Homemade Saltine Crackers Recipe

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.Making crackers from scratch is so much fun and the homemade versions taste SO much better and fresher than the boxed ones at the store. Homemade Saltine Crackers are very inexpensive to make and are perfect for pairing with cheese, tasty dips, or just for munching.

Have you ever wanted to make homemade crackers? Homemade Saltine Crackers are a great way to get started! This simple recipe only takes 4 ingredients. #homemadecrackers #glutenfreecrackers #homemadesaltinecrackers #makeyourown #crackerrecipe

 

I think I’m on a mission lately to figure out how to make all my favorite crackers from scratch. What I’m discovering is that they are so easy to make and so cheap! Even with coupons, most of the time I couldn’t purchase crackers for this cheap unless they were free. For example, these saltines take only 4 ingredients, one cup of flour costs me $0.12, the water is free, the salt is minimal, and the butter costs pennies. So it cost about $0.20 for a quart of saltines that are fresh and buttery with no preservatives- sounds like a good deal to me!

These Homemade Saltine Crackers aren’t a perfect match for the flavor and texture of store-bought saltine crackers or soda crackers but they are nice and basic which makes them a great substitute.

Homemade Saltine Crackers Recipe

Homemade Saltine Crackers
4.67 from 6 votes
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Homemade Saltine Crackers

Ingredients

  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 6-7 Tablespoons water
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • plus a little more salt and butter for the tops

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter and mix it well with the flour and salt.
  2. Add the tablespoons of water slowly, one at a time, and mix them in well. Don't add too much water so the dough is too sticky. You want a nice smooth dough.
  3. Roll out the dough until it very thin, about 1/8in. I do this directly on the baking stone. You can also roll out the dough on a floured surface and then transfer the rolled out dough to a greased baking sheet or a baking stone. You can cover the stone in parchment paper if you don't want to grease it.

  4. Score with a pizza cutter. Brush the tops very lightly with butter and sprinkle with a little salt. You can leave out this step if you want unsalted crackers. Bake these in the oven at 400F for about 15 minutes. They will harden more once they start to cool.

  5. Enjoy these plain or with a dip.

 Homemade Saltine Crackers Tips & Substitutions

  • If you can’t have dairy, you can replace the butter in this recipe with a mild vegetable oil or you can try this Buttery Spread which is great for baking.
  • For a lower sodium recipe, just down the amount of salt used on the tops and use an unsalted butter.
  • Need a gluten-free saltine cracker recipe? You can easily replace the flour in this recipe with All Purpose Gluten Free Flour. It works wonderfully! (Find more yummy gluten-free baking recipes in my ebook, Frugal Gluten-Free.)
  • Use a Pastry Rolling Pin instead of a regular rolling pin. I’ve found that it works best for making homemade crackers.
  • I’ve found that using a Baking Stone is the key to getting crispy crackers. You can use a pizza stone if that’s what you have on hand or look for a rectangular baking stone.
  • If you decide to make Saltine Toffee, I would use store-bought crackers which are much drier and will hold up better versus these homemade crackers.

Saltine Cracker Mix

Homemade Saltine Crackers Mix

I love to make homemade mixes for my pantry and so whenever I make this plain crackers recipe I put together an extra jar of mix for later as well. I doubled my original recipe so it would fit in the jar better. Plus, I like making more crackers at a time so I have a nice big batch and don’t have to make any for a while. And like the crackers, the mix is ridiculously simple.

Mix in the jar:

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt

On the jar you can write for the instructions:

“Pour the mixture in a bowl and combine with 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 12 Tablespoons water. Roll out the dough and score. Sprinkle with salt. Bake at 400F until the tops are slightly browned.”

These Homemade Saltine Crackers are perfect to pair with yummy dips and spreads! Here are some of my favorites:

–Find more Homemade Cracker Recipes here!

What is the difference between a saltine and a cracker like this?

A saltine from the store has more air inside of it so it gives a different texture and crunch. These crackers are similar in the way that they are a nice plain cracker to use in place of saltines, but they don’t have the same texture. (And they have better flavor!)

How do you make homemade crackers?

You can follow the recipe above OR try something like Homemade Cheese It’s. I’ve also got a great recipe for Homemade Wheat Thins too! If you want to go the dessert route you could also make Homemade Graham Crackers.


If you love this easy cracker recipe, you will absolutely love my book, Little House Living: The Make Your Own Guide to a Frugal, Simple, and Self-Sufficient Life. It features 130 recipes just like this one that are perfect for your household!

Have you ever tried to make homemade crackers? How about homemade saltine crackers?
This Homemade Saltine Cracker recipe was originally published on Little House Living in December 2010. It was updated in August 2022.
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61 Comments

  1. Pingback: Freedom From Morning Sickness – Please? » Our Home And Family Blog
  2. Pingback: Homemade Saltines ~ Mix Edition
  3. Thank you so much Sweet Merissa for sharing your simple recipes. I cannot wait to try these crackers. Much cheaper than the store
    Have a lovely day.

    1. The original recipe says 400° then she adds dry ingredients for another time the temperature says 350° so what temperature is the correct answer?

    1. Quick fix for stale crackers and other items like tortilla chips:
      Place crackers, etc. on a baking tray and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 2-5 minutes. (Slight browning is OK, but don’t let them burn.) They are just like brand new, or better. I use my toaster oven for small amounts to save energy.

  4. Just wanted to let you know, we are stuck on your recipes!! They are all soo yummm! Also wanted to tell you, the crackers are awesome.. I felt like experimenting in the kitchen, and if you add 1/2 cup of finely shredded cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup of parmesan into the crackers, you end up with a unbelievable clone taste of Goldfish, or cheese nips, you could even add a little garlic!!! on that if you want dorito look alikes without the MSG, you could mix equal parts of onion powder and garlic powder, a pinch of salt, and pinch of cayenne powder… use that as a sprinkle on them for as close as you can get to dorito’s, they are even tastier then what you buy! Keep up the good work, and recipes, and please don’t ever go away from the net 🙂

    1. 5 stars
      I know this is 11 years later, and I hope you see this…..but this tip is amazing!!! I have been following Marissa for more years then I can count, but never thought to look at the comments!! Will be trying these tomorrow ( baking day ) …Thanks John!!

  5. Thank you for your recipe’s 🙂 I do wonder if anyone has tried this with an all purpose gluten free flour???

    1. I tried this recipe with Krusteez all purpose gluten free flour and they were very good! They had a nice buttery taste. I baked them quite a bit longer to get them nice and crispy. I would omit the salt on the tops as they were a bit salty. I just brushed off the extra salt.

  6. They taste kind of like a mixture between a ritz and a saltine cracker. I little more buttery like a ritz.

  7. Pingback: Real Food Road Trip Snacks: Cheese and Crackers - Little House on the Prairie Living
  8. Made my first batch tonight. Turned out well. Next time more tweaking–double batch, more butter on the tops and salt for my taste. Maybe make more tomorrow.

  9. Just thought I’d offer the idea that you can brush these with water, then sprinkle with salt, if you want plain saltines. They are yummy any way you make them.

  10. I have been on a similar mission! I have made lots of yummy whole grain crackers using my grain mill. These are very good and it’s extra rewarding to make when I use our own sorghum grain from our garden…but they are harder to make. I had fallen into the habit of buying store bought saltines to have around for those times I didn’t have the time to make crackers, but these were so easy and tasty I don’t think I’ll have to do that anymore. I want to try your graham cracker recipe next. Thanks!

      1. Great! I just finished the first batch and I can’t believe how good they turned out. They were different than saltines, but in a good way; they have so much more flavor and you can flavor them with different spices. Thanks for such an easy and delicious recipe!

  11. Thank you so much for this recipe. They look like the ones that are sold as chips. Can’t wait to make them. I am on a salt reduced/free diet and this is a God send.

  12. Hi, these crackers sound awesome! All the recipes sound great, will be trying them all. I was wondering, would these freeze well?

  13. i love store-bought saltines, and i’m so disappointed that they have soy in them. so i’d love to try to make my own!

  14. I wonder if you poked them with a fork before baking if that would keep them from bubbling up and keep them flat. They would have that saltine look too. 🙂 I haven’t tried the recipe yet…..just a thought I had.

  15. I cannot wait to taste these, they are in the oven now….. I can’t wait to make them again, and explore the rest of the sight. Today they are going to go well with my homemade cream of veggie soup I have made for lunch.

  16. Hubby and I are going to try these. I love crackers, and cheese, and we go through organic crackers like nothing. These would be much cheaper.

  17. Thank you so much for this. My husband’s cousin has celiacs and hasn’t been able to have saltines in years. She’s looking forward to them coming out of the oven as I type.

  18. Just tried your crackers and they were great! I added a 1/2 tsp baking soda and poked holes with a fork for even venting and they’re very close to saltines now!.

  19. Just found your recipe for homemade crackers!!! I have to be on this low-iodine diet for 3 weeks before I have a Radioactive Iodine Uptake (RAI) procedure for my thyroid cancer. So, I can’t eat anything that is commercially made, and no dairy. I was really missong SNACK CRACKERS!!! I made your recipe and used my homemade “butter” (using coconut oil and buttery flavoring) and my non-iodized salt. I like savory, so added a little onion powder and a little dried oregano to the dough and sprinkled sesame seeds on top before baking! These are outstanding crackers. Thhank oyu sooo much!!!!!

  20. Could I substitute almond flour- or a mix of almond and cocoanut flour to make a low carb version? Not sure if able to do a same as sub for measurements. Thank you

  21. 4 stars
    I have made a double batch the last 2 days. So versatile with flavor, made some dill and some parmesan and some plain. My new favorite cracker.

  22. 5 stars
    I have made these twice in as many weeks. So delish! The second time (tonight) I sprinkled sesame seeds on the rolled out dough and rolled them in with the rolling pin. I may never buy saltines again! Thx so much for your recipe!

  23. Mmmm

    While doing the budget yesterday I realized so many food staples from the store are just no longer sustainable for us. $$$, don’t last long, and who knows what weird ingredients are included. So I got on pinterest and one thing lead to another until I stumbled on this recipe. We sometimes have a simple pb on Ritz for lunch, so I decided to whip up a double portion of this recipe instead. I think I should go thinner next time as mine came out a little too chewy but they were a hit with all 3 of my kids, including picky #1. Thank you! Can’t wait to try more things from your site!

  24. 5 stars
    Great recipe. I made a second time using cold butter and mixing it in like a pastry dough using my grandmothers pastry mixture. Worked well just make sure finally mix it. I also made the original with a 1/2 teaspoon of Italian herb mix. This needed the salt on top but we’re very tasty with a tomato based soup.

  25. 5 stars
    I would like to use oil . Can I use a little less oil? Cakes made with oil typically use less oil than butter. Susan

  26. 4 stars
    Saltine means something. It’s a type of cracker with a specific preparation method. Saltines are yeasted, and have a really long rising time. Calling this a saltine recipe is like giving a banana bread recipe and calling it a baguette.

    It’s a perfectly fine cracker recipe though.