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These easy homemade Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers are the perfect addition to your cheese plate, or just to have on hand for snacking. They are so simple to make, and take less than thirty minutes.
Why make Homemade Crackers?
I normally buy some artisanal crackers to go with my cheese plate when hosting guests. Lately I have been really wishing for some rosemary flavored crackers, and so I decided to give homemade crackers a shot. I never have before because I thought it would be really time-consuming and just not worth the effort. Well, let me tell you – it is SO easy, and the homemade crackers are delicious. Totally worth it. Plus if you casually mention that you made those crackers your guests are going to think you are amazing (P.S., you are amazing, they don’t have to know how easy it was!)
Healthy Homemade Baked crackers
Just a few ingredients and less than thirty minutes, and you have some fancy crackers that you made yourself. I decided to use rosemary and sea salt because I get really into rosemary in the winter and it goes so well with cheese. And I sprinkled sea salt on top because I like my crackers a little salty. But you can really flavor this with any herb or spice that you want. These baked crackers are to super crispy and have a few air pockets in them which gives them a rustic look and a nice crunch.
How to make homemade rosemary sea salt crackers
The easiest and fastest way to do this is to roll the dough out right on a piece of parchment paper, cut them with a pizza cutter and then transfer the parchment paper right onto a cookie sheet. When I first envisioned these crackers, I imagined cute little rounds. However, I quickly found that I prefer to just cut these into squares because it is about 10 times faster, and also you don’t waste any of the dough like you do when you cut them into rounds. This means that the crackers have excess flour on them after baking, which is not ideal. If you roll it out on the parchment you don’t need to use as much flour, and it saves you a bit of a mess, which is a win/win. Of course, feel free to cut them out into shapes if you want, you can use cookie cutters or even a small jar or glass.
Tips for making the best homemade crackers
- Roll out the dough as thin as possible. They need to be thin in order to get crispy, but if some parts are thinner than others they will bake unevenly. I use a rolling pin for this but some readers have used a pasta roller.
- Trim the edges. The edges tend to get thinner, so for this batch I trimmed them. You don’t need to do that if you don’t want to, but be aware that the edges might get brown.
- Make sure the dough lays completely flat. If the edges turn up (because they hit the edge of the baking sheet) those parts will not get as crispy and the tops will burn a bit.
- Start with a very hot oven. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees so that it is really hot when they go in, which creates steam. But be sure to turn the oven down to 425 right when you put them in so they don’t burn.
What to serve with homemade rosemary sea salt crackers?
- Cranberry Jalapeno Dip
- Hummus
- Charcuterie
- A variety of cheese
Rosemary Sea Salt Crackers
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup water
- extra sea salt for topping if desired.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 500°F degrees.
- Place flour, salt, sugar and rosemary in a bowl, whisk to combine.
- Stir in water and oil, stir until fully combined.
- Turn dough out onto a lightly floured piece of parchment paper (slightly larger than your baking sheet.)
- Roll the dough until it is about 1/8th of an inch thick. you may need to add a bit of flour because the dough is quite sticky. Try to keep the thickness as even as possible.
- Trim the edges if you want. The edges tend to be thinner and so they may burn in the oven before the rest of the crackers are done.
- Cut the dough into squares using a pizza cutter. Brush with a little water and sprinkle with more sea salt if desired. Use a fork to prick each square a few times.
- Transfer the dough, still on the parchment paper, onto a baking sheet and place it in the oven. Immediately reduce heat to 425°F.
- Bake for 12–17 minutes, or until crackers are starting to become golden.
Notes
**This only makes about 30-40 crackers, so make a double batch (or more) if you are having a party. If you make a double batch, split dough in half and roll out in two batches.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Adapted from The Kitchn
This was originally posted on 12/21/2015. It was updated on 12/16/2022.
Cheese plates are the cornerstone of any good society! I love cheese boards and picking out items for the board. We are limited on cracker choices so I love having a recipe for ones that I can make myself! Love it!
Agreed! I’m so glad we see eye to eye on cheese plates! The crackers are really so good, I hope you give them a try!
Hi Meghan. I made these crackers yesterday and dipped them into my favorite bread spread/dip at them moment, a Syrian walnut and pepper dip. A perfect fit!!! I will make the crackers again for sure. Thanks for the recipe!
Yay, Adina! I’m so glad you made them and loved them! That dip sounds perfect too!
Prepping for my daughter’s wedding and wondering if these can freeze? Cooking for 140 so I’m trying to get some things done ahead. Thanks in advance.
Hi Joy! I have never frozen these before, so I can’t say for sure. With an event as big as a wedding I don’t want to lead you astray! You can make them a day or two ahead and store in an airtight container. If needed, you can crisp them up in the oven for a few minutes the day you serve them. If you do decide to freeze them (keep in mind I am not sure of the results), I would advise letting them cool completely before freezing and then on the day you serve them, allow to thaw and then crisp in the oven for a few minutes if they need it. Congratulations on your daughter’s wedding!
I love cheese plates! They are frequently made into dinner here at my house.
Yes! Cheese plates FTW! Thank you Nicole!
Hi there Meghan: WOWZERS what an inspiration your crackers recipe is!!!! Store-bought crackers (aside from being expensive) are usually too salty, too bland, too filled with who knows what ingredients and on and on. Fred Meyer is also my favorite store; their specialty cheese areas are beyond fabulous. Great cheese suggestions too. Thanks for a great post and Happy New Year.
Thank you so much Lizzie! It is so nice to have control over what goes into our food. I’m so glad you liked the recipe and the cheese suggestions – how could I go wrong with cheese?? 🙂 Have a Happy New Year!
Wow! Just wow! These crackers look incredible with that sprinkling of rosemary and sea salt. My mouth is watering and I only just ate breakfast. Gorgeous! Merry Christmas to you and your family xx
Thank you so much Jess! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Mmmm… homemade crackers are the best, espcially when rosemary is involved! I forget how easy it is to make homemade crackers… but I adore them! Everything looks just divine Meghan and I’d have a cheese board for dinner too if it looked like this! And I looove Humboldt Fog cheese… so rich and tangy. I know it pairs perfectly with your fabulous crackers! Thank you for this my dear!
Thak you so much Traci! Humbolt Fog is sooo good, it is hard not to eat it for dinner when I have it in the house! 🙂
I love making a dinner of appetizers every once in a while! It’s so fun! These crackers look awesome and of course that cheese plate! Happy holidays!!
Thank you Ashley! Wishing you a Happy Holiday as well!
A great post, Meghan! I love your cheese recommendations, and the food photography here is stunning! There’s nothing like a cheese platter to share with loved ones at this time of year. We’re huge cheese fans in this house, too. My partner Daniel is French so naturally, we consume quite a lot of it! Lately we’ve been enjoying goat’s milk and sheep’s milk cheeses quite a lot, and a nice ripe camembert or brie usually makes an appearance on our table after dinner each night. Oh the little pleasures in life 🙂
Thank you so much Lisa! Cheese is always a winner, and I do love goats cheese the most I think 🙂
This looks so delicious! The crackers sound amazing, thank you for share this tips, I will take a try!!!
Thank you Mary!
Wow, I never even thought of the possibility of making homemade crackers – I just always think of crackers as something that comes in a box 🙂 Your crackers and the cheese plate look amazing! Cheese plate is always everyone’s favorite appetizer – at parties people always gather around it until it’s all gone!
Thank you so much Melanie! I know, I didn’t think of making crackers until recently either, but I was surprised at how easy it was!
I totally wish you and your hubby were our neighbors! Boy and I LOVE appetizer night!! Your cheese plate looks absolutely perfect, Meghan! And those rosemary and sea salt crackers are beyond delish – perfectly crispy and begging to be devoured! LOVE THIS POST! 🙂 Feel free to pack it all up and ship it to me! Wink Wink. Cheers, doll! <3
That would be SO FUN! Thank you Cheyanne! Sending you some holiday cheer, at least, if not cheese 🙂
I make cheese board “dinners” all the time – especially when my mom comes to visit – a little of this and a little of that with a glass of wine and you’ve got a perfect, easy meal. And I love that you made your own crackers – very impressive! Will definitely need to try making them. Have a wonderful holiday, Meghan!
Yes, it is the perfect meal! Thank you Geraldine, I hope you try them and have a very happy holiday as well!
What a lovely spread, m’dear!! Homemade crackers are the best! Have you ever made graham crackers??
Thank you Lauren! No, I keep meaning to make graham crackers but have never done it, I bet they taste amazing!
I love the fancy cheese section of the grocery store!!! Last year, after I finished finals, that’s were I may or may not have celebrated. Also, I’m so into appetizers-as-dinner idea. It feels like I’m eating more, because there’s a bigger selection. Win.
But if I didn’t have a fancy cheese on hand, I wouldn’t worry, cause these crackers would rock any rind. Simple snacking at its best!
Thank you Annie! Fancy cheese is a must for any celebration 🙂
A wonderful inspiring post. We are appetizer for dinner types here too, so this is right up our alley. Humbolt Fog is one of our longtime faves! Your crackers look so ‘professional’ I’m really impressed!
Thank you so much Sue, that is so nice! I made them a few times, so I had some practice 🙂 Also using the pizza cutter to cut them works really well. Isn’t Humbolt Fog the best?
This is perfect timing for me, & I also love Rosemary, as does my Hubby! Your instructions are wonderfully detailed & give me the confidence to give it a try!
Also, love the combo & variety of items you suggest to present on my h’ordevore tray! ❤️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I hope you try them, let me know if you do!
I love that you made your own crackers. Such a great addition to a cheese board!
Thank you Rachel! They do really take a cheese board up a notch!
You really put me in the mood for such a platter, it looks delicious! The crackers sound wonderful, I like making and eating crackers a lot, I am keeping this in mind.
Thank you Adina! I was surprised how simple it was to make them!
Thanks for posting this recipe!
I made some modifications as I went along…
First, I doubled the recipe.
I wanted the crackers to be uniform in thickness so I ran them through a pasta machine so that they were about as thin as I could have managed to roll them. I proceeded with your instructions. They came out good. I did this with half of the batch.
I sometimes buy a product from Trader Joes that we all love that I was pretty sure I could replicate so…
I ran the second batch through the pasta machine on the very thinnest setting, poked them all over with a fork, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled on more salt WITHOUT CUTTING THEM. The result was fantastic!!! Very thin, very sturdy, very crispy WONDERFUL rosemary sea salt crisps that you can break off to the size you want!
Thanks for the initial recipe! I needed a homemade Christmas gift idea and this is it!!!!!! My friends will be happy!!!!
That is a great idea to put it through the pasta machine to make them super thin. Love the crisp idea! Thanks Andrea!
That’s a great idea and I’m totally using it! Thank you both!!
This is such a great recommendation of cheeses! I need to make these crackers. I tried making crackers once a long time ago and they didn’t turn out. I can’t even remember what was wrong with them. I think I’d better give it a go again….yours look wonderful!
Thanks Kathy! You should definitely give them another try! I think the trickiest part is just rolling them out thinly enough.