Looking for a savory snack that will fit the bill? These Gluten Free Goldfish Crackers are irresistible cheesy, crunchy bites that both kids and adults will love!
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Y'all, you know I LOVE my sweet gluten free creations. I've been a sweet tooth my whole life and I don't think that'll be changing any time soon. But ever since my celiac diagnosis, I've found it incredibly hard to find enough savory snacks to satisfy when those cravings hit. And they hit pretty often. I mean we can't live on sweets alone (can we?).
Enter these gluten free goldfish crackers. When I first made these, the entire batch was gone almost within a day. If I didn't mention it before, my adult son (who is currently living at home) found out recently he can't have gluten either (he hasn't been tested yet for celiac disease, but we're all thinking that's what he has). So gluten free stuff never has a chance for lasting long around here. These crackers are the absolute perfect snack for when you want something savory and salty!
Ingredients for gluten free goldfish
- Kim's gluten free all purpose flour blend - a store bought blend may be substituted, but hasn't been tested.
- Instant yeast - the yeast helps create the lightness in the cracker.
- Sharp cheddar cheese - while you could experiment with other cheeses (and I plan on it one day), the original Goldfish crackers were sharp cheddar flavor. Probably not a bit of actual cheddar went into them, tbh.
- Cold butter - the cold butter laminated into the dough creates those crispy, puffy layers.
Let's make gluten free goldfish!
Make the dough first
- Step 1: Add dry ingredients, cheese cubes, and butter cubes into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse into fine crumbs.
- Step 2: Stream water in until a wet dough forms and rides the top of the blades.
- Step 3: Scoop dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and loosely wrap up.
- Step 4: Turn over and use rolling pin to flatten and shape into a ½-inch thick rectangle; refrigerate for one hour.
Laminate and roll out dough
- Step 1: Roll chilled dough out into a rough rectangle. Fold bottom portion one third of the way up.
- Step 2: Fold the top third over the bottom third, just like you would fold a letter.
- Step 3: Turn the folded dough ¼ turn and roll out again.
- Step 4: Continue rolling to a thinner, larger rectangle, roughly ¼-inch thick.
- Step 5: Fold in half, and then in half again to form a square.
- Step 6: Roll out once again into a 16 by 14-inch large rectangle.
Cut goldfish shapes and bake
- Step 1: Press the goldfish cracker cutter down firmly to cut the crackers. Sometimes I'll take my rolling pin and roll over the cutter to make sure I get a sharp cut.
- Step 2: For the easiest removal, I've found the blunt (thicker) end of a wooden chopstick to work well. Just push the crackers out of the cutter using the chopstick.
- Step 3: Arrange them onto the lined baking sheet. No need to leave too much space between each as they won't spread out (they will puff up).
- Step 4: Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately decrease the temperature to 350. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown.
Goldfish crackers FAQs
No, you can either shape them by hand (very tedious) or simple cut them into small squares and make cheddar crackers. They'll still taste delicious!
While these never actually last very long in my house (they're irresistible after all), they will last in an airtight glass container for up to 3 weeks!
Cheddar cheese is the cheese used in the original Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers, so in keeping with the original I also use cheddar cheese.
More gluten free cheesy goodness
- Crispy gluten free cheese wafers
- Gluten free ham and cheese crescent rolls
- Gluten free mozzarella cheese sticks
- Gluten free cheese scones
- Gluten free blue cheese bites
- Gluten free puff pastry cheese straws
You seriously won't be able to resist the crunchy, cheesy goodness that comes from these Gluten Free Goldfish Crackers. Your kids will love them, too!
Irresistible Gluten Free Goldfish Crackers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup (140g) Kim's gluten free all purpose flour blend (a store bought blend may be substituted, but please note one has not been tested)
- 1½ tsp instant yeast
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 oz (227g) sharp cheddar cheese, cold and cut into small cubes
- 2 tbsp (28g) butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 6 tbsp (90g) cold water
Instructions
- In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, yeast, baking soda, salt, paprika, celery salt, and garlic powder and pulse to combine.
- Add the cubed cold cheddar cheese and butter and pulse 7-8 times, or until they are processed into very small pieces.
- With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the water until a ball of dough forms on top of the blades.
- Transfer the dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and fold it over loosely. Press and/or use a rolling pin to roll it out into a rough rectangle that's about ½-inch thick. Chill for one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a longer rectangle (measurements aren't necessary, something that is roughly ⅓ inch thick is what you're looking for). Fold the bottom towards the top and the top towards the bottom, like you would fold a letter.
- Turn dough ¼ turn and roll dough out again, this time into a larger, thinner rectangle (roughly ¼-inch thick). Fold in half and then in half again until it's folded into a square.
- Now roll out dough into a very large rectangle that's roughly ⅛-inch thick (about 16 by 14 inches). Press goldfish cutter onto dough and, if necessary, use a rolling pin to roll over cutter to make sure it cuts down all the way. Lift the cutter up and I've found the best way to remove the goldfish from the cutter is to poke them with the blunt end of a chopstick (or something similar).
- Finish cutting goldfish and arrange them close together on the prepared baking sheets (they will not spread, but will rise up). Place one baking sheet at a time in the preheated oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 350°F. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until puffed and light golden brown.
- Let cool on baking sheets and remove to a small serving bowl or glass container. Store in airtight glass container to keep them crisp for up to 3 weeks.
Amanda says
These were delish! My first batch was slightly undercooked, and it was equally as delicious, thank you so much for this recipe! My five-year-old said it’s better than regular goldfish 🙂
Kim says
Awe, yay!!!! Getting feedback from a 5-year old is the ULTIMATE compliment 🥰🥰🥰