Nitrate & Nitrite Free Classic Saltine Crackers
Crispy, salty, and satisfying in the most elemental way, these homemade saltines are the kind of snack that makes you wonder why you ever bought the boxed version. Every ingredient here is straightforward pantry staple — flour, baking powder, salt, a little sugar, cold fat, and water — with zero cured meats, processed additives, or preservatives that typically sneak nitrates and nitrites into packaged crackers. Rolling the dough paper-thin is the real secret to that signature snap, and docking each square all the way through to the parchment keeps them flat and perfectly crisp rather than puffy. A final brush of melted butter and a scatter of flaky sea salt before baking gives them that irresistible golden edge and just enough savory depth. They come out of the oven looking almost store-bought but tasting noticeably fresher and cleaner. Pair them with cheese, soup, or just eat them straight off the cooling rack — no judgment, because they're genuinely that good.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp fine salt
- ½ tsp granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp vegetable shortening butter or unsalted butter, cold butter and cut into small pieces
- ½ cup cold water
For brushing
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For topping
- ½ tsp flaky sea salt or coarse salt
Instructions
- 1
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, fine salt, and sugar until evenly combined.
- 2
Add the cold shortening (or butter pieces) to the flour mixture and work it in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse, slightly sandy crumbs with no large pieces remaining.
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