What Are Cracker crumbs and How Can I Use Them?

Here's everything worth knowing about cracker crumbs and how to pick them, what they are, how to store them, and what to use instead, plus 86 recipes to cook tonight.

What are cracker crumbs?

Cracker crumbs are exactly what they sound like: crackers crushed to a coarse or fine meal. They do the same work as breadcrumbs, but bring their own salt and fat, which is why a lot of old-fashioned recipes call for them by name instead of plain crumbs.

You can buy them boxed, but most cooks make their own by crushing whatever crackers are in the cupboard. The two that matter most are saltines and Ritz, and they behave differently enough that the choice changes a dish.

Saltine crumbs are lean and salty with a neutral flavor. Ritz crumbs run buttery and a little sweet, so they brown deeper and taste richer.

How to Use Cracker Crumbs

The classic job is binding. Stir a handful into ground meat and they soak up moisture and hold the mix together. That is why they turn up in salmon patties and meatloaf, and Best Salmon Cakes and Crock Pot Brandy Meatballs both use crumbs to keep the mixture tender.

As a coating, crumbs give baked or fried food a crisp shell.

Press them onto chicken or fish before baking for crunch without deep frying, the way Baked Parmesan Chicken Fingers and Favorite Baked Cod do. They also build a quick crust, since crumbs mixed with melted butter and pressed into a pan make a no-roll base for savory pies and cheesecakes.

To make your own, seal crackers in a zip-top bag and crush with a rolling pin, or pulse them in a food processor. About 28 saltines or 24 Ritz crush down to roughly 1 cup of crumbs.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Cracker crumbs suit anything that needs body or a crisp surface: ground meats, seafood cakes, casserole toppings, stuffed vegetables. Pick saltines when you want a neutral background and Ritz when you want buttery richness to come through.

The mistake that catches people is salt. Crackers already contain plenty, so a recipe written for plain breadcrumbs will come out too salty if you swap crumbs in without cutting the added salt. Taste the raw mix before you cook it.

The other mistake is crushing too fine for a coating. A powder-fine crumb turns gummy and pasty on the surface, while a coarse, gravelly crumb stays crisp. Leave some texture when the goal is crunch.

Substitutes

Dry breadcrumbs or panko are the closest swap, one for one. Add a pinch of salt and a little butter to mimic what the crackers brought, since plain crumbs carry neither. Panko gives the crunchiest coating of the three.

Crushed cornflakes or pretzels work for a coating when you want extra crunch or a different flavor. For binding meat, rolled oats or fresh breadcrumbs hold moisture just as well.

For a sweet crumb crust, reach for graham cracker or vanilla wafer crumbs. Keep saltine or Ritz crumbs for savory bases.

Buying and Storing Cracker Crumbs

Boxed cracker meal sits near the breadcrumbs and baking supplies. It is convenient, but crushing your own from a fresh sleeve gives fresher flavor and lets you control how coarse they are.

Store crumbs in an airtight container somewhere cool and dry. Because they are dry to begin with, they keep for a couple of months, though the fat in buttery crackers will eventually go stale.

Crush crackers only when you need them. Pre-crushed crumbs stale faster than whole crackers because more surface is exposed to the air, and once they smell of old oil, throw them out rather than baking with them.

Nutrition

Quick facts

Food group: Cracker crumbs are a member of the Baked Products US Department of Agriculture nutritional food group.

In Chinese

饼干屑

British (UK) term

Cracker crumbs

en français

chapelure de biscuits

en español

migas de galleta

How much do cracker crumbs weigh?

Related

Baked Products

Recipes using cracker crumbs

There are 86 recipes that contain this ingredient.

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This simple and easy-to-follow crockpot recipe will help you make this scrumptious appetizer that tastes wonderful with rice or noodles.

Cheese Squash Casserole

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Peas 'N' Salmon Loaf

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Best Salmon Cakes

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Favorite Baked Cod

Pretty basic, but delicious. I serve with rice pilaf and homemade cole slaw.

Baked Parmesan Chicken Fingers (Low Fat)

This crispy crunchy are baked in the oven and to add moist juicy flavor the chicken strips are soaked in a buttermilk marinade. There is then no need for egg and no need for frying making this recipe low in fat and high in goodness.

North Carolina Burgers

North Carolina burgers with ground chuck mixed with applesauce, onion soup mix, Worcestershire sauce, cracker crumbs, and hot sauce. A juicy, tangy Southern-style burger for the grill.

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Holiday crescent rolls filled with chopped cranberries, orange zest, ginger, and cracker crumbs. A quick, festive appetizer or snack using store-bought crescent dough.

Salmon Croquettes with Remoulade Sauce

Salmon croquettes with remoulade sauce: pantry-friendly canned salmon patties bound with mayo, mustard, tarragon, and cracker crumbs, then pan-fried golden and served with carrot slaw and tangy remoulade.

Sweet Onion & Ricotta Cheesecake With Cranberries & Sage

Sweet onion and ricotta cheesecake with cranberries and sage!

Amazing Chicken Kiev

Chicken Kiev shortcut style: breasts injected with garlic-lemon butter, breaded with Parmesan cracker crumbs, and baked. A clever workaround to the classic stuffed-and-rolled Ukrainian dish.

Carolina Style Polenta

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Scalloped corn deluxe casserole with fresh corn kernels, sharp cheddar, rose wine bechamel, and a buttery cracker-crumb topping. A retro side dish with serious holiday-table presence.

Clam & Corn Chowder with Bacon & Potatoes

Clam and Corn Chowder with Bacon and Potatoes recipe

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Leftover turkey and bacon cheeseburgers bound with eggs and cracker crumbs, pan-fried and topped with American cheese. A smart way to repurpose Thanksgiving turkey into a weeknight dinner.

Pork with Almond Crust

Pork cutlets with a crunchy almond and cracker crust, seasoned with cayenne and coriander, dipped in buttermilk egg wash and pan-fried golden in butter.

Shrimp Stuffed Mushrooms

Shrimp stuffed mushrooms with tarragon, cracker crumbs, and a buttered breadcrumb topping baked golden. A classic seafood appetizer that fills 24 caps in 35 minutes.

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Peanut chops made from rye bread strips spread with peanut butter, dipped in seasoned egg wash, coated in cracker crumbs, and baked until golden. A creative vegetarian main.

Saucy Mini-Loaves

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Confetti Scalloped Potatoes

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Sooz's Salmon Patties

Crispy pan-fried salmon patties packed with onion, green pepper, and shredded carrot, bound with cracker crumbs and egg. A homestyle dinner from a single can of salmon.

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Old-fashioned salmon soup made with canned salmon scalded in milk, butter, and cracker crumbs for thickening. A creamy, simple chowder-style soup with just four pantry staples.

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Mock mincemeat without any meat, made with raisins, molasses, brown sugar, brandy, cracker crumbs, and warm spices. A vegetarian filling for holiday pies.

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Pantry-staple salmon cakes from canned salmon, cracker crumbs, and eggs, browned in butter and served with mushroom or celery soup sauce and fresh fennel. Old-school weeknight dinner in 30 minutes.

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This dish is great for preparing in advance and freezing.

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Chicken Fried Round Steak

Tenderized round steak dipped in egg wash, coated in cracker crumbs, and pan-fried until golden, then braised low and slow under a tight lid. Southern-style chicken fried steak the way mama made it.

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Hearty meatball chowder with walnut-sized beef meatballs, potatoes, carrots, rice, and Mexicorn in a tomato-beef broth. A big-batch soup that feeds a crowd.

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Pacific Clam & Corn Chowder

Creamy clam and corn chowder with bacon, potatoes, and milk thickened with a butter-flour paste. A hearty Pacific Northwest-style chowder topped with cracker crumbs.

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Cracker-Coated Fried Perch

Pan-fried lake perch with a seasoned butter cracker crust, oregano, and tarragon. Crispy, golden, and on the table in 30 minutes for a classic Midwest fish fry at home.

Broiled Oysters

Plump oysters rolled in cracker crumbs and broiled with lemon butter until golden and crispy on the outside, briny and tender within. Just 5 ingredients and 20 minutes.

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Yummy Salmon Patties

Pan-fried salmon patties with double-coated crispy crust: bread crumbs in the mix and crushed saltines on the outside. Lemon-bright, golden, and ready in 25 minutes from canned or cooked salmon.

Low Country Oyster Loaf

Low Country oyster loaf with cracker-crusted fried oysters stuffed inside herbed French bread. A classic Southern seafood sandwich served hot with lemon.

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