This recipe for gluten-free goldfish crackers is vegan, dairy free, eggs, nuts, and sugar. They serve as an excellent healthy snack option for children dealing with dietary restrictions or food allergies.
Traditional Goldfish Crackers: Ingredients and Concerns
Before delving into the healthier alternative, it’s essential to understand what traditional Goldfish crackers contain. The ingredients might not seem alarming at first glance, but they can pose a problem for those with gut issues, gluten sensitivities or celiac disease.
So it’s probably best to make your own healthy gluten free Goldfish crackers and add some ingredients that will truly benefit your child’s health!
Related: Graham Crackers With Teff
Why These Gluten Free Goldfish Crackers are Healthier
These gluten-free goldfish crackers are healthier for several reasons:
- Gluten-Free: This recipe uses gluten-free flours like cassava flour and brown rice flour, not just cheap strachy flours.
- No Preservatives or Artificial Ingredients: This recipe only uses organic and natural ingredients, eliminating the risk of consuming unwanted preservatives and artificial flavors often found in store-bought snacks.
- Added Nutritional Benefits: The addition of ingredients like golden flax seeds and avocado oil boosts the nutritional profile of these crackers, providing only healthy fats and fiber.
Hence, these homemade gluten-free goldfish crackers not only offer a delicious snacking option but also a healthier alternative to the traditional version.
Related: Grain Free Crackers With Cassava & Tigernut Flour (AIP, Paleo)
Essential Ingredients
The secret to making excellent gluten-free Goldfish crackers lies in the careful selection of ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cassava flour and brown rice flour: These are organic gluten-free flour alternatives form the base of these goldfish crackers.
- Plant milk and avocado oil: These give our crackers their rich texture and moisture to form a dough.
- Golden flax seeds and : These enhance the nutritional profile of our crackers.
- Apple cider vinegar: This helps the crackers achieve their classic tangy flavor.
- Seasonings: Himalayan pink salt, onion powder, baking soda, psyllium husk, and turmeric powder: These ingredients contribute to the overall taste and appearance of the crackers.
- Coconut milk powder: helps with browning when baking and helps with the texture.
Related: Gluten Free Sourdough Crackers With Seeds
Related: Quinoa Cracker Sticks: Homemade Healthy Quinoa Snack
Step-by-Step Instructions
With these ingredients gathered, let’s dive into the cooking process:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a bowl, combine all wet ingredients with ground flax seeds and psyllium husk. Whisk together and let the mixture rest for 10 minutes until it gains a gel-like consistency.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and mix to form a rollable dough.
- Roll the dough out between two parchment papers to 1/6 inch (4mm) thick.
- Use a small fish cutter to cut out little fish shapes. Gather all the trimmings, re-roll, and repeat until all dough is used.
- Use the end of a knife to make the mouth and eyes.
- Bake for approximately 15-17 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!
Video: How To Make Healthy Gluten Free Goldfish Crackers
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The video is also available on my YouTube channel here.
Related: 50 Gluten Free Dairy Free Snacks – Wholesome Snack Recipes
Taste and Texture: What to Expect
These gluten-free Goldfish crackers are deliciously crunchy and loaded with flavor. They’re slightly tangy, thanks to the apple cider vinegar, and have a delicate sweetness from the coconut milk powder. The texture is not that flaky but they’re as addictive as their gluten-packed counterparts!
Substitutions
- Vegan goldfish crackers – replace the egg. I used ground flax seeds and psyllium husk (both with binding properties)
- To give these goldfish crackers a yellow color I used turmeric powder (but they turned a little orangy after baking).
- As butter and fat substitute I used oil, but feel free to use a vegan butter if you like.
- Leavening: apple cider vinegar + baking soda helps to get a flaky crispy texture.
Storing The Gluten Free Goldfish Crackers
Store the crackers in air-tight containers at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for 2 months.
Other veggie crackers and snacks that my kid loves:
FAQs
The reality is, these crackers are not a healthy choice. They are made with inexpensive hydrogenated oils (likely GMO unless explicitly stated otherwise), synthetically enriched flour made from conventional wheat (which is typically heavily treated with pesticides such as glyphosate), and conventional dairy products that are known to be highly inflammatory. Additionally, they contain autolyzed yeast, a known excitotoxin additive that can stimulate overeating, along with a blend of various unspecified spices.
No, they have dairy, or at least a milk derivative in their composition, plus they’re processed in a facility that also handles milk, whey, soy and wheat.
Yes, you can use other gluten-free flours like white rice flour, GF oat flour, banana flour, or buckwheat flour.
Related: 50 Gluten Free Dairy Free Snacks To Buy: Video + Tips
Healthy, gluten-free Goldfish crackers are not only possible, they’re also incredibly delicious and easy to make. With a bit of time and the right ingredients, you can create a snack that everyone in your family will enjoy.
If you try this vegan gluten free goldfish crackers recipe please leave a comment and star rating below. Your feedback is super helpful for me and readers. Thank you!
Printable Recipe
Healthier Gluten Free Goldfish Cracker Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup cassava flour - organic
- ⅓ cup brown rice flour - organic (or white rice flour, or GF oat flour, or banana flour, or buckwheat flour)
- ⅓ cup plant milk
- 2 tbsp avocado oil - or coconut oil
- 1 tbsp golden flax seeds - ground
- 1 tbsp coconut milk powder
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- ½ tsp Himalayan pink salt
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp psyllium husk
- ½ tsp turmeric powder - for color
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a bowl, combine all wet ingredients with ground flax seeds and psyllium husk and whisk together. Let the mixture rest for 10 minutes until it gets a gel like consistency.
- Then add the rest of ingredients, mix and get a rollable dough.
- Roll the dough out between two parchment papers to 1/6 inch (4mm) thick.
- Use a little fish cutter and cut little fishes. You can purchase a goldfish cutter here. Gather all the trimmings and re-roll. Repeat until all the dough is used up.
- I used the end of a knife to make the mouth and the eyes.
- Bake for approximately 15-17 minutes. Let cool and enjoy.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
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Claire
Saturday 4th of September 2021
Hi do these freeze ok? Can you defrost and put straight in lunch box? Thanks!
HealthyTasteOfLife
Monday 6th of September 2021
Technically they should freeze well, but I think the crispness would go away as soon as the ice melts. You would have to dry them in the oven again.
Danielle
Monday 8th of February 2021
Can you use an egg in this recipe? If so, how much? Also. Same amounts of almond flour to replace both flours listed above?
HealthyTasteOfLife
Wednesday 10th of February 2021
Sure, one egg would be enough. You would probably need to reduce the amount of plant milk or even omit entirely. Just add it at the end if its necessary. I didn't work with other flours though so I can't tell if they will work.
Amber
Wednesday 23rd of October 2019
I love how these goldfish crackers turned out... not to dry and and perfectly crispy....my son was thrilled and I was really happy that he could have these in his day care lunch box! Thank you for sharing, making gluten free vegan snacks is quite a challenge!!
HealthyTasteOfLife
Thursday 24th of October 2019
I feel the same way, thank you for your feedback!