Herb and Garlic Sourdough Crackers
on Jun 01, 2020, Updated Mar 11, 2024
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Crispy, salty, and flavorful, these fun herb and garlic sourdough crackers hit the spot for an easy snack that you can make right at home!
Crackers are one of those things that you might not think to make yourself, but once you realize how easy they are, you’ll likely never go back to the grocery store kind!
My Favorite Homemade Sourdough Crackers
Mmmm, homemade crackers. Have you ever made a batch yourself? There’s something extra-delicious about them, if you ask me. I think, because you get to play with the flavors and add what you like coupled with the fact that they’re freshly baked bites, they are always better than the store-bought kind. That’s just my two cents, though! Try them yourself to see if you agree. 🙂
This recipe is made using a sourdough starter. Don’t have one? Check out this comprehensive post all about how to make your own sourdough starter! It’s a lot easier than you might expect, and more versatile, too! You can certainly use your starter to make bread (because, yum) but there are lots of other ways to use it, too! These crackers, cinnamon rolls, and pizza dough are just a few ideas to make the most of your sourdough starter.
I love these crackers for so many reasons. They have that zingy sourdough flavor, plus the added burst of garlic and fresh herbs, and they come together quickly (no overnight waiting like bread!). Amazingly, they last for a while since they’re crunchy and baked. And they’re a great way to use either starter or discard. I hope you love these as much as we do!
Sourdough Cracker Ingredients:
You don’t need many ingredients to make these delicious crackers:
Sourdough discard or starter: Sourdough discard/starter is key to creating that tart sourdough flavor.
Light oil: Oil helps the dough come together and the crackers crisp up as they bake.
Water: Water is the main liquid to bring the dough together.
Flour: You’ll use half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour.
Salt: Salt is needed to balance the flavors and give the crackers a nice savory kick.
Onion and garlic powders: I love the combo of these two seasonings to make the crackers flavorful and rich.
Fresh herbs: Fresh herbs up the flavor and make the crackers look beautiful! Any herbs will work, like basil, chives, thyme, rosemary, or sage.
Coarse salt: Add coarse salt to the tops of the crackers before baking for a little extra salty kick.
How to Make Sourdough Crackers:
Sourdough crackers are so simple and don’t take long at all to bake! You’ll love them.
- Whisk sourdough starter or discard, oil, and water until well combined.
- Stir in the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Knead dough on the counter to fully incorporate all of the flour.
- Knead in the herbs.
- Place the dough in the bowl, and let it rest 30 minutes to 8 hours.
- Divide dough in two.
- Roll out one piece of the dough on a piece of parchment paper until 1/4-inch thick; move the parchment onto a large baking sheet.
- Cut the dough into 1- to 1.5-inch squares. Prick the center of each square with a fork.
- Repeat with the remaining half of dough on another sheet of parchment.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃).
- Brush the top of the crackers with a little more oil; sprinkle evenly with coarse salt.
- Bake until the crackers about 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through.
- Let the crackers cool, and enjoy right away or store in an airtight container for longer storage.
Tips for The Best Sourdough Crackers:
These crackers are so, so easy. Here are some simple tips to remember as you make them!
- Use half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour: This makes the texture a tad denser and perfect for sturdy crackers.
- The coarse salt on top is not optional! Even though there’s salt in the cracker dough, extra salt on top makes these the most delicious. Don’t skip it!
- The crackers will be golden-brown when done baking: Although they might not feel totally crispy, the crackers crisp up more as they cool. They’ll look golden-brown when they’re done in the oven, about 25 minutes of baking. Rotate the pans halfway through to ensure even cooking.
What to Eat With Homemade Crackers:
Ah, these sourdough crackers go well with so much! And they’re so tasty and flavorful that I can just eat them plain. Here are a few things to try them with:
- Sliced cheese (cheddar, gouda, or brie would be good!)
- Hummus
- Chunky salsa or pico de gallo
- Guacamole
- Pimento cheese dip
- Rolled deli turkey, ham, or pepperoni with sliced pickles
- A thin swipe of butter
- Savory jam, like a jalapeno berry jam (this would be so good with some cheese added, too!)
- Spinach artichoke dip
- Cheese dip
- Cream cheese, sliced cucumber, salt, and pepper
How to Store Homemade Crackers:
The great thing about homemade crackers is that they last a good amount of time! (However, the sooner they’re eaten, the fresher they’ll taste. They can get staler over time, but that doesn’t mean they’ve gone bad.) Store the cooled crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 to 10 days.
Other sourdough recipes you’re sure to love:
- Sourdough Bread
- Quick Sourdough Biscuits
- Soft Sandwich Sourdough Bread
- Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
- Sourdough Pizza Dough
Herb and Garlic Sourdough Crackers
Ingredients
- ½ cup sourdough discard or starter
- 2 tablespoons light oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons finely minced herbs
- coarse salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the sourdough starter or discard, oil, and water. Use a fork to whisk the mixture until well combined.
- Add the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder. Stir to combine. The dough will be about as stiff as pie dough. Remove the dough from the bowl, and knead it on the counter to fully incorporate all of the flour.
- Knead in the herbs.
- Place the dough in the bowl, and let it rest. It can rest for as short as 30 minutes or as long as 8 hours; it’s really flexible when it comes to timing.
- When the dough has rested, remove it from the bowl, and divide it in two. Roll one piece of the dough out with a rolling pin on a piece of parchment paper or a baking mat to ¼-inch, even thickness. Gently move the parchment or baking mat onto a large baking sheet.
- Use a pizza cutter and cut the dough into 1- to 1.5-inch squares. Use a fork to prick the center of each square so that the crackers don’t puff up while cooking.
- Repeat with the remaining half of dough on another sheet of parchment or baking mat.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ (175℃).
- Brush the top of the crackers lightly with a little more oil or water, and sprinkle evenly with coarse salt. The salt really makes them taste great, so don’t be shy using it.
- Bake until the crackers are lightly browned and crispy (and they’ll get crisper as they cool, too), about 25 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking to ensure even baking.
- Let the crackers cool, and enjoy right away or store in an airtight container for longer storage.
Nutrition
I love these simple garlic and herb sourdough crackers because they are a breeze to make and have such fresh, full flavors to them!
I don’t have whole wheat flour right now, would just using all purpose work?
Yep it’ll work great! You might need to use a few tablespoons more…
Excited to try another sourdough cracker recipe. How long will these be good for in an air tight container? And would refrigerating them help them last longer?
They’ll last a good 10-12 days and they do store in the freezer or fridge great.
I just made these crackers and used a tsp of dried parsley instead of fresh, otherwise everything was the same. I rolled half the dough to 1/8″ thick but it covered less than half my cookie sheet. The dough was very workable, not sticky or dry but slightly elastic. After baking the crackers were hard and dry. I was hoping for light and crispy. Any suggestions?
It sounds like you didn’t have enough liquid, so either your starter is drier to start with or you over measured on your flour a bit. Next time just add a few more tablespoons so it’s a softer dough to start with. You could also add a few tablespoons of oil, that makes for good crackers too!
My favorite combo so far….fresh marjoram, chives, basil, thyme and heavy on the garlic powder. Scatter on liberally, Maldon sea salt flakes and gently roll them into the top to make sure as much salt as possible stays put….YUM!
I tried to make lemon and lavendar…..I used the zest from one lemon, and a scant Tablespoon of fresh lavendar buds. I used coconut oil, sugar on the top and also added some sugar(1-2T) into the dough. While they were good, and he liked them, they didn’t have the bang of lemon I was wanting….next time I will replace the water with lemon juice and maybe add more zest….it may have been bland zest too…coarse sugar would be excellent on top! The sugar in the dough also seems to make it hard to bake them to a crisp without becoming excessively dark brown on the bottom.
And…cinnamon and sugar…..hmmmm….I need to improve this one! I sweetened the dough a bit and did the cinnamon and sugar on top….so much of the goodness fell off…..next time I will do a heavier coating of cinnamon and sugar and roll it into the top of the cracker and leave the sugar out of the dough to see if I can get to the crisp stage without almost burning them.
This is such a fun recipe to play with! Next time I can buy a wedge of parmesan cheese guess what I’m gonna try!
Ohhh! You are always such an asset to this community! Thank you for taking the time to share what worked for you, it’s so appreciated!
These were super easy to make! I like that the sourdough discard can be repurposed in such an easy way! I look forward to making these again with different herb combinations!
Super duper easy! I’m going to be playing a lot with this recipe! I used fresh chives with blooms from the garden……the texture reminds me of pita chips and the flavor….between the chives, blossoms, onion & garlic powder I swear I tasted Chicken ‘n a Bisket crackers! With all the herb and veggie powder combinations zipping thru my head, my next batch is going to be………. cinnamon & sugar!!!!!! Thanks a bunch!!!!
Chive is my favorite, it’s just so robust! And cinnamon and sugar, that’s such a fun idea. I have never thought of that!