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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I’ve made these twice this week. They are delicious and your instructions are very easy to follow. This evening, I decided at 5 p.m. to bake them and was able to take them to a neighborhood gathering at 6.
Oh my gosh, these are so fast and so easy! This is the best thing I have made using my sourdough starter discard. These turned out fabulous on my first try! Besides healthy snacking, I’m going to use this as a base for my avocado toast in the morning, and I can’t wait to try some of your Dip recipes.
I chose to add everything but the bagel seasoning, sunflower seeds, and Parmesan cheese. I feel like this is going to be a healthy way to use my discard and thank you so much for this recipe!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Lola! Don’t you just love using up what we can for something so good, especially discard!
Love the recipe!!!! What tool did you use to make the serrated look?
Hi Lisa! See the section above, “What is the Best Tool to Score Crackers?” I linked it there and the tool is also captured in the image I included.
Best Sourdough Discard cracker I’ve ever made and I’ve tried many. So good and so easy (and so crunchy). Can they be made with olive oil instead of butter?
GLad to hear that you love this recipe! Olive oil should be alright, just keep in mind that the flavor and texture will be a bit different from butter, but it will still be delicious.
Made these crackers with 9 day old discard and they were a little too sour but that didn’t stop them from getting devoured. Will definitely make them again and with them being so easy, I won’t wait so long to use up the discard!
Excellent!! We are addicted!! I’ve made the 3 times, delicious and super crunchy!!
Chewy. How can I make them more cracker like?
Hi Mary! Did you spread it out thin enough? You can also try baking a little while longer.
We make these on repeat in our house. I got hooked on them in Ireland last year and now I feel fancy making them at home. They are great for our cheese platters or just to snack on by themselves. Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you all enjoyed it!
Thank you for this recipe! I’ve tried 2 times and both have stuck. Ive tried drying on the damp towel. Will try to sprinkle flour but can’t imagine that working because of the spreading part. Any other suggestions?
HI Claire, are you using parchment paper? They shouldn’t stick at all to parchment. Also make sure they are getting fully dried out in the oven. They should sound crisp when you tap on them. Watch the video to see my process and hopefully that helps.
These were so yummy!!! The first batch stuck to the store brand parchment paper, so the next batch I used Kirkland brand and they didn’t stick. Super simple to make! Thanks!!
Excellent result! And very quick, my crackers were crisp and delicious! Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Anne!
These unfortunately did not work well at all for me. I think it depends on the shape your sourdough discard is in. They were brown all along the edges and I had to practically burn them to get the middle golden and cracker-like.
Hi Nancy, was your starter very old or hadn’t been fed in a long time? What you are describing sounds more like the dough was spread thicker in the center than at the edges. Spreading the dough evenly will hep with that.
Hi! I’m wondering if there’s any variation of this recipe where I could add a veggie. I’m wanting to get some hidden veggies in my son’s snacks! TIA!
I have not tried that variation yet but I think it’s an excellent idea and experiment! If you give that a try, we’d love to know how it turns out!
I added one skinned and pureed zucchini to this recipe and it turned out great! You can’t even taste the veggie!
That’s great to know, Hayley! Thank you for sharing.
Just a thought…I dehydrate veggies and vacuum seal them in jars. I occasionally take a combo of them & pulse together into a fine powder, then vacuum seal portions of that. (My last batch has 8 veggies!) My daughter (with a 5 year old) adds it to everything to boost veggies for the little guy. Also, my good friend whose husband hates veggies does the same. There’s no allergies involved here, just “I don’t like that” situation. I just found this recipe & will test it with the crackers I make tomorrow when I go down my ‘sour dough rabbit hole tomorrow’.lol Will try to finely sprinkle the powder on top, it will be pretty as well as nutritious. Will recomment after trial.
I love how easy and delicious these crackers are! I made one batch with everything bagel seasoning, and another with dill weed and garlic powder.
They were easy to make and they were really good.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Saundra!
hello, these look delicious! My friend recommended them to me. I am Gluten Free have you ever made these with gf flour? Any thoughts or suggestions? Best,
Hi Suzi! I have not tested GF flour to make a starter. I know it’s possible, and I don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to use GF sourdough starter in this recipe if you have it on hand.
I love these! We did 3 flavors – Slap ya mama, Parmasean, and everything bagel. So yummy. I have 1 question- i had to peel each individual cracker off the parchment. It was tedious. Should I have sprayed the parchment first?
Those sound great! Yes, you can try to spray it if it continues to stick. I didn’t have to but I’m sure it can help.
Can you share your Parmesan cracker recipe? I can’t find it online. Sounds so good!
These are wonderful. So easy to make and great flavor. My only concern now is having enough starter. I think I could make a batch everyday and they would not make it to the next day.
I made these to go with carrot ginger soup. They are incredible and very easy to make!
I love all your recipes. I’ve made dozens and dozens of your recipes and have always been so happy with the results. Thank you!! Crackers are amazing.
I’m so glad to hear that, Carol! I hope you get to try even more very soon! Thank you for your wonderful review.
Nice recipe, first batch I really limited the salt as suggested, but I prefer a salty cracker. Increased salt topping on 2nd batch and they were perfect. Easy and quick! Thanks for sharing.