According to Statista.com, 70.98 million people consumed graham crackers in 2020. They are one of the most common snacks in the United States with a handful of graham cracker brands that dominate the market.
Below is a list of popular brands to help you find a potential new brand or learn about the ones you already know.
Graham Craker Brands
Honey Maid
Website: honeymaid.com
Honey Maid Grahams first came out in 1925. They were made in Seattle, Washington by the Pacific Coast Biscuit Company. This company was acquired around 1930 by the National Biscuit Company, better known today as Nabisco.
Honey Maid was the first graham cracker sweetened with honey. Other products were using molasses as a sweetener at the time. The name “Honey Maid” was selected for the company to highlight its unique use of honey.
Today, Nabisco still makes these graham crackers. However, the company is a subsidiary of Mondelez International who is also behind other popular brands such as Oreo, Chips Ahoy!, Jell-O, and Trident.
Honey Maid makes original, cinnamon, and low-fat honey graham crackers. They also produce a pie crust and graham cracker crumbs for baking purposes.
Nabisco Grahams
Prior to acquiring Honey Maid, Nabisco had its own graham cracker product. The Nabisco brand came out in 1898 and was the first to have large commercial success selling graham crackers. This product was sweetened with molasses, which is still used as an ingredient today.
Keebler
Website: keebler.com
Keebler is one of the most recognized names when it comes to cookies. The company dates back to 1853 when Godfrey Keebler opened a bakery in Philadelphia. His bakery eventually became part of a network with other bakeries who merged to form the United Biscuit Company of America.
It wasn’t until 1963 that the name Keebler was used as the brand name. As of 2019, the company is owned by Ferrero SpA who purchased Keebler from Kellogg.
Keebler Orginal Graham Crackers are sweetened with molasses. The other popular graham products made by the company include Deluxe Grahams cookies, crumbs, pie crusts, and mini pie crusts.
Annie’s
Website: annies.com
Annie’s was started as a private company in 1989 by Annie Withey and Andrew Martin. Their initial product was mac and cheese, which gained popularity through the years and would go on to become a family favorite next to Kraft. The brand was only sold locally in the beginning but as the company gained investors its products began to be sold at major chains like Kroger and Costco. The company went public in 2011 and was later bought by the major food manufacturer General Mills.
Today, Annie’s makes many different products such as cereals, snacks, dressings, and condiments. They also produce a nice selection of graham crackers with many organic options. Most grahams are shaped in bite-sized bunnies, but they do make traditional grahams as well. These products are:
- Organic Chocolate Chip Bunny Grahams
- Organic Friends Bunny Grahams
- Organic Honey Bunny Grahams
- Organic Birthday Cake Bunny Grahams
- Organic Cinnamon Bunny Grahams
- Organic Cholate Bunny Grahams
- Gluten Free Cocoa & Vanilla Bunny Grahams
- Gluten Free Snickerdoodle Bunny Grahams
- Neapolitan Bunny Grahams
- Organic Cinnamon Graham Crackers
- Organic Honey Graham Crackers
Kodiak Cakes
Website: kodiakcakes.com
You likely know Kodiak Cakes for its pancake mixes made with 100% whole grains and not as a graham cracker brand. The company appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank (see their pitch on YouTube). They received offers from the investors but the company opted to turn them down since they were perceived as being too low. However, the show was excellent exposure causing a great increase in sales. The show at least partly caused revenue to increase from $3 million to $30 million over a five year period.
Today, the company is much more than just flapjacks. Its other products include such items as muffin mixes, cookie mixes, oatmeal, granola bars, and syrups. They also make several flavors of 100% whole grains and protein-packed (5g/serving) graham crackers in bear shapes. The flavors are honey and chocolate.
Pamela’s
Website: pamelasproducts.com
Pamela’s has been in business since 1988 and specializes in making gluten-free baking mixes, cookies, pasta, and more. The founder, Pamela Giusto-Sorrells, worked in her family bakery before starting the company. She vowed to produce better products for her company compared to what was made in her family’s bakery.
Pamela’s makes the following gluten-free graham crackers: chocolate chips (pictured above), cinnamon, and honey. The chocolate chip and honey are available in mini and traditional sizes. The cinnamon is available only in traditional size.
Kinnikinnick
Website: kinnikinnick.com
All products made by Kinnikinnick are gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, peanut-free, and soy-free. Many products also do not have eggs. The company’s food items are made in a dedicated facility to ensure they remain free of unwanted ingredients. The company has been making gluten-free items since 1991 so it’s safe to say they know what they are doing in this food category.
The graham crackers/cookies made by Kinnikinnick are S’moreables graham style crackers, and KinniKritters graham style animal cookies.
Back to Nature
Website: backtonaturefoods.com
Back to Nature began in 1960 making granola in a health food store located in California. The granola was such a success that customers began requesting more products. The company has since added to its food items with products such as cookies, crackers, granola, nuts & trail mix. More than 70 products have Non-GMO Project Verification. The current focus of the company is on plant-based snacks.
Back to Nature makes honey graham sticks made from wheat and graham flour that are sweetened with honey and cane sugar.
Teddy Grahams
Website: discoverteddy.com
Teddy Grahams are made by Nabiso and are famous for being bite-sized bear shaped. They came out in 1988 and were an instant success, pulling in well over $100 million in the first year. The flavors of Teddy Grahams are honey, cinnamon, chocolatey chip, and chocolate.
Goldfish
Website: pepperidgefarm.com
Pepperidge Farm is a subsidiary of Campbell Soup that was started in 1937 by Margaret Rudkin in Connecticut. Rudkin began making bread for her son who had severe allergies, which didn’t allow him to eat commercially available foods such as the popular white bread of that time. She eventually baked her own whole wheat bread that her son was actually able to eat.
Many people fell in love with it for not only its ingredients but also its amazing taste. Rudkin began selling the bread at local grocery stores and her husband took it to stores in New York on his way to work on Wall Street.
The idea for Goldfish crackers came about when the Rudkins visited Switzerland in the 1960s and saw crackers in the shape of goldfish. Mrs. Rudkin knew the crackers would be a hit in the United States. Soon after her return from Europe, production of the famous goldfish-shaped crackers started to roll out.
Today, cheddar, original, colors, parmesan, and pizza are the favorite crackers of Goldfish fans. However, many other great flavors exist including Vanilla Cupcake Grahams, S’mores Grahams, and Fudge Brownie Grahams.
Scooby Snack Grahams
These Scooby Snack dog bone graham crackers are a favorite for kids’ snacks. They are made with a hint of cinnamon and are a good source of calcium that is important for growing children. They are made in 1-ounce bags which makes them perfect to pack for lunches.
Sources:
1. Newman, A. (2012, July 29). A Venerable Cracker Brand Returns to Television. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/30/business/media/nabisco-honey-maid-promotes-its-new-products.html#:~:text=Honey%20Maid%20graham%20crackers%20were,had%20been%20to%20use%20molasses.
2. Mikkelson, D. (2002, August 20). The Origin of Graham Crackers. Snopes.com. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/graham-cracker-origins/
