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    Home » Snack recipes » Homemade cheese crackers

    Homemade cheese crackers

    August 26, 2019 by Caroline's Cooking

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    homemade cheese crackers

    Better for you than what you might find in the store, and packed with cheddar flavor, these cute little homemade cheese crackers are easy to make too. Tasty snack time awaits!

    Jump to Recipe
    homemade cheese crackers in bowl with animal shapes ones below

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    I'm sure many people who have young kids find themselves giving their kids crackers at some point or another, and then find themselves rationing them for the next year or so.

    Then there are a few crazy people who decide to try to make their own homemade cheddar cheese crackers (in fairness, I'm in good company with Smitten Kitchen on this one).

    Some might feel the idea totally pointless or mad, but actually crackers are incredibly easy to make and these ones kind of bridge the gap between kid-friendly and adult-tasty. Plus, they're not as unhealthy as you might think.

    homemade cheese crackers in bowl, close up view

    I made some in a fairly familiar fish shape (and other animals), and others as squares. Funnily enough my son went for the fish-shaped ones first, but adults and kids alike enjoyed them.

    There's enough cheese in there to give them plenty of tasty cheesy flavor, like many store-bought crackers, while the wholewheat flour, along with low amounts of salt and butter make them pretty good for you.

    The first time I made these, I added flaxseeds for extra goodness (as you'll see below), but these were less popular with the kids. They do have a little more of a texture to them, so I can understand. But, do feel free to try them that way too if you want to feel that bit better about devouring them yourself.

    homemade cheese crackers with flaxseed shaped as fish with some in bowl and some on mat below

    How to make homemade cheese crackers

    • Pulse the flour, cheese, butter and salt together in a food processor to form fine crumbs. 
    • Add the water a tablespoon at a time and pulse to combine.
    • Roll out, cut into preferred shape then transfer to a lined baking sheet.
    • Bake until gently golden.
    cutting homemade cheese crackers - some in squares, others with mini animal cutters

    The mixture takes literally a minute to mix up in the food processor, then if it is warm, I suggest you chill the mixture for a bit before rolling it out. Then roll it out thinly, cut it into your preferred shape(s) and bake.

    See how they come together in the short video.

    If you make them as squares, I suggest you make a little indent in the middle with a toothpick, skewer or end of a chopstick. This helps to avoid them puffing up in the middle as they bake. For smaller animal shapes, this is less necessary, but it's nice to make a little eye shape.

    homemade cheese crackers on baking sheet ready to bake

    They take around 15 minutes to bake and are ready when they are just slightly golden. They cool down pretty quickly and should just slide off the greaseproof paper. Store in an airtight container and they'll keep their crunch for at least a few days.

    Whether a bit crazy or not, these are so easy to make and so tasty I would definitely suggest giving these homemade cheddar crackers a try at least once. And who knows, you may find you like them enough to make a few more times, too. 

    square homemade cheese crackers in bowl and animal-shaped crackers on cloth to side

    Try some more tasty homemade crackers:

    • Oatcakes (Scottish oat crackers)
    • Swedish crispbread (rye seed crackers)
    • Whole wheat olive oil crackers

    Plus get lots more snack recipes in the archives.

    I used these animal-shaped cutters to make the cut-out crackers which are a great, cute size.

    See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

    homemade cheese crackers in bowl with animal shapes ones below
    Print Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Homemade cheese crackers

    A slightly healthier take on cheddar crackers that are tasty and perfect for snacking.
    Prep Time25 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Total Time40 mins
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Servings: 70 small crackers, approx
    Calories: 10kcal
    Author: Caroline's Cooking
    SaveSaved!

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup wholewheat pastry flour 68g,
    • 1 cup sharp cheddar 100g, 3 ½ozcoarsely grated
    • ⅛ tsp salt
    • 1 tbsp unsalted butter 15g, cut into small chunks
    • 2 tbsp water

    Instructions

    • Mix the flour, cheese, salt and butter in a food processor until fairly well mixed - it should be like breadcrumbs. Add the water one tablespoon at a time and pulse until it comes together in lumps.
    • Remove dough from the food processor, bring together in a ball and chill for 20min or more, if possible (although as long as not too hot, you can use straight away, it's just a little easier to work with chilled).
    • Preheat oven to 350F/175C and line baking sheet(s) with with parchment paper.
    • Roll out the dough to about as thin as you are comfortable rolling (about ⅛in/1mm) then cut out as you prefer either with small cutters or cut into small squares. Poke small holes into them, if you wish (it will help reduce bubbled up texture).
    • Put your shapes on to the prepared baking sheets and bake around 15min until starting to go golden.

    Video

    Notes

    If you would like to add flaxseed meal, add around 2-4 tbsp to the flour-cheese mixture at the start.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 10kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 13mg | Potassium: 5mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 19IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg

    This recipe was first published in July 2015 and has been updated, primarily with new photos and video.

    Remember to pin for later!

    That bit better for you than what you might find in a store, but packed with flavor, these cute little homemade cheese crackers are easy to make too. Tasty snack time awaits! #snack #cracker #cheesecracker
    Homemade cheese crackers! That bit better for you than what you might find in a store, but packed with flavor, these cute little homemade cheese crackers are easy to make too. Tasty snack time awaits! #crackers #cheesecrackers #snack
    That bit

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Lisa | Garlic & Zest

      August 30, 2019 at 7:21 am

      5 stars
      I love the cutouts! These crackers look so tasty -- perfect comfort snacking food for the hurricane barreling down on us now!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        September 01, 2019 at 7:54 am

        Thanks, the kids loved picking out the different animals (well, it was another excuse to eat them!) Hope you are all safe down there with plenty supplies!

        Reply
    2. Karen

      August 28, 2019 at 4:09 pm

      I have made the Smitten Kitchen ones before and they were a huge hit! Love your squares, like little Cheez-Its!

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        August 28, 2019 at 9:45 pm

        Thank you! My husband said they tasted just like them too 🙂

        Reply
    3. Mignon

      February 21, 2018 at 2:16 pm

      Hi! I'm going to try making these this weekend and I was wondering, when does the butter enter the mix?

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        February 21, 2018 at 2:53 pm

        Good catch! I've updated the recipe, as it should be all ingredients apart from the water, then you add the water gradually. Hope you enjoy!

        Reply
    4. Mila

      August 03, 2015 at 4:41 am

      aaaah here they are! 😀

      Reply
    5. Laura Dembowski

      July 30, 2015 at 3:25 pm

      These are so cute and so much healthier than the ones in the store.

      Reply
      • Caroline's Cooking

        August 01, 2015 at 7:15 am

        Thanks, Laura.

        Reply

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