Made with real cheese and no preservatives, these homemade cheese crackers are full of flavor, simple to make, and the perfect alternative to store-bought cheese crackers.

Everyone loves Cheez-Its, and rightfully so. They are delicious. But did you know you can make your own homemade cheese crackers with real cheese and no preservatives using just 4 simple ingredients? Cheddar cheese, flour, salt, and butter are all common ingredients that most people have on hand. The dough is an easy mix in a food processor and simple to roll and cut. This recipe is kid-friendly and can easily be doubled to make extra crackers.

What you need to make homemade cheese crackers

Baking Supplies

Food processor
Measuring cups or digital scale
Measuring spoons
Plastic wrap
Rolling pin
Fluted pastry wheel, pizza wheel or knife
Wooden skewer
Parchment paper or silicone baking mat
2 baking sheet pans

Ingredients

Cheddar cheese. White or yellow cheddar cheese can be used in this recipe. I prefer to use a sharp yellow cheddar cheese, however, mild cheese will work equally as well. It’s just a matter of preference. Using a block of cheese to freshly grate works best as it will provide the most flavor. If you have pre-shredded cheese on hand, that will also work in this recipe.

All-purpose flour. Using all-purpose flour in this recipe will give you a nice balance of texture and structure to your crackers.

Salt. Just a bit of salt adds a nice flavor to these crackers. For added flavor, you can sprinkle a bit of coarse sea salt on the crackers before baking.

Butter. Always use unsalted butter. Cube the butter and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use so that it remains cold.

Water. Tap water works just fine. Use cold water so that it keeps the butter in your dough cold as well.

How to make homemade cheese crackers

Mix the dough. In a food processor combine the cheese, flour and salt until mixed. Add the cold butter cubes and process until the mixture resembles sand. Finally, add the water and pulse the mixture for about 10 pulses or until the dough begins to come together into a clump.
Refrigerate the dough. On a work surface, shape the dough into a 1-inch thick square and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Roll and cut the dough. Roll the dough to a 1/4-inch thickness. Try and keep in the shape of a rectangle or square to minimize the amount of scraps. Use a fluted pastry wheel, pizza wheel or sharp knife to cut the dough into 1-inch wide strips. Cut 1-inch squares from each strip and place on prepared baking sheets. Re-roll any scraps and cut into squares. Use the flat end of a wooden skewer to poke a hole in the center of each square.
Bake the crackers. In a preheated oven, bake crackers for 15 to 17 minutes or until golden brown. For more crispy crackers baked 17 to 20 minutes.

Tips and takeaways

To achieve a perfect 1/4-inch thickness, use a rolling pin with removable rings. It allows you to perfectly level your homemade cheese cracker dough or any roll out cookie dough.
For a thinner, more crispy cracker, roll your dough to 1/8-inch thickness. This will resemble the store-bought crackers thickness.
In lieu of creating square shaped crackers, you can use mini cookie cutters to cut fun shapes for kids. It’s a fun way to get the kids involved in the kitchen, although children do enjoy using a pizza wheel or pastry wheel too!
For added flavor you can incorporate garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, or white pepper. Add the flavors that you enjoy most.