One fish.
Two fish.
Red fish.
Blue fish.
Say! What a lot of fish there are.
-Dr Seuss
Quoting a beloved childhood author seemed a fitting way to begin a post about a beloved childhood snack: goldfish crackers! Or, as Pepperidge Farm says, they are “the snack that smiles back.”
I drew on the smiles.
But these homemade goldfish crackers—filled with whole grains, fiber, vitamins, and deliciousness—are surely smiling inside.
The recipe was inspired by (and heavily adapted from) an adorable cookbook called Classic Snacks Made from Scratch, by Casey Barber. Her recipes are neither vegan nor particularly healthy; but the photos are super-cute, and I love flipping through the book for ideas. Next on my “healthy makeover” list are Klondike Bars, pudding pops, and Milano Cookies. Today, we are going with the goldfish: they taste more rustic (and less “fake”) than goldfish crackers from a store, yet they are just as delicious!
Healthy White Cheddar Vegan Goldfish
- 1 cup spelt or all-purpose flour (Bob’s gluten-free will work here) (130g)
- 1 1/8 tsp salt (If you don’t like salty crackers, decrease to 3/4 tsp)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- optional: pinch turmeric for color
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp milk of choice (75g)
- 3 tbsp coconut or vegetable oil (30g)
Preheat oven to 375 F. Combine first five ingredients in a bowl, and stir together. Mix in remaining ingredients until evenly incorporated. Transfer to bag and smush into a ball, then roll out between two sheets of parchment paper. Cut goldfish shapes, either with a goldfish cookie cutter or with a knife. (I cut them out carefully with a knife. After the first few, I gave up with the goldfish and cut the rest out with a circle cookie cutter.) Cook on a parchment-lined baking sheet for 10-11 minutes. The yield will depend on the size of the cookie cutter you use (about 150 of the size shown in the photos). Thicker dough means puffier crackers; thinner dough yields crispier crackers.
Question of the Day:
Do you like Goldfish crackers?
Cheeze-Its, Cheez Doodles, and Goldfish were some of my sister’s favorite snacks when we were growing up. Me? I rarely ate any non-chocolate snack foods. I have a theory that my sister subconsciously developed a taste for salty, cheesy snacks as a defense mechanism when I refused to share any of the chocolate!
Link of the Day:
Yum! Can you put these in a bag and start selling them at the grocery store? 😀 And I’ve always been a chocolate lover too. My roommate has a salty-tooth and I have the sweet-tooth!
Wow, you are so creative! You make me smile every time you come up with a new way to do an old treat. 🙂 Keep up the good work!
Great recipe! I would like to try it sooo much!
OH.MY.GOSH. Whole grain cheddar gold fish have become a regular snack for me.. I LOVE THEM! It is pretty much the only cheesey snack I like… this is amazing! ps. What would an easy add in be to make them cheddar flavored?..
Ah ha ha ha ha! I love the smile on the fish! They’re so happy. I never quite understood why goldfish were always smiling, I mean, are they really THRILLED that we are going to eat them?
Can anyone tell me what the difference is between nutritional yeast flakes and brewer’s yeast powder? Can I use them interchangeably? I tried googling it but the answers varied and were unclear. Thanks!
I don’t think they can be used interchangeably. I could be wrong…
Nutritional yeast has a somewhat-cheesy taste. Look for it in the bulk bin at stores like Whole Foods. Or order Red Star online.
What is the serving size?
Thanks!
Hi Katie,
The recipe doesn’t make complete sense, so I had a question to clear it up…
1. Each of the flours have a different weight. Which is accurate? The weight or the measurement?
2. Do you mean nutritional yeast or nutritional yeast flakes?
3. Different milks will yield different results because of the fat content. What did you use?
4. Coconut oil and vegetable oil have different baking properties. Also, coconut oil.. if used, should it be virgin? Should it be melted?
Just also wondering if you tested each version, that way I know which one would work 🙂
Thanks for clearing these up.
Yes, they will have different gram measurements, but it won’t actually make enough of a difference that the recipe won’t “work” in each case. Same with the coconut and veg oils. Both will work; they’ll yield slightly different tastes/textures, but both will work and yield delicious results.
I always test multiple versions, to make sure something I’ve listed will work. (I didn’t actually test with both oils; just the coconut oil. But I’ve done enough baking experiments to know that either will be ok in this recipe.)
Oh, and nutritional yeast flakes :).
Thanks for the feedback!
Since gluten-free flour lacks gluten, which specific combination did you use when you tested it, to make sure it works the same? Because the fiber, fat, protein contents can be quite different, along with the weight (VERY different with GF flour), knowing which one you tested will help.
Coconut oil and veg oil might both taste delicious, but the final result will be quite different… same with virgin versus nonvirgin. Can you explain which ones you used? I want to make sure I am not going to waste ingredients.
Yes, they will have different gram measurements, but it won’t actually make enough of a difference that the recipe won’t “work” in each case. Same with the coconut and veg oils. Both will work; they’ll yield slightly different tastes/textures, but both will work and yield delicious results.
Thanks re: flakes!
fyi Katie lists which gluten free flour she uses in the post.
http://chefchloe.com/on-the-side/vegan-goldfish-crackers.html
Could you source your recipe to show where you’ve slightly adapted this from? Chef Chloe is awesome and deserves credit for the original recipe 🙂
Julie,
If I adapt a recipe from another source, I always give proper credit. Not sure why you’re assuming I used the recipe you linked (which I can guarantee you I never even saw until just now). Please read my post again, as I specifically state my inspiration for this recipe.
Your passive-aggressive comment was just hurtful and uncalled-for.
This comment doesn’t even make sense. Anyone with half a brain can see that the two recipes are not the same.
Nope, not at all the same recipes and if you did a google search you would find that there are many recipes for goldfish-type crackers online. Goldfish crackers are not a new invention and Katie’s recipe accommodates many dietary needs. Are you going around to every blog with a goldfish cracker recipe saying the same thing then?
YAY!! I cannot WAIT to try these! My GF starches are arriving on Friday, and I am going to make these as soon as they show up. I have TOTALLY been dying for some cheese-like goldfish crackers. Thanks for making and sharing these!
Cheeze-Its — Oh think of me when you add to your next healthy make over list. Miss them lots!
mmm! i’ve always loved goldfish and now my kids do, too. this recipe looks super easy and yummy. can’t wait to try it! now i just need to find some little cookie cutters… 🙂 lisa
Can’t do yeast. NO yeast. Am considering subbing ground nuts for the nutritional yeast. And ideas about that notion?!? Must.make.these.crackers…!!!
You can always experiment!
When I saw this recipe the other day, I was actually kinda creeped out.
About a week ago, I found a recipe for home made Cheez-Its (which are my favorite) and it was chock full of butter, but I bookmarked it anyway (I’m not vegan) because at least they wouldn’t be full of chemicals like their pre-packaged counterparts. I thought about them a couple times, I couldn’t wait till I had the time to make them! I looked here a couple days later, and I saw this recipe. I began to wonder–How did she know that I was looking for cheesy, crispy, home-made goodness? Can she see my browsing history? Does she now know about my Tiny Tim obsession? Is she going to post about that now too???
I’m so glad I didn’t have time to make that Cheez-It recipe when I found it, because I’m sure I would have been hooked on them. These just came out of the oven, and they are AMAZING. My roomies are never going to guess these are vegan! I may even let them think they are the butter-laden recipe I found last week just to see the look on their face when I reveal the truth! Bwahahahahahahaha! Muaaahahahahaha!!!
Haha too funny!
Katie, I love, love, LOVE Your recipes. I’ve tried a lot of your recipes and they all have been excellent! Except, this one. I’m sorry, but I just didn’t like this at all 🙁 I don’t know if it was the ground onion or nutritional yeast, but I ended up tossing it. I think I better stick to your chocolate recipes, because they are delish!! (and your pumpkin recipes, and your banana recipes, oatmeal recipes, cookie recipes, yeah, you get the point!…Yumm! Yumm!)
Make Milano Raspberry-Chocolate Cookies next! Please? They are so unhealthy but I can’t get away from them!