Homemade Cheese Crackers are one of those kitchen projects that seem daunting until you try them and realize how simple they actually are. These crispy, golden crackers packed with real cheese and butter taste remarkably similar to the iconic orange crackers from your childhood, but better because they’re made with real ingredients you can pronounce. The dough comes together quickly in a food processor, rolls out easily, and bakes into perfectly crisp crackers that are ideal for snacking, lunch boxes, or serving with soups and salads. You can customize the cheese blend, add seasonings, or even make them in fun shapes for kids. Once you taste the difference between homemade cheese crackers with their buttery, cheesy, slightly salty flavor and addictive crunch, it’s hard to go back to the boxed version. Plus, making them yourself means no artificial colors, preservatives, or mystery ingredients.
Serving Quantity: About 100 small crackers (10 servings)
Cooking Time: 30 minutes (plus 30 minutes chilling time)
1. Ingredients
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water
- Coarse sea salt for topping (optional)
2. Nutrition Information Per Serving (about 10 crackers)
- Calories: 135
- Protein: 6g
- Carbohydrates: 8g
- Fat: 9g
- Fiber: 0g
- Sodium: 220mg
3. Choose Your Cheese
Sharp cheddar is traditional and provides the best flavor, but you can use any cheese you like. Extra sharp cheddar makes more intensely flavored crackers. Mild cheddar creates milder crackers. You can also blend cheeses, try half cheddar and half Parmesan for a sophisticated twist, or use white cheddar for a different look. The cheese should be freshly shredded from a block, not pre-shredded, as pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that affect texture.
4. Grate the Cheese
Shred the cheese using the large holes of a box grater or the shredding blade of a food processor. If using a food processor, you’ll make the dough in the same bowl, so shred the cheese first, remove it to a bowl, and then proceed with making the dough. Freshly shredded cheese has more moisture and melts better than pre-packaged.
5. Prepare the Food Processor
Place the flour, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper if using in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse a few times to combine the dry ingredients. These seasonings add depth of flavor beyond just cheese and salt.
6. Add Butter and Cheese
Add the cold butter pieces and the shredded cheese to the flour mixture in the food processor. The butter and cheese should be cold for the best texture. Pulse about 10 to 15 times until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs and looks like wet sand. The butter should be broken down into pea-sized pieces distributed throughout.
7. Add Ice Water
With the food processor running, drizzle in the ice water one tablespoon at a time through the feed tube. Start with 2 tablespoons. Process just until the dough begins to come together in clumps and pulls away from the sides of the bowl. You may need the full 3 tablespoons depending on humidity and your flour. The dough should hold together when pinched but not be wet or sticky.
8. Form the Dough
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface. It will look crumbly but should hold together when pressed. Gather it into a ball and knead it gently just a few times until it comes together into a cohesive mass. Don’t overwork it or the crackers will be tough. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a flat disk about 1 inch thick.
9. Chill the Dough
Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 days. Chilling is essential because it allows the flour to hydrate, makes the dough easier to roll out, and prevents the crackers from spreading too much during baking. Cold dough also cuts more cleanly into shapes.
10. Preheat the Oven
About 15 minutes before you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. These prevent sticking and ensure even browning.
11. Roll Out the Dough
Remove one disk of dough from the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes to soften slightly, which makes rolling easier. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out very thin, about an eighth of an inch thick or even thinner if possible. The thinner you roll it, the crispier your crackers will be. Thick crackers won’t be as crispy and won’t have that satisfying snap.
12. Cut Into Shapes
Using a small square cookie cutter, pizza cutter, or sharp knife, cut the dough into small squares about 1 inch on each side. Traditional cheese crackers are square, but you can make any shape you like. Use small cookie cutters for fun shapes like fish, stars, or letters. Gather the scraps, press them together, re-roll, and cut more crackers. Repeat until all the dough is used.
13. Transfer to Baking Sheets
Carefully transfer the cut crackers to the prepared baking sheets using a thin spatula or offset spatula. Place them about half an inch apart. They don’t spread much during baking, so you can fit quite a few on each sheet. If the dough becomes too soft while working, return it to the refrigerator for 10 minutes to firm up.
14. Poke Holes
Using a toothpick, wooden skewer, or the tines of a fork, poke a hole or several holes in the center of each cracker. This isn’t just decorative, it prevents the crackers from puffing up too much during baking and helps them bake evenly. It also mimics the look of store-bought cheese crackers.
15. Add Salt
If desired, lightly sprinkle the crackers with coarse sea salt or flaky salt before baking. This adds extra flavor and creates that classic salty cracker taste. Don’t overdo it as the crackers already contain salt and cheese which is naturally salty.
16. Bake the Crackers
Place both baking sheets in the preheated oven, one on each rack. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. The crackers are done when they’re golden brown around the edges and appear dry on top. They should feel firm when touched. Watch carefully toward the end as they can go from perfect to burnt quickly.
17. Check for Doneness
The crackers should be golden and crispy. If some are done before others, remove the finished ones to a cooling rack and return the pan to continue baking the rest. Smaller or thinner crackers will finish before larger or thicker ones. Even browning is what you’re looking for.
18. Cool Completely
Remove the crackers from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheets for about 2 minutes. They’ll firm up as they cool. Then transfer them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. The crackers must cool completely before storing or they’ll become soft and lose their crispness. This takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
19. Repeat With Second Batch
While the first batch cools, roll out and cut the second disk of dough. Bake the second batch the same way. You can reuse the same baking sheets once they’ve cooled slightly, or prepare them while the first batch bakes if you have extra sheets.
20. Store Properly
Once completely cool, store the crackers in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay crispy for up to two weeks. Don’t store them in the refrigerator as humidity will make them soft. If they do lose their crispness, you can re-crisp them in a 300 degree oven for about 5 minutes.
21. Tips for Success
Using freshly shredded cheese from a block is crucial. Pre-shredded cheese contains cellulose and other anti-caking agents that prevent it from melting properly and creating the right texture in these crackers. Cold butter is important for creating flaky, crispy crackers. If your kitchen is warm, chill the food processor bowl and blade in the freezer for 10 minutes before starting. The thickness of your rolled dough determines the final texture. For extra-crispy crackers like the boxed kind, roll as thin as possible, almost paper-thin. For sturdier, more substantial crackers, roll slightly thicker. Don’t skip chilling the dough. This step is essential for easy rolling and cutting. Warm dough is sticky, hard to work with, and produces crackers that spread and lose their shape. If the dough cracks while rolling, it’s too cold. Let it warm up for a few minutes. If it’s too soft and sticky, it’s too warm. Refrigerate for 10 minutes. A pizza cutter or sharp knife works great for cutting squares quickly. For uniform crackers, use a ruler as a guide. For kids, use small cookie cutters in fun shapes. The scraps can be re-rolled twice. After that, the dough becomes overworked and the crackers will be tough. Press scraps together gently without kneading too much. Baking time varies based on the thickness of your crackers and your oven. Watch them carefully the first time to learn your oven’s timing. Err on the side of slightly overbaked rather than underbaked. Slightly darker crackers are crispier and keep longer. Pale crackers may be soft in the center. The crackers continue to crisp as they cool, so don’t worry if they seem slightly soft when you first remove them from the oven. Different cheeses create different flavors. Try pepper jack for spicy crackers, Gruyère for nutty sophistication, or aged white cheddar for sharpness. Add dried herbs like rosemary, thyme, or oregano to the dough for herbed crackers. A teaspoon of finely chopped fresh herbs works too. Smoked paprika in place of regular paprika adds wonderful smokiness. Everything bagel seasoning sprinkled on top before baking creates everything crackers. For richer flavor, use salted butter instead of unsalted and reduce the added salt to a quarter teaspoon. These crackers freeze well. Freeze baked crackers in an airtight container for up to three months. Thaw at room temperature and re-crisp in a low oven if needed. You can also freeze the unbaked dough disks for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before rolling and baking. Make these a fun project with kids. They can help shred cheese, press buttons on the food processor, roll dough, cut shapes, and poke holes. It’s a great way to teach cooking skills. Serve homemade cheese crackers with soups, pack them in lunch boxes, serve them as appetizers with dips, or just munch on them straight from the container. These crackers make wonderful homemade gifts. Package them in cellophane bags tied with ribbon or layer them in jars. Include the recipe for an extra thoughtful touch. The cost per batch is less than buying multiple boxes of store-bought crackers, and the quality is far superior. You control the ingredients and can make them as healthy or indulgent as you like.
