The Best Sourdough Cheddar Crackers (Like Cheez-Its!)
For the crispiest sourdough cheddar crackers, roll your dough super thin, as thin as possible. Don’t skip the salt sprinkle at the end; it’s what makes these taste just like store-bought cheez-its but WAY better. And let the crackers cool completely on the baking sheet (I know it’s hard to wait!) because they’ll continue crisping up as they cool. Oh, and for the BEST flavor, use the sharpest cheddar you can find.
Sourdough Cheddar Crackers
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup discard sourdough starter
- ¾ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- Kosher salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Prep. Preheat oven to 375 with two racks in, spaced relatively equally apart.
- Make the dough. Combine the butter and flour in a medium mixing bowl. Using your hands, rub the butter into the flour until it looks like sand. Pour in the sourdough starter and gently mix. Add the cheddar cheese and combine. If necessary, use your hands to make sure the dough forms a ball.
- Roll out dough. Turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper and top with a second piece of parchment. Roll out as thin as you can using a rolling pin.
- Cut out into squares. Cut into squares using a pastry wheel and place the squares on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt.
- Bake. Bake for 10-13 minutes, switching the baking sheets halfway. The crackers should be crisp with slightly browned edges. Allow to cool directly on the baking sheet. Serve immediately, or let fully cool and transfer to airtight container and store for up to 2 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Now, I know making crackers might seem a bit nuts, but I promise they come together very fast. The dough is easy to handle because you roll it out between sheets of parchment, and since you mix it by hand, there aren’t too many dishes to deal with.
If you’ve made pie crust, you can make these. And if you can’t make pie crust, you still make these because they’re actually easier. No weird tools, no piles of dishes.
Not only will you happy you aren’t wasting any sourdough starter, but you’re actually making your own crackers. That’s intense. You should be proud. You’re the frugal kitchen queen.
Tips for Success
Roll the dough between two sheets of parchment paper. That way you don’t have to add extra flour or scrub your counters. Amen.
Watch the edges carefully during baking – they should be just slightly browner than the centers. If they aren’t browning at all, give them an extra couple of minutes.
Let the crackers cool completely on the baking sheet; they’ll continue crisping up as they cool.
If your first batch isn’t crisp enough, your oven might run a little cool, so next time bump the temperature up by 25 degrees or add an extra minute to the bake time.
You can use a food processor to break up the butter, but honestly washing it is more trouble than it’s worth.
What You’ll Need For Sourdough Cheese Crackers
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Sharp Cheddar Cheese: The sharper the better: bland cheddar will make bland crackers!
Sourdough Discard: Use it straight from the fridge; room temperature isn’t necessary.
Parchment Paper: Pre-cut sheets are ideal for this recipe.
Pastry Wheel: Makes quick work of cutting even squares, but a pizza cutter works too.
I don’t recommend substituting olive oil or melted butter, you really want those bits of butter for a flaky texture.
Make It Your Own
This recipe is quite versatile, and many readers have added their own twists.
- Swap the cheddar for other hard cheeses like Parmesan or Gruyere
- Add dried herbs like rosemary, thyme, or a pinch of cayenne for heat (I like this version)
- Try whole wheat flour for a nuttier flavor (not my favorite but some like it)
- Make them extra fancy by topping with everything bagel seasoning
Common Questions
Yes, but active starter will give your crackers a bit more rise and they’ll be puffier. I don’t love them this way, but you might.
Don’t worry, it happens! A few things could cause this. Maybe your dough was a little too thick, or perhaps your oven runs a bit cool. Next time, try rolling the dough even thinner.
These crackers are proof that sometimes the best recipes turn something that would have gone to waste into something worth sharing.
By Katie Shaw
Katie lives in Virginia with her husband, three daughters, a chocolate lab, and over thirty chickens. She loves creating simple tutorials for sourdough, bread, and soap. Her recipes, articles, and YouTube videos reach millions of people per year.
Well, five stars just aren’t enough for this recipe. My sister in law and I are addicted to these crackers. I add 1/2 TBSP everything bagel seasoning per batch. Let’s be honest I usually make a 4x batch and that lasts about a week. I like to use active starter because it creates a little puff in the crackers. I also roll out just handfuls at a time and don’t actually try to get them as thin as I can. I find it really easy to burn these when they are too thin plus I like them to have a little substance to them.
If they aren’t crisp enough after baking, I’ll load them all onto a single baking sheet and put them in the oven for 250° for about 20 minutes. This gives me crunchy crackers!!!
Hey Rae,
Thank you so much for the kind words! I’m so happy to hear you and your sister-in-law are loving these crackers—especially with that everything bagel seasoning twist. 😊 Making a 4x batch sounds brilliant, especially since they sound like they’re not lasting long! I completely agree about the slightly thicker roll and the active starter for that tiny puff—those little tweaks make all the difference! And your trick for extra crunch is genius! Thanks for sharing that tip. I’m sure other readers will find it helpful, too. Happy snacking! 🧀🥖
Good crackers. I would recommend dividing the dough in half to roll out otherwise it is hard to get the dough thin enough. Mine were pretty thick, and even pulling up the parchment and resettling it, I couldnt get them thinner, so I just baked them longer. Still yummy.
I just want to say that I very much appreciate that there isn’t a 10-paragraph story about the crackers before getting to the recipe. And they’re yummy. Thank you!
tried to give 5 stars bit it won’t let me hit higher than 4! these were delicious. I followed everything until the end. I separated the dough on quarters (dou le batch) and wrapped them in plastic wrap. then flattened and shaped them into a rectangle. put them in the fridge for 30 minutes. after that i sliced then into skinny rectangles and fed them t through my pasta maker. thin, even slices! all I had to do was add salt, cut I to swlquares and poke with a fork. so easy!
This was a great way to use my sour dough discard! My 7 year old son had a blast smooshing the butter, rolling out, and poking holes. We changed the recipe based on what we had/did have. We used bread flour and added eggs. Turned out great! A good snacks for my littles!
I mixed these up today but only baked half. They taste great. How long will dough stay good sealed in zip lock bag in fridge? Thanks John
hey john, the dough will be fine 3 days or so in the fridge you can also flatten it i nto a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, pop in a ziplock bag, and freeze.
Does this need more flour they are really sticky
if your starter is very hydration or humidity in your house is high, it might, should look almost like a pie crust, like shown in the images.
24g of carbs for how many grams of cracker? They are delicious but I have to count carbs for my type 1 diabetic son!
Tasty little crackers, definitely needs more than just salt, add some other spice to the dough for more flavor. I would make these again.
Turned out great. My daughter told me she uses her pasta maker to get the dough thin enough without a lot of work. Works great & easy to control the thinness desired.
Can you use nutritional yeast in place of cheddar? Severe dairy allergies.
somone commented on pinterest that they tried it and it worked well for them!
They taste like actual cheezits! I used Parmesan instead of cheddar and it was amazing.
I love making these crackers my young grandson loves them and so do we. How do you keep them crisp? I’ve learned to roll them super thin, but they are medium crispy. I store them in a glass bowl..
Love it-I did add a little garlic powder to it though :0)
I have a bunch of powdered cheddar cheese. I’m going to try it with that 🤞
Love Love Love These!
good just hard trying to get it rolled thin enough.I added Italian seasoning tasted great.
Just beginning my sourdough journey and this was my first discard recipe. I was not disappointed they are amazing already sharing the recipe with friends will definitely be making more.
Made these today and they are delicious. Didn’t roll thin enough so had to bake longer to be crisp. Will do better next, and indeed they will be made again.
I’m using a whole wheat white flour and I keep a thick sourdough starter, so I had to add a little bit of water to the dough. I also added paprika, salt and garlic powder to the dough for extra flavor. They’re in the oven right now. And smell delicious!