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 1/2 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 1/4 inch thick. You can go thinner, to 1/8 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 1/4 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 (215 g) almond flour
- 1/3 cup (60.67 g) brown sugar replacement
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- Pinch salt
- 1 large (1) egg
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 tsp 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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Hello! Do you know if xylitol would work as a replacement for erythritol? The cooling effect bothers me too much in my baked goods and I haven’t found another suitable replacement.
It will make them too soft and they won’t crisp up. You could try cutting the erythritol back more and adding a little pure stevia or monk fruit. That often helps offset the cooling sensation for those that experience it.
These Keto graham crackers are perfect! Just the right amount of sweetness & crunch. Perfect for using as a graham cracker crust, or just snacking on. Thank you Carolyn for another great recipe!
I made these yesterday and they are good. I rolled them thin enough according to the recipe but the baking powder made them rise a little too much, making them only half crispy so I’ll adjust next time.
I want to use for a cheesecake base but don’t know how much melted butter to add – the recipe for key lime pie makes the base from scratch. I’d be very grateful if you could help as I know these graham crackers will be perfect for it.
You will need to feel it out, I think. Most pie crusts take about 1/4 cup butter… but you may want to start with less and see what the mixture is like.
I really want to make these as I’m desperate for crunchy biscuits, but am wondering if it should be superfine almond flour or just regular ground almonds flour?
thank you
Not the powdery, dry defatted almond flour. Just the finely ground regular almond flour.
Trying these for s’mores tomorrow!
Thank you for great recipes.
HI Carolyn, I made these per directions. I like the flavor but I could not get them to crisp out, even though I left them in the warm oven for quite awhile. I rolled them to 1/4 inch. I will experiment by trying to leave them over night in the oven and see if that works at all. I would love them even more if they were crispy!
If you used a sweetener with even a tiny amount of allulose, they won’t crisp.
Can I substitute coconut flour if I have an allergy to almond flour? How much can I use if I do? Will I need to change anything else?
No, that is not a good substitution. Coconut flour does not make for very good crackers or cookies. Please make sure you read the blog post as I’ve already offered a nut-free alternative.
I am gluten free and make a double batch every 2 months using half actual brown sugar and half alternative. I use it to top my yogurt every morning and get almond flour from Costco. Much cheaper and healthier than buying them. Thank you!
OMGosh, I miss graham crackers for summer! which one, Lakanto or monkfruit erythrotol granular should I buy?
Lakanto is erythritol and monk fruit as it is. It’s a good option.
I remember when you shared this recipe way back when! I was totally devoted to everything LCSFGF and these were great. Life got in the way and I’ve been on again, off again for years now. But the SFGF is still something I try to follow in my home baking. I need to make these again! Starbucks used to have a chocolate covered graham cracker, which I loved, but it was certainly not SFGF! I want to try and make them with this recipe. I’ll use the choczero dark chocolate (love it!) and hopefully freezing them will be okay. Hoping the chocolate locks in the crispness of the graham cracker.
Sounds delish!
I can’t wait to make these!
What do you suggest substituting for the butter to adapt this recipe for a dairy allergy?
I recommend a liquid oil like avocado oil. Very neutral flavor.
We love these. I also use these for a graham cracker crust for a keto cheese cake. I usually have to make a few batches at a time because my family will eat them all before I have a chance to use them for the cheese cake, lol.
I made these wonderful graham crackers today. I doubled the recipe for 40 graham crackers. I rolled my dough 1/8″ thick and using a pizza cutter I scored them into 2×3″ rectangles. I used a fork to make 6 rows of ‘holes’ down the center of each cracker to make them look authentic. They are so delicious and very easy to make. I’m sending some to my granddaughter because she is on keto and she misses smores. I am also sending her some chocZero sugar free marshmallows and some Lily’s milk chocolate bars to make the s’more with. My husband and son really like these graham crackers as well. Thanks so much for this recipe. I love all of your recipes and I have made so many of them. I also have some of your cook books!
My kids are eating so many graham crackers and I worry about their dental health. So I found this and…. so EASY. My kids also love them!!! So easy and I feel so much better about my toddlers eating these crackers. Taste better than storebought! Already making a second batch! I bought a graham cracker cookie cutter off of etsy so it make them look just like the ones at the store.. but taste so much better!
I noticed someone asked my question but didn’t get an answer. Can you use these in a pie crust? I so miss the Graham cracker crust for pies. Thank you.
I’m sure if you put them in a food processor with a little melted butter you can use it to make crust for a no bake pie or cheesecake.
Just seeing if anyone happened to try this recipe with an egg replacement? I have an allergy and I don’t mind experimenting but just thought I would see if it has been tried and proved by anyone else!
I am sorry, I really can’t say. I think it might be too fragile but give it ago and see what happens!
Can I use honey to sweeten it instead?
Not if you want it to be low carb.