Want to up your healthy snacking game? Try these easy homemade cheese crackers recipe. Homemade crackers are simple to make from scratcha nd are a great way to eliminate preservatives and unnecessary additives.
For the Love of Crackers
Let just start by stating the obvious: I love snacks!
Tasty, salty, crunchy, savory snack foods are so satisfying and delicious!
I also hate snacks.
Unhealthy, preservative-filled, hydrogenated-oil containing, highly processed, artificially colored snack foods are nutritional disasters!
What’s a snack food lover to do? My solution… make my own “junk food”!
Back to Scratch Cooking
Michael Pollan, author of several bestselling books about healthy eating (my favorite are The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food) argues that we can take back control of our food from corporations through one simple process…
Making your own food from scratch!
This means cooking your favorite foods from basic, minimally processed ingredients such as unbleached flour, meat, vegetables and simple canned goods such as tomatoes.
Scratch cooking does not include the use of highly processed ingredients such as cream of mushroom soup or “meal replacement” foods such as boxed meal helpers or prepackaged bags of freezer-to-crock pot entrees.
How Many Ingredients?
Let's be honest… prepackaged, processed foods are the norm in most American households. They are so common they are becoming ingredients for other recipes!
One of my food conscious friends loves to point out the ridiculousness of recipes that include highly processed food but are labeled with titles such as Three Ingredient Cookies.
Three Ingredient Berry Cobbler
Here's one example. There's a popular Pinterest recipe called Three Ingredient Berry Cobbler. The recipe ingredients are frozen fruit, white cake mix and diet soda.
That sounds like 3 ingredients but let’s count the number of actual number in the recipe:
- Frozen mixed berries ingredients: 1) frozen berries
- White cake mix ingredients: 1) Sugar, 2) Enriched bleached wheat flour, 3) Partially hydrogenated soybean oil, 4) Propylene glycol mono- and diesters of fats, 5) Mono- and diglycerides, 6) Wheat starch, 7) Sodium bicarbonate, 8) Sodium aluminum phosphate, 9) Dicalcium phosphate, 10) Monocalcium phosphate, 11) Modified food starch, 12) Dextrose, 13) Salt, 14) Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, 15) Soy lecithin, 16) Natural and artifical flavor, 17) Guar gum, 18) Xanthan gum
- Diet citrus soda ingredients: 1)Filtered carbonated water, 2) Natural flavors, 3) Citric acid, 4) Potassium citrate, 5) Potassium benzoate, 6) Aspartame, 7) Acesulfame potassium, 8) Calcium disodium edta
If you've lost count, that’s 27 total ingredients in Three Ingredient Berry Cobbler!
And only 6 of the ingredients can be found in my kitchen: frozen berries, flour, sugar, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), salt, and carbonated water.
Cooking with Basic Ingredients
Compare this to a popular Pinterest recipe for “from scratch” berry cobbler. It is made from basic, simple ingredients and contains only 7 ingredients: all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, milk, butter, salt and berries.
Which do you prefer, 27 ingredients or 7 ingredients?
Somewhere in recent American history we began to see from scratch cooking as being too time consuming and too hard to accomplish on a regular basis.
This is simply not true!
Many from scratch recipes are easy to prepare and many only take a few minutes of hands on time.
Healthy Eating Through Scratch Cooking
So, to get back to Pollan's argument, by preparing “junk” foods yourself you can instantly make them more healthy! In the case of the berry cobbler, you are eliminating 20 unnecessary ingredients by using the from-scratch recipe.
I’m not suggesting you eat homemade berry cobbler for every meal, but I do think it can be a delicious treat in your regular diet.
Making Cheese Crackers
One highly processed snack food our family loves is cheese crackers.
They come from the grocery store in adorable little goldfish poofs, alphabet tiles, and even superhero shapes.
Unfortunately, they also come with a bunch of ingredients: 1) Enriched flour, 2) Soybean oil with tbhq, 3) White cheddar cheese, 4) Salt, 5) Paprika, 6) Yeast, 7)Baking soda, 8) Paprika oleoresin, 9) Turmeric extract, 10) Annatto extract, 11) Soy lecithin.
I tried making my own chese crackers and discovered that the “from scratch” recipe uses only six basic ingredients that are already in my kitchen: unsalted butter, sharp cheddar cheese, salt, pepper, unbleached flour, and water.
This eliminates 5 unnecessary ingredients!
Bonus: the homemade cheese cracker recipe only takes a few minutes to prepare and is is SOOOOOO delicious!
Homemade Cheese Crackers Recipe
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons water
Get the full directions for homemade cheese crackers below.
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 1 teaspoon salt (omit salt if using salted butter)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons water
- Beat together softened butter and cheese with an electric mixer. It will come together to form a soft dough of uniform color.
Once the butter and cheese have been completely combined, add the salt and pepper. Next, add the flour a few tablespoons at a time while mixing at a slow speed. The dough will become very crumbly.
- After the flour is fully incorporated, add the water one tablespoon at a time until a pie crust like dough forms, it should not be crumbly but should not be wet. You can add an extra teaspoon or two of water if needed.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and divide dough into three balls.
- Use a rolling pin to roll one ball on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/8 inch thick.
- Use a knife to cut the dough into squares or a small cookie cutter to make shaper. Place the crackers close together on a parchment lined baking sheet. Continue to roll and cut the dough until all the crackers are prepared.
- Bake the crackers for 12 to 15 minutes, they should be bubbled up, golden brown, and dry to the touch. Remove pans from oven and allow crackers to cool to room temperature before serving.
- Store the crackers in your refrigerator in an airtight container for 6-10 days. (Though I doubt they will last that long!)
I hope you try making your own homemade “junk food”. It’s satisfying to make your own snack from scratch (not to mention cheesy and delicious). Enjoy!
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How fun are these. I’ll have to give these a try. I’m sure my little one would enjoy them
Bren
Thanks! They are a big hit with my kiddos and so easy to make.
Cassie
Wow that is crazy how many ingredients can still be in “healthy” stuff! I read somewhere that you shouldn’t eat anything with more than a certain amount of ingredients or if you don’t know what they are. That sure narrows down your options for eating. It requires you to eat more things in its natural form. These crackers look tasty and something my little one will like in the future I am sure!
Bren
Thanks Cassie! Yes, the number of ingredients in many products boggles the mind. I hope you try making the crackers, they are so easy and delicious.
Ashley
I LOVE making things from scratch! You know exactly what’s in it and you can feel accomplished that you made them yourself! I haven’t eaten goldfish or cheese-itz since I cleaned up my diet over a year ago but I used to be hooked on them. These look like a great replacement snack!
Bren
I agree Ashley, it’s great making stuff yourself! I hope you like this recipe.
Lydia @ Thrifty Frugal Mom
Oh, I totally hear you on the whole from-scratch thing! Totally. And I’ve been wanting to try making my own cheese crackers too. We don’t actually eat them often but I just think it would be fun and I know my kids would love them. Plus, it’s always fun to try new things in the kitchen!
Pinning!
Bren
We don’t eat that many cheese crackers either, but this recipe is fun and SO easy! You have to try it and let me know how they turn out.
Meaghan | Cook. Craft. Love.
I am hopping on the from-scratch gravy train but am guilty of a couple of boxed mix recipes on my blog. We recently started making all our breads from scratch and I’m hoping to transition into breakfast and snack foods from scratch, next! Love this recipe!
Bren
It’s all about balance Meaghan! I like to push myself to do better but applaud the progress I have already made too! I hope you like the recipe.
Heather @ The Nerdy Fox
Yum! i’ve been wanting to make something like this. We love cheese crackers around here. I think that I’ll be trying this today!
Bren
I hope you love them Heather!
Ashley ~ 3 Little Greenwoods
Cheez-it like crackers but healthier? Sign me up!
Bren
Exactly! Hope you like the recipe!
Laura Sue Shaw
This sounds like a recipe I can handle! I look forward to trying it out, I love goldfish crackers and this seems to be a MUCH healthier alternative. Thanks for sharing!
Bren
Thanks Laura! It’s soooo simple! Hope you enjoy.
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens
These are so adorable! And I really love the idea of making your own homemade snacks, so you’re totally in control of the ingredients. What kiddos (or … ahem … adults 😀 ) wouldn’t love these?!?!
Bren
Thanks Shelley! I made them for the kids, but I think my husband finished them off! 😉
ashleigh
I CANT wait to make these!! <3 YUM!
Bren
Thanks Ashleigh!
Stephanie
We love cheese crackers and I didn’t realize how many yucky ingredients are in them. Adding this recipe to my must make list!
Bren
They are dangerously good!
Keri
I am not one for writing reviews, but oh my heavens this deserves the best review there is to give!!! I was searching online for homemade snacks, to survive this long freezing weekend with our 3 bottomless bellied kids! (Yikes) Took one look at the recipe, figured it was easy enough, despite using my only block of cheddar cheese lol. Honestly I was skeptical about “wasting” the cheese because let’s face it cheese is AMAZING!! But I have ZERO regrets on this one!!! I added 1/8tsp of garlic powder and *BOOM*. I literally pulled these out of the oven about an hour ago and they are almost GONE! Thank you Bren! I am definitely going to check out more of your recipes and add this one to my cookbook! Happy New Year! Xoxo
Bren
Hooray! I’m so glad the crackers were a success. They are very popular at my house too!
LJakes
these are SO easy and SO yummy! It didn’t list how many this recipe makes, and 16oz seemed like a lot of cheese, so I halved it.. got 2 cookie tins full of little hearts. It also didnt say when to add the salt and pepper, so I forgot. Maybe my cheese/butter was salty enough because we didn’t miss it. These are amazing and I’ll be making them again and again!
Bren
I’m so glad the crackers were a hit!
Carrie
Just made these…they’re so good! I made them for the kids, but I may hoard them for myself…with wine maybe?! I only put in 12 ounces of cheese, which worked great. I also added some rosemary. Yum!
Bren
Thanks for commenting, Carrie! The rosemary sounds delicious, I will have to try that addition.
Jessica
any ideas for healthier substitutes to replace the all purpose flour?
Bren
I would try using a gluten free baking blend. I like the Bob’s Red Mill version. Good luck!
Theresa
We tried this recipe tonight for a snack. It was great and something the kids could help with. Thank you for sharing and LOVE your website!
Bren
Thanks Theresa!
Amy
Can you substitute whole wheat flour in lieu of all purpose flour?
Bren
Yes, you may need to add a bit more water to make the dough pliable. Whole wheat flowr sometimes needs more liquid than white flour.
Laura
Thank you for this lovely recipe! I must say, though, your “prep time: 10 mins” is very misleading. Why doesn’t it include the 30 mins of chilling? Plus, is the rolling out and using a cookie cutter and putting all those cute, teeny pieces onto cookie sheets included in the 10 mins? Because I’m pretty sure just getting the dough made is 10 mins. I would adjust the prep time to say something like “prep: 20 mins, chill: 30 mins” – then readers would know what to expect in terms of actual minutes needed to make this beautiful and delicious homemade yumminess.
Bren
Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Laura.
Jessica
Would it still work to use vegan margarine instead of butter? Sometimes margarine makes things too greasy but that’s all I have since my husband is lactose intolerant. I’d also be using lactose free cheddar, but that usually isn’t a problem as it pretty much the same as regular cheddar. Guess I’ll just have to try it out!
Bren
Hi Jessica, I’ve never made those substitutions so I’m not sure how they will work. Let me know if you try!