These homemade Sourdough Crackers are crisp and delicious, and one of our favorite discard recipes. They also have just three ingredients: sourdough discard, melted butter, and salt. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.
There’s no prep ahead, refrigeration, or rolling out the dough – and you end up with a crunchy cracker that keeps well and is perfect for dipping. Watch the video tutorial and see how easy this tasty snack is to make.
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We love sourdough recipes from Sourdough Pancakes to our classic Sourdough Bread. If you are on the Sourdough bus, these crackers are a must-try (and stay tuned for more sourdough discard recipes to come)!
Sourdough Discard Crackers Video
Watch Natasha make these Sourdough Discard Crackers. With just 3 base ingredients, you will be shocked at how easy they are to make and how delicious they taste. With their irresistible crunch and classic sourdough flavor, these homemade crackers are sure to become a staple in your snacking repertoire.
Sourdough Discard Crackers Recipe
For those of you who have started your sourdough journey, you will love this sourdough discard idea that my sister Svetlana shared with me (a friend shared it with her, and that is proof that a good recipe travels fast!). This is a brilliant way to use sourdough discard, which is essentially an unfed/stirred starter that is blended with butter and salt, spread thinly, and baked into the tastiest crackers.
We have struggled with finding the perfect store-bought crackers for our family. My kids are drawn toward those filled with questionable additives and preservatives, and they don’t like the healthier ones I prefer. I am happy to report that our homemade sourdough crackers have won over every member of our family.
What is Sourdough Discard?
When you feed a starter, you add fresh flour and water to make it grow. To prevent a sourdough starter from becoming too large and maintain it’s health and balance, a portion is discarded before feeding. The portion removed is the sourdough discard.
Sourdough discard is essentially an unfed or inactive starter. While it’s typically not strong enough for baking sourdough bread on its own, it still contains beneficial wild yeast and bacteria, along with a tangy sourdough flavor, and can be used in a variety of recipes from baked goods to savory dishes.
If you want to feed your starter just to make these crackers, that is perfectly ok (I do this all the time because the crackers are worth it).
Ingredients for Sourdough Crackers
If you’ve started your sourdough journey, chances are you have plenty of sourdough discard – this is a brilliant way to use it up.
- Sourdough discard – adds the tanginess of sourdough to the crackers and creates a light and crisp texture. All of the flour needed for this recipe is in the discard which means that the flour is already fermented, making it easier to digest.
- Butter -helps bind the ingredients together and contributes to the overall texture and moisture of the crackers.
- Salt – enhances the flavor of the crackers, balancing the tanginess of the sourdough while enhancing the other seasoning flavors.
- Seasoning – Customize the flavor to your preference with a variety of seasonings on top – sprinkle your favorite herbs, spices, seeds, or other flavorings (see the variations below).
Seasoning Variations
These sourdough crackers are totally customizable depending on your taste and accompaniments.
- Seeds – sunflower, sesame, chia, flax, or poppy seeds (or go for it all with Everything But the Bagel seasoning)
- Salt and pepper – sea salt or herbed salt
- Cheese – try grated parmesan or finely shredded cheddar cheese. You’ll love our Sourdough Cheese Crackers.
- Dried herbs – rosemary, thyme, basil, or oregano
- Hemp hearts
Time-Saving Tip:
You can make the batter in one large measuring cup. Melt the butter in the cup and let it cool until just warm. Set the cup with butter on a kitchen scale, zero it out, then add 200 grams of sourdough discard.
How to Make Sourdough Discard Crackers
- Preheat – Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Melt and Combine – Melt the butter in a large measuring cup or mixing bowl and let it cool until just lukewarm. Add the sourdough discard and salt, stirring together with a spatula until well combined.
- Spread – Pour the mixture onto your prepared baking sheet. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter into an even, thin layer that is almost transparent (my dough rectangle was 13×11 inches).
- Season – Lightly sprinkle the top with flaky salt or seasonings of choice. Avoid adding too much salt, as the crackers are thin and can quickly become overly salty.
- Bake and Score – Immediately bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a pizza cutter to score the partially baked dough into bite-size squares.
- Final Bake – Return to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the crackers are golden, hardened, and crisp to the tap. If the batter wasn’t spread thin enough, it could take longer to bake. Remove from the oven and let the crackers cool on the baking sheet to fully dry out.
Pro Tip:
Have your oven preheated and ready to go so you can bake the crackers right after spreading the batter onto the parchment paper. If you wait, it’s more likely your crackers will stick to the parchment.
What is the Best Tool to Score Crackers?
Use any of these tools to make clean cuts quickly and efficiently without dragging or tearing the dough. I personally love the pastry wheel because it adds a nice scalloped edge that looks fancy but is equally as simple as using a knife or pizza cutter.
- Pizza cutter
- Ravioli cutter or pastry wheel
- Knife
For a different style, use the back of a spoon to create small smears of batter on the sheet pan, or skip scoring altogether and break the baked rectangle into small pieces. This will give you rustic, artisanal pieces perfect for your spread.
Pro Tip:
Use the imperfect baked trimmings from the perimeter of your rectangle to use as a delicious, crispy salad topping.
What to Serve with Sourdough Crackers
Our preferred presentation for these sourdough discard crackers involves creating a captivating charcuterie board with a variety of enticing accompaniments:
- An assortment of nuts, cheeses, fresh vegetables, olives, and pickles
- Delectable spreads like olive tapenade, fig jam, honey, or flavored cream cheese.
- Indulgent herbed or honey butter, adding an extra layer of flavor.
- Diverse dips such as hummus, veggie dip, 7-layer dip, tzatziki, whipped feta dip, or spinach and artichoke dip.
In addition to perfectly enhancing the savory tang of these crackers, these options create a delightful culinary adventure for every palate to enjoy.
How to Store Homemade Crackers
Allow the crackers to cool completely and then store them in an airtight container, glass jar, or zip bag. For the best taste and texture, enjoy the crackers within a few days. While they may still be edible after this time, they might lose some of their crispiness.
Sourdough may seem trendy to some, but its roots stretch back thousands of years. While trends come and go, sourdough’s timeless appeal and cultural significance make it a beloved staple in baking and cuisine. Stay tuned—we’re just getting ‘startered.’
More ‘Made from Scratch’ Recipes
If you love good food but are starting to pay more attention to the ingredients in your store-bought favorites, then you won’t want to miss these delicious DIY swap recipes. You can easily make your favorites at home, knowing exactly what’s in them!
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Sourdough Discard Crackers
Ingredients
- 200 grams sourdough discard, 1 cup stirred and unfed starter
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
- Seasonings to taste – flaky sea salt, everything bagel seasoning, sesame seeds, etc.*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter in a large measuring cup or mixing bowl and let it cool until just lukewarm. Add sourdough discard* and salt, and stir together with a spatula until well combined.
- Pour the mixture onto your parchment-lined baking sheet and use an offset spatula to spread it into a thin, even layer that is almost transparent (for reference, my dough rectangle measured approximately 13×11 inches).
- Lightly sprinkle the top with flaky salt and your seasonings of choice. Avoid adding too much salt since the crackers are thin and can quickly become overly salty.
- Transfer to the oven right away to prevent sticking to the parchment and bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a pizza cutter to score your crackers into bite-size squares.
- Return to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the crackers are golden and hardened. If the crackers are not firm, it may be due to not spreading them thinly enough. Continue to bake until they are firm when you tap the tops with your nail.
- Remove from the oven and let the crackers cool on the baking sheet to allow them to fully dry out. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container or zip bag.
Notes
*Variations for Toppings:
- Seeds – sunflower, sesame, chia, flax, or poppy seeds
- Everything But the Bagel seasoning
- Salt and pepper – sea salt or herbed salt
- Cheese – finely grated cheddar or parmesan
- Dried herbs – rosemary, thyme, basil, or oregano
Nutrition Per Serving
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“These sourdough discard crackers look amazing! I love how this recipe makes the most out of sourdough discard, turning it into a crunchy and flavorful snack. Can’t wait to try making them myself. Thanks for sharing such a creative and practical recipe!
I made these according to the recipe. They turned out super thin. The flavor was strange. Definitely not like a saltines. Into the garbage.
That never happened to me before. You might have rolled the dough out too thin or the dough might have been too wet or dry. I would make sure to follow the ingredients measurements closely.
My first successful sourdough recipe, & SO so tasty! Thank you Natasha!
I’m so glad it was a success! You’re very welcome.
Superb! This recipe is so much simpler and tastier than others I have tried! Maybe it’s our elevation in Central Oregon (3,800 ft) – but I had to bake mine at least 30 mins after the initial 10 mins. I did use my offset spatula to spread as thin as possible. At any rate, my husband and I loved the actual sourdough flavor in these and will definitely be making again!
Thank you Natasha!
You’re very welcome, Carol!
Why do my crackers always stick to the parchment paper? They taste so good but I usually only get half of them at best to not have parchment paper on the bottom
Hi Monte! I haven’t had that happen. You could try lightly dusting the paper with cornstarch or flour although that might make it hard to spread the mixture out. You can also place the crackers and paper on a warm, damp towel with the paper side down. Let it sit for a few minutes. This towel trick can help them release once they’re done baking. I hope that helps.
Made this with salt previously. Would like to try adding Parmesan to it. When in the process would I add it?
Hi Mark, while I haven’t tried this, I would probably add some to the mixture before rolling it out. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Could I use unfed sourdough starter (same amount) instead of the discard?
Hi Marilyn. Yes- it’s essentially the same thing since discard is just unfed starter that you’re getting rid of before feeding your starter.
These look delicious! Where do you buy sourdough discard?
Hi Patricia. It’s homemade. See the section above titled, “what is sourdough starter?”
I linked the recipe to making sourdough starter, click on the red font words.
These look amazing, I have high cholesterol, could I substitute the butter for olive oil?
Hi Sue. I haven’t tested oil so I’m not sure how they would turn out.
I would love a link to the jar she uses to hold her crackers please
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So happy for another sourdough recipe, keep ’em coming! I’ve shared these recipes with my family and friends and now they are hooked on your site 🙂 This is a great cracker recipe I made a few variations. The everything but the ‘bagel seasoning’ is so delicious and I tried the ‘ranch seasoning’ from Trader Joe’s but it just burned – so that one is a no go. And lastly I made a batch with a lovely coarse ground curry powder and that one was the best. Thank you Natasha for your wonderful recipes <3 P.s. All the crackers were gone the same day!
That’s wonderful to great. Thank you for sharing.
These crackers aren’t lasting long at our house!! I sprinkled half the pan with a variety of seeds and the other half with garlic powder and Italian seasoning, yum!
Wowza! These crackers were terrific, and I felt so good to not just be throwing sourdough into the compost. I have a really robust starter, so the crackers puffed and crisped up beautifully. I topped one half with zaatar, and the other with Montreal Steak Spice. Both tasted amazing! I will make another batch to take on my camping trip in a few weeks. Thanks, Natasha! Oh, and do you think that some finely grated cheddar would be a good addition, like Cheezits? Also, if you can come up with a good recipe for sourdough coffee cake, my whole family would worship you (and me too, when I make it!)
Hello Jane! Thanks a lot for your great comments and feedback. I think that adding cheese would be fine, it depends on your preference but that’s a good idea!
Ist try in VRBO was a challenge. I didn’t have a good way to spread the dough and my parchment became loose|wrinkly with the moisture. I ended up using the back of a spatula which worked ok. Once cooked, my hubby took the sheet to determine which flavor he liked best and he ate 2/3 of the pan! I guess this is a keeper! Thanks for the video, I don’t normally need it but found it helpful with the spreading.
Hi Natasha,
Great timing with this recipe because I was wondering what to make with the starter which I have plenty of. I made the crackers right after watching your video and have to say these were the easiest to make and also delicious! Nice knowing what ingredients are in these compared to store bought ones. I will definitely be making some again soon. Thanks for another great one!!😊❤
No clue what ” sour dough discard” might be?🤷🏻♀️
Hi Bonnie. See the blog section above titled, “what is sourdough discard?”
I kept my SD discard from time to time in a bottle, refrigerated. Can i use months old discard?
Hi Natasha,
This looks like a really great recipe!!!!!
I saw Sharky, he sure knows how to use the pizza cutter:)
Can’t wait to make these!!!!!
Good catch, Melinda! I hope you love the recipe!
These turned out so good and they are such a great idea. Loved them.
I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Kate!
This is brilliant! It is crispy and incredibly tasty! Sooo yummy!
What a great & delicious idea!! I hate wasting the discard, so these are the perfect snack to make with it!
It really was such a great discovery for our family also. It always felt wrong to toss the discard and I haven’t tossed it since. I hope you and your family love these discard crackers.
I still do not understand what is sourdough discard. I read your description in this section, and I am still lost. Please help explain. The recipe looks great, and I would like to try it. Thanks
It’s the portion of starter that gets removed as part of its routine maintenance. You can google about it to get more info, Dawn.