Saltine Cracker Recipe (Soda Crackers) (2023)

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!

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

🧾 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.

Keep an eye on these as they bake. You don't want them to get too brown.

1. Stir the flour and baking powder together along with any seasonings you'll be adding.
2. Cut in the butter.
3. Continue cutting in the butter until it looks pebbly.
4. Add milk.
5. Stir well to make a dough that holds together.
6. Gently knead the dough.
7. Roll out in a rectangle.
8. Cut and prick with a toothpick or fork.
9. Brush with egg and sprinkle with salt.
10. Bake, let cool, and enjoy those homemade crackers!!

🥫 Storage

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 crackersin 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 a golden brown on the edges and will crisp as they cool.

👩🏻‍🍳 Frequently asked questions

Here are the questions I am most frequently asked about this recipe.

See Also

Are Saltines Healthy? Nutrients, Benefits, and DownsidesThe Best and Worst Cracker ChoicesThe Best Saltine Cracker Candy (Aka Christmas Crack)Zijn saltines en sodacrackers hetzelfde? - Stem op Bell

• 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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🫓 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.

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.

First published February 2012. Last updated March 24, 2021 for better instructions and readability.

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