Missing out on crispy, cheesy crackers? These gluten-free cheez its crackers are just like the original ones you once loved!
When it comes to copycat recipes, these homemade gluten-free cheese crackers taste just like your favorite cheez its. I'm not even kidding. They are light and crispy and have the perfect cheesy flavor you love. They will quickly become your new favorite gluten-free cheddar crackers.
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Are Cheeze Its crackers gluten-free?
Original store-bought cheeze it crackers are NOT gluten-free since they are made with enriched wheat flour. There are some brands that make gluten-free cheese crackers, like Made Good and even Simple Mills. I've personally found them both a little hard to find locally, and if I am honest, the flavors just were not the same as the original.
Ingredients.
These taste just like the originals; you'll never believe they are made with only a few simple ingredients.
- Cheddar Cheese. - I prefer to use a sharp cheddar when making these crackers. Be sure to shred your cheese from the block for the best results. If you want to switch up the flavors, you can also use white cheddar, Colby, or even some pepper jack.
- Gluten-free Flour. - You want to use 1:1 gluten-free flour. For these gluten-free crackers, I use King Arthur 1:1 blend.
- Butter. - You want to make sure your butter is cold and cubed. You can use salted or unsalted butter, but I find that salted butter brings the flavor even close to the original crackers.
- Water. - You want your water to be cold, just like your butter. You don't need a lot, just enough to help bring the dough together.
- Spices. - For these crackers, I find a little bit of salt and garlic powder is all that is needed to bring the original Cheeze Its flavor to these gluten-free Cheez Its.
Note: I have not tested these crackers with a dairy-free butter or cheese since dairy-free cheeses don't tend to melt very well; I do not think the crackers would come together like they do with regular cheese. That makes these crackers NOT dairy-free.
Grain-free cheese crackers.
I've actually made these gluten-free cheez its completely grain-free by swapping out the 1:1 gluten-free flour for some cassava flour and arrowroot starch. See the recipe card below for amounts.
Steps.
- Shred your cheddar cheese.
- Add the gluten-free flour, butter, and spices to a bowl with the shredded cheese.
- Cut the cold butter into the flour mixture.
- Carefully add the cold water to the bowl and carefully mix until a dough ball starts to come together.
- Wrap and chill the dough.
- Roll out the dough.
- Cut into desired shapes.
- Bake until crispy.
Extra crispy crackers.
If you want your gluten-free cheez its to be even more like the original, then I suggest double baking them just like I do with my gluten-free graham crackers. This helps the crackers keep their crispy texture longer by helping to draw out more moisture. This little extra step of baking the crackers twice is easy to do but makes a world of difference.
Tips and tricks.
- Use a food processor. - I love making these gluten-free cheese its in my food processor. I shredded the cheese first, then switched the shredding blade to the dough blade, and then brought it all together.
- Keep your ingredients cold. - The cold helps bring the dough together, and chilling it makes it easier to roll out thin without it falling apart.
- Don't waste dough. - If you're cutting shapes, you might notice extra dough. Like my gluten-free sugar cookies, this cracker dough can be brought back to a ball, rerolled out, and cut again. Hint, hint. make this dough into your kids' favorite by making these little gluten-free goldfish.
- Watch the crackers in the oven. - There is a fine line between these crackers being perfectly golden to easily burnt because of the cheese. For this reason, I always like to start my timer with less time and then watch them towards the end to pull them when they are perfect.
- Cool completely before storing. - You do not want any residual heat in your gluten-free crackers when they are stored; this can cause them to soften and go back. Make sure they are completely cool before storing them.
Storage.
I've found these gluten-free cheez its last for about a week in an airtight container, stored at room temperature. Since they do last a week, they make an easy and delicious gluten-free snack to make ahead of time for the whole family to enjoy.
Serving suggestions.
I don't think there is a wrong way to serve these cheesy gluten-free crackers, but here are a few of my favorite ways.
- Pack them into my kids' gluten-free lunch.
- Add them to snack boards for a gluten-free cracker add-on.
- Serve them along with other favorite gluten-free snacks like my gluten-free mozzarella sticks or my gluten-free jalapeno poppers.
I will admit, though, they usually just sit on my counter, and we all snack on them throughout the week.
More gluten-free snacks.
📖 Recipe
Gluten-free Cheese-it Crackers
Equipment
- Food Processor Optional
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Cheddar Cheese Shredded from the block.
- 4 Tablespoons Butter Cold and cubed.
- 1 Cup 1:1 Gluten-free Flour I use King Arthur 1:1. If you want to make these grain-free, use ½ cup of cassava flour and ½ cup of arrowroot starch instead of the 1:1 flour.
- ¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- 3-5 Tablespoons Water You want your water to be ice cold.
Instructions
Make the cracker dough.
- Shred the cheddar cheese.1 Cup Cheddar Cheese
- Add the shredded cheese to a bowl with the gluten-free flour, butter, and spices.4 Tablespoons Butter, 1 Cup 1:1 Gluten-free Flour, ¼ Teaspoon Garlic Powder, ½ Teaspoon Salt
- Carefully cut the cold butter into the flour mixture just like you would for making a pie crust.
- Once the butter is in small pieces, add the water 1 tablespoon at a time, stopping just once the dough forms a ball.3-5 Tablespoons Water
- Shape your cracker dough into a disc and wrap it in plastic wrap.
- Chill the dough in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.
Bake the crackers.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F degrees.
- Bake the crackers for about 13-17 minutes or until the crackers turn slightly golden.
Extra crispy crackers.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 275 °Fdegrees.
- Wait until the temperature is fully reduced, and then bake the crackers a second time for an additional 8-10 minutes.
- Allow the crackers to cool completely before storing them.
Notes
- Use a food processor. - I love making these gluten-free cheese its in my food processor. I shredded the cheese first, then switch the shredding blade to the dough blade, and then brought it all together.
- Keep your ingredients cold. - The cold helps bring the dough together, and chilling it makes it easier to roll out thin without it falling apart.
- Don't waste dough. - If you're cutting shapes, you might notice extra dough. Just like with my gluten-free sugar cookies, this cracker dough can be brought back to a ball, rerolled out, and cut again.
- Watch the crackers in the oven. - There is a fine line between these crackers being perfectly golden to easily burnt because of the cheese. For this reason, I always like to start my timer with less time and then watch them towards the end to pull them when they are perfect.
- Cool completely before storing. - You do not want any residual heat in your gluten-free crackers when they are stored; this can cause them to soften and go back. Make sure they are completely cool before storing them.
Elizabeth says
Wow, this was even better than I expected!