Graham crackers are one of the most delicious and loved snacks around the world, especially for children. And when the holiday season approaches, they are even more in demand. Whether for S'mores or just for munching on, graham crackers never disappoint.
Ask a child or an older person, and most of them will only speak positively about graham crackers. But as good as these crackers are, you need to be careful about everything you eat when you are on a gluten-free diet. If you are on a gluten-free diet by choice or by necessity, you need to check the ingredients well.
So, are graham crackers gluten-free? Well, the question is one that is popularly asked by many people.
Do you, too, have this question – are graham crackers gluten-free? If yes, you first need to understand the relationship between graham crackers and gluten.
Are Graham Crackers Gluten-free?
Graham crackers were first popularly consumed as delicious snacks in the early 1880s in the United States of America. As the demand for graham crackers rose, the company began to produce them in bulk.
- The first manufacturing company to make graham crackers in bulk was the National Biscuit Company. Once their supply was successful, even more manufacturers took up the task of mass-producing the graham crackers.
- The ingredients used in making traditional graham crackers are graham flour, molasses, salt, oil, and lard.
- Graham flour is nothing but coarse wheat flour. With the current demand, graham crackers come in many flavors, the most popular cinnamon and honey flavors.
So, are graham crackers gluten-free when wheat flour comes in as the main ingredient?
Factually speaking, graham crackers, with the traditional making process, are not gluten-free in any way.
But due to the ever-rising demand for gluten-free food and a gluten-free diet, most food manufacturers have taken to producing gluten-free food in all varieties. So is the case with gluten-free graham crackers.
If you have thought that graham crackers being gluten-free is not possible, you are probably in for a surprise! Several brands have started catering to the gluten-free diet by producing graham crackers that are free of gluten.
But even with all the multiple options available in the market, it can get a little tedious to find a brand that suits your liking.
The best way to ensure that the graham crackers do not contain gluten is to bake them yourself! If not, there are some great options in the market to try out too. Find the gluten-free brand you like and start enjoying your gluten-free graham crackers to the fullest.
Here are a few graham crackers gluten-free brands.
Graham Crackers Gluten-free Brands List
Even for delicious graham crackers, the rising demand for gluten-free alternatives is quite a tough competition amongst the best brands. Here are a few of them for you to try out.
Schär
They have the most popular honey-grams. Suppose you want some wholesome made graham crackers, whether, in a plain flavor or chocolate-coated one, Schär is the right choice.
They have the classically flavored and ultimately delicious graham crackers as well as those coated in dark chocolate. The ingredients in the making of graham crackers by Schär are corn starch and flour, soybean and flour, honey, brown sugar, and tapioca starch.
With the kinds of flours used in these crackers, you can rest assured that they are gluten-free. The deliciousness is a cherry on top!
Pamela's Products
They are another brand that produces heavenly and delicious graham crackers. The best part about buying from this brand is that you get a lot of variety in flavors, which the other brands do not have.
The wide range of flavors that Pamela's Products have is – Choco Chip Grahams, Honey Grahams, Cinnamon Grahams, Chocolate Grahams, and many more. Pamela's Products make their graham crackers by using ingredients like sorghum flour, rice flour blend, gluten-free oat bran, and tapioca starch.
With such healthy ingredients that make the graham crackers, there is no chance of gluten contamination.
Kinnikinnick Foods, Inc.
These are one of the most famous brands for graham crackers, especially the gluten-free ones. What makes them unique is how their graham crackers are perfect not only as snacks but even for making S'mores.
Although their products may contain eggs, they keep the gluten levels below five parts per million in all their products, as they explicitly mention on the labels. It is quite a good figure and has an almost negligible amount of gluten. Kinnikinnick Foods Inc. makes their graham crackers using unique ingredients.
They use brown rice flour, potato starch, brown sugar, blackstrap molasses, and pea starch. None of these ingredients contain gluten, which makes their graham crackers virtually gluten-free as well.
Enjoy Life
Enjoy Life is a brand that makes crunchy graham cookies of vanilla honey flavor. Although these are not the regular or traditional graham crackers, they sure are delicious, especially when you want to make s'mores out of them.
According to the Gluten-free Certification Organization, their gluten content is less than 20 parts per million, making them safe to consume. The ingredients that Enjoy Life uses to make their graham crackers are rice, millet flour blend, honey, buckwheat, and sugar cane. All of these ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
Their products are free from common allergens, making it even safer for a gluten-free diet.
Lucy's
Lucy's makes not only gluten-free graham crackers but also vegan ones! What more could you want when you prefer vegan food that is also gluten-free?
The graham cracker crisps from Lucy's are available in 2 flavors, original and cinnamon. They are also safe for you if you have any nut allergies because these graham cracker crisps do not contain any peanuts or other tree nuts.
The main ingredients used in making the graham cracker crisps from Lucy's are fava bean flours, chickpea, and sorghum. These crisps are not too sweet, thus making them the best in taste and relatively healthy also.
The milk used in these graham cracker crisps is soy milk, and they also contain gluten-free oats. And if you want some even better-flavored S'mores, they also have triple chocolate and mint brownie crisps.
After all, how much chocolate is too much chocolate?!
If you do not like any of the above-mentioned gluten-free graham cracker brands, it is time for you to unleash your inner chef. You can very well bake the best gluten-free graham crackers, and we are here to help.
Here is a graham cracker gluten-free recipe for you to try out on your own.
Gluten-free Graham Cracker Recipe
Ingredients –
- 2 Cups Gluten-Free Rice Flour
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Tsp. Salt
- 1 Tsp. Cinnamon
- 1/2 Tsp. Gluten-Free Baking Powder
- 1 Large Egg
- 1/4 Tsp. Baking Soda
- 3 Tbsp. Butter (or Dairy-Free Alternate)
- 1 Tsp. Vanilla
- 2 Tbsp. Honey
- 1 Tbsp. Molasses
- 3 Tbsp. Milk (or Plant-Based Alternate)
Instructions –
- First, line a cookie sheet with some parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Mix the gluten-free flour, baking powder, cinnamon, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar in a big bowl. (Ensure that it is an all-purpose gluten-free rice flour since almond or coconut flour will not work well.)
- In the flour mixture, add in the molasses, butter, milk, honey, and egg. Keep mixing all the ingredients until it forms a stiff cookie dough.
- Cutting the dough in half, roll one half of the dough out into a square shape. Place it on the parchment paper after you have slightly floured it. Ensure that the thickness of the dough after rolling it out is ¼”.
- Using a clean ruler and a pizza cutter to cut out the slices from the dough. Slice out rectangles from the dough of about 2 x 5-inch sizes. Transfer these rectangles to a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- To give the rectangles the desired shape of graham crackers, you need to score them. For this, you should use a butter knife and score them from top to bottom and across. Being careful that you do not cut it in half.
- Once you are done making the scored lines, use a fork to prick either side of the rectangle. Doing this will create the graham cracker pattern on your dough.
- Bake anywhere between 12 to 14 minutes. At 12 minutes, you will get a comparatively softer cracker and, at 14 minutes, a crispier texture.
- Once the crackers are done baking, remove them from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Once they cool down, they will become crispier, and there you get your delicious graham crackers made all by yourself.
- You can store these crackers for longer by freezing them or for a week by putting them in air-tight containers at room temperature.
The joy of making your graham crackers is beyond anything you get by buying them! The best part is that they are super easy to make, even for someone who does not have any cooking or baking experience.
You can also use these graham crackers to make a graham cracker gluten-free crust.
Also, since you are making these crackers at home and using labeled ingredients that are gluten-free, you need not worry.
Above all, just be careful to check the labels of all the products you use, and you have your delicious gluten-free graham crackers. Should you feel like adding other flavors to the crackers, ensure that those additional flavors are gluten-free.
Adapting To A Gluten-Free Lifestyle
A gluten-free diet and lifestyle may not be as challenging as most people portray it. If you cannot find the gluten-free alternative of a food item, you always make it yourself! But ensure that when you buy gluten-free food products, you thoroughly check the labels of all the food items.
While some may be completely gluten-free, they may contain other allergens, which may not suit you well.
Nonetheless, a gluten-free diet and lifestyle will surely do you good in the long run and work wonders for your health. Even the most delicious desserts and savories are now available in gluten-free versions.
Final Thoughts
Whether adults or children eat these crackers, the gluten-free version of them is safe for everyone, even on a gluten-free diet. Every dish is equally delicious when you use graham crackers.
Whether you munch on them as snacks or make S'mores out of them, if you want to use these graham crackers as a crust for other desserts, that too will taste super delicious. You can either make gluten-free cheesecakes out of them or even pumpkin pie bars if you choose to go dairy-free as well.
Should you plan to make some gluten-free S'mores using these gluten-free graham crackers, you need to use other gluten-free ingredients too. For instance, use good gluten-free brands of chocolate and marshmallows, and enjoy!
She is passionate about helping others understand their body.
The key to figuring out why you feel the way you feel is to take a more significant look at what is going on inside you & even around you, and then ask questions!
She is excited to help & support you on your journey of optimal health and wellness!
