How to Make Homemade Butter Thins Crackers

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 6 servings

Crackers are an underrated side dish that deserves a better place on your table. Salty, buttery, crisp, and perfect to serve alongside soups, stews, and cheese platters, crackers are a budget-friendly and easy recipe to make at home. Our buttery crackers can brighten a kid's lunchbox or complement a bowl of soup. Great as snacks when served with sweet or savory spreads, this simple recipe will put crunchy, additive-free crackers on your table so you won't have to worry about odd ingredients or high levels of sodium in store-bought products.

The flavor of this ever-so-slightly sweet cracker is similar to Wheat Thins. The buttery flavor and flaky, light texture will make a bowl of them very popular at your next gathering. Because these homemade crackers have a little bit of sweetness to them, they'll taste especially good with sharp or salty cheeses like Grafton Village Cheddar or Bravo Farms Cheddar. Tangy blue cheese like Stilton, Cashel Blue or Rogue River Blue also pairs well. Serve with hummus and olives for a quick appetizer during cocktail hour or make mini nut butter and jelly sandwiches for snack time. No matter how you decide to use them, we guarantee you won't go back to store-bought crackers—they're too delicious and fun to make.

If you've never attempted to make your own crackers, you simply need to be patient and roll the dough as thin as you can. Shape them to your liking: round or square looks amazing, or perhaps heart-shaped for Valentine's Day. Use white or whole-wheat flour and swap the butter out for vegan margarine to make a vegan-friendly version.

Butter thins resting on a white serving platter

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cups flour, whole wheat or white; plus more for dusting

  • 1 tablespoon sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

  • 1/3 cup room temperature water

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for butter thins gathered

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  2. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

    A baking sheet lined with parchment paper

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  3. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor.

    Flour, sugar, and salt that have been blended in a food processor

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  4. Add the butter and process until the butter is fully incorporated. With the blade running, add water and blend until a smooth dough forms. If you need to, pause the food processor and push down any bits stuck to the sides of the processor to ensure all the ingredients are added to the dough.

    Butter added to the food processor mixture

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  5. Once smooth, remove the dough and divide it into 4 equal-sized pieces.

    Dough divided into 4 equal-sized pieces

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  6. Lightly flour your work surface and roll one of the dough pieces into a large rectangle. As you roll the dough out, lift it up frequently and turn it to keep it from sticking to your work surface. Make the dough as thin as you can. The thinner the crackers are, the flakier and tastier they will be.

    Dough rolled into a thin, flat circle

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  7. Use a pizza cutter or butter knife to cut the dough into 1 1/2-inch square crackers. Form a ball from all the scraps and make more crackers. Repeat the process with all 4 pieces of dough. Place the cut crackers on the baking sheet.

    Thin, square cuts of dough placed on the parchment-lined baking sheet

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  8. Bake the crackers until crisp and lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Cool before storing in an airtight container.

    Baked crackers resting on a baking sheet

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  9. Enjoy.

Freeze the Dough

If you don't plan on making the full batch, the cracker dough can be wrapped tightly in plastic and frozen. Fully defrost the dough overnight in the fridge before rolling and baking as instructed.

Add-Ons for Flavored Crackers

This easy recipe is the perfect base for making flavored crackers. Here are a few suggestions:

  • Sprinkle coarse sea salt, pink salt, or seasoned salt on top of the crackers before baking.
  • Use seeds, such as poppy or sesame, on the top of the crackers prior to baking, or mix 1 to 2 tablespoons of your favorite seeds into the dough. Alternatively, sprinkle everything bagel seasoning on the crackers.
  • Sprinkle with a combination of white and black sesame seeds for a pretty finish.
  • Add garlic or onion salt, or a teaspoon of powdered garlic or onion, into the dough.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
171 Calories
8g Fat
22g Carbs
3g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 171
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 5g 24%
Cholesterol 20mg 7%
Sodium 107mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 22g 8%
Dietary Fiber 1g 3%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 7mg 1%
Iron 1mg 7%
Potassium 30mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)