Whether you call them soda crackers or saltines, you've got to admit that a crispy cracker is the best accompaniment to homemade soup ever created! Learn how to make your own!
Table of Contents
🗝️ Key takeaways
- I love these homemade saltine crackers because they are SO buttery and crispy delicious plus they're super easy to make in less than 30 minutes.
- No matter what kind of soup you're having these crackers are the go-with! I love them with my creamy tomato soup.
- Be sure to read the tips section of this post to learn how (and why) to brush them with a light egg wash!
If you remember not being able to get bread, toilet paper, or crackers during COVID raise your hand.
I love being able to make my own pantry staples for just that reason. I don't have to BUT if I ever do... well I can!
I like knowing that if there is a zombie apocalypse and I can't leave the house I'll still be able to have crackers with my soup. Ahhh, it's such a feeling of security!
I love that I can cut these in any shape I want and they're done in less than 30 minutes. And, while you may have seen other recipes that call for a long list of ingredients, including yeast, these saltines are pretty basic.
🧾 Ingredients
I love being able to have a fresh supply of crackers in the house.
You'll also need a heavy cookie sheet, silpat or parchment, and cutters in any shape or size that you want your crackers to be.
🔪 Instructions
Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below. Click on the image to see it full size.
Keep an eye on these as they bake. You don't want them to get too brown.
- Stir the flour and baking powder together along with any seasonings you'll be adding.
- Cut in the butter.
- Continue cutting in the butter until it looks pebbly.
- Add milk.
- Stir well to make a dough that holds together.
- Gently knead the dough.
- Roll out in a rectangle.
- Cut and prick with a toothpick or fork.
- Brush with egg and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake, let cool, and enjoy those homemade crackers!!
🥫 How to store leftovers
This saltine cracker recipe is my favorite of all the ones I've tried.
It's fabulous, and they last a long time, but they do require airtight storage or they'll lose their crispness. Zipper bags are o.k. but for the best storage get a good quality, air-tight, food-grade storage container.
Store crackers in a dark, cool pantry. They may get soft and need to be crisped up a few minutes in the oven.
You can freeze the dough for up to 3 months but don't freeze the finished crackers - they'll get soggy.
💭 Things to know
Expert tip: Throw away the scraps of dough after cutting - they will be tough if you re-roll them. Or, bake it for little, uniquely shaped snacks.
- Use all-purpose flour. Bread flour has too much protein for this saltine cracker recipe and the texture won't be right.
- Cut saltine crackers into uniform shapes so that they cook evenly. A cookie cutter is great for this.
- You don't have to prick the crackers as much as the store-bought ones but a few well-placed jabs with a fork or toothpick will help them bake crisp.
- A quick brush of egg white wash (egg white + ½ teaspoon of water beaten) will help salt and other toppings stick.
- The egg wash helps the cracker crisp in the oven and also hold the salt on. If you have an egg allergy try this: Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch and ⅓ cup water in a small pan and bring to a boil. Simmer until thick. Brush on the crackers in place of the egg.
- Leave a little room between each cracker when you bake to keep them crispy all over.
- Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet. There's enough butter in them to keep them from sticking once they've baked completely... or...
- Roll out and bake on parchment paper.
- Store in an airtight container. Homemade crackers can get soft easier than commercial crackers, so...
- Crisp them up in the oven for a few minutes if necessary.
- Once the crackers begin to brown watch them carefully!
- They are done when they are golden brown on the edges and will crisp as they cool.
👩🍳 FAQs
Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.
You poke holes in them before baking to keep the crackers from bubbling up - it keeps them crisp.
Preheat the oven to 400F and spread the crackers in a single layer on a heavy cookie sheet. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, watching carefully.
There's really no difference. They are most often called saltines in the United States and soda crackers in the United Kingdom.
📚 Related recipes
- Stuffed Pepper Soup gives you all the flavor of classic stuffed peppers but in a hearty soup that you can make on top of the stove or in your
slow cooker ! - Gramma's Potato Soup is an old-fashioned favorite. Chunks of tender, buttery potato in a creamy, onion-scented base will have the family waiting impatiently at the table, spoons in hand!
- Mom's Chili Soup is another great dish to serve with these crackers! Ground beef, beans, tomatoes - it's SO good!
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I like to use a heavy baking sheet - it heats more evenly and there's less chance of scorching the bottoms of the crackers.
I'll usually lay a piece of parchment paper over the top of the baking sheet for easier clean-up as well.
📞 The last word
Once you get this recipe down you will never, I repeat never, want to go back. You can vary the flour, herbs, and other ingredients to create unique flavors.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars!
📖 Recipe
Homemade Saltine Crackers
Print Pin Recipe Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 1 ⅓ cup milk, you can substitute non dairy milk if you need to
- coarse salt, for sprinkling
- 1 egg white, OR egg yolk. The whites make them crisper.
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Blend the egg white with the water to make an egg wash. Set aside.
- Mix together the flour and baking powder.
- If you are adding seasonings mix those in with the dry ingredients.
- Cut butter into flour mixture until it forms coarse crumbs.
- Add the milk and knead gently to form a ball.
- Divide in 4 parts and roll out paper thin on a floured surface. The thinner they are the crisper they will be.
- Cut the dough into squares or desired shapes. (a pizza wheel works great for that!)
- Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and prick all over with a fork.
- Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with salt (or cracked pepper ..or..)
- Bake at 325 until golden brown..about 15- 20 minutes. (check after 10 minutes)
- Let cool before serving. They crisp as they cool.
Notes
- Use all-purpose flour.
- Throw away the scraps of dough after cutting - they will be tough if you re-roll them. Or, bake them for little snacks.
- Cut saltine crackers into uniform shapes so that they cook evenly.
- Egg is to help the cracker crisp in the oven and also hold the salt on. If you have an egg allergy try this: Mix 1 tablespoon cornstarch and ⅓ cup water in a small pan and bring to a boil. Simmer until thick. Brush on the crackers in place of the egg.
- Leave a little room between each cracker when you bake to keep them crispy all over.
- Bake the crackers on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Store in an airtight container.
- Crisp them up in the oven for a few minutes if necessary.
- Once the crackers begin to brown watch them carefully!
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published February 2012. Last updated October 8, 2023, for better instructions and readability plus more tips and helpful information.
🫓 A little cracker history
Do you call them soda crackers or saltine crackers?
My mom called them soda crackers so I always thought it was a Midwest thing (she was born in Michigan) but I've read recently that they are saltine crackers in the United States and soda crackers in Great Britain.
Personally, I don't care what they are called, hand me a stick of butter and a plateful of them and I'll be happy.
Serious comfort food for me!
Crackers have had a place in history since well before the Israelites headed out of Egypt with all of their earthly goods and a couple of matzahs.
There were variations on that theme for centuries but it was in 1801 that they finally got a name.
Josiah Bent of Massachusetts was baking biscuits one day when he got distracted. By the time he returned to his oven the biscuits were crispy.
Josiah did not want to admit he'd screwed up so he called them crackers because of the crackling sound they made. And that, my friends, is how crackers came to be — the result of one man's pride.
Of course, those crackers of long ago were nothing like their bland namesakes that line the store shelves today.
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Dianne says
I made these today. I thought they were good and if made enough to get used to the process, they will be something I’ll do regularly. I did find that they need salt in the actual dough though. I added herbs in the dough which was really smart.
Dianne Bilski says
I made these today. I thought they were good and if made enough to get used to the process, they will be something I’ll do regularly. I did find that they need salt in the actual dough though. I added herbs in the dough which was really smart.
Hank says
Just made these to go with some soup and they turned out pretty well!
However, I was wondering, you mention adding seasonings - what would you recommend adding beyond salt? Have you tried anything that worked really well?
Marye says
Anything you like - Montreal Steak Seasoning, chili powder, garlic salt...
Tracy says
Thank you for this! The supply chain woes have made for bizarre outages of some items, and in our area saltine crackers is one of those things we just can't find anywhere right now. Thanks to you, we can make our own, something we're becoming more and more accustomed to doing for a variety of things these days.
Kelley says
They just came out of the oven. But most of them stuck to the pan...even with a pan cake turner,, they didn't come off the cookie sheet 🙁
Kelley says
Difficulty rolling out...was too gooey.. When I finally got something that looked like the pre-baked photo, it wouldn't peal off the parchment paper. So I rolled it out directly on the cookie sheet. It wouldn't roll thin enough. What a discouraging mess. Help!
The crackers came out lumpy and gross. I don't know what went wrong. Looks like pie crust
Marilyn kirchoff says
Thank you for a good recipe. I have to eat organic as much as possible so I used organic flour milk and eggs and it tasted great
Son Goku says
Great recipe, loved it! I quartered the recipe because I didn't have the right ingredients, and accidentally put a tablespoon of baking soda instead of a quarter tablespoon. I also forgot to poke the crackers as I was in a bit of a rush. Though they were quite puffy (my mistake) they tasted wonderful, which was surprising considering how much baking soda I put in. I'm quite happy with how it came out, even with my clumsiness!
Jennifer Ortiz says
Loved the recipe. Thank you 😊
Brenda Nugent says
Hi there.
Your recipe calls for baking powder. Why doesn't it use baking soda, as was described in the faq section? I'm an inexperiences baker so wondering the difference.
Thanks,
Brenda
Marye says
Hi Brenda - that's was an oversight on my part. I think baking powder makes them crispier so that's what I use but some people do use baking soda or a combination.
Paco says
Baking powder has baking soda in it as a main ingredient. So if you are using baking powder, you are using baking soda. However, baking powder has its own acid to neutralize the baking soda within it. Baking soda needs an acid in the recipe to neutralize it, which a basic cracker dough recipe does not have. So baking powder would be a better choice for a cracker dough recipe.
Jennifer says
I want to try making these crackers for a lady who is on a low sodium diet. I like the sodium content, but am concerned about the potassium. Where could I find out which ingredient has the most potassium in order to modify it? It needs to be lower.
Marye says
I'm guessing it's the flour - you'd have to look up each ingredient individually...
Jsn says
Is there anything else beside egg whites one could use to avoid an egg allergy.?
Marye Audet says
You might try boiling cornstarch and water until it thickens and brushing a thin coating of that on before baking.
Ed says
Made a double recipe of these Saturday. Excellent. Will trash Mark Bitman's crackers recipe. This is our new go-to recipe for saltines. Thanks.
Jan says
I have question. In the article on the saltines/soda crackers you say they are made with baking soda but the recipe says baking powder. Which should actually be used?
Thanks.
Marye Audet says
The recipe is correct. Saltine, or soda crackers used to be primarily baking soda but I found the crunch is better with baking powder.
Brenda says
I happened upon your site this morning...looking for a saltine/soda cracker recipe. I must say I love you site and will be trying your recipe this evening...cannot wait! I was wondering do you have a newsletter so-to-speak that I could subscribe to? Oh, and I must be getting old...I have not heard the term soda crackers in years. I'll be returning often to see what is new. Thank you so much for all your efforts.
Marye Audet says
I do have a newsletter Brenda... you can sign up for it here - https://eepurl.com/3xf8H
Deanne says
I'm excited to stumble upon this recipe. I'm an American ex-pat living in the UK and I miss my saltines. They don't have them over here under either name (neither saltines nor soda crackers). I look forward to giving this recipe a go. My soups have been so lonely. LOL
Marye Audet says
🙂 The only thing I'd be careful of is the humidity? The crackers soak up moisture pretty fast so definitely keep them in an airtight container - you might need to crisp them up in the oven.
Angela says
I've never understood people that don't follow the RECIPE, change it up and THEN rate it... You're rating yourself at that point not the creator of said recipe. At any rate I am making these tonight FOLLOWING the ACTUAL recipe.... I shall return with mine ?
P.s I almost forgot, would parchment change how they bake? Ie... Not allow them to be as crispy? I was going to roll them directly on it for easy transfer to cookie sheet and don't want to mess up the crispiness by assuming it would be fine. Thank you in advance! ?
Marye Audet says
Thanks Angela - LOL! Umm I've never tried on parchment but it should work fine.
Tiffany says
How long would these last before they go bad (in a container or plastic baggie)?
Marye Audet says
They've never lasted more than a day or two here before they're eaten. 🙂
Rachel says
I don’t get the comments on here. These are fantastic, easy, and a staple in our household.
Thank you for sharing!
Marye Audet says
Thanks so much, Rachel! I am glad you like them!
Cynthia says
I should probably know this but when it says serves 36 does that mean 36 crackers? Or how many crackers per person? I am really not OCD just a bit confused on this terminology when reading cracker recipes. 😉
Marye Audet says
It depends on how big you make them? If you get 36 crackers then it's 1 cracker per person. If you cut with a smaller cutter and get 72 crackers then it's 2 crackers per person.
Cynthia says
Thanks for the quick response. I guess I wasn't clear but I get it now. A serving equals one cracker! Trying these tonight for a neighborhood soup night, will let you know how it goes. Thanks again!