Whole Wheat Cracker Recipe

These crispy whole wheat crackers are my inspired version of homemade Wheat Thins but much healthier! You need a little flour, honey, olive oil, and salt. Making crackers at home cuts the cost by more than half, and they have the perfect crunch - with a tad sweetness and lots of saltyness.

When I first made my own crackers about 5 years ago, I was shocked by how easy it was! I continue to make them now, as the price of crackers in the grocery store seems so expensive for a few snacktime crackers. Next, try my 5-seed crackers.

Jump to:

• Ingredients needed for Wheat Thins
• Flavor variations
• Step-by-step photos from my kitchen
• Top tip
• Fork holes vs without fork holes
• Cracker shapes vs rough cracker pieces
• What should I eat my crackers with to make a wholesome snack?
• Other wholesome snack recipes
• Whole Wheat Crackers
• Danika Vanderpyl, C.H.N

Ingredients needed for Wheat Thins

Boxed crackers have a huge list of hard-to-pronounce ingredients; this is a common indicator that the food isn't good for you! Many of these ingredients are in the crackers to preserve them and to make them addictive (watch out for yeast extract!). In my nutrition school, I we chatting on repeat how we need to stick with real whole-food ingredients for the nutritional benefit for our body - that's how I choose these ingredients for these homemade wheat thins.

• I choose to use whole wheat flour for this cracker recipe as it contains the entire wheat kernal that hosts zinc, b vitamins, iron, and magnesium (with white flour, majority of the nutrition will have been removed). Whole wheat flour increases the fiber, supports blood sugar levels, and makes these crackers more textured. For my other favorite recipes with whole wheat, try these wholesome chocolate chip muffins!
• Sea salt is mixed into these crackers as well as sprinkled on top! I like to use chunky salt for the top; it's called Maldon sea salt.
• Honey is the key to making these crackers taste like Wheat Thins from the store. The honey sweetens these crackers and creates a golden color in the oven. If your honey is thick or solid, melt it before using it.
• Olive oil is a healthier oil; I always look for a cold-pressed olive oil in a dark bottle. If you like baking with olive oil, try these chocolate chip olive oil cookies.
• Water binds the dough together well and makes the crackers less prone to cracking when rolled. Use cold water.

Flavor variations

This whole wheat cracker recipe is customizable; add your favorite herb or spice to make tasty crackers in your own kitchen.

• To make spicy crackers, add chili pepper flakes or ⅛ teaspoon of paprika to the flour and salt in step 1.
• Dried rosemary & sea salt is one of my favorites! Sprinkle dried rosemary on top of the rolled dough along with the sea salt.
• Add dried garlic powder & dried oregano for a more Italian flavor, or use Italian seasoning on top before baking!
• Add 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the flour at the beginning to make a vegan 'cheesy-tasting' cracker.
• Ranch crackers! Mix 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried dill, ½ teaspoon parsley, and ½ teaspoon salt. Sprinkle this on top of cracker dough instead of the sea salt and lightly roll it into dough before cutting it into squares.

Step-by-step photos from my kitchen

Step 5: Bake crackers at 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190C) for 10 minutes until they start to look darker in color. They may need 2-7 more minutes, depending on your oven and how thin the crackers are rolled. *If you are baking both pans at the same time, I would rotate and switch racks about 7 minutes through baking time.

Fork holes vs without fork holes

I tested these crackers with and without poking fork holes in them. I prefer cooking them without fork holes if they are rolled thin. Fork holes made the crackers bake too quickly. However, if you are making thicker crackers, fork holes will encourage even baking and minimize puffy crackers.

Cracker shapes vs rough cracker pieces

You can easily cut homemade crackers into little squares, diamonds, or really whatever shape you would like before baking. It's can be helpful and fun to make these shapes with a ravioli cutter or a goldfish cracker cutter.

Another method is to make these more rustic and gourmet by baking the whole sheet of rolled-out dough without cutting it and then breaking it into pieces once it comes out of the oven!

Other wholesome snack recipes

🌞 Did you make this whole wheat cracker recipe aka homemade wheat thins? Let me know in the comment section below the recipe and give these crackers a star rating!