How to Make Crackers at Home

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Homemade crackers are a delicious alternative to store-bought, and can be made in a pinch with just a few ingredients. With experimentation and creativity, you can make a snack you and your family will love.

Here we share a basic method for making wheat crackers that is infinitely adaptable. Once you’ve tried it, you can also branch out and try things like sourdough crackers or cheese crackers.

Why make Homemade Crackers?

Everyone has their own reasons for wanting to try something new. For us, the motivation to make our own crackers came when we were hunkered down in a pandemic and didn’t want to go to the grocery store. But we had been thinking about it before, and had other reasons for wanting to learn.

1. Homemade crackers are much cheaper than grocery store alternatives because they use such basic ingredients;
2. Making crackers at home helps decrease your environmental footprint by eliminating the multiple layers of packaging that often house a small amount of crackers;
3. When you make your own crackers, you can season them anyway you like and change up your seasonings each time – its an adventure;
4. Making your own version of almost any grocery staple allows you to cut back on preservatives and unwanted ingredients.

Our Basic Method for Making Crackers

You will find a lot of different recipes for making homemade crackers on the web, and some of them are great – use them for ideas, by all means.

Our goal with this article, though, is to provide a basic method. The method can then be used to make crackers of all sorts and variations. Switch up your flours, your seasonings, or how long you cook them and you get a different final product each time! Or, find a combination of ingredients and flavors you like and use it from now on.

(Also check out our method for making quick berry jam –
yum, homemade crackers with cream cheese and homemade jam!)

Ingredients

For one batch of crackers (makes about 40), you’ll need the following basics (recipe can be easily doubled):

• 1 1/2 cups flour – you can use whole wheat, white, gluten free flour or a combination.
• 2 T fat – melted butter or oil – to boost the health factor of your crackers try using an especially healthy oil like flax seed oil.
• 1/2 cup water (add 1-2 tsp if using whole wheat flour)
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons seasonings (mix it up with things like rosemary, garlic salt, thyme, basil, salt, pepper, or mixed Italian seasonings, or go sweet with cinnamon, sugar, and nutmeg!)
• 1 teaspoon sweetener – honey, maple syrup, or sugar will work
• 1 teaspoon salt (for sprinkling on top)

Preparing & Cooking Homemade Crackers

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place a rack on the next to lowest setting;
2. Mix your dry ingredients (flour and seasonings) together in a medium mixing bowl;
3. Add your fat, sweetener, and water and stir until mostly blended (do not over stir or crackers will be too hard);
4. Turn your dough out onto a floured cutting board or large piece of parchment paper and shape into a rectangle;
5. Roll your dough out to about 1/8 inch thick (or less);
6. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into uniform cracker size pieces (we prefer 1×2 inch – but you can cut into any shape you want – uniform pieces will cook similarly so you don’t burn any);
7. Place your crackers onto an ungreased cookie sheet;
8. Place cookie sheet with crackers into the oven on the lower rack;
9. Bake for about 14-17 minutes, depending on size. Check after 12 minutes or so. Crackers should be just beginning to brown on top and should break crisply when you take them out. For a softer cracker, remove sooner – softer crackers are great served with soup!

Homemade crackers will store well for up to a week in an airtight container. Try them with your favorite cheese, hummus, or dip! If you discover a great flavor combination, be sure to share in the comments.

Carrie Williams Howe

Blogger & Homesteader at The Happy Hive

Carrie Williams Howe is an educational leader by day and an aspiring homesteader by night and weekend. She lives on a small homestead in Vermont with her husband, two children, and a rambunctious border collie. She is a Founder and Editor of Homestead How-To and also blogs about her family's homestead life at The Happy Hive.