These honey-free vegan graham crackers are crunchy and will bring back the nostalgia of sitting around a campfire. Great for making graham cracker crusts!

It’s easier than expected to make vegan graham crackers and well worth the effort as the result is a rich and crunchy cracker.

They make an excellent base for smores, ice cream sandwiches, or even a cracker crust for pies. They are as delicious as ever!

This recipe was inspired by BraveTart and adapted to be completely vegan.

Stack of graham crackers on a cooling rack.

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Key Ingredient Notes

Whole Wheat Flour – using regular ground whole wheat flour instead of stone ground will add a strong flavor and texture without being crumbly.
Dark brown sugar – gives the cookies a rich flavor.
Golden Syrup – a rounded flavor for the graham crackers that adds sweetness and a slight butteriness. It’s a great substitute for honey.
Vegan Butter or Margarine – Use a stick or block form.

How to Make Vegan Graham Crackers

Combine the sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, golden syrup, vanilla, and vegan butter in a large bowl. Use a mixer on low speed to blend, then increase to medium for about 3 minutes or until the mixture turns a lighter color.

creamed butter and sugar in a stainless steel bowl

Mix the baking powder into the flour, then carefully add to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until a dough forms.

cookie dough and mixer in stainless steel bowl

Use your hands to knead the vegan graham cracker dough until it’s soft. You can also dampen your hands to help shape the dough.

cookie dough in stainless steel mixing bowl

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Roll out two sheets of parchment paper, each about 20” long. Sprinkle flour on one sheet and place the dough on top. Pat it into a rectangle, then dust the top of the dough with flour.
Cover the dough with the second sheet of parchment. Roll out the dough to about 15×11”. It will be thin! Pull away the top sheet of parchment and brush away excess flour. Lift the parchment sheet with the dough carefully and place it on a baking sheet.

Optional step: Score the dough into 12 rectangles, approximately 2¼-by-4¾-inch rectangles, which is roughly the size of store-bought graham crackers. Use a skewer or toothpick to make the familiar holes.

Bake the graham crackers for about 15 minutes or until they are dark brown and firm. Immediately cut the crackers at the marked lines as they harden quickly as they cool. Leave them to cool completely on the baking sheet. Separate the crackers and enjoy!

Notes & Substitutions

A pizza cutter works great for cutting the graham crackers apart once they come out of the oven!
As a substitute for golden syrup, you can try sorghum syrup (also called sorghum molasses), or unsulphured molasses such as Grandma’s (not blackstrap molasses). Since either of these will have a stronger, more robust flavor, swap the dark brown sugar for white sugar.
While you can substitute other syrups in this recipe, graham crackers cannot be made with maple syrup, due to its unique water content and pH.

Key Tips

Work quickly when rolling and shaping the dough, as it can dry out. You can dampen your hands as needed.
Scoring the crackers helps with separating them into individual crackers once they come out of the oven. However, if vegan graham cracker crust is your end goal, skip this step.
Let the crackers cool completely before removing them from the baking sheet, as they continue to harden once they come out of the oven.

Storage Suggestion

The graham crackers can be stored for up to three weeks in an airtight container in the refrigerator or frozen for up to 3 months.

The crackers can also be pulsed in a food processor prior to freezing and put in freezer bags or containers – it will be more convenient for making pie crust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are they called “graham crackers”?

They are named after Sylvester Graham, a Reverend from the early-to-mid 1800s who had a knack for baking and some fairly odd ideas about grains.

Is there a difference between whole wheat flour and graham flour?

There is a difference between the two flours! Whole wheat flour is produced by grinding the entire grain at once.

In graham flour, the parts of the grain are separated out, and the endosperm is ground finely, while the bran and germ are ground coarsely. This creates a uniquely textured flour when compared to whole wheat.

Can I use all-purpose flour to make graham crackers?

A lot of this recipe’s rich flavor and texture comes from using whole wheat flour. I recommend not using all-purpose flour to make these crackers.

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