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Homemade Gluten-Free Wheat Thins (Vegan, Allergy-Free)

January 20, 2020 by Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine 47 Comments

Wheat-Free Wheat Thins? This Homemade Gluten-Free Wheat Thins recipe is a celiac-safe copycat of Nabisco's classic whole-grain cracker! This quick & easy healthy snack is vegan, allergy-free, and kid-friendly. Great for plain snacking, pairing with soups or salads, and topping with dips and spreads!

It's an oxymoron! "Wheat-Free Wheat Thins"? How? We're getting as close to the gluten-filled cracker as we can with this copycat recipe! You'll get the same healthy, crunchy, slightly sweet, savory, and buttery cracker you grew-up with, but safe for celiacs and gluten-free folks alike! Even if you're not gluten-free, these homemade gluten-free wheat thins are going to be your new staple snack!

Are Wheat Thins Gluten-Free?

As is, Wheat Thins crackers are NOT gluten-free. Why? It's all in the name. Wheat! If a food contains wheat it is NOT gluten-free, ever. Gluten is in all wheat-containing foods and ingredients. But remember, "wheat-free" doesn't mean "gluten-free" either. Whole grain wheat flour is not going to fly for someone with celiac disease or a wheat allergy! But there's also barley malt syrup in traditional Wheat Thins. Barley malt contains gluten as well, from the barley grain.

How to make them gluten-free

Instead of wheat flour, we are swapping our whole grain flour with brown rice! No barley malt syrup needed either. We're using just normal sweetener to these crunchy crackers!

Brown Rice Flour
Milled Flax Seeds
Granulated Sweetener (of choice)
Paprika
Salt
Vanilla Extract
Vegan/Soy-Free Butter
Touch of Water

That's it! Only 6 ingredients if you don't count salt and water. Believe it or not, Wheat Thins are vegan, as is, so no dairy or eggs to worry about! These healthy crackers are:

Gluten-Free
Vegan
Allergy-free (Dairy-Free, Soy-Free, Egg-Free, Nut-Free, Peanut-Free, Wheat-Free, Sesame-Free, Corn-Free, Coconut-Free)
Sugar-Free
Whole Grain

How to get crunchy crackers

Wheat Thins are not paper-thin crackers, nor are they super thick and dense. To get that perfect seemingly soft crunch it all comes down to rolling out the cracker dough to an ideal and uniform thickness.

After mixing together your cracker dough ingredients, I find it best to roll the dough out between 2 non-stick Silpats (silicone baking mats) or parchment paper. This will prevent the dough from sticking to the rolling pin.
Roll the dough to a ⅛-inch thickness. Using a rolling pin with thickness rings can help!
Cut square 1-inch by 1-inch crackers, using a round wheel pizza slicer or sharp knife.
Re-roll the dough as many times as you need to get about 40 crackers.
Space the crackers out on a lined baking sheet and bake them at 400°F for about 12-15 minutes. This time may change depending on how well you were able to get the crackers to ⅛th-inch thickness. Anywhere from 10-20 minutes is the sweet spot. Just keep a diligent eye on the crackers so they don't burn!
Remove then crackers when done and let them cool completely before storing them in a sealed food storage bag. Don't let any moisture in and these crackers will last for weeks!

How to use your homemade Wheat Thins

These gluten-free crackers have that iconic sweet, salty, savory taste with that nice buttery soft crunch. They are perfect crackers for snacking on alone, as is, but of course, you can use them in more creative ways too!

Pair them with a delicious soup for a satisfying meal
Eat them alone with a veggie-packed salad
Dip them in some homemade hummus
Top them with a square of vegan cheese (or cream cheese!) for a filling snack or appetizer
Perfect for mess-free snacking on-the-go, in the car, and in work and school lunchboxes
Crush up leftover crackers for a great gluten-free breadcrumb