did you grow up eating this salty, cheesy little cracker? well, if you’ve been missing it as a vegan or someone who can’t have dairy now you can enjoy them again! these vegan cheez-its are easy to make and just as tasty as the ones from our childhood.
I really love to recreate things I enjoyed or ate before going vegan. While I have been vegan for almost 8 years now it is fun to play around and have fun in the kitchen. I love that these vegan cheez-its are only 8 ingredients and are packed with flavor. My non-vegan boyfriend absolutely loved them and say they tasted like cheez-its!
The Ingredients
- Vegan Cheddar Shreds: I tested this recipe with both Follow Your Heart and Violife cheddar shreds. Both turned out amazing, so feel free to really just any brand of vegan cheese you like here.
- All Purpose Flour: this helps to bind and make our cracker. If you are gluten free, you can swap for a gluten free all purpose flour.
- Oil: you can use any neutral oil you like. I usually go for light olive oil.
- Cold Water: cold water is very important as it helps to keep these crackers flaky and light.
- Nutritional Yeast: adds umami and B vitamins. You can leave it out if you like.
- Salt: you will need two kinds of salt: regular table salt and then a coarse sea salt for topping. You can use the regular salt for topping if you want but then you must be very careful with sprinkling it on top.
- Paprika & Turmeric: this will add color to our vegan cheez-its.
- Spray Oil: I like to use this to spray on top of the dough, it makes it easier to disperse it evenly but you can just lightly brush with oil.
What Are Cheez-Its?
In case you didn’t grow up eating Cheez-Its you may be wondering what these are! They are a package snack in America and they are essentially just cheese crackers. They come in different flavors but the classic version is cheddar. Cheez-Its actually came out in 1921!
Vegan Cheez-It Making Tips
This recipe is really not hard to make at all but there are a few things that can really help in the process. I found using a pizza cutter to make the squares made a world of difference. It is so much easier to just roll it right through the dough than dealing with a knife. It is very important to give the dough time to rest. Don’t skip that step it helps the dough to be easier to work with. Keep your water in the freezer for 5 minutes before using it, this will help it to be nice and ice cold when mixing it into the dough.
Who Will Love These Vegan Cheez-Its?
This is truly a recipe for everyone. I promise you my non-vegan boyfriend gobbled these down and then asked how difficult they are to make and when I can make them again. These vegan cheez-its are great for of course vegans but for anyone who has a dairy allergy, likes to make recipes, or is just looking for a change up! These are so fun for parties, packing in your lunch or of course just any snacking.
More Snack Recipes
Vegan Cheez-Its FAQ
- Is this recipe soy free? Yes.
- Is this recipe gluten free? No, but you can substitute gluten free all purpose flour in the recipe.
- Is this recipe nut free? Yes.
- How long will these last? Up to 4 days, but that’s if you don’t eat them all before then.
- How do I store the vegan cheez-its? After allowing them to cool you can place in a container and leave on your counter or in a cabinet or pantry.
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Vegan Cheez-its
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (112g) vegan cheddar shreds
- ½ cup (60g) all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) cold water
- 1 tablespoon (15ml) oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon ground turmeric
- Spray oil
- Sea salt grinder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C).
- In a food processor add all the ingredients except the cold water. Pulse for 30 seconds to start to combine everything. Pour in the water and pulse for another 30 to 45 seconds or until a dough forms.
- Knead with your hands into a ball and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
- Lightly dust the surface with flour where you are going to roll out the dough. I like to cut the dough in half and work with one half a time. Keep the one half in the fridge.
- Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to be about ¼ inch thick. Roll it out into a large rectangle. You can use a knife to cut off uneven ends to make it into an even line. Lightly spray with spray oil and then you can sprinkle sea salt over top this adds texture, crunch, and saltiness to the crackers.
- Use a pizza cutter or a knife to make even rows and columns to make squares. You can make these as big or small as you desire. I would say to make them at least 1 inch by 1 inch squares. You can use the end of a round toothpick to make a hole in the center of each square. Place them on a lined baking sheet or a good non-stick baking sheet. Repeat the process with the scraps of dough and remaining dough half.
- Once they are all made bake in the oven for 12 minutes or until golden and crispy.
- Allow them to cool for 10 minutes before eating as they will harden. You can sprinkle with a bit more sea salt if you like and enjoy.
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I love this. Have y tried it with gluten free flour?
Hi Tracie, from the FAQ Section “Is this recipe gluten free? No, but you can substitute gluten free all purpose flour in the recipe.” let me know how it goes if you try!