Homemade Ritz Crackers Recipe
Baked Whole Wheat Ritz Cracker Recipe
How to Make Ritz Crackers from Scratch with Whole Wheat Flour
Try this homemade Ritz cracker recipe for a less-processed and whole-grain option! The buttery, flaky texture that you love, but without the highly refined and ultra-processed ingredients. Plus, these butter crackers don’t use any butter at all, and they’re so satisfying to bake at home! Learn how to make Ritz crackers from scratch using whole wheat flour and coconut oil.
Yes, homemade crackers will always require a bit more time and effort than store-bought. But, these homemade Ritz crackers let you choose the ingredients you want to use. That means no inflammatory oils, no refined flour, no high fructose corn syrup, and no additives! You can even make this dairy free Ritz cracker recipe totally vegan if you skip the egg wash.
Plus, making Ritz crackers from scratch is just plain fun! Making and rolling out the dough, cutting out the shapes, poking holes into each cracker. The end result is so satisfying to me, and I appreciate every single cracker more than I do when I eat store-bought crackers. I’ll show you how to make Ritz crackers at home in under 90 minutes!
What are the ingredients in Ritz crackers?
The ingredients in original Ritz crackers are: refined flour, canola and palm oils, sugar, salt, leavening, high fructose corn syrup, soy lecithin, and natural flavor. Thankfully, store-bought Ritz no longer contain trans fats in the form of hydrogenated oils. The key difference in this homemade Ritz cracker recipe is it uses less processed, more wholesome ingredients.
Homemade Ritz Crackers vs. Store-Bought
This recipe for Ritz crackers uses whole wheat flour, coconut oil and avocado oil, and unrefined coconut sugar. No ultra-processed ingredients like inflammatory oils or high fructose corn syrup! Nutritionally, this recipe is similar to store-bought Ritz in terms of calories and fat, though the homemade have a bit more fiber and less sugar.
Don’t get me wrong—I absolutely love store-bought Ritz and I enjoy them regularly. But, if you’re looking for a less-processed option, or just a fun homemade cracker recipe, this is worth a try!
Homemade Ritz Crackers Recipe & Substitutions
- Wheat Flour. I made this as a whole wheat Ritz cracker recipe, but you can also use all-purpose flour instead. (Also, I’ve made this recipe before using 1 cup wheat flour + ½ cup oat flour.) Although I haven’t personally made these crackers using a gluten free flour alone, you’re welcome to experiment!
- Baking Powder. An essential leavening agent that helps your butter crackers rise a bit.
- Coconut Sugar. Rather than refined sugar (or high fructose corn syrup), I make my homemade Ritz crackers with coconut sugar. For an alternative, regular white sugar should work just as well.
- Salt. A crucial ingredient to give your baked Ritz crackers their satisfying saltiness! You need just a bit of salt in the dough itself, and I also recommend finishing your crackers with a sprinkle of coarse sea salt before baking.
- Coconut Oil. Instead of palm oil or actual butter, solid coconut oil gives these crackers a flaky texture and buttery flavor. Or, you’re welcome to replace the coconut oil with butter instead!
- Avocado Oil. In addition to the solid coconut oil, a bit of liquid avocado oil will help the dough to form. You could also melt a tablespoon of coconut oil to use instead, or a different liquid oil like vegetable oil or canola oil—whatever you prefer.
- Water. A bit of water will bring dough together and help it to integrate. If needed, add a few extra tablespoons until a stick dough ball forms.
- Egg Wash. This is an optional—but highly recommended—ingredient to finish your Ritz before baking. Egg wash will give your crackers a crisp, golden finish and a satisfying savory flavor. You could also use melted butter instead, or melted coconut oil if you want to make this a vegan Ritz cracker recipe.
Why do ritz crackers taste buttery?
Ritz are known for their flaky texture and buttery goodness, even though the crackers don’t contain any butter! Instead, that buttery taste comes from the fat in the canola and palm oils. For an anti-inflammatory option, these homemade Ritz crackers use coconut oil. Like butter, coconut oil is rich in saturated fats which create a crave-ably buttery bite!
Are ritz crackers baked or fried?
Typically, most store-bought chips are fried, whereas crackers are baked. I believe Ritz crackers are baked—although, honestly, I couldn’t find a clear answer online. (Ritz offers a clearly oven-baked chip, but they don’t specify how their crackers are made.) However, you can be sure this baked Ritz cracker recipe is made in the oven and not fried!
How to Make Ritz Crackers from Scratch
- In a food processor, pulse together flour, baking powder, coconut sugar, and salt.
- Add solid coconut oil and pulse to combine.
- Pour avocado oil and cold water into food processor, pulsing until a sticky ball forms.
- Wrap dough in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to firm up.
- Between sheets of parchment, roll out the dough as thinly as possible, until ~⅛-inch thick (or less).
- Cut the dough into cracker shapes using a cookie cutter or knife.
- Transfer to prepared baking sheets and use a toothpick to poke holes into each cracker.
- Brush crackers with egg wash and finish with coarse sea salt.
- Bake at 400°F (200°C) for 12-15 minutes.
Why are there 7 holes in a Ritz cracker?
The holes in Ritz crackers allow air to escape while the crackers are baking. This prevents bubbles from forming and bursting, so the crackers turn out flat and crispy. For this homemade whole wheat Ritz cracker recipe, I recommend using a toothpick or skewer to poke holes in each cracker. This will prevent the dough from proofing—and it gives your crackers the iconic Ritz look!
What can you make with Ritz crackers?
You can enjoy Ritz crackers in so many ways! Make mini peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bake mini pizzas, or build DIY Lunchables cracker stackers! You can even use them to top casseroles or as a binder in homemade meatloaf. Personally, I prefer to enjoy my homemade Ritz crackers on their own or with sliced cheese, so I can appreciate every bite.
More homemade cracker recipes:
- Vegan Homemade Graham Crackers
- 4-Ingredient Homemade Goldfish Crackers
- Homemade Quinoa Crackers
- Vegan Oat and Seed Crackers
- Herby Almond Flour Crackers
- Dried Fruit and Nut Crackers
Homemade Ritz Crackers Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ cups whole wheat flour, (option: sub ½ cup oat flour)
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp coconut sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, solid, (or butter)
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil, (or melted coconut oil)
- ½ cup cold water, + 1-2 Tbsp more if needed
- 1 egg, beaten, (or melted butter/coconut oil)
- course sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- In a food processor, pulse flour, baking powder, coconut sugar, and salt until combined.
- Add solid coconut oil and continue to pulse.
- Add avocado oil and water and pulse until the mixture forms a sticky ball.
- Remove dough from food processor and wrap in plastic wrap. Rest 15-30 minutes in the fridge. (This will help it roll out!)
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Cut chilled dough ball in half. Re-wrap one half and return it to the fridge while you roll out the other half.
- Lightly flour a sheet of parchment and roll out dough between sheets of parchment. Roll as thinly as possible—less than ⅛ of an inch is ideal.
- Cut rolled dough into desired shapes using a cookie cutter, or slice into squares with a knife. (I used a 1½ inch fluted round cookie/biscuit cutter.)
- Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment and lightly sprayed. Poke a few holes into each cracker with a toothpick or skewer. (This will prevent the dough from poofing in the oven!)
- Collect excess dough, re-roll, and continue to cut out shapes until complete. (If dough won’t roll, let it rest 10 minutes in the fridge and come back.)
- Continue process with other half of dough, until all crackers are cut.
- Brush cut dough shapes with egg wash (or melted butter/coconut oil) and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.
- Allow to cool completely before enjoying!
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for about 1 week.
- Yields around 90 to 100 homemade Ritz crackers.
8 Comments on “Homemade Ritz Crackers Recipe”
Hi, Alyssia, thanks for this recipe. I don’t eat wheat , so I used Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free baking flour; butter and 1 Tbs. coconut oil; and raw cane sugar. I brushed the tops with melted butter and sprinkled with Himalayan pink salt. They are AMAZING !!!!!Now I can have my Ritz, which I have missed.
Hi Carol, thank you for trying our Ritz crackers recipe and sharing your experience here! It’s great to hear you had success using a 1-to-1 gluten free flour in this recipe – that information will surely be helpful to others who want a GF option. And what a great choice to use butter in your crackers!! We appreciate you being here 🙂
My kids love Ritz crackers with peanut butter, but I’m looking for a healthier option and I think I may have found it! Im wondering, what’s the shelf life of these cookies once baked? And have you tried to freeze the dough to bake another day? Thanks!
Hi Liz, we hope this homemade Ritz crackers recipe can fit the bill for what you’re looking for! We certainly love it. Once baked, these crackers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 1 week. They can be stored longer, however they won’t taste as yummy after about a week.
As for freezing the dough, we haven’t personally tried doing so with this particular recipe. You’re welcome to try it and experiment to see how it turns out! I suspect that you can freeze this dough, but it may not roll out as well or as thinly the next time you try to use it to make crackers. Perhaps if you take the time to re-work and knead the dough it’d be just fine, but we have yet to try this. We’d love to hear how it goes if you do try freezing the dough! 🙂
I have been searching for an organic ritz type cracker for my one year old daughter and can never find one. I made these today, even omitted the sugar, and they turned out PERFECT! Thank you for this recipe!!
Hi Jordyn, we’re so glad to hear that this homemade ritz cracker recipe turned out well for you! It’s also helpful to hear that you enjoyed the recipe even without the sugar – others in this community will benefit from you sharing this 🙂 thank you!
Thank you. Although I haven’t made them yet, it’s on my baking menu for cooler evenings this weekend. I’ve made plenty of crackers and this recipe sounds delicious. I’m wondering if, instead of rolling and cutting, if the recipe will work if treated like refrigerator cookies which are thinly sliced? Thanks!
Hi there, so glad that you’re thinking of trying this homemade Ritz crackers recipe! They’ve turned out delicious every time that we’ve made them 🙂 We’ve only ever made this recipe by rolling out and cutting the dough. So, I can’t speak to how it would turn out if you tried to roll up the dough into a log and thinly slice the crackers like refrigerator cookies. Unfortunately, I don’t think this particular dough would be ideal for that method of preparation – I’d stick with rolling out the dough and cutting out the crackers.
I know the process can seem tedious, but the result is worth it! Of course, you’re welcome to experiment with the refrigerator cookies method if you’d like. (And we’d love to hear how it goes for you 🙂 )