Easy Gluten Free Vegan Crackers (Gluten, Dairy & Egg Free)
These gluten free vegan crackers are the perfect quick snack: delicious, healthy and easy to make. They’re everything a cracker should be: flaky, buttery, crisp and super aromatic. In fact, they're so delicious you won't even notice they're gluten, dairy and egg free!
They’re flaky, buttery, crisp and super aromatic, and completely addictive. Honestly, it’s hard to tell that they’re gluten free and vegan: they’re every bit as delicious as your “normal” cracker made with white flour and butter.
They’re made by mixing together gluten free flour, xanthan gum and salt, and then adding room temperature coconut oil. Now, ‘room temperature’ coconut oil means that it’s soft to the touch, but not melted – this allows it to function somewhat like butter, in that you can fully incorporate the majority of it with the flour, but still have a few leftover pea-sized pieces. This is what makes these gluten free vegan crackers all flaky and buttery and delicious.
A few tablespoons of cold water ensure that the dough comes together in a ball – at this stage, you can add spices. I went with chilli, smoked paprika and chopped fresh rosemary. The smoked paprika has the peculiar effect of making the crackers taste almost “cheesy”, and the rosemary adds a wonderful earthy flavour.
Side view of the flaky, buttery inside of a gluten free vegan cracker out of which a bite has been taken. More vegan crackers and rosemary sprigs are in the background.
Next, the dough is refrigerated for about 10 minutes – just enough to keep the coconut oil from melting, but not so long that it solidifies (that would make the vegan cracker dough super crumbly and hard to work with). Then, all we have to do is roll out the dough, cut out the crackers and bake them until they puff up slightly and are a nice light golden colour.
Your kitchen will smell amazing, and you will have to fight people off to get a bite. Yep, they’re good. Really, really good.
INGREDIENT:
INSTRUCTIONS:
Recipe Notes
Note 1: The coconut oil should be soft to the touch, but not melted – this allows it to function somewhat like butter, in that you can fully incorporate the majority of it with the flour, but still have a few leftover pea-sized pieces. This is what makes these gluten free vegan crackers all flaky and buttery and delicious.
They’re flaky, buttery, crisp and super aromatic, and completely addictive. Honestly, it’s hard to tell that they’re gluten free and vegan: they’re every bit as delicious as your “normal” cracker made with white flour and butter.
They’re made by mixing together gluten free flour, xanthan gum and salt, and then adding room temperature coconut oil. Now, ‘room temperature’ coconut oil means that it’s soft to the touch, but not melted – this allows it to function somewhat like butter, in that you can fully incorporate the majority of it with the flour, but still have a few leftover pea-sized pieces. This is what makes these gluten free vegan crackers all flaky and buttery and delicious.
A few tablespoons of cold water ensure that the dough comes together in a ball – at this stage, you can add spices. I went with chilli, smoked paprika and chopped fresh rosemary. The smoked paprika has the peculiar effect of making the crackers taste almost “cheesy”, and the rosemary adds a wonderful earthy flavour.
Side view of the flaky, buttery inside of a gluten free vegan cracker out of which a bite has been taken. More vegan crackers and rosemary sprigs are in the background.
Next, the dough is refrigerated for about 10 minutes – just enough to keep the coconut oil from melting, but not so long that it solidifies (that would make the vegan cracker dough super crumbly and hard to work with). Then, all we have to do is roll out the dough, cut out the crackers and bake them until they puff up slightly and are a nice light golden colour.
Your kitchen will smell amazing, and you will have to fight people off to get a bite. Yep, they’re good. Really, really good.
INGREDIENT:
- 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp (100 g) plain gluten free flour blend (I've used a simple store-bought blend of rice, potato and maize flour with no added xanthan gum)
- 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup (50 g) coconut oil, softened but not melted (Note 1)
- 3 - 4 tbsp cold water
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp chilli (optional)
- 1/2 - 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Pre-heat the oven to 375 ºF (190 ºC) and line a baking sheet with baking/greaseproof paper.
- In a bowl, sift together the gluten free flour, xanthan gum and salt.
- Add the soft (but not melted) coconut oil and, using your hands, rub it into the flour. At the end, you should have fully incorporated the majority of it into the flour, but still have a few leftover pea-sized pieces.
- Add the cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until the dough comes together into a ball. Knead it together briefly until it's smooth and no flour clumps are present.
- At this point, you can add the spices. Knead them into the cracker dough quickly – some marbling is perfectly fine.
- Roll out the cracker dough (I prefer to do so between two layers of cling film) about 3 mm thick, and cut out the crackers with a cookie cutter of choice (or make them rectangular, cutting them with a knife).
- I cut them with a 1 inch (2 1/2 cm) diameter round cookie cutter. This gives about 15 vegan crackers.
- Transfer the cut out crackers onto the lined baking sheet and bake them at 375 ºF (190 ºC) for about 13 - 15 minutes, or until puffed up slightly and light golden brown.
- Allow to cool, and enjoy!
- The gluten free vegan crackers keep well in a closed container in a cool dry place for 1 - 2 days. (Longer than that, and they can dry out and become quite hard.)
Recipe Notes
Note 1: The coconut oil should be soft to the touch, but not melted – this allows it to function somewhat like butter, in that you can fully incorporate the majority of it with the flour, but still have a few leftover pea-sized pieces. This is what makes these gluten free vegan crackers all flaky and buttery and delicious.