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 It Crackers taste just like the the real thing! They are flaky and light and full of flavor!
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Who used to love eating Cheez Its Crackers? I remember loving them way back when 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 crackers are great:
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!
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 easy to work with!
I also have a delicious gluten free sourdough discard crackers recipe to try if you love to make crackers!
Ingredient notes:
This is one of my favorite gluten-free flour blends for cookies, cakes, pie crust, biscuits, and muffins! (Do not use this flour blend for yeast recipes.)
- Gluten free flour blend - I tested this recipe using 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 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.
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:
I have had my Hamilton Beach Food Processor for years. It is durable and never lets me down.
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.
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, use the pizza wheel to gently move each cracker, 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. If you are trying to be low in sodium, you can skip this step.
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 are also going to love these crispy Gluten Free Cheese Straws!
Tips and Recipe FAQ:
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!
Unfortunately, besides gluten, regular Cheez Its has a lot of not-so-healthy ingredients. That is a bonus with my recipe. I use healthy, simple gluten free ingredients.
Most shredded cheese is gluten free, but it is very important to always read the labels to verify the shredded cheese you buy is gluten free.
I store the crackers in an air-tight container.
These crackers should keep fresh 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.
Here are the baked cheese crackers in star shape!
More delicious gluten free snacks:
Recipe
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
Instructions
- Add all of your ingredients to a food processor. You want the cheese to get cut up into fine pieces so mixing by hand is 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 ½ 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 :-).
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.
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This post was updated from an older June 2015 post with more details and easier-to-follow directions.
kayla
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!!!
Sandi Gaertner
Awww, you made my day. I am so glad to bring joy for cheese crackers back into your life.
Vee
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.
Sandi Gaertner
LOL, I love that you enjoyed these crackers. They are definitely addictive. I also have a great sourdough cracker recipe on the blog.
Lisa L
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!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you loved the recipe, Lisa. I appreciate your coming back to let me know!
Jeff B
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!).
Sandi Gaertner
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.
Elizabeth
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!
Sandi Gaertner
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.
Kim
These were so easy to make and taste amazing!!! This recipe is one that I will make over and over!!! Thank you!!!
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you loved them, Kim. Thank you!