If your family loves cheese crackers, these homemade ones are about to ruin the boxed version forever. They’re crunchy, cheesy, made with whole grains, and come together with just 5 ingredients. No rolling. No fuss. All flavor!

My hand holding a green kids bowl full of golden-brown cheese crackers with a red cooling rack filled with more crackers next to the bowl.
4.96 stars (46 ratings)
“Seriously, thank God for people like you who make these recipes for kids. My 1 year old will pretty much only eat cheese, so these are right up her alley! These are so easy to make which is the most important thing ever when you have a toddler to chase around. Thank you for this recipe. It will be forever saved!” -Melissa
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One day, many years ago, what I wanted more than anything in life was the perfect cheese cracker. I had just mindlessly eaten a handful of the boxed kind and thought, there has to be a better option than this. What I wanted was a cracker that was crispy, crunchy, and unapologetically cheesy – maybe even a little too cheesy (is that a thing?).

The first round of this recipe had absolutely zero finesse – just pure vibes. With about an hour before heading out to a park playdate with my toddlers, I tossed a few pantry ingredients into the food processor, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best. There was no time (or patience) to roll out dough – so instead, I shaped it into ropes and sliced them into little crackers. I even let my toddlers help cut one rope… which, in hindsight, was a mistake based on how much dough ended up on the floor.

We scattered the crackers onto a baking sheet and popped them in the oven. By the time I grabbed shoes, water bottles, and wrangled small humans into the car, the crackers were done and ready to go.

We arrived at the playdate 20 minutes late – but with homemade cheese crackers in hand. Toddlers, big kids, and moms alike swarmed around, munching with wide eyes and immediate approval. Our tardiness was instantly forgiven. Not a single cracker crumb was left by the time we headed home.

I’ve made these crackers hundreds of times since, and they never disappoint. Toddlers, kids, and adults dive in with equal enthusiasm. And honestly, they pair just as well with a cup of milk as they do with a glass of wine, just saying.😉

#IMHO: Yes, pre-shredded cheese will save you a minute—but (and this is a big but) freshly shredded cheese gives you far superior flavor and texture. In my opinion, that extra minute is 100% worth it.

Cheese Cracker Video

To the Kitchen, We Go –>

Ingredients needed for homemade cheez its - flour, butter, shredded cheese, salt, spices and milk.
Gather your ingredients – flour, butter, shredded cheese, salt, garlic powder, and milk.
Food processor on my kitchen counter full of shredded cheese.
In a food processor – add in flour, butter, shredded cheese, garlic powder, and salt.
Food processor on my white marble counter with dough for cheese crackers starting to take form.
Turn on the food processor and let it do the work. Once the dough starts to get chunky, add the liquid – one tablespoon at a time.
Food processor on my kitchen counter with a dough ball for cheese crackers formed.
Let the machine run until you get a dough ball.
My hand holding up a dough ball of cheese crackers with ropes of the dough on the counter next to my hand.
Take the dough ball and divid it into four equal balls.
My hands rolling out ropes of cheese crackers.
Then roll each dough ball into 1-inch thick ropes.
My hands holding four ropes of cheese cracker dough over my white kitchen counter.
Wrap the ropes with some Saran Wrap and let them chill in the freezer for 45 minutes.
My hands cutting slices of the cheese cracker dough on a wooden cutting board.
Take the ropes out of the freezer and cut into 1/4″ slices.
My hands showing how to poke holes into the center of the round crackers with a chop stick.
Put the cheese crackers on a baking sheet and poke with a chopstick.
Bake until golden brown.
My hand holding up a round cheese cracker over a red cooling rack filled with lots of cheese crackers.
Let cool and enjoy!
My hand holding a green kids bowl full of golden-brown cheese crackers with a red cooling rack filled with more crackers next to the bowl.

Get the recipe: (No Rolling!) Easy Homemade Cheese Crackers

5 stars (46 ratings)
If your family loves cheese crackers, these homemade ones are about to ruin the boxed version forever. They’re crunchy, cheesy, made with whole grains, and come together with just 5 ingredients. No rolling. No fuss. All flavor!
Yield: 12 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 11 minutes
Chill Time: 45 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Author: Michele Olivier
Course: Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: Toddler Food
Print Recipe

Ingredients 

  • 6 oz block or 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour or white whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1-2 tbsp milk or water

Instructions 

  • In a food processor, place the cheese, butter, flour, salt and garlic powder and pulse until chunky.
  • Add in 1 tablespoon of liquid and turn on the food process until a dough ball forms. If ball isn’t forming, add another tablespoon of liquid.
  • Dust a work surface with a little flour. Roll the dough into a ball and then divid it into 4 balls. With your hands roll each ball into a 1-inch rope. Wrap the 4 ropes in saran wrap and place in the freeze for 45-60 minutes or until just hard to the touch.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
  • Take out the dough ropes and slice into 1/4 inch slices. Place on baking sheet and press a dot in the middle of each cracker with a wooden skewer or a fork.
  • Bake for 11-13 minutes or just golden brown. Let cool completely on the baking sheet, they will continue to crisp up as they cool.

Notes

Age: 9+ months 
Storage: store in a container on the counter for up to 1 week. I like to leave the container lid cracked so the crackers don’t get too soggy. 
Tips & Tricks:
  • Shred your own cheese – it melts better and just taste way better. Trust me on this. 
  • Once the cheese cracker rolls are in the freezer, you can keep them there for up to 3 months (place inside a freezer ziplock baggie). If the rolls are frozen solid, just let them thaw on the counter until you can slice them.
  • Use a serrated knife (bread knife) to cut the rolls into slices. 
  • Using a chopstick, fork, or wooden skewer, poke a hole into the center of the cracker. This is just for decoration, so you can skip it if you don’t want to. When poking, make sure you go all the way to the bottom of the baking sheet. You will think you are poking too much, but you are not. 
Cooking with Kids: You can easily have your kids help you make these cheese crackers.

Toddlers

  • Toddlers can help measure and put the ingredients into the blender.
  • They can help put the lid on the blender and push start. Note: make sure to talk about not touching the blender blade while making something in the blender, as it can be sharp. 
  • They can help roll the dough out.
  • Toddlers can place the dough on the baking sheet before baking.

Kids

  • They can pick out and measure all of the ingredients and place in the blender. Note: make sure to talk about not touching the blender blade while making something in the blender, as it can be sharp. 
  • Kids can help roll the dough out cut the dough into discs.
  • They can place the dough on the baking sheet before baking.

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