Whole Wheat Cheese Crackers
These whole wheat cheese crackers are a fun and tasty homemade alternative to store-bought cheese crackers like Cheez-Its and Goldfish. These crunchy little bites are cheesy, buttery, and super satisfying.
They’re also made with simple, real ingredients – no artificial flavors, preservatives or food coloring. Whether you’re making them for school lunches, snacks, or just to satisfy a cheesy craving, they’re sure to be a hit with both kids and adults.
These crackers are perfect for customizing, too. You can change up the cheese, add a little spice, or even cut them into fun shapes for holidays or themed snacks. And while they’re obviously great for everyday snacking, they’d also be a clever homemade addition to a charcuterie board or gift basket.
- They’re a homemade version of Cheez-Its or Goldfish with a short ingredient list.
- Great for kids, lunchboxes, parties or after-school snacks.
- You can use cookie cutters to create any shape you like.
- They’re freezer-friendly, so you can make a big batch and save some for later.
- Perfect for those looking for a more wholesome snack option.
Ingredients Notes
These are just notes on select ingredients. Please scroll below for the full recipe!
- Cheese – the recipe calls for sharp cheddar, which gives the best flavor. Feel free to experiment with other hard cheeses, like pepper jack or gouda, but make sure they’re not too soft or moist.
- Butter – it adds richness and helps create that melt-in-your-mouth texture. Oil won’t work in its place.
- Whole wheat flour – this is what gives the crackers their nutty, hearty base. If you want something a little lighter, white whole wheat flour is a good alternative.
- Use freshly grated cheese for the best texture and flavor. Pre-shredded cheese often contains anti-caking agents that can affect the dough.
- If your dough feels too sticky, refrigerate it a little longer or lightly dust your work surface with flour.
- Don’t roll the dough too thick—thin crackers bake more evenly and stay crisp.
- Keep an eye on the crackers as they bake. Because they’re small, they can go from golden to burnt quickly.
How to Make Ahead, Store, and Freeze
You can prepare the dough up to 2 days in advance and keep it in the fridge, wrapped tightly. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling and baking.
Baked crackers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 1 week. If they lose their crispness, just pop them in the oven at 300°F for a few minutes to refresh them.
Gluten-free Option
I haven’t tried gluten-free flour in these, but I do have this amazing Keto Cheese Crackers recipe! They use almond and coconut flour and are just as delicious as regular Cheez-its.
Please share your feedback by leaving a ✍️review and ???? rating – it helps me and others! I so appreciate it. ????
Whole Wheat Cheese Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (170 grams) sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 1/4 cup (57 grams) butter
- 3/4 cup (90 grams) whole wheat flour or whole spelt flour
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor, and run until it forms a ball. It should take about two minutes.
- Then you can roll it out (I do it between two Silpats) or refrigerate it for about 30 minutes so that it’ll be easier to handle. You can also roll it out on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough to about an eighth of an inch. I like to sprinkle mine with some table salt, but I like them really salty.
- Cut shapes however you wish, and then with a skewer, prick a small hole in the middle to prevent them from puffing up.
- Spread them out on a piece of parchment paper or on a Silpat, leaving just a little room for them to grow.
- Baking time will depend on the size of your shapes, but my mock Cheez-its took 8 minutes. They should just be turning brown at the edges. My elephants took around 13 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
I just made these for the first time and they came out amazing! I used bento cutters to cut them into little animal cracker shapes and my three year olds gobbled them up as fast as I could bake them. The only substitution I made was the onion powder. I didn’t have any so I used a bit of tzatziki seasoning mix instead. They were so delicious. I’m using the past tense because they are all long gone already.
I’m so happy that they came out well and that your little ones enjoyed them! I rarely make them because like you said, I eat them as I make them. ;) And tzatziki sounds like an interesting twist! Thanks for the idea and for the feedback. :)
I found this recipe while perusing your website. I’ve made these twice and printed your recipe for a friend. I am so happy to find a good recipe I can make at home so I don’t have to worry about food coloring and additives in the store bought kind. I used sorghum and rice flour and they turned out fantastic!!! Thanks for the terrific recipe, Amy!!
OOPS!!! Sorry Erin!!! I was thinking Erin and put Amy! My bad! ;-)
Hehe. No problem! Thanks again. :)
Wow! That’s an interesting sub. I’m so happy that it worked out for you! Good to know that a GF version is possible. :) Thank you so much for the feedback and the rating! I hope you find some other recipes you like. :)
Thanks for this recipe! So simple! My 19 month old is allergic to all grains so I subbed chick pea flour. I also used his favorite mozzarella cheese and alphabet cookie cutters. I left out the garlic powder as he has many other food allergies so I wanted to keep it simple. They turned out great! He’s never had “real” crackers before because of his food allergies.
Aww, I’m so happy that your little one could finally try crackers! Your version sounds really creative. Good going and I’m really impressed that you went with all those subs. I’m usually too scared. Thanks so much for your feedback and the rating! :)
I’m reading this, thinking that also other flavorings like pizza or sour cream and onion or herbs and spices could be added too.. like hot with cruched red pepper and salt… even garlicy ones with white cheddar and parmesean….
I can’t wait to make the recipe…. I was recently informed that store bought cheese crackers have in a nasty preservative that is really bad for us…
Those all sound like amazing possibilities! :) And I hope you enjoy your preservative free crackers! These are really better than the storebought ones so I think you’ll be happy. :) Thanks so much for your ideas! Love them.
I just made these as part of my Christmas giveaway, but they are so good I'm tempted to just keep them for myself! Made them by hand as I don't have a food processor, and they still turned out really light and flaky (: Omitted onion powder, added freshly ground black pepper and a generous pinch of paprika – awesome.
Hehe. I know how you feel. I feel the same with these suckers! I'm happy that you enjoyed them and thanks for the feedback. And I love your additions! Merry Christmas to you. :)
Michelle – Yay! I'm so happy that you liked them. They're terribly addictive, aren't they? Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback. I really appreciate it. Have a great weekend! :)
I just finished making these and I am in LOVE! these taste AMAZING!! I think I'm going to try using Parmesan cheese sometime too…and doubling the recipe!!
Reeni – Sorry I somehow missed your comment! And thank you very much. :)
Rebecca – Thanks a ton for leaving feedback! I'm so happy that you enjoyed them. To be honest, I sprinkle normal table salt before I bake them because I like them really, really salty like real Cheez-its. My husband always complains about how salty they come out so I thought I'd better not add that part to the recipe. But since there are two of us now, I'll edit the recipe to include the sprinkling of salt prior to baking. Thanks again! :)
These were really good! Very "wholesome" tasting, I think Cheez-Its taste very processed. I used the larger amount of onion powder and salt but still think they need a bit more. I'm going to try sprinkling a little bit of kosher salt on top before baking next time. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Your cheez-its look so delicious! I love that you made them whole grain! They look perfect.
Jesica – I just realized that I still have the tab open with your cheese crackers! I have tons of tabs open and I'm really behind with leaving comments. Yours are really nice! I think I'll head over there and look again. :)
hmmm… i should make them small and cute too!
warmvanillasugar – It's so much easier to buy them, but I think these taste better. They taste "real" if that makes sense. :)
Miryam – You can use the back of a knife! Or cookie cutters. You don't need a special pasta cutter (it came with the machine) for these. I hope you and your kids can make these!
Dan – Your comment made me giggle like a little girl. And wow at your friend demanding you MAKE crackers for a road trip. That's hardcore. :) I'm super excited about you using this recipe too. Let me know how it turns out! Oh and double or triple the recipe. You'll be sad if you don't.
I am going on a road trip this weekend and I asked my friend what to bring for snacks. She said crackers. I said, easy enough! And she said…NO MAKE THEM!!
I will be using your recipe and am super excited for it! Thanks for posting!
Wow, these are totally awesome. I have never thought of making my own crackers…I guess I will need a pizza cutter thingie like you used :-) My kids will love to make these for sure…bookmarking it :-)
This is so creative. I've never made my own crackers let alone made these cheesy goodies! They look lovely!
I like how you think. :) The problem is me, though. I eat at least half of them in one day and then all that cheddar and butter is distributed throughout two servings. I have no self control. And I think the petting zoo idea is nice too. I now proclaim it a petting zoo and not a pathetic normal zoo. :)
Well, when you think about it, all that cheddar and butter is distributed throughout a million little crackers. And I think going to a petting zoo where the bunnies are as big as elephants and the dogs are as small as bunnies would be kinda neat. :)