes.

    Unlike another commenter, the only tweak for us was not going as thin as possible – rather keeping some thickness to them, as the thinnest ones turned into flattened deconstructed cheese crisps (Also super tasty though!).

  35. 5 stars
    Made these today! Doubled the recipe I was so excited to have a cheezeit cracker again. Made them slightly bigger to use as dippers for an olive cream cheese dip! They came together in the food processor so quickly and held together perfectly. I did need to add about a half tbsp extra water. So so good thank you for this recipe!

      1. 5 stars
        These were so easy to make and taste amazing!!! This recipe is one that I will make over and over!!! Thank you!!!

  36. Does your gluten free for flour have to be a type of self rising flour? I don’t see soda or baking powder listed.

  37. 5 stars
    This is just what I wanted. When I had to go gluten free Cheese Itz were something I really missed. I made these last night and they were so easy. I didn’t feel like getting out my food processor, but I used a microplane to grate the cheese and butter really fine and then used a pastry cutter to blend everything like I would when making a pie crust. It worked perfectly. I can’t wait to try these again using different kinds of cheese.

    1. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know you loved this recipe! I love your idea to use a microplane. I am sure it is helpful for readers who don’t own a food processor.

  38. 5 stars
    This recipe tastes JUST like regular cheese itz!! I love it, am about to make it for the third time. How long will extra dough last in the fridge / freezer?

  39. 5 stars
    Yum!! Thank you for sharing!! My 2yr old daughter has a gluten allergy and she LOVES cheese crackers!! This is absolutely perfect!!

    *note.. make sure you roll them out thin enough! I made a few thicker ones and it’s like a mini puff pastry and the taste is a little different but still yummy! I used Great Value gf flour and sharp cheddar!!

  40. 4 stars
    I made these tonight the first batch turned out great but the second and third both turned quite dull like a light grayish brown instead of golden, did i do something wrong?

    1. Hi Ella, I have never heard of this. Did you use the exact same flour blend, type of cheese, etc? Something definitely changed if this happened. What type of salt did you use and was it the same as the first batch? Assuming you used real butter and not anything dairy-free on the second and third batches?

      1. 5 stars
        Amazing taste and so easy to make. These will be something I make again and again. Thank you so much for giving me back a favorite treat. Even my family is munching on these and asking for more.

      2. 5 stars
        Absolutely delicious!!! I sprinkled everything bagel seasoning on them and they were amazing! Thank you so very much!

  41. 5 stars
    I just made these crackers. Well, I to say a big thank you for posting this recipe, they came out perfectly. Will definitely be making them again. They have family approval.

  42. 5 stars
    Made these tonight & were literally the best gluten free cracker I’ve ever had. They tasted just like the real things. Super easy to make & simple ingredients. I’m so thankful I found this recipe!

  43. 5 stars
    Made these tonight and they are so good. Better than the store bought regular ones and far better than the gluten free store bought ones. Sharing this with my gluten free Facebook group tonight. Thank you!