Are Animal Crackers Gluten Free? (& GF Recipe)

Do you love animal crackers and wonder if they’re gluten free? Finding gluten-free snacks can be difficult if you’re new to the diet, but there are plenty of delicious snacks to keep you going throughout the day. Below you’ll find the best gluten-free animal crackers recipe, for you to make your own animal crackers from the comfort of your home. But are animal crackers a gluten-free snack? Let’s take a look.

What Are Animal Crackers?

Despite the “cracker” in its name, animal crackers are, in fact, a type of cookie. They are baked, sweet, and incredibly tasty. They are baked in the shape of animals, whether that be a lion, tiger, elephant, or bear – those are just some of the most popular choices. While they usually come plain, you can also buy chocolate and frosted varieties.

Are Animal Crackers Gluten Free?

Unfortunately, most traditional animal crackers, including Nabisco’s Barnum’s Animal Crackers, are not gluten-free. Their main ingredient is wheat flour. Since wheat contains gluten, avoid them if you have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity. But don’t worry, there are plenty of gluten-free alternatives if you’re craving animal crackers!

Animal Crackers Nutrition Information

For one serving (12 crackers, 31g) of Nabisco Barnum’s Original Animal Crackers, here is the nutritional information:

Calories: 140
Fat: 3.5g
Sodium: 90mg
Potassium: 20mg
Carbohydrate: 24g
Dietary Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 7g
Protein: 2g
Iron: 0.9mg
Calcium: 130mg

Gluten Free Alternatives To Animal Crackers

While traditional animal crackers are not gluten-free, because animal crackers are so popular – there are plenty of gluten-free alternatives! Let’s take a look at our top picks.

Glutino

Glutino is a gluten-free brand, so its whole product line is labeled gluten-free. Their Original Animal Crackers are sweet, crunchy, and perfect with a glass of milk. They no longer appear on Glutino’s website but are still sold in some stores, and Glutino also makes Frosted Animal Crackers.

Not only are they free from gluten, but they’re made without dairy ingredients. Note that they contain soy, and some packages list egg, so check the label. The Glutino animal crackers contain the following ingredients:

• tapioca starch
• rice flour
• sugar
• palm oil
• tapioca syrup
• dried egg whites
• cassava flour
• potato flour
• water
• salt
• soy lecithin
• baking soda
• xanthan gum
• natural flavor
• caramel color

Simple Truth

Simple Truth is Kroger’s store brand, and its Gluten Free Animal Crackers are made with no high fructose corn syrup. They’re also labeled non-GMO and kosher, and made in a peanut-free facility – making them suitable for a range of dietary lifestyles.

The Simple Truth animal crackers contain the following ingredients:

• soy flour
• rice flour
• potato flour
• organic corn flour
• potato starch
• corn starch
• xanthan gum
• butter
• sugar
• arrowroot flour
• canola oil
• honey
• natural flavors
• soy lecithin
• egg powder
• baking powder
• sea salt

Kinnikinnick

The KinniKritters Animal Cookies are certified gluten-free and made in Kinnikinnick’s dedicated gluten-free facility. The ingredient list has no dairy, soy, peanut, tree nut, or egg ingredients, though the label carries a “may contain egg” warning. The main ingredients are potato starch, sugars, and rice flour.

 

Gluten Free Animal Cracker Recipe

If you’re looking to make your own animal crackers (that way you can add your own flavorings, frosting, whatever you desire), here’s a gluten-free recipe inspired by GF Jules. Let’s take a look.

Ingredients

The ingredients you’ll need for this recipe are:

• 1/4 cup of shortening (palm or vegetable)
• 3 tablespoons of brown sugar (or coconut palm sugar)
• 2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon of lemon juice
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose gluten-free flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

Method

Once you have the ingredients, all you need to do is:

1. Grab a bowl and cream together the sugar, maple syrup/honey, and sugar. Once creamed, add the lemon juice and egg. Mix well
2. Using a different bowl, mix the dry ingredients together well. Now add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. You should now have a dough that holds together (it should not be crumbly)
3. Leave the dough for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. That way, it becomes easier to work with
4. Preheat your oven to 350F once your dough has chilled and line a tray with parchment paper
5. Lightly flour a clean surface, and lightly dust your cookie cutters with flour too (you don’t need to make animals, they can be anything!)
6. Roll the dough to around 1/8″ thick. Using the cutters, create your shapes. You may need to dust the cutters with flour throughout if they become too sticky
7. Once you’ve used up all the dough, bake in the oven for around 7-9 minutes. The edges should be slightly brown when you take them out of the oven
8. Your animal crackers are ready to eat! (This recipe should make between 60-70 animal crackers)

Conclusion

I hope this article has helped to answer the question: are animal crackers gluten-free? And given you a range of gluten-free options to try if you’re missing the traditional gluten-containing animal crackers. We certainly don’t have to go without when it comes to animal crackers.

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