Learn how to make your own amazing Vegan Graham Crackers. These iconic crackers are sweet but not too sweet, super crunchy with toasty, nutty, cinnamon flavor, and are so easy to make! Enjoy as they are, make S'mores or Nanaimo Bars, or grind into crumbs to make vegan graham cracker crust for pies or cheesecakes.
💌 SAVE THIS RECIPE!
Enter your email and I'll send the link straight to your inbox.
Watch out for more tasty treats coming your way too! Unsubscribe at any time.
These Vegan Graham Crackers are SO GOOD!
Toasty wholewheat goodness, brown sugar, cinnamon sweetness, satisfying snappy crunchiness, and nubbly coarse sugar sprinkles make it very easy to eat way too many all at once.
My favorite thing about vegan graham crackers is that they combine the best of both the cracker and the cookie worlds. If you're from across the pond and not sure what this recipe is all about, think digestive biscuits.
They are very similar, just a bit snappier, with a hint of cinnamon, and a different shape. They can be enjoyed or used in much the same way like with a cup of tea, to make s'mores, in cheesecake, or in my very basic but delicious Emergency Strawberry Cheesecake Bowl and Cheat's Banoffee Pie Bowl!
Mel x
Let's Make Vegan Graham Crackers!
Can't wait to make these dairy-free graham crackers? Here's a quick visual rundown of how it's done. See the recipe card for the full and detailed version, or check out my recipe video to watch me make them:
Cream the butter with the sugars. If you have a food processor I highly recommend using it. It makes the whole process so quick and easy. It can easily be done by hand if you don't though.
Add everything else except the milk and pulse to create a dampish sandy mixture then gradually add the milk to bring the dough together.
Form the dough into a ball, cut it in half, then roll each half out between 2 parchment paper sheets. It's a little sticky and using the parchment paper makes it much easier.
Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut squares or rectangles across the dough then poke holes with a fork over the top, sprinkle with sugar, lift onto a baking sheet, and bake.
Recut them when you take them out of the oven then put them back in the oven to cool for the very best texture. The untidy, super crunchy, delicious outer offcut pieces are to be enjoyed while you're waiting ;O)
Success Tips
- When baking a digital kitchen scale is essential for the best results. Cups are not accurate enough for reliable and consistent outcomes.
- Don't overwork the dough. It will affect the texture of the crackers and make them tough.
- Be sure to roll the dough out between parchment paper sheets or it will stick to your rolling pin. It also makes it easy to lift up and onto your baking tray.
- The nubbly coarse sugar on the top really adds texture and interest so don't skip it.
- Cook the crackers on the lowest shelf in your oven. This will make them crisper because they are nearer the element.
- Don't underbake. These crackers need to dry out and become crispy.
- Cool on the tray inside the cooling oven. This gives them the best snappy texture!
Serving Suggestions
Vegan Graham Crackers can be enjoyed in many ways. Here are my faves:
- Enjoy with an ice-cold glass of plant milk like my cashew milk or oat milk or with a hot cup of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate. They are great for dipping!
- Dairy-free graham crackers lend themselves really well to dessert flavors like chocolate, lemon curd, peanut butter, marshmallows, date caramel, and marshmallow fluff. Dip or sandwich them with any of the above or have even more fun and make S'mores.
- Be very British and enjoy them with some vegan butter and cheese. I know it sounds weird but it's so good!
- Crush them up and use them to make vegan tiffin bars, vegan graham cracker pie crust, cheesecake crust, icebox cake, or Nanaimo Bars.
- Crumble them up with some vegan yogurt to make my Emergency Strawberry Cheesecake Bowl or Cheat's Banoffee Pie Bowl!
Recipe FAQs
It is possible to buy vegan graham crackers but they are few and far between. Most store-bought graham crackers are not vegan-friendly.
Vegan butter gives the best result so I recommend using it if possible. They don't taste as good with coconut oil. If you have to use coconut oil make sure it is refined coconut oil so your crackers don't end up tasting of coconut.
I haven't tested the recipe gluten-free but a good quality all-purpose GF flour like Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 should work out ok.
Uncooked graham cracker dough can be frozen either prior to rolling out or after:
- To freeze the dough in a ball - Wrap it well and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then roll and cut as instructed. Be sure to refrigerate the cut crackers for 30 minutes before baking.
- To freeze rolled and cut cracker dough - Make the cracker dough, then roll it out and cut as instructed. Place on the baking trays, cover well with plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 2 months. I recommend keeping them on the trays while freezing because they are pretty thin and delicate. The crackers can be cooked straight from the freezer. Just add an extra 2 minutes to the cooking time.
Recipe
Vegan Graham Crackers
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (165 grams) vegan butter
- ¼ cup (50 grams) cane or white sugar
- very packed ¼ cup (50 grams) dark brown sugar
- 1½ cups (188 grams) wholewheat flour
- 1 cup (125 grams) all purpose flour , (plain flour in the UK)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda , (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt , (not table salt)
- about 2 tablespoons plant milk , unsweetened & unflavoured
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
INSTRUCTIONS
- Get 2 large baking trays and cut 3 pieces of parchment paper to fit the trays. Set aside.
- To a food processor add the vegan butter, brown sugar and white sugar. Process to combine. If you don't have a food processor cream it together with a fork then give it a quick beat with a wooden spoon.
- Add the wholewheat flour, all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Process (or mix) again to combine, stopping to scrape the sides down with a spatula as needed. You should end up with a damp sandy looking mixture.
- Add a few drops of milk at a time, pulsing in between until the dough starts coming together. You won't need any more than 2 tablespoons. Use your hand (carefully avoiding the blade) to check you can squeeze it together. It should be soft, pliable and slightly sticky.
- Place one parchment paper sheet on your counter. Remove the blade from the processor and tip the dough out onto the paper. Bring it together into a smooth ball then cut the ball in half. Pat the 2 lumps of dough into smooth balls and flatten their tops a bit.
- Set one ball of dough aside, and place the other in the middle of the parchment paper. Cover it with another sheet of paper and roll out into as close to a rectangular shape as you can, about ⅛ inch thick making sure you roll within the confines of the paper. Remove the piece of paper from the top and lift the bottom piece of paper with the rolled out dough on it carefully onto one of your baking trays.
- Repeat the process with the 2nd ball of dough, reusing the same top piece of parchment paper when you roll the dough out.
- Get a sharp knife or pizza cutter and cut the dough into either squares or rectangles. You can make them whatever size you like. (Mine were about 2 x 1½ inches). I leave the excess dough around the edges. I like the rustic look and don't like to waste it. If you prefer you can remove it.
- Prick the crackers all over with a fork, then sprinkle a handful of coarse sugar across the top.
- Put both trays in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. This step is important. Don't skip it. They are ok in the fridge for up to 2 days but if leaving them longer than an hour cover them with some cling wrap to stop them from drying out.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175° C) while the dough is chilling and reposition the shelves to the 2 lowest positions.
- Place the baking trays in the oven on the lowest 2 shelves and bake for 20 minutes then turn the oven off.
- Immediately remove the trays from the oven and carefully recut the crackers along the original lines with a sharp knife or pizza cutter then return both trays to the oven. Close the door and leave them in there for at least 30 minutes but a few hours or overnight is fine (don't turn the oven back on). This step helps them dry out thoroughly and become really crunchy and snappy.
- Transfer the cooled crackers to an airtight container. They will keep well for a few weeks.
NOTES
💌 SAVE THIS RECIPE!
Enter your email and I'll send the link straight to your inbox.
Watch out for more tasty treats coming your way too! Unsubscribe at any time.
Redwoodrebelgirl says
When I was a vegan, I was taught that sugar (regular sugar) is NOT vegan, as it is bleached using animal bones.
So said...my strict vegan cookbook, or PETA, or someone I considered an authority on the subject.
Has that changed in the industry?
Melanie McDonald says
It's very easy to buy vegan-friendly sugar. Here in Canada, pretty much all sugar is vegan including the 2 biggest sugar producers (Rogers and Redpath). In the Uk and Europe, all sugar is vegan. America is the only place that still filters through bone char, but even then it's easy to find brands that are vegan. It's a case of doing the work and researching the brands that are available to you.They are only too happy to let you know if you send them a quick email. And if you don't have time for that just buy organic sugar. it's vegan by default wherever you are. The brand Wholesome Sweeteners is available pretty much everywhere in North America too and is vegan-friendly.
Karen says
We made them for smores last weekend and they were so good. Thank you for the recipe!
Heidi says
Would not recommend this recipe. They unfortunately did not taste like real graham crackers.
Paul says
Easy to make and delicous. Thanks!
Beth says
made them as soon as I got your email. Really good graham crackers. perfect flavor and texture. Thank you.
Alana Miller says
Isn't there a way for us to make good vegan food without the oil/butter? My doctor says stay away from oil because of my heart disease and those crackers look so good.
Thanks
Jim Murray says
Im not an authority on heart disease and certainly not your situation, but each cracker in this recipe contains about a teaspoon of vegan butter. Unless youre planning on eating a plateful, does that small amount of butter make a big difference? Especially if youre reducing or removing butter where its not required? Just a thought...