These vegan graham crackers are tasty, slightly sweet with the perfect snap. And they taste much like the original but are entirely plant-based! Once you’ve tried these graham crackers, you might never go back to store-bought! With a gluten-free option.
First off, we have to talk about the history of the graham cracker. In 1829, Reverend Graham invented graham crackers to help suppress “unhealthy carnal urges.” Yeah.
The original graham crackers were apparently quite bland, and it was thought that bland food could curb one’s desires. Dr. Harvey Kellogg and his brother held the same beliefs and went on to invent cornflakes. Fun stuff!
Graham crackers are so easy to make. You pretty much just dump everything into one bowl and mix it together.
The time-consuming part is the rolling out of the dough, and then if you’re like me, you’ll waste a lot of time watching your crackers bake. I’ve burned way too many of these bears at the beginning of my graham cracker baking career, and I won’t let it happen again!
I was never really into graham crackers. I used them in pie crusts, but that was about it.
We don’t have graham crackers over here in Germany, and my lazy self picked them up every time I visited the US to bring them back with me. Lame, right?
I wish I had known the wonders of homemade graham crackers before hauling all that over! You have no idea how valuable that luggage space is. ;)
Graham cracker ingredients:
- Whole wheat flour or King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
- Wheat bran (omit for gluten-free)
- Raw sugar or granulated sugar
- Baking powder
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Salt
- Brown rice syrup (or honey for a non-vegan version)
- Molasses
- Water
- Vanilla extract
- Coconut oil
How to make graham crackers:
Mix the dry ingredients.
Add brown rice syrup, molasses, water and vanilla.
Gradually add coconut oil until combined and dough forms.
Half the dough and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll out the first half between two pieces of parchment paper.
Cut dough in rectangles using a pizza cutter or knife.
Mix cinnamon sugar coating and sprinkle over the crackers.
Prick holes in crackers with a fork for a traditional look and to keep them thin and crisp.
Bake! Cool and enjoy!
Tips:
- Use a kitchen scale to measure out the ingredients. I can’t tell you how it happens, but cups come in different amounts even though they should measure the same, they just don’t.
- If you refrigerate the dough longer than 1 hour, it may get very hard due to the coconut oil. If this happens, let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes until it’s easier to manage.
- If the dough seems dry when it first comes together, add a bit more water a little at a time, but not more than 1 teaspoon. The dough will come together as you kneed it. I recommend using a spray bottle of water to gently spray the dough if it’s dry to help moisten it evenly.
- You want the dough to be fully hydrated, so make sure you let it rest in the fridge before you roll it out. So again, not too much water needs to be added.
- Don’t over knead the dough or you’ll get some tough crackers. You want these to be light and crispy, so use the ‘pat and fold’ method. Just cut the dough in half, place one half on top of the other, pat it down, cut in half and repeat. This way the dough won’t be overworked.
- Placing the cold dough in between two sheets of parchment paper will keep the dough from sticking to the rolling pin, and easier to lift onto the baking sheet, so I highly recommend eliminating the frustration from the start. ;)
- Poking holes in the dough with a fork not only makes them look like traditional graham crackers but also keeps the dough from puffing up as they bake.
- If you want a little extra crunch, adding coarse sugar + cinnamon to the top will really add some sparkle and texture.
- The baking time may vary depending on how thick the dough was rolled and the shapes that you use.
- Pay close attention towards the end of the baking time as they will go from underdone to burnt in a blink of an eye.
- Let the crackers cool on the baking sheet in the oven for 2 minutes before you transfer them to a wire rack to completely cool. The crackers harden as they cool.
- After the crackers are completely cooled, if they are still soft and haven’t hardened, put them back into the oven for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Store them in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
- If you leave the crackers out too long before storing them in a container, they might get soft. If so, bake them at 350 °F (175 °C) for about 3 to 7 minutes to crisp them up again.
- Melted coconut oil makes these crackers crunchy, but remember to use unrefined coconut oil or they may have a coconutty taste.
What kind of flour?
In this recipe, I used whole wheat flour and wheat bran which is the outer layer of cereal grains. It’s rich in minerals, vitamins and fiber.
I don’t think the kids will notice because there’s so much cinnamon in these. I think they’ll just love them even if they generally dislike whole grains.
Gluten-free version
I’ve worked on making a gluten-free version of these graham crackers for years. I’ve made them with Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-free Baking Flour, but don’t love the results.
I recently discovered I could order King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour from iHerb (I live in Germany) and immediately ordered some. I’ve always heard great things about it, and it didn’t disappoint!
The gluten-free version is even more shortbread-like than the whole wheat version, but with the cinnamon sugar on top, we still loved them. You can tell that they’re not made with wheat, though. The gluten-free version is more sandy in texture.
My goal is to make gluten-free treats that don’t taste gluten-free, so I’m going to keep working on a gluten-free version that has a perfect texture.
But if you miss graham crackers and really want some, this is a great option! Just don’t expect regular graham crackers.
How to keep graham crackers fresh
Another thing I love about this recipe is how long the graham crackers stay fresh!
If you keep them in an airtight container, they should stay crisp and delicious for a few months!
If you don’t want to make them all and store them, you might think about freezing the dough.
How to freeze graham cracker dough:
The dough can be frozen before rolling it out or after baking.
To freeze a ball of dough, wrap it well with plastic wrap and place it in a resealable plastic freezer bag for up to 2 months.
When you’re ready for graham crackers, defrost the dough overnight in the fridge. Then you can roll it out and cut it before baking it in the oven.
Can you buy vegan graham crackers?
Yes, it is possible to buy vegan graham crackers, but it isn’t easy. I guess nowadays with the internet, it’s possible to buy them easily online. Most all graham crackers are dairy-free but aren’t vegan as they use honey.
By making your own, you’ll get wholesome crispy graham crackers that really can’t compare to store-bought versions.
Other vegan snacks:
Whether you’re looking for sweet snacks or savory snacks, I have plenty of vegan options. You’ll find lots of gluten-free options as well, so take a look and let me know which is your favorite.
Here are a few of my vegan snacks that you might like to try.
- These Vegan Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies have the best texture! They’re quick and easy and super peanut buttery!
- These No Bake Cookies without Peanut Butter are ultra chewy and super chocolaty! They’re so easy to make being no-bake and healthier and allergy-friendly.
- These Almond Flour Oatmeal Cookies are just like your traditional oatmeal cookies but don’t have any wheat. They’re naturally gluten-free and have vegan and dairy-free options. Plus, you can make these in the air fryer!
- These Coconut Chocolate Balls are terrifically easy! They’re perfect little energy bites that are healthy and wholesome. They’re naturally vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.
- Paleo Vegan Brownies are about the best treat you can make, I mean, you need to see them to believe it! They’re super gooey and chocolaty. The texture is perfect, and no one will know they’re healthy.
I hope you love these Vegan Graham Crackers! I’d love to hear from you if you try this recipe! Leave a comment below or shout it out to the world by tagging #texanerin so I can be sure to find it!
Vegan Graham Crackers
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Ready in:
- Yield: 15 crackers
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (313 grams) whole wheat flour or for gluten-free, use 2 3/4 cups (343 grams) King Arthur Flour Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour
- 1/2 cup (28 grams) wheat bran (omit for gluten-free!)
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) raw sugar or granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons (60 grams) brown rice syrup (or honey for a non-vegan version)
- 1 tablespoon (22 grams) molasses
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (169 grams) room temperature coconut oil1 or 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (197 grams) vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons raw sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Dough:
Cinnamon sugar coating:
Directions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the beater blade, mix together the dry ingredients (flour through salt). Add in the brown rice syrup, molasses, water, and vanilla. Gradually add the coconut oil.
- Mix on low until thoroughly combined and a dough forms.
- Divide the dough in half and form each half into a disk. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. If you refrigerate it longer, the dough may get very hard due to the coconut oil. If this is the case, let the dough sit at room temperature for a few minutes until easier to manage.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. While keeping one disk refrigerated, roll the other disk between two pieces of parchment paper until 1/4-inch (2⁄3 cm) thick. You'll have to use quite a bit of force the first few rolls as the dough will be very firm. You shouldn't need to flour the parchment paper if the dough is cold enough. Try to roll the dough as evenly as possible so that some parts don’t bake more quickly than others. Cut the dough into 5 × 2 1/2-inch (12 2⁄3 × 6 1⁄3 cm) rectangles or use a cookie cutter to cut into your desired shapes. If using cookie cutters, it's best to use one shape per pan so that the crackers are all of similar size and shape (teddy bears on one tray, ducks on another, etc.)
- Mix together the cinnamon sugar coating and sprinkle some over the crackers.
- Place the crackers on the prepared baking sheet.
- Prick holes in the crackers with a fork, if desired.
- Bake for 12 to 16 minutes or until the crackers have lightly and evenly browned. The time will depend on how thick you rolled out the dough and the shapes used. Pay close attention towards the end as they go from underdone to burnt in only moments. Let the crackers cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. The crackers will harden as they cool, but if they’re still soft when they’ve totally cool, return the tray to the oven and bake for another 2-3 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 months. If you leave the crackers out for too long before placing in a container or forget to close the container, they might get a little bit soft. Bake them at 350°F (175°C) for about 3 to 7 minutes to crisp them up again.
Notes
- If using refined coconut oil rather than unrefined, these graham crackers may have some coconut taste to them.
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37 comments on “Vegan Graham Crackers” — Add one!
Hi Erin,
This week I tried your WW Vegan Graham Cracker recipe. I followed it carefully except substituting half of the wheat bran with wheat germ. It seemed to go fine until I added the 169 grams of coconut oil. With that added it turned out to be like soggy sawdust. No way one would be able to roll it out even after refrigeration. I think the flaw is in way too much oil. I almost never throw things out so I added an adequate amount of water to make it workable then refrigerated the disks over night, let them warm up later and made cookies out of them. They’re still on the cooling rack so I can’t report on the flavor yet.
Hi Carl! Unfortunately wheat germ and wheat bran aren’t interchangeable and it was most likely the cause of your issues. :( I’ve made these crackers so many times and they work perfectly with bran! I hope they turned out okay.
Hi Erin,
I would love to bake these crackers. Is there a substitute for wheat bran? Can I use 1/2 cup whole wheat flour insteadof the wheat bran?
Thanks in advance!
Hi! I’m guessing you could try oat bran or maybe wheat germ but they all absorb a bit differently so I’m not sure. Same with whole wheat flour. Sorry I can’t give you a better answer! If you try it out, I’d love to hear how it goes. :)
Thanks much for the reply, Erin!
Can you give me a calorie and carb count?
I don’t have that info but you can copy and paste the recipe here for the nutritional profile, if you’d like. :)
I am throwing a party this weekend and most of my friends are vegan. So, I definitely needed these graham crackers recipe!
I hope they’ll enjoy the crackers! :)
These sound amazing. I’ve been looking for a vegan graham cracker so my family can make smores while camping but it’s hard to find anything vegan around here. So here I am but I was wondering if there’s any way to make these from cinnamon to chocolate graham crackers?
Thanks!
I’m sure you could replace some of the flour with cocoa powder but I’m guessing it’d require a whole bunch of experimenting. I don’t recommend trying it if you don’t want to waste a lot of ingredients. ;) I actually have no idea of how much cocoa to add / flour to reduce. Sorry about that! I really can recommend the cinnamon version, though. :D
I just made these but had a bit of trouble with the recipe from the beginning. I could never get a dough formed while mixing so ended up adding a few more tablespoons of water in order to be able to gather and shape into disks. I found it just as crumbly while struggling to roll it out and the outcome was ultimately dry. Bummer! The overall taste was good however (yes, more like shortbread). Any suggestions?
I’m sorry that they didn’t work out well for you! Did you make any subs (especially to the type of flour or fat?) or any kinds of changes to the recipe? And did you use a scale or use measuring cups when measuring the flour? If you had a little too much flour, that could explain them coming out dry. The dough does take a little time to come together, maybe 30 seconds, but it shouldn’t have been crumbly. I’m happy that they were at least tasty. :)
Wow, It looks very delicious. Thanks for sharing such an wonderful recipe. I will cook this dishes for my family. I love your blog very much, you often have useful post. I will follow your site everyday to get good recipes
Aww, thanks! I’m so happy you like the blog and the recipes. Thanks for stopping by! :)
You’ve just convinced me to make my own graham crackers! Yours look more than perfect and the bears are so cute! :-)
xoxox
Thanks so much, Gemma! I hope you’ll love the crackers. :)
I didn’t know the story behind the Graham crackers, hilarious!! And these little bears are just too cute :)
Right?! Such an interesting history. :D And thanks!
I still haven’t gotten around to making my own graham crackers! I really need to get on it!
You have to try them! They’re so worth it. :)
That history is awesome! Who knew that graham crackers could have such a powerful effect?! :) Anything that’s described as “more shortbread like” gets my vote. Now I need to make these, for certain.
Hey, someone commented on the history! Thank you. I thought it was so interesting. :D
Those shortbready crackers are my favorite — I keep a stash in my freezer at all times. I keep telling myself I’ll share them with my friends to make smores at a bonfire, but fat chance of that happening. Too delicious. This vegan version looks great, too!
Really?! I’m so happy you keep a stash! Do you add cinnamon sugar? I don’t think I included that in the original version you made. They’re SO much better with it! :)
Erin,
It’s official; you are my hero. ; p I never had room for graham crackers in my suitcase because of all the jars of salsa! I actually picked up a bag of ‘graham’ flour here in Germany thinking to making graham crackers but as you know, not the same thing.
I keep saving recipes with graham cracker crusts thinking some day I’ll get some but now I can just make my own. And as always, thanks so much for the vegan option. Oh and for not using white whole wheat which is another thing I don’t have room to pack. Carla
Haha. Jars of salsa sound heavy! Even heavier than all the flour I bring back. ;) And aww. Your story about buying graham flour in Germany makes me sad. That must have been the biggest disappointment ever (I can’t even stand the smell of chickpea flour!) I hope you’ll get the chance to make these! And sorry for my love for white whole wheat. It’s really the only good option sometimes!
Homemade graham crackers are one of the few things I’ve never tried. Putting this recipe on my to-make list right now! They look delicious.
Thanks, Lana! I hope you’ll get to try them out one day. :)
Wow those look perfect!! I will have to try these, they look just fantastic. Love that they are vegan :)
Thanks so much, June! I hope you’ll love them as much as we do. :)
If I’m not concerned with them being vegan, how much butter would I use?
14 tablespoons. I hope you’ll enjoy them!
Yummy!! These would have to be delicious. I have made whole wheat graham crackers on time years ago. I like the looks of yours with the sugar on top.
Right?! The cinnamon sugar was actually a tip from one of the recipe testers. I’m so happy I had all that help! Thanks again for that. :)
I’ve attempted to make graham crackers in the past – and failed miserably with the texture! I’ve got to try your recipe!
I hope you’ll get a chance to try them out! They’re so worth the time. :)