S'mores Without Graham Crackers

Make s'mores without graham crackers, get dozens of ideas for substitutes when you run out of graham crackers plus different ways to make s'mores.

Smores graham cracker substitutes are nearly endless. Graham cracker substitutes for making s’mores range from the sweet to the savory. You have so many possibilities, each one more delicious than the next.

Once when my husband and I were still dating, a quarter century ago, we ran out of graham crackers but still had plenty of marshmallows and Hershey chocolate bars left.

However, we did have a package of Nutter Butter cookies so we used those instead and I’ve got to say, those peanut butter cookies beat out graham crackers quite easily in the flavor category.

Are you passionate about s’mores? You’ll want to try Best Ever Starbucks Copycat S'mores Bars or this Delish Smores Cookie Recipe or find out the best tips for How to Make S'mores.

What Can I Substitute for Graham Crackers in Smores?

Smores without graham crackers are totally doable and I say more tasty than with.

When it comes to s’more alternatives, you’re only limited by your imagination. 

Sweet Graham Cracker Substitutes

• French bread (my favorite, think of a low budget version of a chocolate croissant with roasted marshmallow. You can toast the bread or not. Butter optional. We made these last weekend. Husband thought I was nuts until he ate one.)
• Cookies (homemade or storebought)
• Waffles (I haven’t tried this yet but it sounds beyond)
• Pancakes
• Pop Tarts 
• Waffle cones
• Brownies (thin and chewy, may need to slice in half horizontally otherwise)
• Tortillas (maybe deep fry them first?!)
• Brownie Crisps
• Donuts (may need to slice in half horizontally)
• Pie dough (!!!) Granted this will only work if you’re home and can bake pie dough. Prepared pie dough like Pillsbury counts. 
• Candy–be a brave little camper and be open-mouthed I mean open-minded here. Also  work quickly if you try this one. If you really have nothing crispy on which to lay your chocolate and toasted marshmallow, what about sandwiching a roasted marshmallow between two Reese’s Peanut Butter cups? They have a thin variety now, which I bet would work quite well but might be messy.
• You could also just roast a marshmallow and put it between two Hershey bars, skipping the traditional graham cracker or substitute vehicle all together. 
• Or maybe slide a toasted marshmallow between two Peppermint Patties!

Tips for Making S'Mores without Graham Crackers

For cookies to use for s'mores I recommend a cookie that's thin and crispy or thin and chewy.

Thinner cookies will be an easier graham substitute. 

Remember you'll be sandwiching toasted marshmallow and a chocolate bar between them.

Thick, puffy cookies may be hard to get in your mouth once you've got the s'mores ingredients on them.

Or you could make an open-faced s'more by just layering a chocolate bar on the cookie and topping with a melty marshmallow.

Best Cookies for S'mores?

1. Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
2. Oreos
3. Nutter Butters
4. Homemade Gingersnaps
5. Anna's Ginger thins
6. Vintage Sugar Cookies
7. Thin Mints
8. Oatmeal Scotchies
9. Fudge Striped Cookies
10. Orange cookies with orange frosting
11. Cinnamon Star Cookies (chocolate and cinnamon are amazeballs together).
12. Lemon Shortbread Hearts
13. Toffee Cookies
14. Chocolate Toffee Cookies
15. Frosted Animal Crackers
16. Keebler Fudge Stripes Lemon Cream Pie flavor
17. Keebler Strawberry Stripes Cookies

Different Ways to Make S'mores

1. Broken ice cream cones (waffle or sugar cones would work best)
2. Tortillas (flour or corn would work) Maybe deep fry them first??
3. Strawberry slices (use a large or jumbo-sized strawberry and slice it vertically. This might be messier than most versions.)
4. Pound cake slices (like with brownies, two slices of pound cake glued together with marshmallow and chocolate might be too big of a mouthful but you could always use one slice for a topless s'more.)
5. Waffles (homemade or frozen, just toast first. I haven't tried this yet but it sounds really good.)
6. Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, Chocolate Chip 18-pack 
7. Brownies (two slices of brownie melded together with marshmallow and chocolate might be too much of a mouthful. You could just use one brownie as a base)
8. Donuts (you may need to slice in half horizontally.)
9. Pancakes (blueberry flavor?)

Savory Graham Cracker Substitutes for S'mores

• Saltines 
• Ritz crackers
• Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps
• Pretzels
• Potato chips ( Potato chips with ridges would probably be best or the crunchy kettle-cooked variety chip.)
• Pringles (my personal favorite, salty and sweet is a winning combo!)
• Plain or poppy seed bagels or chocolate chip bagels!
• Pita bread
• Hotdog or hamburger buns (you might laugh but if you’re a mile hike from your car and the nearest store is 30 miles away, buns may work for you in a pinch. Plus, you never have the right ratio of hotdogs to hotdog buns anyway. 

Remember Steve Martin’s meltdown in the grocery store in Father of the Bride?

Crackers for S'mores

• Triscuits
• Wheat Thins
• Keebler Club Original Crackers
• Water Biscuits
• Rye Krisp
• Pepperidge Farm Golden Butter Crackers

Alternative S’more Ideas

Fruits for Making S’mores

• Bananas sliced vertically
• Large strawberries sliced vertically or horizontally if jumbo sized
• Apple slices
• Pineapple rings
• Pear slices
• Dried mangos (?) 

S'mores Origins

It seems that the history of s'mores is a bit murky but related to Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. The first mention anyone has found of s'mores was in a girl scout book called Tramping and Trailing.

Food and Wine devoted an article to s'more origins.

Your turn: tell me your favorite method of making s'mores!