Since they don't make gluten free Goldfish crackers, or even those puffs anymore, we have to make our own Goldfish crackers. Luckily, they're easyโand satisfy that craving.
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What makes these gluten free goldfish crackers special?
If you miss Goldfish crackers, like you likely do from the “before gluten free times,” then there's only one solution. You have to make your own.
But the truth is, even when the company tried to serve the gluten free community with a gluten free version of Pepperidge Farm goldfish crackers, it wasn't the same at all. It was more like Pirate's Booty than Goldfish crackers, and we can already safely eat that particular puffy, dusty corn snack.
Unlike many of my copycat recipes, even like our gluten free wheat thins-style crackers, this recipe isn't designed to taste exactly like the original. That's because mass-produced, shelf-stable cheese snacks don't taste like fresh cheese. These crackers do.
I could have made these crackers with dehydrated, powdered cheese, but this recipe calls for lots of shredded, sharp Cheddar cheese. With fresh cheese, this recipe makes a rich, crisp incredibly savory crackerโand it doesn't call for specialized ingredients.
How to make gluten free goldfish crackers
We make this cracker dough with cold ingredients pulsed in a food processor so that we can create a smooth dough. Then, weโll roll it out, cut out shapes and bake them until crisp.
- Place one of my recommended gluten free flour blends (including xanthan gum), salt, baking soda, smoked Spanish paprika, cold chopped or shredded unsalted butter, and cold shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.
- Add 2 tablespoons of cold water to the mixture, turn on the food processor, and let it run until the dough comes together. If the food processor stalls, or there are any crumbly, dry bits, add more cold water very slowly as the machine runs.
- Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured flat surface and roll it out about 1/4-inch thick. The dough will smooth out as your roll it, and it shouldnโt need too much extra flour to roll easily without sticking.
- Cut out little goldfish shapes using a properly shaped cookie cutter if you have one. The cutter that makes the most authentic goldfish is about 1 1/2-inches in length. You can always try to reshape a small round cookie cutter into a similar shape, or just cut out small 1 1/2-inch squares with a pastry wheel.
- Place the shapes about 1 inch apart from one another on a lined baking sheet, and bake at 350ยฐF for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crackers are lightly golden brown all over.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the crackers to cool on the baking sheet before attempting to move them. They will become more crisp as they cool, which happens quite fast since theyโre so small.
Where to find a Goldfish-shaped cutter to make goldfish crackers
Clearly, you don't need a tiny little fish-shaped cookie cutter to make this recipe. I originally published this recipe in my cookbook called Gluten Free Classic Snacksโand I hunted down that perfect cutter for the photos.
At least at the time, I couldn't find a tiny fish-shaped cutter in any of the usual places, by the usual cookie cutter makers. Instead, I had to order one online from a company called Copper Gifts. It wasn't cheap, or easy to find!
I've searched again, now a handful of years later, and there are currently more than a couple options. There's someone right now on Etsy selling a couple mini cutters, both copper-colored (why copper?), for too-much-money.
I'm not including any links, because that sort of link tends to end up at a dead end quite quickly. But you'll find them by searching “tiny Goldfish cutter.”
If you want to cut out fish shapes but don't find a cutter, you can reshape another small, similarly sized cutter. Just bend it into a shape that mimics what you see here!
Tips for handling this gluten free cracker dough
This dough is super easy to handle, but it must be kept cold. The ingredients begin cold, since these are gluten free pastry-like, but they'll warm up a bit in the food processor.
Since the recipe doesn't have large chunks of butter, but rather grated and processed butter, it doesn't need to be as cold as, say, laminated gluten free biscuits. But it's best to work as quickly as possible with the dough, and use your hands as little as possible.
If you want super puffy crackers, just roll the dough a bit thicker than the ยผ-inch thickness as directed in the recipe. You'll get fewer crackers, is all.
Gluten free goldfish: Ingredients and substitutions
Can you make gluten free dairy free goldfish crackers?
I'm not going to sugar-coat it. There's a lot of dairy in these crackers, and I'm not particularly optimistic that you can replace it.
There's more cheese than flour in these crackers. Plus, there's butter, too.
These crackers are more like cheesy pastries than more traditional gluten free crackers. If you'd like to try replacing both the shredded cheddar cheese and the butter, I do have some suggestions for where to begin.
For the butter, I'd recommend vegan butter (not Earth Balance buttery sticks, under any circumstances). My favorite brands are Melt and Miyoko's Kitchen.
For the cheese, I'd try Violife brand cheddar alternative. Even Daiya brand might work, but be sure to use a block of cheese that you shred yourselfโnot pre-shredded cheese.
Pre-shredded cheeses, dairy or dairy-free, have additional ingredients to prevent clumping and caking. You don't want extra ingredients in these crackers.
FAQs
No. The packaged Goldfish that every child in America knows and may love are not gluten free.
For just a moment in time, Pepperidge Farm, the maker of real-life Goldfish crackers, made something called “gluten free Goldfish puffs.” They weren't really so much crackers as like cheese-flavored cereal, and now they're gone.
Did you add more water than absolutely necessary to the dough? That can make the crackers too wet, which can make it impossible for them to crisp fully in the oven. Were your ingredients kept cold? These goldfish crackers bake like a pastry, and having cold butter and cheese help them puff in the oven.
When your crackers are done in the oven, they'll be lightly golden brown all over. You won't be able to test doneness by touching them, as they may not seem fully firm when they're done baking.
No! You need a special cookie cutter to make perfectly-shaped goldfish-style crackers, but there's nothing special about the shape that makes them taste more or less like the original. You can pinch and press a small round cookie cutter into a fish-like shape, or you can just use a pastry wheel and cut 1 1/2-inch square crackers and they'll taste just as good.
These baked crackers, once completely cool, stay pretty crisp for about a week if you store them at room temperature in a sealed glass container. If you store them in a plastic container, they'll get soggy relatively fast. For longer storage, you can freeze them in a freezer-safe container, but they will lose some crispness.
No, you can't make this recipe without a food processor, I'm afraid, since the cheese needs to be pulsed with the other ingredients to make a smooth dough. However, you can easily make our super simple recipe for gluten free cheese crackers by hand with a bowl and spoon, no food processor needed (or even welcome)!
Gluten Free Goldfish Recipe
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 cup (140 g) all purpose gluten free flour blend (I used Better Batter; click thru for info on appropriate blends), plus more for sprinkling
- ยฝ teaspoon xanthan gum omit if your blend already contains it
- ยฝ teaspoon kosher salt
- โ teaspoon baking soda
- ยฝ teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) cold unsalted butter shredded or finely chopped
- 8 ounces sharp yellow Cheddar cheese shredded and kept cold
- 2 tablespoons (1 fluid ounce) cold water plus more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350ยฐF. Line rimmed baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper and set them aside.
- Place all the ingredients except the water, in the order listed, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the water and pulse, adding more water by the half-teaspoonful with the processor running, just until it comes together in a cohesive dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and roll out into an even layer about 1/4 inch thick, sprinkling very lightly with flour as necessary. The dough should roll out easily and will become smoother as you roll it.
- Cut out small goldfish shapes about 1ยฝ-inches in length and place about 1 inch apart from one another on the prepared baking sheets. Gather and re-roll the scraps to cut out more crackers until youโve used up the dough.
- Place the baking sheets, one at a time, in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the crackers are very light golden brown all over. They will crisp as they cool.
- The crackers can be stored in a sealed glass container at room temperature and should retain their texture for at least 5 days. For longer storage, seal them tightly in a freezer-safe wrap or bag, and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
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Hi, Iโm Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that arenโt good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, โgood, for gluten freeโ just isnโt good enough! Come visit my bio!
Monica Thom says
I donโt have a food processor. Would it work if I use my kitchen aid stand mixer?
Nicole Hunn says
No, I’m afraid not, Monica, which I discuss in the FAQs. Instead, I recommend you try my recipe for gluten free cheese crackers, which is made in a bowl without any machines. I hope that’s helpful!
Pat Rosend says
Looks yummy. Can’t wait to try them. Any thoughts on making the pizza flavor
Nicole Hunn says
You could try adding a bit less than 1 teaspoon of your favorite dried herb pizza seasoning, Pat, but I would always recommend making the recipe at least once exactly as written first.
Robyn says
This recipe worked out great for me. The whole batch makes approximately the same amount in a bag of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish. I plan to do the next batch with my grandchild. While they did not have the exact crispiness of the PF, they are certainly delicious! Mine were more similar in texture to “Whisps”. One suggestion is to use a chopstick to ease the fish out of the cutter (tail end first), and to buy at least two cutters so that you can make more than 5 fish at a time. Mine was from Amazon-the brand-SweetStories made in USA.
Jessie says
Perfection! I did deviate from the recipe in forming/baking them, and they still turned out perfect. Theyโre crisp and delicious.
I put them into a silicone mold, froze it to insist they maintain their shape, popped them out and baked them. They required a longer baking due to thickness, but the texture is still perfect.
GFMum says
My daughter’s favourite!
Karen says
I made these the other day however, mine were not crispy, even after letting them sit out for a while. Whatโs the trick to making these crispy like the original goldfish?
Nicole Hunn says
Since you didn’t provide any details, Karen, I’m afraid I can’t know where you deviated from the recipe as written, which does in fact produce crispy crackers. Here are the general questions I always recommend asking yourself: Did you make any substitutions, including the gluten free flour blend? Did you measure by weight, not volume? Did you follow all of the instructions for the temperature of ingredients (here, the dough is pastry-like, so your butter must be cold)?
Sandy says
I came back to say that Iโve made these twice now, with two different types of cheddar cheese, once with the smoked paprika (which gives them a yummy bacon flavor) and once without. They were a hit at the party and one person said that we could sell them, they were so good. Theyโre easy to make and will become a regular snack food here.
Nicole Hunn says
That’s so great to hear, Sandy! Thank you for sharing that. It’s such a simple recipe, too, that I bet you’ll find yourself having committed it to memory. Just be sure to double-check sometimes, though, just to be sure! And let me know if you sell them. That would be cool! Over the years, I’ve heard of gluten free bakeries that have started since they used my recipes and decided to make them for others.
Sandy says
What timing! We were planning a Puffin Rock themed birthday party for a 4-yr-old when you posted this. I found an affordable tin, fish-shaped cookie cutter on Etsy, so will be making these soon. ๐
Nicole Hunn says
Oh my gosh, Sandy, I had never heard of Puffin Rock but just looked it up, and it looks absolutely adorable! It reminds me, from the description, of Oswald the octopus, which we watched when my children were little and I still find super comforting. Nothing ever really goes wrong and everyone is good to one another, even the sort of not-nice characters. Enjoy the party!!