Homemade Cheez-Its Crackers Recipe

We love this Homemade Cheez-Its Crackers Recipe and are sure you will too! With just a handful of ingredients, you can make this copycat Cheez-It Crackers at home! Kid-approved and made with all real ingredients. Switch up the cheese and add some seasoning to make these homemade cheese crackers your own!

Homemade Cheez-It Crackers Recipe

My kids love Cheez-It Crackers and if they had their way, we’d be bringing a box or two home from the grocery store every time we went. I love them too…but I’m not a big fan of the long list of ingredients I can’t pronounce or the price tag on a snack that disappears in 5 minutes.

I thought since Cheez-Its are essentially crackers made out of cheese, there HAD to be a way to make them at home…and I was right.

This Cheez-It Crackers copycat recipe is made with just a handful of ingredients – REAL ingredients – and are easy to make. The kids can easily help make these which turns it into a family fun activity and makes eating the homemade cheese crackers that much more rewarding.

Once you get the basic cheddar cheese cracker down, I recommend trying out some other flavor combos too! It’s fun to get creative with the cheese and seasonings. Snack time has never tasted better!

What’s the best kind of cheese to use?

If you’re going for the original Cheez-It flavor, you’ll want to use cheddar cheese. That’s what I used in this recipe because that’s what my kids use and love. That said, you can do this with any firm cheese. You’ll want to avoid soft cheeses, like brie, as the cheese crackers will lose their shape.

A few examples of cheeses that would be great in this recipe:

• White cheddar
• Cheddar and parmesan
• Pepper jack
• Colby jack or Monterrey jack
• Smoked gouda
• Any combination of the above

Can I make these organic?

If you are an organic household, you can easily adjust this recipe to be organic by using organic ingredients. As it is, everything used is a real food ingredient, no long crazy list you can’t pronounce.

How can I add more flavor to homemade cheese crackers?

If you want to add even more flavor to your crackers, just add in some additional seasoning when making your dough. Feel free to play around with cheese and seasoning combinations- you may discover a new favorite.

Some great seasonings to mix in include:

• Garlic salt
• Onion powder
• Italian seasoning
• Ranch seasoning
• Taco seasoning
• Chili powder
• Oregano
• Thyme

How to Store Homemade Cheese Crackers

The best way to store these crackers is in an airtight container. Allow the cooked crackers to cool completely before putting them in the plastic containers.

How long do How to Store Homemade Cheese Crackers last?

These homemade cheese crackers will keep fresh for 3-5 days if stored in an airtight container.

How do you keep homemade crackers crisp?

Allow them to cool completely and store in an airtight container. Keeping the Homemade Cheez-Its Crackers away from the air will keep them crisp.

Can I freeze homemade crackers?

I prefer to freeze the dough instead of the already made Homemade Cheez-Its Crackers. To store the cracker dough roll the dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap, then place in a plastic zip-close freezer bag. When you are ready to bake the crackers, allow the dough to thaw and make according to the rest of the recipe directions. The dough will keep in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Homemade Cheez-Its Crackers Recipe Ingredients

• Kosher or Sea Salt
• Flour – will work with white or whole wheat flour.
• Ice Cold Water
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• cold Butter cut into small pieces
• Shortening (if you do not have shortening you can use 2 tbsp of butter instead of the shortening)

How to Make Homemade Cheez-Its Crackers

In a food processor, blender, mixer, or a bowl with a hand mixer, mix the cheese, butter, shortening and salt together until blended. Then slowly add the flour. If you are using a mixer make sure it is on low speed or you will have flour flying everywhere (and that is a mess no one wants to clean up).

Your dough will be dry after adding in the flour, so add in the water gradually just until your dough comes together in a ball. Round out the ball of dough and wrap it in saran wrap. Refrigerate for one hour.

Get out your baking sheets and then after an hour remove the dough from the fridge and preheat your oven to 375. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper and sprinkle flour on whatever area you are going to be working on. I tend to use the kitchen table so the kids can see what I am doing but not be too confined where we are all bumping into each other while trying to work.

Place your dough on your floured area and with your rolling pin (I have this Kitchen Aid one and I love it!) roll your dough to be less than 1/8 inch thick.

Grab your pastry cutter and cut them into 1″ squares (the easiest way is to just make lines if you do not have a pastry cutter a pizza cutter should work just fine) Then use a skewer or toothpick to put a hole in the center of each cracker.

Place crackers onto your prepared baking sheet, this is a step the kiddos can do while you finish up cutting the crackers out. Sprinkle with salt and then bake for 12-15 minutes or until light brown at the edges.

Transfer to a cooling rack to cool.

Easy Snack Recipes

• Jalapeno Cheese Chips
• homemade potato chips
• Garlic Parmesan Potato Chips
• Crockpot White Queso Dip
• Crack Dip
• Spinach Artichoke Dip