Homemade Cheese-Its Crackers
Making your own homemade crackers can be an excellent way to introduce your family to more homemade snacks. These Homemade Cheese Its Crackers are so delicious that there is no way that you will be able to eat just one!
Homemade Cheese Its Crackers
I was on a quest (like I always am!) to start making my own crackers. I saw a few ideas for some homemade Goldfish but I really like the Annie’s “Bunny” version of those better. What I was really looking for was more of a puffy square cheese cracker. Here’s what I ended up coming up with. Warning, if you are a cheese addict like me you will not be able to resist the smell of these baking, yum!
Homemade Cheese Its Crackers
What you need:
- 1 c. flour
- 3/4 t. salt
- 4 T butter, cold
- 2 c. cheddar cheese
- 3 T water
In a food processor, pulse the flour, salt, and butter. You can mix this dough by hand but the crackers will turn out much better if you use a food processor. If you do decide to mix this by hand, be sure and use the finest grade of cheese that you can shred to prevent clumps of cheese.
Add the cheese about a 1/2 c. at a time.
Add the water a tablespoon at a time until it forms a chunky dough. Chill this dough for at least an hour or 2, or longer. If you don’t chill the dough, it may be difficult to roll out.
Roll out the dough until it’s about 1/8 in thin. I use a double-sided rolling pin like this one.
Cut into squares(or any kind of shape!) with a pizza cutter or cookie cutter.
Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes or until slightly browned on the tops. Start watching them after about 12 minutes to make sure they don’t burn.
That’s it! Cool before enjoying. You can also make these with All Purpose Gluten Free Flour for a gluten-free treat.
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Homemade Cheese Its Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 4 Tablespoons butter cold
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 3 Tablespoons water
Instructions
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In a food processor, pulse the flour, salt, and butter.
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Add the cheese about a 1/2 c. at a time.
-
Add the water a tablespoon at a time until it forms a chunky dough. Chill this dough for at least an hour or 2, or longer.
-
Roll out the dough until it's about 1/8 in thin.
-
Cut into squares(or any kind of shape!) with a pizza cutter or cookie cutter.
-
Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes or until slightly browned on the tops. Start watching them after about 12 minutes to make sure they don't burn.
Want to try some more homemade cracker recipes? Here are a few!
And of course, if you need extra cheese to go with your Homemade Cheese Its Crackers you will want to make an easy Homemade Cheeseball too!
What are your favorite homemade cracker recipes to make?
This recipe for Homemade Cheese Its Crackers was originally posted on Little House Living in February 2012. It has been updated as of June 2019.
These look delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Just tried the recipe. Didn't have any cheddar cheese in the house, so I used a Mexican cheese blend. They came out so well. Surprisingly addictive.
Jessica: I think these would be fun to experiment with. For next time I was thinking about sprinkling Parmesan cheese on top before baking….:)
I made these today with my kids. We had fun & everyone loved them! Thanks so much!
These would be great to experiment with! You could but in some spice for a little kick! yum!
Just made them and they are so good and easy! Thank you so much. These are one of my favorite snacks. YUMMY!
WE JUST MADE THE CRACKERS AND THEY ARE AWESOME! WE USED SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE AND TURNED THEM OVER TO BROWN NICE ON THE UNDERSIDE FOR A FEW MINUTES AT THE END OF BAKING. IT WORKED WELL. DELICIOUS!!
I’m excited! The kids will love helping me make these!
Merissa – Have you tried storing these? I’d love to make up a couple batches and store them. Is an airtight container good enough? How long do you think they would stay crisp? Thanks!
These don’t tend to last very long here so I’m not sure how long they will store. I do usually keep them in a bag or a container in the fridge though.
I am a Cheezit addict, so I’m excited to make these with my girls for school one day this week! I don’t have a food processor so I’m hoping I can just make it work with a mixer. 🙂
I’m sure it will be fine, the processor is just to get the cheese to blend up and mix well with the flour and butter, but a mixer (or even a hand cutting tool) should do the trick.
Hi I am addicted to cheezits! How could I reduce the fat in these? Thanks!!
Hi Denise, I wish I could help but that’s not my area of expertise. Sorry!
Works great with a mixer!
I made these crackers today and they are wonderful! I used colby cheese since that is what I had on hand. Thank you for sharing the recipe! I also made your gummy bear recipe today for my husband. It was super easy and a surprise for him when he got home from work.
Yum! Any thought about how to use gluten free flour? I have oat flour on hand right now and I wasn’t sure if it could just take the place of the regular flour. Thanks for your thoughts! 🙂
I’ve not tried oat flour before but I think another flour might work fine in here. If you try it let us know!
Thanks! I just might have to try it out this weekend. My husband loves Cheez-Its but recently found out he has a slight wheat allergy. This would be great.
I think it just might work. I hope you’ll let us know how it goes!
Jamie, my daughter has a wheat allergy. I think I would use a mix like 1/4rice 1/4tapioca and 1/2oat flour. Otherwise it may taste like cheesy oatmeal! I have a great flour mix that I often use. I will try to post it later.
If I wasn’t on a strict diet….I would so make these!!!
Here it is! 25% rice flour, 25% amaranth, 50% oat. Hope this helps!
My daughter has a gluten allergy. These are the flours that I have on hand: white rice flour, brown rice flour, soy flour, tapioca flour & potato flour. What mixture would I use and do I need to add xanthum gum to keep them from crumbling and do they need baking powder? Just getting started baking gluten free and not having a lot of success just yet. Thanks!
I really don’t have any experience with baking gluten free, maybe someone else knows?
Thanks! I’ll see what I can come up with.
Well, I tried a batch today. I used 1/2 cup rice flour and 1/2 cup oat flour since those are ones I had on hand. The flavor is great. I think they may be a bit grainy, possibly from the rice flour since I ground it myself. My husband and 4 year old really like them but my 2 year old said they were yucky. I’m very pleased. I will probably try some other options with the flour at some point. It was also all done by hand since I don’t have a food processor. 🙂
I’m glad you had good luck with it today Jaimie!
These look great! I have tried other homemade crackers, but there wasn’t a lot of flavor in them. I have been looking for another recipe to try and this looks great! If you put 4 holes in the middle they would look just like a cheez-it, except way better for you. Can’t wait to try them!
I am going to be making these today with my munchkins. We plan on making two batches. One with 1/2 sharp cheddar 1/2 medium, the other with pepper jack. I am excited to try these out!!
so going to make these!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds great! I think I may have to try these with sharp cheddar, and then another with parmesan garlic, which is my favorite cheez-it flavor!
Yum, let us know how they taste!
Finally made some today—2nd batch is in the oven now!! This is a keeper.
We are cheese-aholics here. I have all kinds of cheese. I have to make these. I bet these would be good with bits of pepperoni in them. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I have been wanting to make these for a long time and finally did today. Oh man, I love them. I had to put them away or I would eat all of them and I made a double batch! Thank you so much for all your great recipes you share with us.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I have managed to “have to” make these 2 times in the last 4 days…why you ask? Because my 7, 4 year old and 36 year old “children”(okay so one is my husband…same thing right?) LOVE THEM…And so do I…not only are they amazing for a snack but I added a bit of chili powder and garlic powder for a bit of a kick…another bonus…I can pronounce EVERYTHING I am putting in my mouth unlike the boxed item where I feel like I’m reading a second language. Thank you for sharing this recipe…and to anyone not willing to take the time to make it shame on you…you will miss out on a very addictive, and tasty treat that will keep you away from the cracker isle at the grocery store forever!
What does the capital T & lowercase t stand for? I want to make these but don’t want to mix them up lol
T is Tablespoon and t is teaspoon.
Thanks! As much as I bake I probably should have known that 🙂
I made these yesterday for the first time, and they are amazingly good. Thank you for the recipe and very clear instructions. I cheated a little and used a pasta roller to roll the dough out evenly, and they turned out really, really good. Addictive and yummy! I tried a wheat cracker recipe a few days ago and, while they are ok, they aren’t great. I think I will give your recipe a shot.
These were so easy! The dough is chillin….can’t wait to taste them 🙂
Do you use all purpose flour or some other kind? I noticed that there is no baking soda or baking powder in them. What makes them rise?
Just regular all purpose flour in these. I’m not totally sure why they puff up, could just be in cheese in them! 🙂
Thank you for this wonderful website and awesome recipe. They sound so good and I can’t wait until I make the cheese crackers!
How much does this make?
Depends on how big you make them but maybe about 30 crackers?
I just happened upon your blog today and I’m seeing so many yummy recipes. I’ll be making these crackers for sure. I’m a new follower and am looking forward to seeing all that you share. 🙂
Welcome Lori!
just made them. YUM!
Merissa!
This homemade Cheese-It recipe is absolutely wonderful! Over the last year, I’ve cut back on store/boxed food for the benefit of my kids. Quick snacks like Cheese-it’s are one of my kids favorites. I made your version and could not tell the difference! Wonderful! Taste and smell just like the real thing. Tonight, going to try to make it with whole wheat flour. Thank you.
Hi Just wondering if anyone has made up extra dough and put it in the freezer? I tend to do that with some cookie dough recipes. Was wondering if it was possible??
We just made these the other night and they were AMAZING! My daughter loved making making her ‘favorite snack’ as she calls it and loved checking on the oven every 2 min! Super easy to make if you are thinking about making them stop thinking and just do them!
To the comment above me- Colleen I didn’t freeze mine, but I let half of the dough in the fridge for over 8 hours and still tasted great.
Oh wow! I was just wondering the other day how homemade crackers could be made. Thanks for the recipe! I will put it on my to do list. 🙂
Quick tip from making lots of crackers over the years: if you roll out the dough directly on parchment paper you can cut and bake it all in one step without trying to transfer thin dough.
How do I store these and for how long are they good? They look yum!
I keep these in the fridge in an air tight container or bag and store them no longer than a week. They might be good for longer than that but they won’t taste as fresh.
What type of food processor do you have?
I currently have a Veggie Bullet that has a processor, slicer, and spiralizer attachment.
Mmm… these would taste wonderful… and would be eaten faster than we could make them! I will remember this idea though. 🙂
I love making my own crackers, but we haven’t done it in a while. I think I will have to get on that.
Thanks for sharing on #TastyTuesdays.
THESE look totally delicious….going to definitely try!
Would LOVE if you’d share at Reader Tip Tuesday.
It’s brand new & open all week. Hope to see you & these yummy bites at the party because they are the perfect party share 🙂
Sounds so easy! Why have I never tried these?!
Cheesy snacks are some of my favorite – I should give these a try! Thanks for linking up with Merry Monday this week!
I could eat Cheese It’s all day long! I can’t wait to make my own. Thanks.
So good! I added just a pinch of cayenne. Also used Cabot’s “Seriously Sharp” cheddar. And, no, like others point out, no need to store these – the family devoured them! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
So glad that everyone enjoyed them!
Can’t wait to try these!!! Also so stoked you made up this recipe with no baking soda because i have to be careful how much baking soda i eat. 🙂
In years past I have made crackers, actually the first time by accident. They are easy and really good.
These are my favorite! If I’m not careful, I could eat a box in one day. I like your recipe Marissa. I’m going to give it a try. Thank you.
The only difference I made was to roll them out thicker, sprinkled cayenne pepper on tops and baked for about 20 min, they came out thicker and softer (which I loved). Did not have to salt the tops as the sharp cheddar supplied all the salt one would need. Will be making these again, but will incorporate the cayenne into the dough. This recipe is a keeper! Flavor exactly the same as the store bought ones.
Howong do these stay good for?
They never last more than a week at our house.