Gluten-Free Copycat Cheez-It Crackers
If you have ever tried a Cheez-it cracker, then you know. Oh yeah, you know. Only one is not an option….maybe only one box, but never only one cracker. I love the taste of them, the perfect salty snack. The only problem is that they are filled with garbage. About 30 minutes after eating them my symptoms set in — first a headache, then the stomach ache, and the next day is the skin eruption. Ah, gluten, you nasty little devil you. But sometimes I still crave that salty, cheesy, crunchy snack. So, I decided to come up with my own version! Gluten-free Cheez-it crackers. I bet you can’t eat just one!
First, here is the ingredient list of the “real” Cheez-it crackers (remember, the box says on the front “100% real cheese” — hmm): Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate [Vitamin B1], Riboflavin [Vitamin B2], Folic Acid), Soybean and Palm Oil with TBHQ for Freshness, Skim Milk Cheese (Skim Milk, Whey Protein, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes, Annatto Extract for Color), Salt, Contains Two Percent or Less of Paprika, Yeast, Paprika Oleoresin for Color, Soy Lecithin. So basically you are eating wheat flour (gluten), some GMO seed oil, and junky CAFO cheese. Oh, and MSG. Ish, no thank you!
Here are the ingredients in mine…
Gluten Free Cheez-It Crackers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 1 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 Tbsp cold grass-fed butter cut into pieces
- 2 Tbsp cold water
- Sea salt for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a food processor, combine flour, cheese, and butter.
- Pulse until its a crumbly texture, but well combined.
- Add water and process until a dough forms.
- Divide dough into two balls and chill for 15 minutes in the fridge, or until firm (not longer than 30 minutes).
- Roll one ball out on a Silpat until about 1/4″ thick (I use Silpat because then you do not need to flour a surface and make a big mess).
- Pick up Silpat and rolled out dough and place it on a baking sheet.
- Using a pizza cutter, cut dough into squares and trim off uneven edges (you can add extra dough to the next ball).
- Sprinkle with salt, lightly.
- If you want to, poke little holes in the top with a toothpick to make them look even more like Cheez-it crackers.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until they are bubbly and browning on the edges slightly (my daughter knows they are done when the kitchen smells like macaroni and cheese).
- Take out of the oven and recut the crackers with a pizza cutter, just trace the lines you made before.
- Allow to cool completely before breaking them apart.
- Repeat with the second dough ball.
- I store them in a plastic bag in the fridge and they last up to one week.
UPDATE: reader tip: "Hi, love these and been making them for years (your recipe). When I had an epiphany…and quickly shaped the dough into one long cylinder and then I patted it on four sides to make one long square. Popped it in the fridge and 30 minutes later I sliced it just like you would with some cookie doughs and man oh man was that a cinch. No rolling pan or realizing or anything. Had to share!" ~ Melanie
P.S. If you want to find the best gluten-free items online (best prices around, believe me, I have checked!) with free shipping, I highly recommend Thrive Market, they even have a special Gluten Free section. CLICK HERE to check them out!
CLICK HERE to Pin this Recipe
Hi, my name is Kate.
I love food. Real food. We eat all of the things that nursing school taught me were bad for you: butter, eggs, bacon, and raw milk.
I am a Nurse, a Mom, and a Real Food loving blogger. Just trying to save the world.