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.
Emily Wall says
Wow!! I just made this fabulous recipe and they turned out perfectly. I substituted the molasses for yacon syrup, which I just recently discovered, and it gave the perfect color and molasses type flavor. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe.
Carolyn says
Yep, I have some Yacon too and it’s good but oh my, it’s expensive!
Lanie says
Is there another lower carb flour that I could substitute for the almond flour? We have a nut allergy in our house but I would like to try them,.Thank you!
Carolyn says
Try sunflower seed flour. Add a little lemon juice (like 2 tsp) to keep it from turning green (it reacts with baking powder and baking soda).
Lanie says
Interesting, thanks
Rebecca Ujlaky says
Wondering if there is a different flour I could use. I have a nut allergy to ALL nuts 🙁
Carolyn says
You could use sunflower seed flour…just be forewarned that it reacts with baking powder to turn a bit green. This can be offset with a tbsp of lemon juice.
Phyllis says
Is there another spice I can use instead of cinnamon? I am no longer able to eat it.
Carolyn says
How about cardamom? Ginger?
@lowcarbdelights says
Golly Gee Whiz! You’re funny. Thanks for the update Carolyn!!
Carolyn says
🙂
Sarah Hallford says
Do you think a pasta machine could be used to roll out this dough?
Carolyn says
No, I don’t believe that it would hold together.
Allison Hutson says
Could I use the graham crackers to make a graham cracker crust?
Carolyn says
Of course!
Allison Hutson says
AWESOME!!!!!!! 🙂
sila says
any egg allergy options?
Lisa Ferris says
You cannot claim a recipe to be sugar-free when you are adding Molasses (which by definition is from sugar cane) to it. Just because you do not add granulated sugar, does not make the recipe sugar-free. Even black-strap molasses, the syrup produced after the cane has been boiled three times and the majority of sugar crystals extracted, although low in sugar content, does contain sugar (12.2 grams per Tbs).
Carolyn says
I didn’t claim these were sugar-free, I only called them Low Carb. But besides which, I can indeed call it that because the molasses is completely optional. No molasses, no sugar.
Rosalyn says
One word – AMAZING!!! ? JUST MADE THESE….SO EASY AND DELICIOUS
..I cannot wait to try chocolate …pumpkin spice. ..or maybe peanut butter with pb2…your recipes are fantastic!
Carolyn says
All of your ideas sound delicious!
Carolyn says
Can I use regular sugar instead of the sweetener? Was also going to use a butter replacement, earth balance soy free instead. Will that work?
Carolyn says
I have no idea, I don’t bake with those things. It’s worth a shot!
Pam says
Have you tried making the grahams with honey? I haven’t read good things about the erythritol, because of the way it’s processed. I’m using honey in place of any sweetener, as recommended by Doc.
Carolyn says
These will not work with honey, it will introduce too much liquid and they will be soggy.
Aimee Adams says
I would like a free coupon if you still have one! LOVE your recipes!! Thank you for the time, effort, and money you put into these to perfect the recipe so we can have wonderful healthy food!!!!!!!!
Jennifer says
Just made these. I did not use the erythritol or the molasses and instead used 1/4 cup grade B maple syrup. They turned out amazing! We can’t thank you enough for giving us a recipe for graham crackers we can eat! This will be great to use as a crust for pies and cheesecake as well.
Lolette Stephenson says
I cant thank you enough for this recipe !! My husband and I have been low carbing for 2 months and your website has become my “go to” source for delicious recipes!! I really missed graham cracker crust with our occasional cheesecake and Thanksgiving is not far away and I was sad about no graham cracker crust and…welll….you are my hero!! Do you need a best friend ? Huge smile
Carolyn says
So glad you liked them!
Susannah says
Are these graham crackers really crispy? I’m looking for a softish graham cracker to use for making a low-carb copycat version of the Ciao Bella Key Lime Graham gelato squares (key lime custard cooling in fridge right now…) Do you think I could cook them for a shorter time to make them softer? Any thoughts? Thank you!
Carolyn says
Yes, I would bake them less AND make them slightly thicker to get a softer cracker.
Susannah says
Thank you! You are so nice to always respond to comments — and so quickly! Your website has been a lifesaver for keeping me on my low-carb diet. After a few weeks of eggs for breakfast, salad for lunch and meat plus two veggies for dinner, I always get burnt out and give up. Your recipes are getting me excited about cooking and eating again!
Elizabeth says
You have many wonderful recipes. This one is especially good substitute for graham crackers. I break them up and use them as “cereal” topped with unsweetened almond milk. I love your creations!
Elizabeth says
It is a shame you didn’t add the weight of the ingredients when updating the recipe. One cup of almond flour can weigh many different amounts thus affecting the outcome of the recipe. Many sites now give the option of both imperial or metric. Living in Australia and using metric I rarely used imperial only recipes because they fail most times. Even US cups are different from metric cups. Our Tablespoons hold 20 mls yours 15 mls. All those differences make a huge difference when baking. ????. This is meant to be helpful, not critical. ????
Carolyn says
Here’s the deal. A cup of almond flour weighs about 100g when using the scoop and level method. Just go with that.
Laura Robinson says
These would be wonderful with Skinny Chocolate (from Trim Healthy Mama) and Sugar Free Marshmallows! http://purelytwins.com/2013/02/08/how-make-sugarfree-marshmallows-gelatin/ Now if it would just get warm enough for a fire in the fire pit!
Crystal says
If I were to make these using real sugar (or possibly even maple syrup) would I use the same amount? I don’t like to use any sugar substitutes because they usually give me a headache.
Carolyn says
Yes, I think that might work, although I can’t say for sure.
aubrey thompson says
HI! JUst made these and they are great! just perfect to slather some peanut butter for a quick breakfast or snack! I did had to add about 1/8 cup of more erythitol because I like mine sweet:) Thanks for the great recipe!!
Gun says
I see the temperature is only 225F … is that correct? That makes for just about 107C. Most recipes with nut flours take about 350F … what is special here?
Carolyn says
Yes, it is correct. They dry out and get very crisp this way.
marla says
Love em!! Great recipe! Will be linking back to this in my post tomorrow.