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Easy-to-make Gluten Free Cheese Crackers and copycat Gluten Free Mini Cheddars. These exceptionally moreish crunchy Cheese Biscuits are perfect for parties, lunch boxes and snacking.

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Perfect Gluten Free Cheese Crackers (and Mini Cheddars)

I have been wanting to make Gluten Free Cheese Crackers and a ‘copycat’ gluten free version of Mini Cheddars for ages. And here they are. I’m not sure why it took me so long, because they are SO easy… once I’d worked out the right ratios. Honestly, a batch can be made (and pretty much eaten) in 45 minutes!

Take note of the second part of that last sentence… Because these little morsels are OUTRAGEOUSLY GOOD and dangerously addictive. Savoury, very cheesy and just like their glutenous cousins, it’s all too easy to keep eating them until there are none left. But self-restraint or not, my gluten free Cheese Crackers are one recipe you HAVE to try.

‘Copycat’ gluten free Mini Cheddars – Just like you remember

While I’m not sure where in the world they are exported, Mini Cheddars are a bit of a British institution. Whether eaten as a snack, popped in the lunch box or devoured from party tables, if you live in the UK, you will definitely know what they are.

Launched as a mini version by Crawford’s in the mid 1980’s, they were subsequently picked up by McVities and are now branded ‘Jacob’s’. As a child of the 70’s, I remember the earlier version of bigger ‘Cheddars’ and the shift to minis later on. But big or small, they were always very distinctive in flavour and exceptionally moreish.

My Copycat Gluten Free Mini Cheddars are (according to my wheat-eating husband) ‘the same’. So I am confident that I have captured the flavour and hand-dipping deliciousness of the originals. But whether you are hankering after a ‘pre-Coeliac’ memory or have never tried them, they are ABSOLUTELY worth making.

Cheese Crackers or Cheese Biscuits? What’s in a name?

I debated whether to head up this post ‘Cheese Crackers’ or ‘Cheese Biscuits’. In the UK, we probably call them either. But then I remembered that in North America, Cheese Biscuits are something altogether different… and come much like our British ‘scones’. Another alternative would be to call them ‘cheese cookies’. But that seemed all kinds of wrong…

So, I figured that ‘Cheese Crackers’ was the way to go… Not however to be confused with crackers for cheese. (Although who am I to judge?). Confused? I certainly was!

What ingredients are needed to make gluten free Cheese Crackers?

Making gluten free Cheese Crackers is SO easy! They need one bowl, zero skill, don’t require any fancy equipment (not even a mixer) and have hardly any ingredients. So what’s in them?

Dry Ingredients

First of all, these Cheese Crackers (and Gluten Free Mini Cheddars) need some gluten free flour. I’ve tested them with both my Gluten Free Alchemist white Blend A and rice-free Blend B (found at the bottom of my What is Gluten Free Flour? page). Both are incredible and work equally well… And that means that whether you are using Doves Freee baking flour, an alternative well-tested home blend or a different commercial option, I am pretty confident that this recipe will be successful.

In addition to the gluten free flour blend, I have added a very small amount of:

Xanthan gum (which can be left out without major impact if you are intolerant)
Baking powder… and
Salt

However, these may or may not be necessary depending on the flour or other ingredients used:

If the blend already contains xanthan gum, leave it out.
Using salted butter? Don’t add more salt.
If you use self-raising flour, you won’t need to add any baking powder. Okay… I haven’t actually tested the recipe with self-raising flour. But I am fairly sure it will work either way.

Butter

Because the butter is ‘rubbed in’ to the dry ingredients, it is important that you use hard, cold butter that has been chilled. I always use unsalted butter when baking and add any salt separately. However given that this is a recipe for savoury biscuits, then salted butter is fine. Just make sure that if using salted butter, you leave out any additional salt from the main mix.

If you are someone with very warm hands (or you don’t like rubbing fat into flour with your fingertips) then I thoroughly recommend investing in a Pastry Cutter. It makes light, clean work of ‘rubbing in’ and can be bought for a few pounds in Lakeland or from Amazon.

Cheese

As long as you use sharp, hard, meltable cheese when making these biscuits, you should be fine. I tested the recipe with mature English Cheddar Cheese and Red Leicester Cheese. Both were excellent.

Obviously, the stronger the cheese, the more ‘cheesy’ the crackers, so go for something with a good strength rating or marked ‘mature’ or ‘extra mature’ for preference.

Equally, bear in mind that the colour of the cheese will impact the colour of the final biscuits, as can be seen from the photos shown.

Water

The gluten free cracker dough needs a little water to bring it all together. I have been VERY specific about the amount of water that should be added. And I am also very clear that you should NOT add any more unless (after perseverance of kneading) the dough will not come together.

The cracker dough will definitely feel quite dry at the start of squeezing it together. But as you knead, the butter flecks and the cheese will start to break down and blend with the dry ingredients so that the whole lot becomes a smooth and rollable dough.

There MAY be some flour blends that are particularly thirsty on account of the individual flours they contain. And it is these flours that MAY require a drop more water. If the dough really isn’t coming together, only then can you add extra, but no more than a ¼ tsp at a time before re-working.

Is the recipe for Gluten Free Mini Cheddars exactly the same?

Fundamentally yes. The ratios of the ingredients are identical whether making standard cheese crackers or gluten free Mini Cheddars. The only key difference is the cheese that it used… To get the traditional bright golden hue that is characteristic of Mini Cheddars, I used a combination of about two-thirds mature ‘white’ (off-white) Cheddar and one-third orange-coloured Red Leicester. Both cheeses are fairly strong in flavour, so are ideal for achieving the appropriate savoury-salty cheesiness that we fondly remember.

In addition to the cheese, my gluten free Mini Cheddars also had a very light sprinkling of fine sea salt on top after baking (while still hot). This gave them the characteristic very slight saltiness that mimics the originals.

Other than that… They’re just made ROUND and SMALL! Actually, I didn’t have a cutter the right size. So… I improvised with the base a large piping nozzle that was also big enough at the other end to poke my little finger through (to push out the dough if it got stuck).

Regardless… I’ve given you TWO recipes at the bottom (one specifically for gluten free Mini Cheddars) to save any confusion.

Tips for making the BEST gluten free Cheese Crackers and Mini Cheddars

As I said above, you need very little skill to make either gluten free Cheese Crackers or Mini Cheddars. And consequently, there’s very little extra information you need to know. But… here are a couple of tiny words of wisdom anyway to help get the best from the recipe…

Use mature, strongly-flavoured cheese for the cheesiest biscuits.
Weigh the ingredients using a digital scale for accuracy and consistency.
Do NOT be tempted to add more water than suggested, even if you think the mixture is too dry. Work it well, squeezing the ingredients together until they form a smooth and lightly shiny dough. Only after persistence should you consider adding any more water (if the dough really won’t come together). And then ONLY add a ¼ teaspoon at a time, reworking as you do.
Do NOT use any extra flour when rolling the cracker dough. Roll it gently onto good-quality non-stick baking paper. This is the brand I use… It’s the only baking paper I trust.
Remember to prick the surface of each cracker with a fork before baking (easier after they’ve been chilled). This stops them from ‘puffing up’ and ‘bubbling’.
After baking, leave the crackers to cool on the trays, so that they can finish drying with the residual base heat. Equally, if you are worried that they may not be crisp enough (eg. for larger biscuits)… simply turn off the oven, leave the oven door open for a minute or two to cool the temperature and then shut it (crackers inside!) to allow them to dry for a further 5 to 15 minutes without extra cooking.

Flavour up your Cheese Biscuits…

This recipe is versatile to various add-ins and flavourings, so you can make gluten free cheesy biscuits YOUR way. Try:

Varying the cheese used… Try a firm blue cheese such as English Stilton… A nice French Cantal or Swiss Gruyère… Or anything else that takes your fancy.
Add some chopped Chorizo or an alternative spicy, cured sausage.
Throw in some chopped nuts… Earthy walnuts are particularly perfect set against the salty savouriness of the cheese.
Add a sprinkle of dried herbs… Anything goes here, so pick your favourites to pair with your choice of cheese.
Spice it up with a little ground paprika (smoked or not) or chilli powder.
Add some dried onion flakes.

How long will these Cheese Crackers last and how should they be stored?

Providing they are baked crisp, both the gluten free Cheese Crackers and Mini Cheddars should stay good for 1 to 2 weeks (although I challenge you to make them last that long).

Store the biscuits in an airtight container in a cool, but ambient cupboard.

I haven’t tried freezing them, but I suspect they should be fine to do so for up to 2 to 3 months.

Ready to make Gluten Free Mini Cheddars and Cheesy Crackers?

I hope you love my gluten free Cheese Crackers recipe… whether you make them as larger biscuits or as Mini Cheddars. However you make them, please come back and tell me how you got on. I love hearing from you about your kitchen antics. You can leave a comment at the bottom, rate the recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ or contact me via social media (Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest). And if there’s anything that doesn’t make sense, send me an email.

For everything else, head over to our Gluten Free Recipe Index. It’s easy to navigate the whole site from there and it’s your one-stop ‘e-book’ to gluten free happiness.

All shared with my love

2 Recipes Below ↓↓ : Gluten Free Cheese Crackers followed by Mini Cheddars:

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5 from 3 votes

Gluten Free Cheese Crackers

Easy-to-make Gluten Free Cheese Crackers. These exceptionally moreish biscuit bites of crunchy cheesy deliciousness are perfect for parties, lunch boxes and snacking.

Prep Time20

Cook Time12

chill time15

Total Time47

Course: Biscuits & Cookies, Party, Snack

Cuisine: British, Gluten Free

Keyword: cheese, crackers

Servings: 48 Mini Crackers

Calories per serving: 20.6kcal

Author: Gluten Free Alchemist – Kate Dowse

Key equipment

Ingredients

110 g plain gluten free flour blend Recipe tested with GFA Blends B & A (see NOTES), but alternative flour blends are suitable
¼ tsp xanthan gum Leave out if flour blend already contains it. Leave out if unable to tolerate.
¼ tsp baking powder (gluten free)
50 g block butter chilled and cubed (can use unsalted or salted butter, but if using salted butter, don't add further salt to the recipe)
big pinch fine sea salt (don't add if using salted butter)
75 g Mature Cheddar and/or Red Leicester cheese (or alternative hard, meltable cheese) – grated (See NOTES at the bottom)
1½ tbsp cold water
Optional: ½ tsp dried herbs of choice; 25g fine-chopped Chorizo; 30g chopped walnuts

Instructions

Prepare a couple of baking sheets/trays by lining with baking paper.
In a large bowl, weigh and mix together the flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and salt.
Add the cold cubed butter and rub it into the flour using fingertips (or use a pastry cutter) until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
Add the grated cheese and cold water (and any optional add-ins).
Using hands, start to bring the mixture together (wear food-safe gloves as preferred), pressing it firmly together until it forms a ball. The mixture will seem dry at first, but do NOT be tempted to add more water. The mix should come together. If using a particularly water-absorbent flour that doesn't come together after perseverance, add further water no more than a ¼ tsp at a time.
Once the mix has come together, knead it with hands until it forms a smooth and lightly shiny dough.
Lay a large sheet of non-stick baking parchment on the work surface and gently roll out the dough to a thickness of about 3 mm. Do NOT flour the surface.
Cut shapes from the dough using small cookie cutters (any shape) and transfer the dough crackers to the baking trays. They can be placed close together as they shouldn't spread.
Put the dough-crackers in the fridge to chill for 10 to 15 minutes and while they are chilling, pre-heat the oven to 200 C/400 F/Gas 6.
Before baking, prick the top of each cracker a couple of times using a fork (this prevents them 'bubbling').
For Mini Cheddars: Sprinkle VERY lightly with fine salt (optional).
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until golden and crisp. (Larger cookies may need a couple of minutes more).
Remove the crackers from the oven and leave them to cool on the hot trays.
(It shouldn't be necessary, but if concerned that the crackers may not be crisp enough, turn off the oven, open the oven door for a couple of minutes to cool the temperature slightly and then leave the crackers in the cooling oven for another 5 to 15 minutes to dry and crisp).

Notes

* Note: nutritional information is an estimate & may vary according to portion size/ingredient variants.

Gluten Free Alchemist Flour Blends B & A can both be found on the GFA Flours & Flour Blending Page. Alternative commercial flour blends are suitable for this recipe.

Recipe quantity makes about 65 Gluten Free Mini Cheddars; about 48 small square biscuits; less larger biscuits.

Cheese Note : The colour of the crackers is partly determined by the cheese that is used. For paler cheese crackers, use a light or white cheddar-type cheese; for darker ‘orange’ crackers, use Red Leicester or a red cheddar; for the Mini Cheddars shown in the post, a combination of two-thirds white cheddar and one-third Red Leicester was used.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Take a pic & tag @glutenfreealchemist on Instagram & Facebook (GFAlchemist1 : Twitter) ~ #glutenfreealchemist ~ I love seeing your posts x

© 2019-2023 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist

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5 from 3 votes

Gluten Free Mini Cheddars

A 'copycat' version of Jacob's Mini Cheddars in GLUTEN FREE form. Just as they should be for flavour and texture. Perfect for snacking, lunch boxes and parties.