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    Home » Recipes » Appetizers » Healthy Snack Idea: Homemade Cheese Crackers Recipe

    Healthy Snack Idea: Homemade Cheese Crackers Recipe

    Published: Feb 26, 2015 · Modified: Apr 28, 2021 by Bren

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    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.

    Need a healthy snack idea? Try this easy, from scratch homemade cheese crackers recipe from BrenDid. Homemade crackers are easy to make and are an easy way to eliminate preservatives and additives from your diet.

    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”!

    Need a healthy snack idea? Try this easy, from scratch homemade cheese crackers recipe from BrenDid. Homemade crackers are easy to make and are an easy way to eliminate preservatives and additives from your diet.

    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.

    Need a healthy snack idea? Try this easy, from scratch homemade cheese crackers recipe from BrenDid. Homemade crackers are easy to make and are an easy way to eliminate preservatives and additives from your diet.

    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.

    Need a healthy snack idea? Try this easy, from scratch homemade cheese crackers recipe from BrenDid. Homemade crackers are easy to make and are an easy way to eliminate preservatives and additives from your diet.

    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.

    Need a healthy snack idea? Try this easy, from scratch homemade cheese crackers recipe from BrenDid. Homemade crackers are easy to make and are an easy way to eliminate preservatives and additives from your diet.

    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!

    Need a healthy snack idea? Try this easy, from scratch homemade cheese crackers recipe from BrenDid. Homemade crackers are easy to make and are an easy way to eliminate preservatives and additives from your diet.

    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.

    Print
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    Need a healthy snack idea? Try this easy, from scratch homemade cheese crackers recipe from BrenDid. Homemade crackers are easy to make and are an easy way to eliminate preservatives and additives from your diet.

    Homemade Cheese Crackers Recipe

    ★★★★★ 4.8 from 9 reviews
    • Author: BrenDid.com
    • Prep Time: 10 minutes
    • Cook Time: 12 minutes
    • Total Time: 22 minutes
    • Yield: 10 1x
    • Category: Snack
    • Method: Oven
    • Cuisine: American
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Need a healthy snack idea? Try this easy, from scratch homemade cheese crackers recipe from BrenDid. Homemade crackers are easy to make and are an easy way to eliminate preservatives and additives from your diet.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 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

    Instructions

    1. Beat together softened butter and cheese with an electric mixer. It will come together to form a soft dough of uniform color.
    2. 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.
    3. 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.
    4. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
    5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and divide dough into three balls.
    6. Use a rolling pin to roll one ball on a lightly floured surface until it is 1/8 inch thick.
    7. 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.
    8. 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.
    9. Store the crackers in your refrigerator in an airtight container for 6-10 days. (Though I doubt they will last that long!)


    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1/10 of batch
    • Calories: 350

    Keywords: homemade cheese crackers, easy cheese crackers

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @brendidblog on Instagram and hashtag it #brendid

    Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

    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!

    BrenDId

    Homemade Chesee Crackers from Bren Did

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Merideth

      March 13, 2022 at 9:37 pm

      I am thinking of making these for st pattys day… can I dye the dough green?

      Reply
      • Bren

        March 21, 2022 at 9:38 am

        I’ve never tried adding food coloring, I’m not sure how the color would turn out.

        Reply
    2. Melanie

      June 18, 2021 at 4:03 pm

      I have made these 3 times and I’ve learned something each time. They are always good, but I’ve done as Bren suggested and rolled them super thin. I also bake them about 10 minutes extra. We like the browned flavor, sort of like the extra toasty cheezits.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Maxine Franklin

        September 11, 2021 at 9:41 pm

        I’m making them as we speak (plain, everything bagel seasoning, and Red pepper flakes) and was wondering if the dough could be made in a food processor?

        Reply
        • Bren

          September 25, 2021 at 3:15 pm

          Yes, you can make the dough in a food processor.

          Reply
    3. Paula

      March 13, 2021 at 6:18 am

      This is so delicious! My son won’t eat cheese, so I was looking for some crackers. This is the perfect recipe! I made it with whole wheat flour, they turned out great! I’m making my second batch now! Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    4. IAmAGarbageBaker

      October 15, 2020 at 3:21 pm

      Pleaae help me, trying to make this but the butter/cheese phase just isnt working. Its so thick my electic beater cant handle it and the kitchenaid standing mixed paddle/beater just fills with the mixture. I just cant progress the recipe as it just sticks to anything it touches. Did exactly the right amount of butter and cheese as the recipe calls for.

      Reply
    5. Lyndsey Wolfe

      January 14, 2020 at 10:09 pm

      Just made these. Pretty delicious but mine rose a lot and are 2 or 3 times as thick as the ones photographed above as a result. I’m wondering what I did wrong? I followed the recipe exactly but mine are closer to cheese puffs than cheese crackers. I even rolled the last few batches as thin as I could get them without the dough tearing and they’re still very thick and fluffy.

      ★★★★

      Reply
      • Bren

        January 17, 2020 at 2:51 pm

        It all has to do with the thickness before they go in the oven. Have you tried rolling on parchment paper? This allows you to get the dough extra thin w/o it sticking.

        Reply
      • Ruth

        April 19, 2021 at 11:42 am

        Prick the crackers with a fork before baking them.

        Reply
    6. Arlene Schroeder

      November 02, 2019 at 1:06 pm

      Loved the flavor. But they didn’t come out crispy enough as you would expect crackers to be. So I put them all together in a 9×13” pan lined with 2 layers of paper towels. Popped them into a 200° oven for a couple of hours or until they are as crispy as you like. If they are dry enough, don’t have to refrigerate.
      Arlene

      Reply
      • Bren

        November 15, 2019 at 10:45 am

        Thanks for the tip, Arlene. You can also role them thinner and they will be more crispy.

        Reply
    7. Robin

      October 07, 2019 at 11:53 am

      Wondering if anyone has tried a lower-carb version of this recipe using almond flour.

      Reply
      • Bren

        November 15, 2019 at 12:25 pm

        I’ve not tried it with almond flour. Please let me know if you do!

        Reply
    8. Sarah Wallace

      May 16, 2019 at 6:28 pm

      Turmeric is actually VERY good for you. It helps act as a natural anti inflammatory and is great for your skin among other amazing benifits. Above you stated you left out 5 unnecessary ingredients but, you may want to try it with the turmeric in the future. It also is a fantastic natural coloring to the crackers.

      ★★★★

      Reply
      • Bren

        May 17, 2019 at 2:24 pm

        Thanks for commenting, Sarah. I agree, turmeric (the spice) is great for people and could be a great addition to the crackers… I’m just not sure about the benefits of processed turmeric extract (what I listed that the packaged crackers contained) which is extracted using solvents that can include acetone. You can read more about it here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/oleoresins.

        Reply
    9. Jessica

      February 12, 2019 at 9:51 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Bren

        February 12, 2019 at 10:42 am

        Hi Jessica, I’ve never made those substitutions so I’m not sure how they will work. Let me know if you try!

        Reply
    10. Laura

      February 08, 2019 at 8:59 pm

      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.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Bren

        February 12, 2019 at 10:48 am

        Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Laura.

        Reply
    11. Amy

      October 16, 2018 at 1:04 am

      Can you substitute whole wheat flour in lieu of all purpose flour?

      Reply
      • Bren

        October 18, 2018 at 12:28 pm

        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.

        Reply
    12. Theresa

      August 25, 2018 at 6:24 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Bren

        August 27, 2018 at 12:26 pm

        Thanks Theresa!

        Reply
    13. Jessica

      July 27, 2018 at 10:35 pm

      any ideas for healthier substitutes to replace the all purpose flour?

      Reply
      • Bren

        August 04, 2018 at 8:06 pm

        I would try using a gluten free baking blend. I like the Bob’s Red Mill version. Good luck!

        Reply
    14. Carrie

      April 24, 2018 at 4:18 pm

      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!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Bren

        April 25, 2018 at 7:43 am

        Thanks for commenting, Carrie! The rosemary sounds delicious, I will have to try that addition.

        Reply
    15. LJakes

      February 12, 2018 at 7:19 pm

      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!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Bren

        February 20, 2018 at 9:10 am

        I’m so glad the crackers were a hit!

        Reply
    16. Keri

      January 05, 2018 at 7:42 am

      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

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Bren

        January 07, 2018 at 8:08 pm

        Hooray! I’m so glad the crackers were a success. They are very popular at my house too!

        Reply
    17. Stephanie

      March 16, 2017 at 10:39 am

      We love cheese crackers and I didn’t realize how many yucky ingredients are in them. Adding this recipe to my must make list!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Bren

        March 16, 2017 at 3:05 pm

        They are dangerously good!

        Reply
    18. ashleigh

      October 19, 2015 at 1:02 pm

      I CANT wait to make these!! <3 YUM!

      Reply
      • Bren

        October 19, 2015 at 2:35 pm

        Thanks Ashleigh!

        Reply
    19. Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens

      March 01, 2015 at 11:28 am

      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?!?!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Bren

        March 01, 2015 at 4:19 pm

        Thanks Shelley! I made them for the kids, but I think my husband finished them off! 😉

        Reply
    20. Laura Sue Shaw

      February 27, 2015 at 7:24 pm

      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!

      Reply
      • Bren

        February 28, 2015 at 5:27 pm

        Thanks Laura! It’s soooo simple! Hope you enjoy.

        Reply
    21. Ashley ~ 3 Little Greenwoods

      February 27, 2015 at 2:10 pm

      Cheez-it like crackers but healthier? Sign me up!

      Reply
      • Bren

        February 28, 2015 at 5:27 pm

        Exactly! Hope you like the recipe!

        Reply
    22. Heather @ The Nerdy Fox

      February 27, 2015 at 11:26 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Bren

        February 27, 2015 at 12:06 pm

        I hope you love them Heather!

        Reply
    23. Meaghan | Cook. Craft. Love.

      February 27, 2015 at 11:03 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Bren

        February 27, 2015 at 12:07 pm

        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.

        Reply
    24. Lydia @ Thrifty Frugal Mom

      February 27, 2015 at 9:43 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Bren

        February 27, 2015 at 10:19 am

        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.

        Reply
    25. Ashley

      February 27, 2015 at 9:32 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Bren

        February 27, 2015 at 10:18 am

        I agree Ashley, it’s great making stuff yourself! I hope you like this recipe.

        Reply
    26. Cassie

      February 27, 2015 at 8:30 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Bren

        February 27, 2015 at 8:49 am

        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.

        Reply
    27. Free

      February 27, 2015 at 8:20 am

      How fun are these. I’ll have to give these a try. I’m sure my little one would enjoy them

      Reply
      • Bren

        February 27, 2015 at 8:46 am

        Thanks! They are a big hit with my kiddos and so easy to make.

        Reply

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