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.
mr. pineapple man says
oh these look so good! never tried homemade before~ loving the blog!
Dawn says
These look great — I'll have to try them! (PB and graham crackers is one of my faves, too.)
Just wanted to mention that those cornstarch packing peanuts are like the Magic Nuudles or other brands of colored cornstarch building blocks, so your kids can have some fun with them if you haven't composted them already. All they need is a wet rag to moisten the blocks (so they stick together) and maybe a few butter knives to cut them into shapes.
The Enchanted Cook says
..and Congrats on the Top 9!!
The Enchanted Cook says
Carolyn – You're so talented! I love the way these look and sound!
Terra says
Oh YUM!!! I always love the idea of homemade crackers, these look fantastic! Congrats on the top 9:) I actually think I have everything in the house to make them, I am sooooo excited now:)
Take care,
Terra
http://www.cafeterrablog.com
Katrina says
Congrats on Top 9!! 🙂
christine says
I know what you mean about the cheap vs. environmentally friendly mental dilemma. Don't consider yourself a miser, though. I think that tagging things with the words "green" or natural is sometimes nothing more than a marketing scheme to get us idealists to spend more money.
The grahams look amazing. I agree with Stephchows about the almond meal making them sound better than the originals.
Kate @ Diethood.com says
Woooah – you did such a good job with them… these look just like Nabiscos! 🙂
Lynn @ I'll Have What She's Having says
Your graham crackers look just like the real thing, but sound so healthy, I'll have to try them.
I'm the same when it comes to environmentally friendly; I do what I can, but if the cost too high I have a hard time.
Pretend Chef says
I'm all for trying out new products and would love to try them out! My itty bitty goes crazy over graham crackers and they have become a "special" treat in our home because he will request them all day long. I would love to give these a try. I wonder if I'd be able to crush them up and use them for a pie crust. On a side note… primates make me giddy. I will check out Red Ape Cinnamon and purchase something to help support their cause!
The Small Boston Kitchen says
Homemade graham crackers…I like! These would be great with some peanut butter on them, talk about a great little snack! YUM!
sophiesfoodiefiles says
MMMMMM,..these home made gf crackers look so tasty & fabulous even!
You are recently on a baking high!! Go on, girl!
Medeja says
I think that everything what's made at home is much betteer, at least you know what you put in 🙂
Brandi {1 of 2} says
I'll try the Hefty plates if you still have a coupon. I also really want to try these crackers. They look fabulous!!
Emma says
Good post Carolyn! Good on you for using cloth nappies also.
Lovely biscuits. I think I'll make these because we don't have graham crackers here in Oz and I've always wondered what they're like!
Donna says
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm….these look amazing! "Supermarket grahams" wouldn't even come CLOSE to these, I'm sure!
Ang says
Sometimes you have to do the best you can and not beat yourself up about the things you missed. (Speaking for myself anyway) I'm trying to incorporate better foods, and better quality for myself and my family. These Graham crackers look so wonderful. I can actually see the texture difference.
Belinda @zomppa says
I am so impressed! I wish I was better at making my own treats like this.
Sandra says
You are little creative busy bee..looks fabulous and so delicious, plus it is healthy and homemade..you can;t get better than that!!!
Annie says
These sound like some fantastic products, I will have to check them out! The graham crackers look delicious!