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Homemade Graham Crackers

4.62 from 499 votes
My Homemade Graham Cracker recipe gives us what we all know and love: those toasty, cinnamon-y, golden brown crunchy cookies perfect for pie crusts and dessert sandwiches!
A full tray of homemade graham crackers.

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Hi Bold Bakers!

From pie crusts to S’mores, countless Bigger Bolder Baking recipes utilize Graham Crackers (like my 15 Minute Coconut Cream Pie!). We all know and love them: those toasty, cinnamon-y, golden brown crunchy cookies. But, did you know you can (and should) make them at home?

I’m so excited to share my super simple recipe for this Bold Baking Basic, Homemade Graham Crackers. Just like with any other ingredient, Graham cracker cookies are way better than store-bought.

Why Are They Called ‘Graham’ Crackers?

Graham crackers are a whole wheat sweet cookie used in baking and making S’mores. Did you know that Graham crackers are called that because they’re made from Graham Flour? It’s a flour similar to conventional whole wheat flour in that both are made from the whole grain, but Graham flour is ground more coarsely.

Graham Crackers freshly baked on a tray.

Why Graham Crackers Were Invented

Graham flour is named after Presbyterian minister Sylvester Graham. That’s why you’ll always see Graham crackers capitalized — and Graham believed that a diet anchored by homemade whole grain bread is what was intended for us. A leader of the temperance movement, Graham also believed that using the wheat grain with the Graham diet would lower pleasure.

While Graham crackers were made to minimize stimulation using a vegetarian diet, that doesn’t mean they aren’t delicious and can’t be used in several scrumptious Graham cracker dessert recipes, whether as a graham cracker crust or with graham cracker crumbs.

Graham Cracker Ingredients

Graham crackers are not only super easy to make, but they only require a few ingredients you probably have on-hand:

  •  Whole wheat flour
  • Light brown sugar
  • Cinnamon
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Butter, room temperature
  • Whole milk
  • Honey
  • Vanilla extract

How To Make Graham Crackers

Want to see how easy it is to make these sweet crackers? Check it out, and you’ll be making homemade s’mores from scratch in no time (and don’t forget to get the full printable recipe with measurements down below):

  1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Add butter and rub it in with fingertips. This will give you a good feel for the texture you’re looking for.
  4. Whisk milk, honey, and vanilla in a separate jug.
  5. Add milk mixture to the flour and mix until dough forms. No need to over-knead here.
  6. Wrap in plastic and chill for an hour.
  7. Roll out your dough on a well-floured surface with a rolling pin, making sure not to make the dough too thin or thick. What you’re looking for is a 1/4 inch.
  8. Cut the dough with a pizza cutter. Trust me, it’s easier this way!
  9. Score the cookies down the center length-wise. Don’t go the whole way through.
  10. Transfer cookies to baking sheet. Preheat oven.
  11. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Shaping Graham Crackers

Believe it or not, you do not need any special cutters or stamps to shape the Graham Cracker dough into that iconic Graham shape. All you need is a ruler, a rolling pin, a knife, and a fork.

After rolling the dough to the desired thickness (roughly 1/4 cm), I use my ruler and a knife to cut the dough into even squares. Then using my knife I draw a line down the center of the cookie and using my fork I prick 3 sets of holes on either side of the line. This helps the cookies bake evenly and makes them easy to break in half and snack on once baked. Just a note: this is a very soft cookie dough so make sure your countertop is floured along with your rolling pin. 

A hand holding a freshly baked Graham cracker using my easy graham cracker recipe.

Dessert Recipes Using Graham Crackers

These sweet and lightly spiced cookies go really well with fruity, creamy, and chocolatey desserts, which is why they appear in so many of my desserts. From my 10 Minute Key Lime Pie to my S’mores Ice Cream Sandwiches, these Homemade Graham Crackers are the building blocks of some of my personal favorite treats!

How Long Do Graham Crackers Last? How Should I Store Them?

You should keep my Homemade Graham crackers keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. You can also freeze the raw dough to thaw and bake at a later date. Last but not least, the baked Graham crackers can be frozen as well. This means you can ALWAYS have Homemade Graham Crackers on hand.

Get More Basics!

Try These Other Recipes!

And don’t forget to buy my Bigger Bolder Baking Cookbook!

Full (and printable) recipe below!

Watch The Recipe Video!

Homemade Graham Crackers Recipe

4.62 from 499 votes
My Homemade Graham Cracker recipe gives us what we all know and love: those toasty, cinnamon-y, golden brown crunchy cookies perfect for pie crusts and dessert sandwiches!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 22 Graham Crackers
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Resting time 1 hour
Total Time 40 minutes
My Homemade Graham Cracker recipe gives us what we all know and love: those toasty, cinnamon-y, golden brown crunchy cookies perfect for pie crusts and dessert sandwiches!
Author: Gemma Stafford
Servings: 22 Graham Crackers

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (10oz/284g) whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup (6oz/170g) light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 7 tablespoons (3 1/2oz/100g) butter, room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons whole milk
  • 1/3 cup (3oz/85g) honey
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
  • In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
  • Add the butter to the dry ingredients and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs. You can also do this in a food processor.
  • In a separate jug, whisk together the milk, honey, and vanilla.
  • Add the milk mixture to the flour and mix until a dough forms. The dough will be sticky and soft. 
  • Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour so it's easy to roll. Like previously mentioned this is a very soft dough, so the longer it chills the better. 
  • On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough to a little more ¼ inch thick. Note: keep the surface and your rolling pin dusted with flour to prevent the dough from sticking too much. 
  • Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 2 x 5-inch rectangles. Using a knife, score the cookies down the center lengthwise, then in half across. Using a fork, prick the Grahams on either side of the scored lines. This will create the classic Graham Cracker cookie pattern. Gently transfer the cookies to the prepared cookie sheet.
  • Bake the cookies at 350°F (180°C) for roughly 10-12 minutes. I like to bake them for 10 minutes so they are still soft and not crunchy. 
  • Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Eat as is or use them to make S'mores. 
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Tamy Thayer
Tamy Thayer
4 years ago

Amazing! I made these with a few substitutes for my allergic child. I used King Arthur 1:1 GF flour, soy milk and country crock as substitutes (same measurements). And they’re amazing!!! You’d never know they’re allergen-friendly. Now my child can indulge in his first every s’mores!!

R. Davis
R. Davis
3 years ago

“Graham believed that a diet anchored by homemade whole grain bread is what was intended for us.” You mentioned this in the video but you left out the best part! Graham was part of the Temperance movement and believed anything that stimulated you too much would make you sick and would destroy family values. He also said that food should be home made containing no added spices or other “stimulants” and advocated a rigorous lifestyle that included sleeping on hard beds and avoiding warm baths. He also said that all individuals even if they were married should avoid intercourse. He… Read more »

Liz
Liz
4 years ago

Gemma, I want you to know your recipes are full proof! Once you make them I know it will come our well.

I love cheesecake but I dislike the taste of digestive biscuits . So I made the graham crackers! They were so amazing my mother who always thinks I should ad something to my baking had no words here!!! Thank you so much

Sarah Lynn
3 years ago

I used light corn syrup instead of honey since that’s all we had and they tasted great! I found the crackers that I rolled out the thinnest tasted most like the ones found in store (the texture was most similar this way/thicker ones were softer and chewier). Thanks for a great recipe that I will certainly use again!

Katie
Katie
1 year ago

I’ve made these over and over! I did make a couple modifications: I halve the brown sugar, but I sprinkle a bit of cinnamon/sugar on top of each cracker. I also use frozen butter and grate it with a cheese grater into the flour mixture. This allows me to completely skip the chilling step of the recipe. Much quicker and always a great result! (I do this for biscuits and pie crusts as well).

Nancy Trimble
Nancy Trimble
3 years ago

Why is it so hard to find a recipe on this website? I watch YouTube videos and proportions are never stated for the recipe. I go to the website and must go through several videos and jump through hoops to get the recipe. Now I’m looking for graham cracker crust for pie. This recipe is what I get! Where is the recipe for making graham cracker crust????

Vita
Vita
3 years ago

I had to eyeball the measurements for everything cause the batteries in my scale died, and I don’t have proper measuring tools– the dough was too soft and they turned out a bit cakey as a result but were VERY delicious, so that’s a win for in my book! I made them to use in a different dessert recipe, but I almost ate all of them before having the chance to do that hahaha.

Camille
Camille
3 years ago

Good recipe! I am an avid baker. This was my first time making graham crackers. The dough was super sticky to roll out and cut. I ended up using cookie cutters to make life easier. My children and husband loved them. But we too sweet for me.

RF74
4 years ago

The first time when I made these, they were over cooked. Yesterday I tried this again for tiramisu. They were soft at first and I baked them for extra 4 minutes and they taste so good! My stepdaughter made s’mores out of it and she was so happy to know so many store bought goodies can be made at home with love!

Tonya Gansz
Tonya Gansz
4 years ago

Can I use 2% milk instead of the whole milk

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About Us

Meet Gemma

About Us

Meet Gemma

Hi Bold Bakers! I’m Gemma Stafford, a professional chef originally from Ireland, a cookbook author, and the creator of Bigger Bolder Baking. I want to help you bake with confidence anytime, anywhere with my trusted and tested recipes and baking tips. You may have seen one of my 500+ videos on YouTube & TikTok or as a guest judge on Nailed It! on Netflix or the Best Baker in America on Food Network. No matter your skills, my Bold Baking Team & I want to be your #1 go-to baking authority.

 

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