Sourdough Crackers (2 Ingredients)
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You can't get much simpler (or tastier) than these 2 ingredient sourdough discard crackers. No rolling pin, no extra flour, no fancy cutters - just sourdough discard and salted butter. That's it!
These 2 ingredient sourdough crackers are going to change your life ... and the way you see sourdough discard!
If you love making crunchy sourdough crackers, then make sure you check out these other sourdough cracker recipes too.
Why You'll Love This Recipe!
2 Ingredients - Seriously you can make these crackers with 2 ingredients! How cool is that? They're tasty, cheap and can be turned into a myriad of flavor variations!
No Added Flour - I've been asked for sourdough discard recipes with no added flour lately and so this one fits the bill perfectly!
Use Lots of Sourdough Starter Discard - these sourdough crackers are a great choice if you have a big jar of sourdough discard to use up.
Sourdough Resources
If you are just beginning your journey in making a sourdough starter and baking delicious sourdough bread, then you are going to love these sourdough resources, all designed to help you on your sourdough journey. Of course the first thing you'll need is to make a bubbly sourdough starter!
- How To Get Bigger Bubbles in Your Sourdough Starter
- How To Strengthen Your Sourdough Starter
- Most Common Sourdough Starter Questions (and Answers)
- How To Know When Bulk Fermentation Has Finished
Why No Extra Flour?
This sourdough discard cracker recipe is extra special because it requires no extra flour to make the recipe. This means that all the flour in the recipe, which comes from sourdough discard (or sourdough starer) is already fermented.
The sourdough discard brings flavor and texture to the crackers, along with some of the other health benefits of sourdough like easier digestibility, a lower glycemic index and a better nutritional availability. Not to mention being able to make crackers with no additives, preservatives or anything artificial.
See, I told you these sourdough crackers would change your life!
How To Make Sourdough Discard Crackers
These 2 ingredient sourdough discard crackers are so simple! Even my kids love making these (and eating them too). They love spreading the "goop" as they call it and sprinkling on their favorite herbs. So much fun! There's no need for pizza cutters or cracker rollers - just spread and bake!
Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together the sourdough discard and melted butter until it is well combined. A whisk works well for this step, but a spatula is fine too.
Use an offset spatula or knife to evenly spread the sourdough cracker batter in a thin layer on the piece of parchment paper. Try to get it as even as you can.
If you want to add seasonings, sprinkle them over the top of the cracker dough. Salt and herbs are a great addition to these crackers, but they are not essential.
Alternatively, use the offset spatula to smear strips of the discard mixture to form smaller individual crackers (as below). This looks messy, but when they are baked, they look like the expensive artisanal crackers you buy in the gourmet stores.
Bake the sourdough crackers in the oven for around 25 minutes, or until they are crisp and golden. If you have made one big sheet of crackers, you might need to flip it over during the cooking time to ensure it bakes evenly.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and break the cracker sheet into pieces. If there are a few pieces in the oven that aren't fully crisp, pop them back into the oven to finish cooking (you can even just sit them in the oven after it's turned off and is cooling down). Don't throw away any of the crumbly bits - they make fantastic salad toppers!
Tips for the Best Sourdough Crackers
- If you find that the sourdough discard and butter mixture isn't spreading very well and is springing back when you try and smooth it out, add a splash of water to the mixture to loosen it up. You don't want it too thin, but sometimes the discard will need a little extra hydration to make it spreadable.
- Make sure you spread the sourdough discard mixture fairly evenly and not too thick. If the mixture is too uneven it won't cook through all over and you'll end up with burned edges and a raw centre. If this does happen, you can put the soft crackers back in the oven to crisp up.
- Don't be afraid to experiment with the shape you like. If you don't want to do one big sheet and then break the crackers up, try doing long thin smears of discard or even rounds so they come out like "chips". The sky is the limit with this mixture - you're really only limited by your imagination.
Flavor Ideas for Sourdough Crackers
Everything Bagel Seasoning - Sprinkle sourdough crackers with a generous amount of homemade everything bagel seasoning, featuring a mix of sesame seeds, poppy seeds, dried garlic, dried onion, and salt, for a flavorful and crunchy topping.
Sesame Pistachio - Crushed pistachios offer a vibrant green color and a rich, buttery flavor that pairs beautifully with the tanginess of sourdough crackers. Add some black or white sesame seeds to the mix too for something truly tasty! These are amazing served with this smooth avocado dip.
Rosemary Sea Salt - Finish sourdough crackers with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and fresh or dried rosemary leaves to enhance their flavor (this is one of my favorite flavor combinations). Serve these with vintage cheddar and a jar of my award winning tomato chutney.
Parmesan Cheese - Grate Parmesan cheese over the sourdough discard and butter mixture before placing it in the oven. The parmesan provides a salty, cheesy crunch over the whole cracker - so dang good!
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes - Add a touch of heat to sourdough crackers by sprinkling them with crushed red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
Chia Seeds - Sprinkle chia seeds over sourdough crackers for a nutritious topping that adds texture and a subtle nutty flavor.
Pumpkin Seeds - Toasted pumpkin seeds, also known as pepitas, offer a crunchy texture and a slightly sweet flavor that pairs well with sourdough crackers.
Cheddar Cheese and Garlic - sprinkle some cheddar cheese and garlic powder over the crackers, along with a drizzle of olive oil to create a flavor combination that's hard to forget!
These topping options add texture, flavor, and visual appeal to these 2 ingredient sourdough crackers, making them a versatile and customizable snack option for any occasion. You'll have so much fun figuring out your favorite flavor combinations!
How To Freeze + Store
These crackers are best stored in a glass jar or cookie tin. I don't recommend storing them in a plastic container as I find that it makes them go soft more quickly.
The crackers will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks in a glass jar (but seriously most of the time they won't make it to the glass jar because they will be eaten!). In my house, I had to hide the glass jar with the crackers in them to test how long they would last! If my kids sniffed them out, there's no way they wouldn't eat them.
I don't recommend freezing these 2 ingredient sourdough crackers, however, you can freeze sourdough discard and use that to make them when you need them.
Sourdough Discard Crackers (2 Ingredient, No Roll Recipe)
Equipment
- 1 Large Baking Tray or Cookie Sheet (no lip is better)
- 1 Offset Spatula
- Parchment Paper
Ingredients
- 200 g Sourdough Starter (discard or active)
- 50 g Salted Butter (melted and cooled)
Optional Seasonings
- 10 g Flaky Sea Salt (or any salt you like to eat)
- 1 tablespoon Dried Herbs (dried rosemary, Italian seasoning etc) - see notes for more options
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together the sourdough discard and melted butter until it is well combined. A whisk works well for this step, but a spatula is fine too.
- Use an offset spatula or knife to evenly spread the sourdough cracker batter in a thin layer on the parchment paper. Try to get it as even as you can. Alternatively, use the offset spatula to smear strips of the discard mixture to form smaller individual crackers (see photos above).
- If you want to add seasonings, sprinkle them over the top of the cracker dough. Salt and herbs are a great addition to these crackers, but they are not essential.
- Bake the sourdough cracker dough in the oven for around 25 minutes, or until it is crisp and golden.If you have made one big sheet of crackers, you might need to flip it over during the cooking time to ensure it bakes evenly.
- Remove the tray from the oven and break the cracker sheet into pieces. If there are a few pieces in the oven that aren't fully crisp, pop them back into the oven to finish cooking (you can even just sit them in the oven as it cools down after you turn it off).
- Allow the crackers to cool at room temperature on a wire cooling rack.
Notes
- Flaky sea salt
- Dried herbs (rosemary, basil, dill, paprika, oregano, Italian seasoning etc)
- Crushed nuts (pecans, pistachios, almonds, peanuts)
- Everything Bagel Seasoning
- Pepitas, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds, sesame seeds
- Fennel Seeds
- Cumin Seeds
Nutrition
My first attempt at anything sourdough! We loved them! Just used salt & pepper on them. Super easy!
Easy! And a great use of discard.
The 10 g optional salt is wayyyyyy too much though lol. Especially if you’re using salted butter already….maybe only add 2 g.
Can ghee be substituted for butter?
Love this recipe… thanks.
Ghee should work in place of the butter 🙂
I didn't even wait for these to cool before writing a review! These are amazingly simple to make and my first batch turned out great! I might just have to make another batch! I added dried oregano, salt, and a mixture of seeds. Crispy and delicious!
I halved the recipe because I was low on my starter. I baked them with sesame seeds at 325 in my air fryer toaster oven for about 20 minutes. I used a kamut sourdough starter and they were delicious.
If your starter/discard is stiffer, do you need to bake longer for them to come out crispy instead of chewy?
I've had some mixed results with these crackers. For the most part I love them, but sometimes they stick to the parchment paper making them almost impossible to eat. Reading through these comments I wonder if I need to take them out half way through and flip them onto fresh parchment? If that might give me more reliable repeat success results?
I"m sorry you're having trouble with this Jessi, it's not something I've had an issue with. Make sure you're using really good quality parchment paper, as cheaper paper can definitely stick (it does to bread). You can try flipping the crackers half way through, but you definitely shouldn't need fresh parchment paper.
SO good!! I made one pan plain; my son and his girlfriend loved them. Then I made a second pan and sprinkled everything bagel seasoning on top before baking. WOW!! crunchy, flavorful, yummy!
If I am using discard from the fridge, should I let it come to room temperature before baking or combining with the melted butter? Thank you! We love these!
Mine stuck to the parchment. I was able to unstick mostly. Flipped and scored with pizza cutter. Used sea salt and grated parm. Delicious but will use my silicone mat next time!!
These were great! I used two quarter sheet pans lined with silicone mats, baked for 40 minutes. They were perfect! The first batch I made was with "aged" discard. They turned out a bit sour, but I loved the sour taste. I just made another batch today with fresher discard. They were great too. These remind me of lavish. I really enjoyed them with a sesame seed topping. Thank you for the simple recipe!
Can I use olive oil instead of butter?
Hi May, Olive oil should work.
These are the only sourdough discard crackers to make!!!
These were really good and looked exactly like the photo (I used the offset spatula method). Super easy to make and tasty!! I actually split the recipe in half because I was skeptical...lol... but I will go ahead and make the full batch. I used a silicone baking sheet and for toppings, I split it between parmesan and everything bagel seasoning. I'll probably add a little more salt topping next time (personal preference) but otherwise, it's perfect as-is!
These crackers are amazing - thank you for sharing the recipe! I have been looking for a recipe to use sourdough discard without adding additional flour; this is perfect. I made mine with olive oil instead of butter and they were great but I might use half butter and half olive oil next time to see if there is a big difference in flavour. I added about 1/4 tsp sea salt to the mixture, then I sprinkled thyme-flavoured flakey salt on top and black and white sesame seeds. My husband loved them, he said they're probably the best cracker he has had in years. They have a slightly tangy flavour, super crunchy, and they are a healthy option compared to store bought. We know what's in them. These are now my go-to recipe for crackers. Thank you!
We love to hear that Bettina! Thank you so much for sharing, and for your review. 🙂
These are amazing! I made them today, both ways; the schmear and the full sheet. I prefer the schmear but you get fewer on a cookie sheet. I doubled the batch and did garlic parmesan (added salt, onion pwd, garlic pwd, sprinkle of parm and a little of a seasoning we use called spike). SO YUMMY!! I am going to try a cinnamon sugar version for something sweet!!! Thank you!!!
That sounds delicious! Thanks for your review, Lauren! 🙂
Can these be made with olive oil or coconut oil instead of butter, if we’re dairy free?
I haven't tried them with coconut oil. I would probably try using Nuttlex or a vegan butter as an alternative though 🙂 Or you could try these vegan sourdough crackers 🙂
I didn't have butter so I substituted olive oil. I measured everything in grams, but it looks like my batter is much thinner than yours. They're in the oven now -- I'm going to watch them closely and probably cook for a shorter time so they don't burn. Fingers crossed, hoping they come out great! (I'm doing sea salt/rosemary and everything bagel.)
Tried these for the first time tonight ... and the plate is empty just after I made them! They were a huge hit, and I will definitely do these again. I sprinkled them with a bit of sea salt and Italian seasoning. Soooo good!!
I was wondering if I could make this with my discard from starter less than 10 days old and YES you can. I only made half the recipe and had no use for storage because I ate it all.
I am fairly new to the sourdough baking world, but I have made these crackers twice already, and we love them! I happened to have rosemary infused salted butter, so I used that both times, and topped them with flaky salt. Very good alone or with cheese & sausage.
Love these crackers so easy to make. How long do they stay crunchy in a ziplock bag or can they be frozen?
So glad you love them! I store them in a glass jar or metal cookie tin for maximum freshness and they will stay crunchy for around 2 to 3 weeks. If using a ziplock bag, it would be around the same, however if they do get a little soft, you can crisp them up in the oven 🙂