Rolled Sourdough Discard Cheese Crackers
These sourdough discard cheese crackers use 240 g of discard and 113 g of sharp cheddar, and they taste like a homemade version of the cheesy, boxed crackers you grew up snacking on. One bowl of dough makes about 60 crackers, with 20 minutes of hands-on time and 16 minutes in the oven. Same golden, savory crunch, but made with real sharp cheddar, butter, and whatever’s sitting in your discard jar. They come together in one bowl, roll out thin, and bake up crisp enough to survive a lunchbox. This is one of my favorite ways to use a big, overdue discard. This is the rolled version, a flour-based dough you chill, roll thin and cut. If you’d rather skip the flour and the rolling pin, my 3-Ingredient Sourdough Discard Cheez-Its Crackers are spread on the pan and baked twice.
Which one is this?Compare all 4 cracker recipes
These 4 cracker recipes are close cousins. Here is how they differ, so you can pick the right one.
- Rolled Sourdough Discard Cheese CrackersYou are here1 hr 6 min · Makes 60 crackers
A flour dough with 240 g of discard and 113 g of cheddar, chilled, rolled to 1/8 inch and baked once.
You want a make-ahead dough and cut-out crackers.
- 3-Ingredient Sourdough Discard Crackers1 hr 5 min · Makes 10 servings
A flour-free, 3-ingredient batter with 200 g of discard as the base, spread on the pan and baked twice.
You want no rolling and no flour.
- Buckwheat Seed Crackers1 hr 2 min · Makes 5 servings
Buckwheat and all-purpose flour with unfed discard and olive oil, plus mixed seeds kneaded in, rolled thin and baked once.
You want a seeded, nutty cracker and have unfed discard to use.
- Swedish Rye Crispbread3 hr 48 min · Makes 24 crackers
Mostly whole rye flour with bread flour, active starter and honey, rolled thin and pricked before baking, with caraway or fennel if you like.
You like rye and have an active starter rather than discard.
Why You’ll Love It
- Uses up a full cup of discard in one go
- Tastes like a from-scratch version of the boxed cheesy crackers, with real cheddar doing all the work
- Bakes up genuinely crisp, not soft or chewy. They hold their crunch for days
- Great lunchbox or snack-drawer staple that travels well
- Dough can be made ahead and chilled for up to 2 days before baking
Ingredients
Volume measurements are included for convenience, but they’re approximate. A kitchen scale will always get you a more consistent batch, especially for the flour.
- Sourdough discard (240 g / 1 cup): Unfed straight from the jar works perfectly here.
- Sharp cheddar cheese (113 g / 1 cup): Finely shredded from a block gives the best flavor and texture; pre-shredded bagged cheese works in a pinch.
- Unsalted butter (57 g / 4 tbsp): Softened, so it creams smoothly with the cheese.
- All-purpose flour (120 g / 1 cup): The base of the dough.
- Fine salt (3 g / ½ tsp): For seasoning. Don’t skip it, the cheese alone isn’t enough.
- Garlic powder (1 g / ¼ tsp): Adds a savory background note.
- Smoked paprika (1 g / ¼ tsp): Optional, but it deepens the color and adds a faint smokiness.
Equipment
Gear guides: Sourdough Equipment Guide·Kitchen Scales·Banneton Sizing·Scoring Tools·Storing the Loaf·Pizza Stone vs. Baking Steel·Shop All Picks →
- Rolling pin: For rolling the dough thin and even.
- Pizza cutter: Makes quick, clean cuts into squares; a sharp knife works too.
- Baking sheet: Line with parchment for even baking and easy cleanup.
- Mixing bowl: for mixing the dough.
- Fork: for poking each cracker once so the steam can escape.
- Parchment paper: keeps the crackers from sticking and makes cleanup easy.
Sample Schedule
Day 1
- Mix the dough and chill for 30 minutes
- Roll, cut, and bake
Rolled Sourdough Discard Cheese Crackers
Method
- Beat the softened butter and shredded cheddar together until well combined.
- Mix in the sourdough discard until smooth.
- Add the flour, salt, garlic powder, and paprika, and mix until a soft dough forms.
- Shape into a disc, wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Roll out to about 1/8 inch thick on a floured surface and cut into roughly 2-inch squares. Poke each one once with a fork.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and bake on a parchment-lined sheet for 14 to 18 minutes, until golden and firm. Cool completely on the pan before storing.
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How to Make It
1Cream the butter and cheese. In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter and shredded cheddar together until well combined and no large streaks of butter remain.
2Mix in the discard. Add the sourdough discard and stir until the mixture is smooth and evenly combined.
3Add the dry ingredients. Add the flour, salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Mix until a shaggy dough forms, then finish bringing it together with your hands. It should feel soft but not sticky.
4Chill the dough. Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap it, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. This makes it much easier to roll thin.
5Roll and cut. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick. Thinner than you’d think, since these puff slightly in the oven. Cut into roughly 2-inch squares with a pizza cutter or knife, and poke each one once in the center with a fork so they bake flat instead of bubbling up.
6Bake. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Transfer the crackers to a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a little space between them, and bake for 14 to 18 minutes, until golden brown and firm at the edges. Let them cool completely on the pan. They crisp up further as they cool.
Tips & Troubleshooting
- Rolling the dough thin is the single biggest factor in getting a crisp, crunchy cracker instead of a soft one. If in doubt, go thinner. A finely shredded, sharp cheddar melts more evenly into the dough than a pre-shredded bag (which is often coated in starch to prevent clumping) and gives a stronger cheese flavor. If your crackers puff up unevenly in the oven, poke a few more holes with the fork before baking the next round.
How to Store
Once fully cooled, store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If they lose their crunch, a few minutes in a low oven will crisp them back up. The unbaked dough disc also freezes well for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates per cracker and will vary based on exact ingredients used.
27
CALORIES
2
CARBS (G)
1
PROTEIN (G)
1.5
FAT (G)
0
SUGAR (G)
Desi’s Notes
If you want these extra sharp, add a couple tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan along with the cheddar. It pushes the flavor closer to the boxed version people grew up on. Pepper jack in place of the cheddar makes a spicier version.
This version uses flour and a chilled, rolled dough, which makes about 60 crackers and gives you a dough you can chill for 2 days or freeze for 2 months. For a no-flour, no-rolling option with just discard, butter and cheese, try my 3-Ingredient Sourdough Discard Cheez-Its Crackers.
For a crisp rye cracker bread, see Swedish Sourdough Rye Crispbread.
For troubleshooting discard recipes, see Sourdough Discard Baking Problems.
Before You Bake
Scaling this recipe up or down? Run your numbers through the Sourdough Calculator. And if you want a printable reference for troubleshooting or timing, browse all six Printable Quicksheets.
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