Cheese flavored crackers is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 12 recipes to get you started.

What are cheese flavored crackers?

Cheese-flavored crackers are small, crisp baked crackers made with real cheese, the square Cheez-It and the round cheese Ritz being the two everyone pictures. They are salty and sharp, with a buttery snap that comes from a short, layered dough.

Most of the cheese flavor is cheddar, baked right into the dough rather than dusted on top. That is why they taste of cheese all the way through and brown so deeply.

That built-in fat and salt makes them as useful in the kitchen as in a snack bowl.

How to Use Them

Out of the box they are a lunchbox and party staple. Their other life is crushed, where they double as a seasoned crumb that already carries cheese and butter.

Crushed fine, they top casseroles. Scattered over the dish before baking, they crisp into a golden, cheesy crust, the move behind Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole, Golden Crumb Broccoli, and both tuna noodle bakes here.

As a coating, they bread chicken or fish the way plain crumbs do, but with more flavor; press the crushed crackers onto the food and bake or fry. They also bind and season meat, standing in for breadcrumbs in a Cheddar Cheese Meatloaf or Chili-Cheese Meat Loaf.

Whole, they are the backbone of a baked party mix. Tossed with cereal and nuts in a buttery seasoned coating, then baked low, they pick up the flavor and stay crunchy, as in a Snack: Perky Party Mix.

A rough crumb yield helps when a recipe calls for a cup: about 28 to 30 square cheese crackers, or roughly 24 round ones, crush down to 1 cup of coarse crumbs.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

The sharp-cheddar-and-salt flavor pairs with tuna and salmon, with mild vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower that want a savory lift, and with ground beef. It also sets that salty note against sweet or tangy partners, which is why party mixes balance the crackers with nuts and a little Worcestershire.

The biggest mistake is salting the dish as if the crackers were neutral. They already bring plenty of sodium, so taste before you add salt to a casserole or meatloaf that includes them.

The second is crushing them too soon. Crackers go soft fast once they hit a wet mix, so press a crumb coating on just before cooking, and add a cracker topping in the last stretch of baking so it crisps instead of sogging.

Substitutes

For a crushed topping or coating, plain butter crackers like Ritz work, with a handful of grated cheddar stirred in to make up the cheese. Cheese-flavored snack crisps or cheese puffs crush into a similar seasoned crumb, though they are airier and less crisp once baked.

Panko or dried breadcrumbs cover the texture but bring no cheese, so add grated hard cheese and a pinch of salt to match. In a party mix, any sturdy savory cracker holds up; cheese crackers just add the most built-in flavor.

For snacking, there is no real substitute for the specific tang and crunch. A sharp cheese straw comes closest.

Buying and Storage

You will find them in the cracker and snack aisle, in boxes or single-serve bags, from plain to white-cheddar to extra-sharp. The whole-grain and reduced-sodium versions behave the same in recipes, though reduced-sodium ones give you more control when seasoning a dish.

Unopened, a box keeps for months; check the date for freshness, not safety. Once opened, the enemy is humidity, which turns them stale and leathery. Reseal the inner liner tightly or move them to an airtight container, and store at room temperature, never the fridge, where they soften faster.

Stale crackers are not wasted. A few minutes in a 300°F (150°C) oven re-crisps them, and softened ones are perfectly good crushed for a topping or coating.

Quick facts

Where to find cheese flavored crackers: Cheese flavored crackers are usually found in the asian section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

In Chinese

饼干，奶酪风味

British (UK) term

Crackers, cheese flavored

en français

craquelins, saveur de fromage

en español

galletas, con sabor a queso

Recipes using cheese flavored crackers

There are 12 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 12 cheese flavored crackers recipes