These homemade saltine-style crackers are simple, budget-friendly, and easy to batch-bake when you need a crisp snack for soup, spreads, or plain old nibbling. You get a lightly salted cracker with a tender crunch, and you can keep them classic or season a few trays with garlic salt, chives, or barbecue seasoning if you want to dodge snack boredom.
Crackers are notoriously simple to make and the kids will will enjoy helping make their own snack crackers.
The dough comes together with pantry basics, rolls out thin, and bakes fast, so keep an eye on the oven. Crackers have a real talent for going from golden to overconfident in a hurry.
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 cup shortening
- 1 1/3 cups milk
- Salt, to taste
You can leave the seasoning simple with just salt, or sprinkle a few batches with garlic salt, chives, barbecue seasoning, or sun-dried tomato and garlic for a little variety. If you like making pantry basics from scratch, Make Your Own Garlic Salt is a handy one to keep around.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and shortening until the shortening is evenly worked in.
- Add the milk and blend well to form a dough.
- Shape the dough into a ball, then divide it into 4 equal pieces.
- Roll each piece very thin on a lightly floured surface.
- Cut the dough with a cookie cutter or a pastry wheel with crinkled edges.
- Transfer the pieces to an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Prick each cracker 4 to 5 times with a fork. If you want the classic store-bought look, use a shish-kebab stick for smaller holes.
- Sprinkle with salt or your choice of seasoning.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden. Watch closely so they do not burn.
- Cool completely before storing or serving.
Tips for Crisp Crackers
Roll the dough thin. That is the difference between a crisp snack cracker and a soft biscuit pretending to be one.
Prick the tops. Those little holes help steam escape so the crackers bake flatter and crisper.
Cool them all the way. Steam trapped in a container will soften the batch faster than you can say, “why are these chewy?” Let them cool completely first.
Bake in batches if needed. Overcrowded pans can give you uneven browning, and crackers this thin do not need extra drama.
Flavor Variations
- Classic salted: Sprinkle with plain salt before baking.
- Garlic: Use a light dusting of garlic salt.
- Herb: Add dried chives or a pinch of mixed herbs.
- Barbecue: Sprinkle lightly with barbecue seasoning for a smoky snack cracker.
- Savory tomato: Try sun-dried tomato and garlic seasoning on part of the batch.
If you want a sweet-and-salty snack board, pair these with a small bowl of jelly or jam. Grape jelly is especially good here, and it turns an everyday cracker into something that feels a little more deliberate.
Serving Suggestions
Serve these with soup, tuck them beside a simple lunch plate, or use them for soft cheese, peanut butter, or jelly. They also work well anywhere you’d normally reach for store-bought saltines.
For a fun snack upgrade, try them with jelly, or turn them into a homemade version of seasoned snack crackers. If you like that idea, Buttered Saltine Crackers is worth a look.
Storage and Shelf Life
Store the cooled crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week for best texture. If your kitchen runs humid, tuck them into a very well-sealed container and keep them in a cool, dry spot, because moisture is what steals their crunch first.
If you want to refresh a batch that has softened a little, spread the crackers on a baking sheet and warm them briefly in a low oven, then cool completely before storing again.
For food safety and storage basics, the USDA recommends refrigerating perishable leftovers within 2 hours and using them within 3 to 4 days. That matters most if you top these crackers with dairy-based spreads, meat salads, or other perishable fillings rather than storing the plain crackers by themselves.
💸 Budget101® Price Breakdown: Make Your Own Saltine Crackers
Ingredient |
Walmart Item |
Pkg Price |
Amount Used |
Cost Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Flour |
$2.96 |
4 C. |
$0.63 |
|
Baking powder |
$1.24 |
1 t. |
$0.02 |
|
Shortening |
$3.98 |
3/4 C. |
$0.45 |
|
Milk |
$2.52 |
1 1/3 C. |
$0.21 |
|
Salt to taste |
$0.62 |
1 ≈ a light shake or pinch |
$0.01 |
💸 |
Cost |
|---|---|
🧾 Total Batch Cost |
$1.32 |
👨👩👧👦 Cost Per Serving |
$0.02 |
📅 Walmart prices last verified August 26, 2026. Prices may vary by location and are subject to change. Learn how to calculate the cost of a recipe on your own!
🛒 Walmart Grocery List
- All-Purpose Flour, 5 lb
- Baking Powder, 8.1 oz
- Vegetable Shortening, 48 oz
- Whole Milk, 1 Gallon
- Plain Salt, 26 oz
Not sure exactly what this batch costs you per serving? Here’s how to break down the real cost of any recipe so you know before you shop.
Frequently Asked Questions about Make Your Own Saltine Crackers
You can, but the texture will change. Shortening gives you a crisper, more tender cracker because it stays solid differently in the dough, while butter adds water and can make the crackers a little less snappy unless you roll them very thin and bake them carefully.
Those holes help steam escape so the crackers stay flatter and bake more evenly. Skip that step and you may get puffy little crackers that taste fine but look more like accidental pastry than saltines.
Roll it as thin and even as you can manage, roughly around 1/16 inch if you like a very crisp cracker. Thick spots stay bready while thin spots brown first, so even rolling matters just as much as thin rolling.
Absolutely. Bake them, cool them completely, then store them airtight for up to 1 week for the best crunch. If they soften a bit, a few minutes in a low oven can perk them back up nicely.
Light, dry seasonings work best because they stick without making the tops damp. Plain salt, garlic salt, dried chives, barbecue seasoning, or a tomato-garlic blend all work well, but use a light hand so the crackers still bake crisp instead of wearing a heavy spice coat.
Yes, freezing the dough is the easier option if you want to work ahead. Divide it into 4 portions first, wrap each one well, and thaw it in the refrigerator before rolling so you do not have to wrestle one giant cold lump on baking day.
Cool them completely before storing and use a truly airtight container. Any trapped steam or kitchen humidity will soften them fast, which is annoying but fixable if you crisp them back up in the oven.
Yes, and squares are usually faster. A pastry wheel makes quick work of it and gives you neat edges, so you can cut a whole sheet at once instead of fussing with round scraps.
They’re great with soup, soft cheese, peanut butter, or jelly. They also work well on a snack tray because their flavor is mild enough to go savory or sweet without competing with everything else on the plate.
That depends on how thin you roll the dough and what size cutter you use, but expect about 64 small crackers as a practical estimate. If you cut them larger, you will get fewer, and if you roll the dough extra thin, you may squeeze out a few more.
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Did you make this recipe? Tell us how you served your crackers or what seasoning you tried in the comments. Your notes help the next cook skip the guesswork.
🖨️ Print-Friendly Make Your Own Saltine Crackers
Make Your Own Saltine Crackers
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Mix the flour, baking powder, and shortening until combined.
- Add the milk and blend well to form a dough.
- Form the dough into a ball and divide it into 4 pieces.
- Roll each piece very thin.
- Cut with a cookie cutter or pastry wheel.
- Place the crackers on a cookie sheet.
- Prick each cracker 4 to 5 times with a fork or a skewer.
- Sprinkle with salt or other seasonings, if desired.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden.
- Cool completely before serving or storing.
Recipe Size Alteration
💡 If you altered the ingredients above by doubling or tripling the recipe, you may also need to change the pan/dish size and adjust the cook time.
Notes
Prep time is an editorial estimate based on mixing, rolling, cutting, and docking the dough.
Store cooled crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week for best texture.
If topped with perishable spreads or fillings, refrigerate within 2 hours and use within 3 to 4 days.
can you use half wheat and half regular flour for a wheat cracker?
Yes, but you might need to add an additional TBS of Milk for easier rolling.
can these be made gluten free?
I’ve never tried it bette- if you give it a try, let us know how they came out!
how many crackers will this batch make?
i didn’t like these, they came out too floury and didn’t brown well. also, you have to roll them paper thin in order to get them to be crispy.
my husband will love these. going to make them this coming weekend. ty for posting
i’ve made finnish rye crackers before. crackers are easy to make, and fun to eat! yum
i can hardly wait to try theis recipe.
HI Liss.
can i use butter instead of shortening fir this recipe? to make them buttery
please let me know by e-mailing me at (email removed)
I’ve never tried so I don’t know how they’d come out. If you give it a whirl let us know how it worked for you!
I don’t see why not, I make copycat ritz crackers using real butter instead of shortening. The trick is to use COLD butter and pulse it with a food processor, so little bits of butter remain. You don’t want to use melted or soft butter. Also, another trick I learned is to use a pasta roller to roll the dough out smoothly. It makes them the perfect thickness.