Keto Cheez its
A keto version of your favorite cheese cracker
Puffy, crunchy keto cheez-its that look and taste like the childhood favorite but these cheesy low carb crackers are gluten-free and have 1 carb per handful!
14 crackers
10
Servings
113
Calories
9.2g
Fat
5.1g
Protein
1.1g
Net Carb
2.6g
Total Carbs
Are Cheez-it crackers your kryptonite?? They are mine – as are Doritos and most crackers in general.
If they are hanging out on my kids’ plate or the box is staring me in the face, it’s hard not to sneak a couple Cheez-it crackers. But that usually leads to a couple handfuls of crackers which can add up to a lot of carbohydrates. A serving of 27 Cheez-its crackers (which is about two handfuls) has 17 grams of carbs! Plus these aren’t gluten-free Cheez-its.
You are better off making your own if you want to stick to your low carb goals and still enjoy your favorite cracker. This keto cheez-it recipe has 1 carb per 14 crackers. And we made it without baking a slice of cheddar (like other recipes like to do….this is not a Cheez-it LOL!)
Using real cheddar cheese, almond flour and a few other ingredients, you can satisfy that crunchy, cheddary cracker fix in under 45 minutes. Plus make enough for the whole week!
How to make keto cheez-it crackers
- Mix together dry ingredients – almond flour, xanthan gum, cheddar cheese powder (if using) and salt.
- Stir in shredded cheese.
- Add water and stir to combine.
- Roll dough in between two sheets of parchment paper into a very thin layer (about the thickness of a fork prong or a dull pencil tip).
- Cut into squares and add the iconic hole in the center using a toothpick or chopstick.
- Place crackers on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove before the crackers turn golden brown.
- Let cool. The keto crackers will continue to harden on the baking sheet and get crispy as they cool.
Key ingredients & substitutions
- Almond flour – The keto flour base for our gluten free crackers. For the best texture and flavor get blanched, super fine almond flour. I haven’t tried substituting with other keto flours, like coconut flour. If you did want to experiment and try coconut flour, try using around 3 tablespoons coconut flour.
- Xanthan gum – The xanthan gum is a necessary ingredient to help hold the crackers together as you roll them out and bake. It keeps the dough from sticking to the parchment paper as well.
- Cheddar cheese powder – This is an optional ingredient but I added it for extra cheddar flavor and for coloring.
- Sharp cheddar cheese – Using sharp cheddar cheese over medium cheddar or mild will give the best cheese cracker flavor to your cheez it. You can try out other cheeses like Colby Jack or Pepper Jack cheeses for other flavors.
Gluten Free Cheez its Recipe Video
With 100s of videos and millions of views, Ketofocus is one of the most popular Keto channels on YouTube.
Gluten Free Cheez Its Ingredients
100 g (1/2 cup + 1/3 cup) almond flour
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4 teaspoons cheddar cheese powder, optional
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2 teaspoons xanthan gum
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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4 oz extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
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3 tablespoons water
Keto Cheez its Directions
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Mix dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together almond flour, cheddar cheese powder (if using), xanthan gum and salt.
Ingredients
- 100 g almond flour (1/2 cup + 1/3 cup)
- 4 teaspoons cheddar cheese powder, optional
- 2 teaspoons xanthan gum
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Quick Tip
Use the cheddar cheese powder for extra cheddar flavor and for bright orange coloring. -
Say cheese!
Stir in shredded cheese.
Ingredients
- 4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
Quick Tip
Don't worry about trying to get the cheese to mix or melt into the dough. The shreds of cheese will melt into the dough as it bakes and help to form air pockets which create the iconic puff of each cheese cracker. -
Make dough
Add water and stir until a dough forms. It may seem like there is not enough water at this point start to knead the dough with your hands and it should come together as a dough similar to play doh texture.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons water
Quick Tip
For ultra bright orange cheese crackers, add a few drops of orange food coloring to the water before adding to the dry ingredients. -
Roll out dough
Place dough in between two sheets of parchment paper. Flatten into a square or rectangle shape. Roll out dough, trying to keep a square or rectangle shape as much as possible. Roll until the dough is about as thick as a dull pencil tip or thickness of a fork prong. Carefully peel off the top layer of parchment paper. (See video above for best practices on rolling the dough)
Quick Tip
To keep the parchment paper from sliding around as you roll, place a damp paper towel under the bottom layer of parchment. -
Turn into cheese its!
Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut dough into squares. To give the center a hole to prevent the crackers from puffing too much and for that iconic cheez-it appearance, use a skewer or chop stick to poke a hole in the center.
Quick Tip
Sprinkle with flaky salt before baking if desired. -
Bake
Bake in a 250 degree Fahrenheit oven for 20-25 minutes. Take them out just before they turn golden brown around the edges. The cheez-its will continue to harden and get crispy as they cool.
I used to love Cheez-its when I wasn’t Keto so I want to thank you for sharing this recipe. I haven’t make them yet, but because I trust you, I know they will be delicious!
Do you bake first then separate the crackers or separate first then bake them? I’m going to try these but need to clarify this first. Thank you.
I separate first, then bake.
I made these today but they didn’t get crisp. The flavor is good but not crisp at all. I’m going to re-bake them at 300 degrees and hope for the best.
They will continue to harden on the baking sheet after you pull them from the oven and get crispy as they cool.
Do you think nutritional yeast would work in place of the cheese powder?
You could try it. I haven’t done it before, but I know nutritional yeast can add a cheese flavor.
These are the closest I’ve come to real Cheez-its and I’ve tried a lot of keto cracker recipes. Bless you! I did have to cook a lot longer to get the crisp that I want.
Good recipe but Time or temp is way off. Like add at least 10 minutes. Probably more like 15+. I lost count after adding 2 minutes over and over.
Remember what I said in the recipe and the video (if you watched that), you don’t want them to get too dark or golden brown. They continue to crisp up as they cool. 250 degrees for 20-25 minutes, but you shouldn’t need to go longer than that – unless the oven heating element is going out.
Yeah the 250 degrees must be a typo. 350 would be like every other cracker I have made. 250 takes like 40+ minutes.
Nope, 250 degrees is correct. 350 will burn them
These were great! Thanks for the recipe. I’ve missed the brand name ones terribly and these fill the void. This is a keeper recipe.
Thank you. I made these and loved them…but- had to bake twice as long as directions indicated & still didn’t get crispy (my oven is accurate). I researched other similar recipes and tried increasing the baking temp to 350. Voila’! Came out perfect. I think you have to experiment & find what works best in your kitchen.
Hi Annie,
Could I swap out the cheese powder with nutritional yeast?
Maybe. I haven’t worked much with nutritional yeast. I know it helps to replace a cheese flavor in some recipes. Let me know if you try it.
Just made these. Oh my word are they incredible! Crunchy and tastes just like a cheez-it!!! You are a miracle worker. I’ve tried so many recipes of yours and they all turn out so good. If I wanted to make a pepper jack cheez-it, how would I go about it?
I’m so glad you liked the recipe. To make a pepper jack cheez-it, get the white cheddar powder from Hoosier Hill Farm (it’s the same brand I recommend in the recipe) and then use shredded pepper jack cheese!
Make these today! Great alternative for a keto cracker! I didn’t have nacho cheese powder so added some garlic powder instead. I do think I made them a little too thick as they weren’t super crispy but the thin end pieces were perfect & crisp!! Next time I’ll make them all thinner. Thanks for sharing your recipe! I have so many ideas with this cracker base! But even alone they’re really good!
This is the 2nd time I’ve made these, and they taste like the real thing! First time I made these I didn’t have the cheese powder and I baked them at 250° for 25 mins… a little spongy, so after they cooled I put them in a 300°oven for 12 mins. They came out like a real crisp cracker! Tonight I made these with the cheese powder and did 300° oven for 22 mins- just right! So good to have this recipe❣️
Oh, my 11yo daughter and I LOVED making these together! We’re new to this keto world, and this recipe brought so much joy back into her lunch box. Instead of squares, we used these adorable cookie cutters from Amazon, and the cook time was perfect.
https://a.co/d/2V8ycg5 (Not paid to share this; just too cute to keep to myself.)
In case it’s helpful to anyone else, we didn’t have xanthan gum on hand, so we subbed ground flaxseed and used (hot) water to let it thicken a little bit while we shredded cheese. Worked great! (I didn’t scrape aaall the flaxseed into the mix this time because I was afraid it would alter the taste too much, but next time I will. I think it would have been fine and an added health benefit!)
We’re really excited about experimenting with flavors in the future. THANK YOU for this gem of a recipe!!!
How should I store them?
Store your baked crackers in a ziploc bag or container to store at room temperature for 1-2 weeks.