These sourdough crackers are perfectly crisp and slightly tangy.

They are made with sourdough discard and are perfect for dips, topped with slices of cheese, or just eating by the handful. The best part about making your own homemade crackers is that they are a blank canvas. You can keep them plain or flavor them with a variety of herbs, spices, or cheeses.

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These sourdough crackers are one of my favorite sourdough discard recipes. There is no kneading, rising, or rolling, you probably have all of the items in your pantry already, they are endlessly customizable, and they take just minutes to mix up. They taste delicious alongside this creamy oven-roasted tomato soup.

If you are looking for more simple ways to use your sourdough discard, try these sourdough discard flatbread, sourdough snickerdoodles, or this sourdough banana bread recipe.

What are sourdough discard crackers?

Sourdough discard crackers are simply crackers made with sourdough discard. Sourdough discard is the part of your sourdough starter that you usually throw away when you feed it. I feel guilty about throwing away food and am always looking for ways to reduce food waste.

Sourdough discard is a 1:1 mix of flour and water. Theoretically, you could use it in any recipe that calls for flour and a liquid by making a few adjustments. In fact, I am using my sourdough starter for more discard recipes than loaves of bread.

This recipe uses sourdough discard that is at 100% hydration (fed with equal parts flour and water) from any step in the sourdough starter process. It can be bubbly and freshly fed, dormant from sitting in your refrigerator, or anywhere in between. It also doesn’t matter what type of flour your starter has been fed with. All-purpose, whole wheat, or any variety of flour will work.

Sourdough Tip: Keep a glass jar in your refrigerator to store your sourdough discard. Continue adding to it until you have enough to make your chosen sourdough discard recipe.

What do sourdough crackers taste like?

These crackers are thin and crispy with that signature sourdough twang. You can add a variety of ingredients like cheese, seeds, herbs, and spices to change their flavor.

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How to make sourdough crackers

These sourdough crackers are super simple to make. There are only four simple ingredients; sourdough discard, melted butter, baking powder, and salt.

I have tried a few other cracker recipes that required rolling out the dough but I always struggled to get my dough thin enough and an even thickness, which meant all of my crackers were cooking at different rates.

This is a very liquidy batter that spreads easily using an offset spatula or by simply tilting the baking sheet.

What if you don’t have any sourdough discard?

If you don’t have any sourdough discard you can make a poolish. A poolish is simply a one to one mixture of flour and water. For this recipe, I would combine 1/2 cup (120g) of flour with 1/2 cup (120g) of water plus a pinch of yeast (active or instant is fine). To replicate the sourdough flavor, allow the poolish to ripen at room temperature for at least 12 hours before continuing with the sourdough cracker recipe.

If you would like to make your own sourdough starter, there are several tutorials online that teach you how to create and care for a sourdough starter. Some of my favorites can be found at King Arthur Flour or Feasting at Home.

If you have questions about maintaining your sourdough starter, watch this super helpful video from Baker Bettie.

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If you’re feeling nervous about starting your sourdough journey and wish you had someone to walk you through the process step by step, I urge you to try these courses from Heather at Leavenly.com.

Don’t work your life around sourdough… Make sourdough work for you!

Through my new love for sourdough bread baking, I developed the flexible and customizable Leavenly Process to help other busy moms avoid the common pitfalls and challenges plaguing home bakers. The Leavenly Process allowed me to adapt any sourdough recipe to fit my climate, my ingredients, my life. I was no longer intimidated by sourdough. I said goodbye to unrealistic Instagram expectations. I was free of frustration! – Heather from Leavenly.com

Trouble-Free Sourdough Starter

This course includes:

• 10 Days of written step-by-step easy to follow instructions
• Troubleshooting tips
• Bonus video links, additional free resources, & community support
• 30-day money-back satisfaction guarantee 
• And more…

Sourdough for Busy Moms

This course includes:

• A how-to video guide from start to finish
• Scheduling tips and guidelines
• Starter issues, like feedings and smell
• Common challenges and troubleshooting for both your starter and your bread
• Scoring methods and designs 
• Shaping techniques for boules and batards
• Benefits of cold-proofing your dough
• Thorough explanation of hydration, and why it matters
• Adding different ingredients to your dough

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As you get to know your starter you can adjust your process to suit your routine. Because I wanted to reduce the amount of discard I generate I have actually converted my starter to a micro starter which you can read more about at Cooks Illustrated.

What kinds of flavors can you add?

Almost anything you can dream up! Feel free to add your own unique twist.

You can add different seeds to make them seeded crackers like sesame, flaxseeds, chia seeds, poppy seeds, or chopped-up sunflower or pumpkin seeds. You can also add dried or fresh herbs or try adding some cheese, ranch, or bbq seasoning.

Here are a few of my favorite flavor combinations:

Garlic Herb

• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons of dried herbs like basil, oregano, Italian seasoning, etc

Spiced Cheddar

• 2.5 teaspoons of cheddar powder or finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese (I have tried a few different cheese powders and this one from King Arthur Flour is my favorite.)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Black Pepper Parmesan

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2.5 teaspoons grated Parmesan

Mexican Spice

• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Tips

• This is a very liquidy batter that spreads easily using an offset spatula or by simply tilting the baking sheet. I use parchment paper to line the baking sheet but you could also use a silicone baking mat.
• Check your crackers around the 45-minute mark. Baking times for all recipes are only suggestions. The actual baking time will vary depending upon your oven. It is helpful to know your oven and worth purchasing an inexpensive oven thermometer. Oven temperatures can vary as much as 50 degrees plus or minus.

Storing

Once your sourdough crackers have cooled completely store them in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to one week. Limiting their exposure to air will help them to remain crispy longer.

If your crackers do begin to taste stale, pop them into a 225 degrees Fahrenheit oven for 15 minutes to dry them out again.

More sourdough recipes:

• Sourdough Discard Snickerdoodles
• Sourdough Flatbread
• Sourdough Banana Bread
• Sourdough Discard Pita

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Sourdough crackers