Homemade Graham Crackers

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.

An easy recipe for Homemade Graham Crackers. Made with 100% whole wheat flour and brown sugar, these are so much better than store-bought crackers!

Homemade graham crackers on a cooling rack.


 

Homemade Graham Crackers are truly something special. They truly raise the bar on the crackers sold in grocery stores.

You might want to make homemade graham crackers because they are made with ingredients you know and recognize and are not “processed.” None of us having access to high fructose corn syrup or palm oil anyway, so you cannot possibly add it!

Or, you you might want to make them because of the delicious flavor. We don’t throw in artificial flavors (and we know “natural flavors” aren’t much better because they aren’t really defined).

Whatever your motivation, they are absolutely worth the effort!

Ingredient notes

  • Whole wheat flour: Do not substitute stone ground or white whole wheat flour.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. In a medium bowlwhisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a standing mixer fit with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand mixer, cream butter and sugar together.
  2. Increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until incorporated well and a soft dough forms, about 2 minutes.
  3. Add the milk, honey, and vanilla extract. Mix until incorporated. The dough should be sticky and soft. Divide the dough into two discs, wrap both in plastic, and chill for at least one hour.
  4. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously flour your counter or a piece of parchment paper and place one ball of dough in the center.
  5. Pat into a 5-by-6-inch rectangle, sprinkle with flour, flip, and dust again, Working from the center out and adding more flour as needed, roll the dough with a rolling pin until roughly 15-by-11 inches and very thin. Slide onto an aluminum baking pan and brush away excess flour. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  6. For grocery store look-alike, score each sheet of dough into twelve 2 1/4-by-4 3/4-inch rectangles and dock with a bamboo skewer, fork, or the narrow end of a chopstick (feel free to use a ruler). Otherwise, leave the dough uncut.
Graham Cracker dough on a baking sheet before baking.
  1. Bake until crackers and firm and darkened, about 10-12 minutes. Immediately cut along the pre-scored lines with a knife, or cut into free-form shapes using a pizza cutter. Cool to room temperature directly on the baking sheets.
Homemade graham crackers on a cooling rack.

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: This recipe makes 24 graham crackers.
  • Storage: The graham crackers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks at room temperature or frozen for up to 3 months.
  • Make ahead: The dough may be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before using.
  • Pie Crust: Use leftover graham cracker crumbs in a delicious Graham Cracker Crust made with crackers, melted butter, and sugar. It’s the base of many desserts including Vanilla Cheesecake, Pumpkin Cheesecake, Cheesecake Bars, and Key Lime Pie.
Slices of no-bake Chocolate Eclair Cake on white plates with forks.
Chocolate Eclair Cake: This no-bake Midwestern classic has vanilla pudding with whipped topping layered between graham crackers and topped with chocolate frosting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the UK equivalent of graham crackers?

The closest cracker to a graham cracker in the UK and Australia is called a digestive biscuit.

Are graham crackers healthy?

Graham crackers are never healthy in that they are mostly empty carbohydrates. But, not all food needs to be consumed for health purposes. By making homemade graham crackers which contain whole wheat flour and honey instead of refined sugar, you can close the gap between “snack” and “health food.”

Why is it called a graham cracker?

These crackers are named after Sylvester Graham, a Presbyterian minister who lived in the 19th century. Graham believed that in order to live in the way God wanted, people should resist all pleasures. This included eating a vegetarian diet. He created graham crackers, then an unsweetened biscuit, as an example of the pleasureless food he wanted his congregation to eat.

Do you need graham flour to make graham crackers?

We don’t think so. Graham flour is extremely hard to track down even with the resources we have here. So, we developed a graham cracker recipe without it, and we think it tastes great. Your kids will love them!

More homemade snacks

Join Us

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow along on FacebookPinterest, and Instagram for our latest recipes! Tag all your glorious creations #culinaryhill so we can eat vicariously through you.
Homemade graham crackers on a cooling rack.

Homemade Graham Crackers

An easy recipe for Homemade Graham Crackers. Made with 100% whole wheat flour and brown sugar, these are so much better than store-bought crackers!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chilling Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 24 crackers
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Calories 115
5 from 344 votes

Equipment

Ingredients 

Instructions 

To make the dough:

  • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
  • In a standing mixer fit with the paddle attachment, or with an electric hand mixer, cream butter and sugar together. 
  • Increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture until incorporated well and a soft dough forms, about 2 minutes.
  • Add the milk, honey, and vanilla extract. Mix until incorporated. The dough should be sticky and soft.
  • Divide the dough in two discs and wrap both in plastic and chill for at least one hour.

To roll and bake the dough:

  • Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously flour your counter or a piece of parchment paper and place one ball of dough in the center.
  • Pat into a 5-by-6-inch rectangle, sprinkle with flour, flip, and dust again, Working from the center out and adding more flour as needed, roll the dough until roughly 15-by-11 inches and very thin. Slide onto an aluminum baking sheet and brush away excess flour. Repeat with remaining dough.
  • For grocery store look-alike, score each sheet of dough into twelve 2 1/4-by-4 3/4-inch rectangles and dock with a bamboo skewer or the narrow end of a chopstick. Otherwise, leave the dough uncut.
  • Bake until crackers and firm and darkened, about 10-12 minutes. Immediately cut along the pre-scored lines with a knife, or cut into free-form shapes using a pizza wheel. Cool to room temperature directly on the baking sheets.
  • The graham crackers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks at room temperature or frozen for up to 3 months.

Recipe Video

Notes

  1. Whole wheat flour: Do not substitute stone ground or white whole-wheat flour.
  2. Yield: This recipe makes 24 graham crackers.
  3. Storage: The graham crackers can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks at room temperature or frozen for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 crackerCalories: 115kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 1gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 124mgPotassium: 56mgFiber: 1gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 106IUVitamin C: 0.03mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 0.5mg
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
Website | + posts

Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

Quick & Easy Meals in Under 30 Minutes!
15 simple recipes for busy weeknights.

You May Also Like

Questions and Comments

Thank you for your comments! Please allow 1-2 business days for a reply. Our business hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am PST to 5:00 pm PST, excluding holidays. Comments are moderated to prevent spam and profanity.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments

  1. I absolutely love these graham crackers!!! I have one suggestion for anyone who is having trouble rolling out the dough. Using my Nutibullet I ground up my whole wheat flour only for the roll out and the dough was so much more cooperative.5 stars

  2. Could you use this dough as a graham crust for pies? or would you make the crackers and then grind them and create a crust?

    Thanks!

    1. Hi TB! Great question, one I’m not prepared to answer fully. But seriously that’s a great idea. Without trying it, I would feel uncomfortable saying it would work as a crust as-is. So, in this moment I’d say you should grind them. When you make the graham cracker crust from the ground crackers, you also add butter (and sometimes sugar although it’s not required). I’m just wondering if the crackers alone, without that added butter, would be too dry as a crust. It might be fine, but it might be super brittle. So that’s my main concern. I will try it when I have a chance so I can add this to the knowledge base for all of us. I’m really curious now, I never thought of that, but what a great idea. Thank you! -Meggan

    1. Hi Pattie, if you go to the bottom of the post, you will find the recipe card. That contains all the measurements for you. Sorry for the confusion! -Meggan

  3. These are delicious! They remind me of a combo between a graham cracker and biscoff cookies. Also, they are very easy to make!5 stars

  4. I made these yesterday to whir up for a graham cracker crust. I use heritage wheat flour due to gluten sensitivity, so I wanted to make my own. I found the recipe went about as described, except that with just the flour and butter I didn’t really get a dough to form (perhaps my butter wasn’t softened enough), but after I added the liquids it was fine. I thought the dough was more cinnamon-y than a normal graham cracker, but after baking them up, they don’t taste overly cinnamon-y. Mine would not be confused with boxed graham crackers, but they are quite tasty and I think they will be great for the cheesecake crust! Thanks for this recipe! Next time I think I would score them into smaller cookie-like sizes to be eaten as cookies. My dad loved crisp cookies, so these make me think of him.

    1. You’re so welcome, Susan! I’m so happy that they reminded you of your dad. I hope they come out perfectly next time. Take care! – Meggan

  5. The taste of these are great but the dough was extremely dry and difficult to roll out because it cracked a lot. I weighed everything to the gram so not sure what I did wrong?4 stars

    1. Thank you for trying my recipe, Brittany and I sorry for the dry and difficult dough. The dryness may stem from the brand of flour used or overmixing during step 2, where the dough should be soft and sticky. Another thing to consider is the room’s humidity level, which could impact the dough’s moisture. For your next batch, you may add more liquid or start with a little less flour, especially during the roll out step. I hope this helps and so sorry again, please write if you have any more questions! – Meggan

View all comments