Gluten free graham crackers and gingerbread men are some of the most fun creations to ever come out of a kitchen!
Graham crackers make wonderful snacks on their own or in s’mores — of course!
Gluten free gingerbread dough makes adorable gingerbread men (or women!) and houses, of course!
This dough is also naturally vegan, so you can nibble some here and there as you’re baking (one of the perks of being the baker!).
The real difference between the dough is spices — add them or not — and whether you decide to use molasses for gingerbread dough or honey/agave/coconut nectar/maple syrup instead for graham cracker dough. Other than that, the base recipe (or mix) is the same. Either way, these gluten free graham crackers or gluten free gingerbread men are delicious!
The absolute easiest way to make them (or gluten free graham cracker pie crust, for that matter!) is to whip up my gfJules Graham Cracker/Gingerbread Mix. Of course you can always make my recipe from scratch as well, following the recipe card below. {To make a graham cracker crust for your favorite pie, hop to this recipe!}
Did I mention how versatile this recipe is? I mean, what other recipe can you also use to make an adorable miniature gluten-free gingerbread house for your tea cup?
Or a full-size gluten free gingerbread house for your table? (Both size house cutters are available in my gfJules shop along with my gfJules Gluten Free Gingerbread Mix!)
If you’re looking to make your own gluten free gingerbread house, hop over to my Gluten Free Gingerbread House how-to and template + videos!
Plus you can even make these fun stained glass cookies!
All you have to do is crush up some gluten free hard candies and put them into cut outs in the cookie dough before it bakes — pretty cool trick, huh? Come to think of it: what can’t you do with this amazing mix or recipe?! So. Much. Fun!
Get creative! Roll these cookies a little thicker and cut out little critters for Groundhog Day! (don’t throw any shade — I don’t have a groundhog cookie cutter, so I improvise and do the best I can, LOL!)
Halloween Gingerbread Skeletons, anyone?
And don’t forget about St. Patrick’s Day! These gluten free graham cracker Shamrocks are DELISH!
Iced or just sprinkled with some colored sanding sugar. MMMmmm I could much on these for good luck anytime!
With this delicious, forgiving and versatile dough, who knows what other cookie fun you can create? It’s definitely a year-round treat!
Don’t forget, the absolute easiest way to make these scrumptious cookies is just to grab one of my gfJules Graham Cracker/Gingerbread Mixes!
Gluten Free Graham Crackers and Gingerbread Men
Gluten free graham crackers or gingerbread men, gingerbread houses or graham cracker pie crusts -- so many fun treats can be made with this base recipe!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter or vegan butter (Earth Balance® or Buttery Sticks)
- 1/4 cup agave nectar or molasses or coconut nectar or honey (use molasses if making gingerbread men)
- 1 cup brown sugar or coconut palm sugar
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups gfJules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
- 1 cup white rice flour
- 1/2 cup buckwheat or brown rice flour
- dash of salt
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 cup cold water
- ADD 2 tsp. ginger + 1 tsp. cloves if making gingerbread men or houses
Instructions
Beat together the first four ingredients in one large bowl, and mix all of the remaining dry ingredients in another bowl. Slowly stir the dry mixture into the first bowl, adding water as necessary to create a consistency such that you could make a ball with the dough.
Preheat oven to 325º F for static ovens, 300º F for convection.
Roll one half out onto a surface dusted with gfJules All Purpose Flour. The dough should make a large 1/8 – 1/4 inch thick rectangle. You may roll it more thinly or more thickly, depending on how you prefer your cookies: the thinner the dough, the crispier the cookie.
Cut into shapes with cookie cutters or cut smaller rectangles like graham crackers and lift with a spatula onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Finally, prick each cracker with a fork in rows, as you would with a graham cracker. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mixture before baking, if you like. To make gingerbread men, simply cut with those cutters instead of cutting rectangles.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until they are lightly browned; the edges will cook faster than the middles, so keep an eye on the crackers lest they over-cook. Cook less time if the dough is rolled very thin.
Let them cool on the baking sheet 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
Notes
For even faster and easier gluten free graham crackers or gingerbread men, simply use my gfJules Gluten Free Graham Cracker / Gingerbread Mix!
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I don’t have white rice or brown rice flour. I have made these I the past without them. Can you tell be what I can substitute. Just want to make a small batch of gingerbread men cookies
Hi Phylis, the rice flours just add some grit and crunch to the cookies so they’re more like traditional gingerbread man texture. You can use all gJules Flour if you’d rather, but they won’t be as crunchy.
~jules
I have the mix at home, ready and waiting for end of the school year and time to make grahams for camping this summer. BUT right now, I’m really wanting chocolate grahams. Any thoughts on how much cocoa powder I should use or other things to tweak when adding the cocoa?
Hi Sarah, you could sub out the 1/4 cup honey or agave for 1/4 cup of chocolate syrup for starters. That would be super easy! You could also add another 1/4 cup of cocoa powder and then add 1/4 cup more water. If the dough doesn’t hold together or is crumbly, add more water by the tablespoon until it does hold together well. That’s where I would start. If it doesn’t taste chocolatey enough for you, you can go up on the cocoa powder and water, proportionately. Hope that works out for you!!!!
~jules
Wonderful gluten free gingerbread men recipe. I added 2 more teaspoons of cinnamon for me, and I thought at first it was too much sugar but had to add it all in, otherwise it didn’t taste right. It made a great dough. I used coconut oil. I was astonished at how good it rolled. And that it sticks together well, even without any egg! Great recipe! Thank you! The finished product with pink icing was the 4 yr old and 5 yr old girls ideas.
Oh my gosh, Deb, these are fantastic! How adorable with the pink icing!!!! So glad you and your girls clearly got creative and had a ton of fun making these gluten free gingerbread men and gingerbread girls!!!! Thanks so much for taking time to share your photo!!!
~jules
Do you need to add the other two flours or can I just use you Jules flour to make these gingerbread cookies?
Could you tell us the brand of gluten free hard candy or what they look like? Lifesavers?
Hi Connie – great question! If you hop to my Gluten Free Gift Guide, I have a whole list of gluten free hard candies there with links because a Candy Tree is one of the homemade gifts that I have instructions for how to make as a homemade-from-the-heart gift. One of those will work!
~jules
This is going to be a go-to recipe. Delicious, crispy cookies, pretty fast to make and they store beautifully! Looking forward to experiencing with flavors and thickness. Thanks so much for this recipe.
You are so very welcome, Deirdre! I’m glad to hear you’re excited about trying different variations, too! That’s part of what I love about this recipe, as well!
~jules
Do I mix all this Recipe with your gingerbread cookie mix.?
Hi Marilyn, if you have my graham cracker/gingerbread mix, just follow the directions on the can for what to add to avoid confusion. Enjoy!
~jules
If I am going to crumble this recipe for a crust can I just bake it flat on a cookie sheet instead of cutting into shapes?
Hi Cathy, yes you absolutely can do that. Much less work. 🙂 Just be sure to make the cookies thin enough in the middle of the sheet or they’ll be softer than you’d like for your cookie crust. Happy Baking!
~jules