Review: Cheez-It Gluten-Free Original Passes The Taste With Flying Orange Colors

Celiac disease has been around for centuries, but a gluten-free diet to help combat it found greater acceptance in the late 20th century. In the 21st century, gluten-free diets saw a large bounce in popularity, and in turn, a rise in products to meet the need and demand. As of late, many companies have started to churn out gluten-free versions of existing popular products, especially snacky ones, from Oreos to Eggo Waffles, DiGiorno pizzas, and Tate's Bake Shop cookies. In the dawn of 2026, we can add Cheez-Its to that list. Welcome to this world Cheez-It Gluten-Free Original!

For a beloved orange baked snack cracker that starts with the lead ingredient of enriched wheat flour, how could such an incredible taste be replicated or perhaps imitated in a gluten-free version? There was only one way to find out, and luckily the fine folks at Cheez-It sent over a brand new box of Cheez-It Gluten-Free Original for The Takeout to have a munch on. Naturally, we also had a box of the original Cheez-It crackers on hand to see how the new kids on the block stack up on flavor, texture, taste, and all around cheesiness versus its forebear. The truth can finally be revealed in this chew & review!

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Cheez-It has been with us since 1921, thanks to the Green & Green cracker company. It eventually landed under the stewardship of the bygone Sunshine Biscuit Company, then Keebler, and since 2001, Kellogg. For the longest time, the Cheez-It stood alone as a singular, original flavor, but saw its first variation, "Low-Salt," debut in 1986. Ever since, new flavors, sizes, and textures have joined the fray, including some inspired collaborations with chains like Wendy's and Taco Bell. Its latest innovation for 2026 is Cheez-It Original Gluten-Free crackers. The crackers are a certified product by the Gluten-Free Certified Organization, and therefore deemed safe for snacking for people with celiac disease or those partaking on the diet. On the box of this new version, it boasts it has "Out of the world flavor," and the same "irresistibly cheesy taste and crunch" as the original crackers, but now gluten-free.

In a statement, Cara Tragseiler, Senior Brand Director for Cheez-It noted, "Cheez-It fans have been asking for a gluten-free option for years, and we're thrilled to finally deliver it — with the same irresistible taste they love." She added, "We took the time to get it right, working carefully on the recipe and process to ensure gluten-free snackers can enjoy the same cheesy flavor and satisfying crunch without compromise. Now, even more fans can finally enjoy the Cheez-It experience they've been waiting for."

Cheez-It Gluten-Free Original is a new and permanent edition to the Cheez-It family of crackers. It is currently only available in the Original flavor, and in single size 9-ounce boxes (255 grams). This gluten-free product will also be joined by a slew of other new Cheez-It products, including Cheez-It Ultimate Snack Mix, Cheez-It Crunch, Cheez-It Snap'd Honey BBQ, and Cheez-It Grooves Loaded Nachos.

Boxes will be rolling out to nationwide retailers starting this February. They can be found in supermarkets, convenience stores, and other retailers. The crackers will be located in the dry food sections in the usual shelf-spaces where other boxes of Cheez-Its reside. They can also be purchased online for store pick-up, or delivery to your home. The suggested retail price of Cheez-It Gluten-Free Original is $4.49. Additional fees may apply for delivery orders.

Cheez-It Gluten-Free Original consists of gluten-free flour blend, which is made up of rice, sorghum, and degerminated yellow corn. It also includes vegetable oil, cornstarch, modified corn starch, cheddar cheese, and contains 2% or less of soy lecithin, salt, xanthan gum, monoglycerides, citric acid, yeast extract, lactic acid, paprika color, baking soda, dextrose, and paprika extract color. They are Certified Gluten-Free, and labeled OK for Kosher dairy needs. They also contain the food allergens milk and soy, and may contain almonds. What they don't include, which the regular Cheez-It Original crackers do, is enriched wheat-based flour, and cheese made from skim milk that also contains whey protein.

A serving size is 30 crackers, and there are about 9 servings per 9 ounce box. Those 30 crackers add up to 150 calories, 8 grams of total fat, including 2.5 grams of saturated fat, less than 5 milligrams of cholesterol, 230 milligrams of sodium, 18 grams of total carbohydrates, and 2 grams of protein. It also contains 40 milligrams of calcium, 0.2 milligrams of iron, and 30 milligrams of potassium.

For this initial taste test of the Gluten-Free version of Cheez-Its, I went in with a clear mind, free of what the actual taste of the full-gluten standard ones. I would only use my past experiences and lasting food memories of the original product as a sort of base in which to judge the new ones on.

The first stop in this journey was smellville. I tore open the usual clear plastic packaging, and before taking a look at them physically, dove my nose right in for a whiff. They had that familiar Cheez-It cracker smell, but with what seemed like a reduced version of that a cheesy aroma. I then poured a generous helping onto a white plate. The crackers had a vibrant burnt orange coloring to them. The crackers also looked less puffy than my mind imagined them to be, a sort of flat looking pasta shape, complete with that signature dot in the middle, and little ridges all around its square shell.

Before taking a bite, I gave the first cracker I encountered a lick. It had a faint cheese essence, but not much else by way of seasoning. I then threw a couple of these Cheez-Its into my mouth and my focus first centered on their texture. They have a noticeably excellent crunch to them. My teeth rather enjoyed chomping down on the crackers and breaking them into the smaller pieces, as well as a pasty grist that stuck to the teeth. The cheese flavor followed that awesome crunch, and while it doesn't taste exactly how my brain remembers a regular Cheez-It to be, whatever it was, it was certainly tasty. I continued on with a few handful more of these Gluten-Free crackers, and my appreciation of them grew with each munch. Overall, they packed a great crunch, solid dash of cheesiness, with a nice pinch of salt.

Now that the Cheez-It Gluten-Free Original passed the taste test with flying orange colors, it was time to see how well it emulated its forefather. I had a plate of each sitting side by side. Not sure if my Gluten-Free box had a rough voyage on its way to my testing lab, but the crackers seemed more broken up than the Original Full-Gluten crackers I bought at the store. The latter were certainly the more attractive of the two, with a more subdued orange tint to its hue, a puffier looking body, and welcoming, visible grains of salt stuck to its outer shell.

I took a whiff of the Original Full-Gluten crackers and was surprised they too didn't really contain a strong smell either. Licking one however, brought about a nice brackish tang to it. A hint of salt was a good sign of the taste to come. The crunch of these seemed to be softer, more like a saltine cracker, and were easier on the teeth. The stand out here wasn't the texture, but its robust cheese flavor. This new fresh taste reminded me why Cheez-Its are so wonderful to begin with.

With the renewed base flavor of the original Originals in mind, I went back at it with the Gluten-Free ones. While they certainly aren't a one to one replica of the Original Full-Gluten, they do an excellent job of delivering something beautifully familiar, in an even crunchier vessel. These new crackers are ones that any snacker could and will enjoy. Heck, put a bowl of these Gluten-Free ones out at a party, and no one would probably be the wiser. You'd be wise to leave your preconceived notions and give these new guys a try. If only they were free in addition to being Gluten-Free!