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 the real thing! They are flaky and light and full of flavor!
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy.
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:
- 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!!
- This dough is really good for using cookie cutters! I used my small star cookie cutter to make some star-shaped crackers, too!
- This dough is not that sticky, so it is easy to work with!
I also have a delicious gluten free sourdough discard crackers recipe to try 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.
jane, blog comment
Keep up the good work!”
Allergen Information:
My homemade Cheez Its recipe is gluten-free, nut-free, oat-free, and soy-free.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Gluten free flour blend – I tested this recipe using both Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour Blend and King Arthur’s Measure for Measure Gluten Free Blend. That doesn’t mean others will not work. I just have not tested other flours.
- Xanthan gum – If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain a binder like xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1 teaspoon.
- Sharp cheddar cheese – If you want your crackers to be the most like Cheez It Crackers, you want to use sharp cheddar. You can use mild, but the flavor will not be as rich and cheesy. Be sure to check to see if your shredded cheese is gluten free.
- Butter – I recommend using unsalted. If you use salted, you will need to reduce the amount of added salt the recipe calls for.
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!
Step-By-Step Photos and Directions:
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.
Email This Recipe To Me!
I will email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
📢 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.
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.
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:
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!
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.
I store the crackers in an airtight container.
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.
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?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. Please include which flour blend you used. This will help others know this recipe is delicious. Thank you!
Gluten Free Cheez Its
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese mild or sharp
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend * see note
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt for sprinkling over the crackers
Optional Additional Seasoning:
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
Email This Recipe To Me!
I will email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- You can also use mini sized cookie cutters to cut out shapes like goldfish!
- 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.
- 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.
- Bake the crackers for 12-15 minutes, or until golden.
Notes
- 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.
- If your gluten free flour blend doesn’t contain xanthan gum or guar gum, please add 1/2 teaspoon.
- 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.
- 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 :-).
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition 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.
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..
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.
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.
Thank you so much, Ella. I appreciate you :-).
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
Thank you so much for helping Caty with what works for you. I appreciate your wanting to help her!
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!
I am so glad you love them. I love your tip to broil them for extra crisp! You can message me via FB with a pic :-).
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! 🖤
I love the idea to broil them for extra crispiness, thank you for taking time to comment and add this tip!
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.
I love the flavor combination you made, Jeanie. I am going to try to find that flavor of cheese and give it a go.
Any idea how best to make these like chicken flavored crackers
Hi Gemma, I have never made chicken flavored so I am not sure how to advise you.
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.
I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Sarah. Thank you.
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.
What a yummy idea. I love how creative you were with this recipe!
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.
The dough should keep for a couple of days if you want to make the dough ahead. Thank you!
***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!
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!!
I am so glad you were able to make this dairy-free as well. Thank you so much for coming to let me know. Which brand dairy-free cheese did you use?
These are amazing. Taste just like cheez-its! Thank you for sharing the recipe.
I am so glad you loved these crackers. They are so close to the real thing, it is hard not to eat them all :-).
Can I use mozzarella instead? This looks totally doable!
Hi Monique, I haven’t tested mozzarella, but in theory, it should work well.
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!
I am so glad you both loved these crackers. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know!
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.
You made my year! I am so glad you loved these and I am honored you loved them better than the real thing!
Will this work with dairy-free cheese?
I haven not tested dairy-free cheese in this recipe. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out.
Can you use just almond flour? I have that on hand but not a 1-1 gluten free flour
Hi Lindsay, I haven’t tested almond flour in this recipe. It absorbs liquid very differently so I suspect it wouldn’t work.
Question can you use pre shredded cheese or no?
I usually use pre-shredded cheese.
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.
Hi, If you are using a food processor, it doesn’t matter the temperature. If you are mixing by hand, use room temp.
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
I am thrilled you and your son loved this recipe. I will have to try white cheddar next!
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!
I am so glad your daughter loved them, Kim!! Thank you so much for coming back and leaving a review!
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!!!
Awww, you made my day. I am so glad to bring joy for cheese crackers back into your life.
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.
LOL, I love that you enjoyed these crackers. They are definitely addictive. I also have a great sourdough cracker recipe on the blog.
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!
I am so glad you loved the recipe, Lisa. I appreciate your coming back to let me know!
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!).
I am so glad your family loves these crackers, Jeff. Thank you so much for coming back to let me know. You made my day.
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!
I am so glad you loved the recipe Elizabeth. It is good to know larger crackers work as dippers! Thank you for coming back to let me know you enjoyed the recipe.
These were so easy to make and taste amazing!!! This recipe is one that I will make over and over!!! Thank you!!!
I am so glad you loved them, Kim. Thank you!
Does your gluten free for flour have to be a type of self rising flour? I don’t see soda or baking powder listed.
The flours I tested are not self-rising flour blends. The recipe doesn’t need baking soda or powder.
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.
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.
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?
I am so glad you loved them. The dough should keep fresh for 2 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze it too.
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!!
I am so glad your little one loved them!
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?
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?
Sounds like a great recipe! Im wondering if anyone has ever frozen a batch to eat later?
Hi Nicki, I do not recommend freezing the crackers, but you can freeze the dough and make small batches from it.
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.
Thank you so much Olive, I am thrilled you loved them as much as we do.
Absolutely delicious!!! I sprinkled everything bagel seasoning on them and they were amazing! Thank you so very much!
Oooh, I love that idea! It sounds delicious Amy!
Ever use dairy free cheese?
Hi Rachel, I haven’t tried dairy-free cheese in my recipe. It melts differently and I am not sure it would turn out the same.
Tastes great and makes a lot! I made them a bit too thick (go thin and small!) but they were still a hit.
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Sarah. They are always a hit with my family.
Yum yum! Was craving cheez-its and so glad to find this recipe! Just made it now and it came out great!
I am so glad you enjoyed them, Nicole. Thank you for coming back to let me know!
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.
I am so glad you loved them Victoria!!
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!
I am so glad you enjoyed them Jenny :-).
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!
I am so glad you loved them!