In anticipation of Passover, I am re-publishing my gluten free matzo (matzoh/matzah) recipe for those of you who are new to my blog.
There has been some controversy around the gluten free status, high cost and availability of oat matzah, so save money, aggravation, worry and waste (this recipe tastes awesome!), and just make it yourself! These great saltine-like crackers are wonderful for Jewish holidays or any time of year, for that matter!
This gluten free matzo recipe can be made (easily!) in under 18 minutes, so it’s perfect not only for Passover, but for those times when you’re just craving a good cracker.
I’ve brought my own homemade gluten free matzo to seders and shared with others — many of whom were not gluten free — and it was loved by all because it’s just a good cracker.
Even if you’ve never made homemade matzo or crackers before, you’ll love how simple this gluten free recipe is to make, start to finish.
My gfJules Flour (and all my gfJules products, for that matter) are certified kosher by the Orthodox Union. You can read more about my gfJules Flour here.
Also, only buy certified gluten-free, purity protocol oats to make the gluten free oat flour. I cover all the reasons why this distinction in oats is so important for your health in my article on gluten free oats safe for celiacs. You can purchase safe gluten free oats here, or elsewhere on line, but they can be difficult to find in stores.
For more information on celebrating a gluten free Passover, and for more gluten free Passover recipes and ideas, check out my Gluten Free Passover Recipe Round-up!
Gluten Free Matzo / Matzah Recipe
Preparing for Passover? Try this easy Gluten Free Matzo recipe. These great saltine-like crackers are wonderful for Jewish holidays or any time of year!
Ingredients
- 1 cup (135 grams) gfJules All Purpose Gluten Free Flour
- 1/2 cup certified gluten free oat flour (make your own GF oat flour)
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 4 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
- 4-5 Tbs.+ water
- cooking oil spray
- coarse kosher salt or sea salt to sprinkle on tops
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450° F (static) 425° F (convection).
Use a food processor or mix by hand in a large bowl: gfJules All Purpose Flour, oat flour and salt. Slowly add in the liquid while pulsing or stirring with a fork.
If the dough is too dry, add additional water by the 1/2 teaspoonful in order to get dough wet enough to form a ball but not be sticky. Depending on the humidity, you may need more or less water.
Form a disc with the dough and pat out onto a pastry mat or clean counter dusted with gfJules All Purpose Flour. Pat with your fingers to flatten the dough, then roll gently in each direction until the dough is the thickness of a saltine cracker.
Cut to desired size and shape, lift with a bench scraper or spatula, and place onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Prick each matzo in lines with a fork.
Spray tops with cooking oil to help the cracker lightly brown. Sprinkle with additional coarse kosher salt, if desired. Use remnant dough to make more matzo.
Bake for 10 minutes, or just until slightly browned.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 128Total Fat 10gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 8gCholesterol 0mgSodium 199mgCarbohydrates 9gFiber 1gSugar 0gProtein 2g
Please keep in mind that nutrition information provided is per serving, which may vary. While we have taken care to provide you with the most accurate nutritional values possible, please note that this information may differ significantly depending on the exact ingredients and brands that you choose to use to make this recipe. Additionally, where options are given for ingredients, the resulting calculation may include all ingredient options instead of only one per line, skewing the totals significantly.
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Based on 34 Review(s)
Iamlooking for some gluten free matzoh kugel recipes.
Your gluten free matzah looks amazing. People have modified this Karaite Matzah recipe to be gluten free as well. I’d love anyone’s thoughts!
http://wp.me/p2MerI-fy
Jules–Please help! I just tried making a DOUBLE batch of matzo. I’ve made single & double batches many times before. This one went in the garbage–can you tell me why? I simply doubled all the ingredients, however dough was so wet after the olive oil that I had to leave out the water. I also had to add some extra GF flour. It was all soggy out of the oven! I even tried to turn it over & bake the other side. It was like there was way too much oil or moisture, even without any water! I’m sure I carefully measured everything using: 2 c flour, 1 c almond meal, 8 TBSP Olive Oil & no water (due to too much moisture already.) Thanks–I was so disappointed after all my effort & loss of products.
Sherril – I’m not sure what could have happened if you’ve made the recipe many times before and this time it behaved so differently. Whenever that kind of thing has happened to me without explanation, I’ve assumed I must have somehow made a measuring error (for example, my old 3/4 cup measuring cup looks exactly like my 1 cup measure, and I’ve been known to use that by accident). I know how frustrating that can be to have a favorite recipe not turn out. If you are ever having troubles with a recipe or need advice on a specific problem, email [email protected] and we’ll walk through it with you via email to help get it right. It’s much easier to go back and forth through email to try to solve the problem!
Thank you Jules, came across this looking for a GF matzo ball soup recipe….
and was planning on posting a comment regarding fulfilling the mitzvah of eating matzo, but glutenfreemommu basically said it already. thanks all of you
Dina
Great, Dina! So glad it’s useful to you!
So I just wanted to say that I had a chat with my local rabbi regarding this issue of what’s ok and whatnot regarding passover…there are a few matzah style crackers out on the market now that say not for sacramental purposes right on the box…HOWEVER and here’s the big thing that we all need to remember…the thing the rabbi told me (Consrvative movement) is that the belief is no one should intentionally make the self sick, especially is regards to the holiness of the holiday of commemorating the exodus. The Jews have suffered so much through out history, and one should remember to not suffer on purpose. That’s intentionally inflicting pain on oneself, which is considered sinning. So there is a fine line that needs to be considered here…when it comes to me toddler who has celiac, I will let her know this information as she grows so as not to feel guilt or sadness as of she’s not fulfilling Jewish law…
GlutenfreeMommu – I applaud your approach to this sometimes tricky situation. The intersection of faith and food can be a delicate issue, not just for those who follow the Jewish faith. I am relieved to hear that a tenant of your faith is to not make one intentionally sick or to cause suffering. A little dose of common sense sure goes a long way.
Weighing in on the “oats” issue; the company in New Jersey, Lakewood, that makes the gf matzo takes care to make sure the oats do not come in contact with rain before manufacture. The other company in England does the same thing so those two are the only matzo acceptable for hamotzie for observant Jews. For the rest of us, homemade or purchased Yehuda matzo allows us to partake of tradition and enjoy a a seder without feeling left out. Purchasing gf gefilte fish, a frozen product from A & B, solved that problem, and the creation of yummy knaidlach from the ground matzo takes care of that too. So thanks for all of these wonderful and creative recipes. Passover is once again a holiday we can enjoy with our families! Now to make a kugel! Thanks Manishewitz and Gefin!
Thanks for the info, Sybil! And happy Passover to you!
I made these tonight, Jules. They were delicious, and so easy to make! My husband said that they were the best matzo he had ever tasted. I happen to agree. Thank you so much for the recipe!
Yay, Robin! That’s fantastic! So glad even your hubbie was impressed! Happy Passover!
I made this for the first time today. I added more water to make the dough nice and wet, as well as 3 Tablespoons of seltzer and BAM – matzah balls! Cooked them like normal matzah balls, they had a nice flavor and were fluffy floaters (versus sinkers.) Thanks Jules! It’s my second big Jewish holiday being GF (recently diagnosed in January, made delish GF hamentashen for Purim). Was worrying about Pesach, I’m less stressed now!
That’s fantastic, Robyn! Glad you’ve got reason to be more relaxed heading into the holidays! Thanks for the matzah ball modification, too! Sounds perfect!
Hi Jules,
Thank you SO much for posting this! I have Candida and can’t have any yeast, sugar, dairy, etc. but I also have celiac. I have been looking for recipes that I can eat so I am thrilled to have found this!! I’m going to order your flour today so I can make them. If you have any other ideas for recipes, i’d love to hear them. No one seems to have many of them… Thanks again, have a great holiday!
Beth – so glad this recipe will work for you! I also have a delicious yeast-free bread recipe (everything I do is also dairy-free) in my book, Free for All Cooking.
What kind of sugar subs can you tolerate? I’ve experimented in many of my recipes by using unrefined coconut palm sugar or baking stevia and I also use agave now and then. Anyway, welcome to my blog & I hope you enjoy the recipes!!!
Thanks Jules! I can’t have any substitutes unfortunately. Not even stevia. Maybe as I get better I will be able to use some. But I was excited to see the oat flour, it is filling and will be a great addition to this recipe and the yeast/gluten/sugar/dairy free bread that I make. I just love everything you do to help the celiac community. I’ll check out your cookbook, thank you so much!
So glad some of the recipes will work for you right now, Beth. Hopefully as you heal, you will be able to reintroduce more ingredients to your recipes, but at least these will get you started!
Just to weigh in on the matzoh mitzvah discussion: currently, the kosher-for-Passover oat matzoh (available by special order or at specialty stores only, as far as I know) is the only acceptable solution for fulfilling the mitzvah. However, a person’s local rav (rabbinical authority) can make a ruling in the case of someone who cannot tolerate oats. The last thing anyone would want is for someone to be made ill due to holiday observance.
To be clear, this issue is of importance to those who are more traditional in their observance; many Jews will accept the matzoh-style cracker for their seder. The cracker I know of that’s widely available commercially tastes very close to the real thing.
There are recipes out there for matzoh balls made with almond flour, and also one that I know of that uses potato flour and potatoes. I haven’t tried these yet but hope to this year. (If you Google some keywords you should find them online with little trouble.)
There is a very traditional/observant section of the Jewish community that won’t even use regular matzoh meal in recipes for most of the holiday (this is called “non-gebrokts,” too technical to explain), and these folks utilize such recipes even if they’re not avoiding gluten.
There’s a cookbook available called _Pesach — Anything’s Possible!_ by Tamar Ansh that features over 350 non-gebrokts, gluten-free and wheat-free recipes. (I’m not affiliated with the author, publisher, or sellers of this book — just want to let people know about it.)
There are recipes that use matzoh instead of lasagne noodles. You have to soak them in water for a short time first to make them pliable, then squeeze out any extra water. You layer them just like noodles. I imagine this method works for gluten-free matzoh, too, although maybe it gets a bit mushier. On the other hand, if you’re willing to eat rice or corn during Passover (again, it’s technical) there are some gluten-free lasagne noodles out there.
Happy Passover!
Thanks so much for the information! That’s all super helpful, and yes, Happy Passover to you too!
Thank you, Basya, for naming Tamar Ansh’s book. Although, my husband and I are traditionally gebrokts, because of my gluten-free status, I have to rely on foods that are non-gebrokts for Pesach. This whole process of going GF is still new to me, it has only been 6 months since I was in the hospital. I am still on the steep part of the learning curve and all the resources, including Jules blog and your blog will be very helpful. Being a GF, strictly kosher, diabetic, mostly ovo-lacto-pesco vegetarian is not easy!
Thanks again! (Todah rabah!)
Hi Jules! I am working to become gluten free and am thrilled to find your website. My family loves lasagna and I have been looking for a gluten free alternative. I found a recipe at this link, which includes 8 x 8 inch matzah: http://www.jewfaq.org/kfpfood.htm#Lasagna. Here is my question: Is the matzah ingredient in the lasagna the same matzo that I can make using your recipe here? Thanks in advance for your help!
Janet – that recipe sounds so intriguing! I’ve never heard of using Matzah/Matzo in place of lasagne noodles, but this recipe makes that same “matzah ingredient” it references! It’s like a large cracker that must just get mushy enough from the sauce and baking to be softer like a noodle. Inspired!
I’m not kosher but when I was looking for a gluten-free, dairy-free cracker, I came across this recipe (I usually check Jule’s recipes first!). This cracker is so easy to make and is a great snack. I use the almond flour and substitue 2 tablespoons of the gluten-free flour blend with an equal amount of coconut flour. Even my husband who isn’t gluten free loves these crackers!
Sharon- that’s fantastic! So glad you’ve tried the recipe so you can attest to how easy it really is!!!
Jules,
I see that you developed the GF matzo. Any chance that you have a recipe for the matzo balls. My daughter was diagnosed with EE (eosinophilic esophagitis)caused by the food (gluten and casein)allergy. YOu blog is wonderful! Thank you for all the hard work! Marina
Marina, I haven’t developed matzo balls yet, but the beauty of making this gluten-free matzo is that you can bake it then put it into a food processor to grind it into “matzo flour” to be used in many different recipes! So glad you love the blog – thanks much for letting me know! : )
The matza issue was a big one for me this year. For the past few years, I bought the Kosher for Passover oat matza. Unfortunately, this year I found out that I can’t tolerate oats either, which left me with NO options for “legal” matza. I thought about having just enough oat matza at the seders to be able to officially say hamotzi, but given the reaction I now have to even a small amount of gluten I didn’t want to take the chance of having a similar experience with the oat matza.
I found a commercially made gluten-free “matza” which has a statement on the box that it does not fulfill the mitzvah of matza, but I decided (without consulting my Rabbi…) that since that was the ONLY “matza”-ish thing I could eat it would do. (I know this is a very liberal decision, but it is what felt right for me.)
But I agree with Tovah… when I looked at your recipe, Jules, the first thing I said to myself was that I couldn’t make it because it calls for ingredients that are not Kosher for Passover. Kudos to you for having Kosher supervision for your flour blend, but Kosher for Passover is a whole different story…!
This recipe looks great – however, I am concerned this post will lead people to think that these crackers fulfill the mitzvah of matzo. Matzo is something we are commanded to eat so it’s a serious thing for observant Jews. It MUST be made of only wheat, barley, rye, oats (controversial whether these count) or spelt in order to be considered matzo. The flour must have been watched over from harvest onwards and baked in a special supervised process. What this means is that your cracker cannot fulfill the mitzvah of matzo, and we cannot say the hamotzi blessing on it. The hamotzi blessing is one of the whole points of eating matzo. It’s important that Jewish celiacs know they likely cannot make hamotzi on this product without consulting a rabbi, it’s not kosher for Passover (since your flour mix isn’t and there’s no kosher for passover oat flour available on the retail market) and it doesn’t count as matzo according to Jewish law. Great for folks looking for matzo-like crackers after Passover, but not great for people looking to actually observe the laws of Passover. Keep up the great recipe development.
Tovah, thanks so much for weighing in on the Matzo issue and for lending your expertise! All very good points.
The Seders I have attended (including the one this week that served the “matzo-style” crackers) were somewhat more informal, and there was no rabbi present. I am aware of the need for Matzo to be made with one of the 4 flours you listed, which is why my recipe includes oat flour and I suppose why the commercial product we had at the Seder must be called “Matzo-style;” to clarify, my flour is certified kosher (though not certified kosher for Passover) and I use kosher-certified oats to grind my own oat flour.
How do you handle this dilemma during Passover? I have heard mixed reviews of the oat Matzo commercially available now, but is that the best strict kosher for Passover option?
Once again Tovah, thank you so much for taking the time to add to the conversation and share your knowledge! Happy Passover to you!
As one who has been on a celiac diet for over 40 years, the issue of oats is questionable.
The problem is often wheat & oats are grown in adjacent fields. They will then cross pollinate.
So, gluten free oats are grown far away from wheat, barley or rye so are certified as gluten free.
This is important to watch for as not all oats are safe.
Hi Sally, yes, all good points. I outlined the dangers and how to spot safe oats in this article. Please feel free to share!
~jules
While the strict production of K for P matzo is laid out for us home bakers, the overriding intention is the health of the individual, similar to diabetics fasting for Yom Kippur and other fast days. The intention of going above and beyond to make a matzo that will not do the body harm is a mitzvah in itself. As I am researching gluten-free matzo recipes, I also look at the difficulty of finding an oven that will bake at 2000 to 2500 degrees, short of renting a ceramics kiln, cleansing it and firing that up…
Judaism is a living religion, not cemented in Leviticus. That is to say, we do not just discard the rules of kashruth, but we assess how those rules need to be adapted. Do we ask the celiac sufferer to knowingly cause themselves harm by eating kosher matzo or do we condemn them for not eating of the matzo and moror? Do we tell them they are less than even though they have gone to great lengths to find an answer that fulfills the mitzvah of matzo and does no harm to their physical person?
I do not suggest that we make ham and cheese matzo sandwiches, nor am I a fan of jalapeno bagels, but I hold that the INTENTION of the matzo is far stronger than the actual piece of baked goods. Forever should we teach the rules and reasons for kashruth, but we should also teach tolerance and acceptance. We should congratulate those who work to hold the intention and teach the children in the face of difficulties.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this…I would never have given matzo this much consideration otherwise. My dad would be proud.
Thank you for sharing your perspective on this sensitive issue. I’ve heard from so many who find themselves in this quandary, caught between the rules and the reality of living with celiac disease. My intention is to provide this recipe as an alternative to those who choose for themselves to use it, and enable them to participate fully in the Seder.
I love your comment! Thank you for helping everyone with accepting the changes that allergies and sensitivities may make in their lives, and especially for this holiday in which food is so central.
Also wanted to note that if someone is not Kosher but keeps Kosher for Passover your flour would not work as it has rice and corn in it which many would not have on Passover. I howerver will make these after Passover! For Passove I use a similar recipe that uses potato starch and oat flour.
Thanks for the clarification, Debbie! Happy Passover!
~jules
Can I use this recipe to make matzo ball soup? I’ve been craving that lately and need to find a GF alternative. Thanks!
Oh yes Roxy, I think you bake this matzo out according to the recipe, then grind it up into “matzo flour” and use in your regular matzo ball soup recipe – should be delicious!
Happy Passover. I will be trying your matzo recipe. Do you have one for matzo balls?
Hi Vicki! Happy Passover to you, as well! Try baking this matzo out according to the recipe, then grinding it up into “matzo flour.” Use in your family’s matzo ball soup recipe – I can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
Brilliant! These look great! I was just thinking about gluten-free matzo bread the other day so I’m so glad you figured this one out!
So are you saying that your bread mix has more xanthan gum than your cookie mix? Should I add a smidgeon more xanthan when I’m making bread with your flour???
Pam, you should not need to add xanthan gum, ever, if you’re using my products. I don’t even keep it in my kitchen anymore — I never add it when using my flour or any of my mixes.
I have just had celiac confirmed. No more “It’s just a sensitivity, a little won’t harm you!” Freeing, actually. Anyway. I have another flour blend available to me, which doesn’t include Xpandex or Guar/Xanthan gum. how do I adjust, or DO I? (hope you see this question.)
Hi Mary, congratulations on finally figuring it out! I hope you feel so much better now that you know! Regarding xanthan and guar gums, you are right to note that I don’t call for it in my recipes, since my flour mixture already includes it. If you are using a different flour mixture, it will behave differently for many reasons, not just because of the lack of gums. For example, it it has bean flour it in your mix, it may leave a funny aftertaste; if it has a lot of rice flour, the recipe might be a bit gritty. Just be aware of that as you go forward in your baking. As for gums, an easy rule of thumb to remember is that for yeast recipes, you need approximately 1 tsp. gum for every cup of flour; for quick breads, cakes and cookies, add approximately 1/2 tsp. gum for every cup of flour. Again, when following my recipes, I do not call out for gums to be added because they are already in my flour.
Thank you! I have plenty of time, and I’m going to wait until my lovely bag of flour arrives. I really appreciate all of your help.