Homemade sugar free graham crackers are a great healthy snack for kids and adults alike. These lightly sweet keto crackers have the perfect crisp texture, just like the real thing. They’re easy to make and have just 2.7g net carbs per serving.
Not to brag or anything, but I am pretty sure I was the first person to ever create a recipe for Keto Graham Crackers. I originally shared this recipe back in January 2011. Oh boy, now that feels like a lifetime ago!
I had only been doing on my low carb journey for about eight months at the time. But I’d always loved graham crackers and I really wanted to enjoy them again. So I set about turning almond flour into something that mimicked my beloved snack.
It took a few tries to get right, of course. The best recipes always do! But the crispy, cinnamon scented results were absolutely worth the effort. And I’ve been making them almost exactly the same way ever since.
It’s one of my oldest keto snack recipes and it remains one of the most popular to this day. You might notice that other recipes bear a striking similarity to mine. I daresay that’s because you can’t improve on the original sugar free graham crackers!
Why you will love this recipe
For people new to the keto diet, it’s an absolute revelation that they can make their own healthier version of a popular snack. I remember that sense of astonishment vividly.
I also remember how utterly delighted I was with myself. The fact that I could take something like almond flour and coax it into a reasonable facsimile of graham crackers was a turning point for me. It made me realize I could commit to a low carb diet for life.
These keto graham crackers are everything you love and nothing you don’t. Crisp and lightly sweet, they have no added sugar, no grains, and are completely gluten free. And they’re easy enough to make so you can whip up a batch any time.
How to use keto graham crackers
I’ve made this recipe countless times over the years because my kids love them. It’s nice to be able to offer a healthy snack option that really holds its own against the store-bought version. And there are so many great ways to use them.
- Add a smear of peanut butter or Sugar Free Nutella.
- Use them for Keto S’mores with my Sugar-Free Marshmallows. The new ChocZero marshmallows are wonderful in them too!
- Crush them up and use them as the crust for Keto Key Lime Pie.
- Crumble them into No Bake Keto Smores Bites.
- Use them as the layers in Keto Eclair Cake.
Reader reviews
“This is a game changer! You see, we can’t get graham crackers in Australia so I’m very excited that not only can I make them myself but they are Keto too!! Thank you so much for yet another winning recipe xx” — Jo
“I am so fortunate I stumbled on to your website. You have done all the hard work I don’t have time for. You are making it easier for me to get back to the low carb lifestyle. I have been diagnosed with pre diabetes. I will take care of this issue with diet, not meds. Thanks for all you do!!” — Linda
“Looking for some special things for a camping trip I found your recipes and spent today wihipping a few things up. These are SOOOO delicious! They have not even the slightest low anything taste! They taste like gourmet graham crackers. I made the coconut macaroons too and they were also supremely special! I can’t wait to get busy on more of your recipes!” — Bonnie C.
Ingredients you need
- Almond flour: I always use almond flour for my keto graham crackers, because it crisps up nicely when rolled out and baked. I don’t recommend coconut flour, as it makes them tough and they don’t have the right snap. See nut-free options in the Expert Tips section
- Sweetener: I like to use an erythritol-based brown sugar replacement for a deeper color and flavor. You must use an erythritol sweetener for these crackers to crisp up properly. Any amount of allulose or BochaSweet will make them soft. So make sure to read the ingredients on your sweetener. See more about sweeteners in the Expert Tips section.
- Egg: The egg helps bind the dough and hold it together properly. A standard large egg is about 3 ½ tablespoons of liquid egg.
- Pantry staples: Butter, baking powder, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt.
Step-by-step directions
1. Mix it up. In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Stir in the egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until the dough comes together.
2. Roll it. Turn the dough out onto a silicone liner and pat into a rough rectangle. Top with a piece piece of parchment and roll out evenly to about ¼ inch thick. You can go thinner, to ⅛ inch, but they will cook through faster.
3. Score it. Remove the parchment and use a sharp knife or a pizza wheel to score into squares of about 2×2 inches. Prick with a fork to make patterns as desired.
4. Bake it. Transfer the silicone mat to a large baking sheet. Bake at 300ºF for 20 to 30 minutes, until just beginning to brown and firm up.
5. Break it. Remove the crackers and turn the oven off. Let the crackers cool for 30 minutes, then break up along score marks and spread out over the pan in a single layer.
6. Bake again. Return to the warm oven (with the oven off. If it has cooled down too much, turn it on and set the temperature at no higher than 200ºF). Let sit inside another 30 minutes or so, then remove and let cool completely.
Expert tips
It is very important to roll the dough out as evenly as possible. It doesn’t matter if you do it thinner than ¼ inch, but an even thickness means they will bake more evenly. Keep your eye on them regardless as every oven bakes differently.
This recipe makes 30 to 40 crackers, depending on how thinly you roll the dough.
Nut-Free Option: If you are allergic to almonds, you can use sunflower seed flour. It can be used to replace almond flour in a 1:1 ratio. Be forewarned, however, that it reacts with leavening agents like baking powder and can produce a green color as it cools. You can offset this by using a tablespoon of acid like lemon juice or apple cider vinegar.
Sweetener Options
As mentioned above, erythritol is the only sweetener that will create a crisp texture in these sugar free graham crackers. Any amount of allulose or BochaSweet will keep them from crisping up properly.
That means that the new versions of Swerve Granular and Swerve Brown won’t work here (the old formulas are just fine). But you can use other erythritol based sweeteners such as Lakanto and PureCane.
If you only have a granular sweetener and want a little of that brown sugar flavor, try adding a teaspoon of molasses along with the egg and butter. It will add less than half a gram of carbs to each serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Store-bought graham crackers have 24g of carbs per serving, so they are not recommended for low carb diets. However, it’s easy to make your own healthier version. They’re crispy and delicious, and they satisfy that craving!
These easy sugar free graham crackers are made with almond flour, brown sugar substitute, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, egg, butter and vanilla.
This sugar free graham crackers recipe has 5.4g of carbs and 2.7g of fiber per serving. That comes to 2.7g net carbs per serving of 3 crackers.
Storage Information
These sugar free graham crackers will keep for up to a week in a covered container on the counter. If you live in a humid area, they may soften up. But you can always crisp them up again by placing them back in a warm oven for 20 minutes or so.
You can also freeze the crackers. Once they have cooled, place them in an airtight container. They will last up to 3 months in the freezer.
Keto Graham Crackers Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond flour
- ⅓ cup brown sugar replacement
- 2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond flour, sweetener, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Stir in the egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract until the dough comes together.
- Turn the dough out onto a silicone liner and pat into a rough rectangle. Top with a piece piece of parchment and roll out evenly to about ¼ inch thick. You can go thinner, to ⅛ inch, but they will bake through faster.
- Remove the parchment and use a sharp knife or a pizza wheel to score into squares of about 2×2 inches. Prick with a fork to make patterns as desired. Transfer the silicone mat to a large baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until just beginning to brown and firm up.
- Remove the crackers and turn the oven off. Let the crackers cool for 20 minutes, then break up along score marks and spread out over the pan in a single layer.
- Return to the warm oven with the oven off. (If it has cooled down too much, turn it on and set the temperature at no higher than 200ºF). Let sit inside another 30 minutes or so, then remove and let cool completely.
briarrose says
Beautiful job on these. They look heavenly.
Suchi says
crrackers look delicious! perfectly done 🙂
sara @ CaffeIna says
Oh i hear you! I don't understand why to be "green" I need to be spending 3 times more. I believe that often it's not that more expensive but they take advantage of us. I struggle with the same thoughts you do too.
As per the crackers…I have been willing to try to make them myself 'cause I really don't like the store bought ones. I will have to try soon
freshandfoodie.com says
Wish I had had this recipe back when I made those marshmallows! These look great.
Katrina says
These look perfect! Buzzed ya! 🙂
Lauren at KeepItSweet says
I enjoyed reading your throughts on enviromentally friendly products! It is hard to always do the best thing for the environment, especially when it comes to cost. Oh, and this recipe looks terrific!
Chef Dennis says
those graham crackers are beautiful, that is one thing I never thought of making, well that and marshmallows! But they do look delicious.
As for paper plates, I am not a fan, but would rather have paper than foam any day.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Dennis
Cara says
mmm. The real question is, do you have low-carb marshmallows and chocolate bars to go with them? That's my favorite way to eat grahame crackers!
aipi says
That is amazing. I would like a one…or two…right now!:)
US Masala
The Mom Chef says
Those Hefty plates sounds good for our family, especially Dudette. If you don't have three requests yet, I'd love to try them out. We do try to stick to regular plates and use the paper only when we have to (and yes, we reuse when we can).
I love the graham crackers too. Gorgeous. Cinnamon on graham crackers is so, so good.
Stephanie M. says
I’ve made these in the cannoli ice box cake and to do low carb s’mores with Lilly’s chocolate bars…both times came out super good! Her recipes are always easy to follow, and come out tasting amazing! These Graham crackers are definitely better than their store bought higher carb counterparts.
Abigail says
Great for those crusts that call for graham crackers, too – I think I'll make 2 batches: one for crust crumbs and one for eating with homemade sugar-free marshmallows!
Megan says
Thank you for mentioning pie crusts. I was searching for that specifically. Can’t wait for cheesecake!
BakingWithoutaBox says
Oh these crackers look good. Can I have some with a glass of milk? Right now? I'd have been with the kid you had to put on hold til after photos. Marvelous work again Carolyn.
Leanne @Healthful Pursuit says
I love, love, love that these are gluten free?! I've been toying around with a new bar recipe and was going to try and tackle the gluten free graham cracker [I refuse to pay $8 for the GF store bought ones] Thank you for showing me it CAN be done!!
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel says
So much to comment on… paper plates – in no way are they environmentally friendly in my eyes. Unless they truly do compost well but how many people really do that? I thought about it but personally know no one that does.
I've never heard of the vanilla or cinnamon brands before. I think their packaging is genius as long as it's not causing a negative impact in the manufacturing process.
I try to do my best to buy organic when I can but honestly – when you've got little mouths to feed and the money is tight – sometimes you just buy what's cheapest. let's be real… if organic is double the price I'm not going to get it.
Terri says
Sometimes it’s better to use paper than waste water washing dishes…. Just my opinion & I am a true ” green” person.
Amanda says
You either pay now or pay later (meds and sickness ) it’s terrible mothers have to make that choice
Stephanie says
I've been thinking about making homemade graham crackers as of late! You read my mind, woman! :-p
Lindsey says
These crackers look very tasty! I love graham crackers when I need a sweet fix but don't want to over indulge.
Rachel Callahan says
I am wondering if an air fryer would help in the second oven setting?
Carolyn says
I think it’s likely they would brown too much in an air fryer.
Three-Cookies says
"the most environmentally-friendly paper plate is no paper plate at all"
Not sure, it depends. Surely energy goes into production and distribution of paper plates but the production system is very efficient. If we use normal plates and wash them, energy is used for washing – production and distribution of detergent, scourers, dishwashing machine, water etc etc. It is possible that paper plates could be more environmentally friendly, it depends. I discussed this previously in my blog: http://three-cookies.blogspot.com/2011/01/monday-january-17-2011.html
stephchows says
the almond meal makes these sound better than true ones!
Lick My Spoon says
Looking good….i make an indian version wit cumin but it's deep fried!!!! eek!! Yours looks much healthier but still yummy!
Catherine Hochschild says
I'll try out the Hefty stuff!