Homemade Heirloom “Goldfish” Crackers

A cleaner take on the lunchbox classic, made with stone-ground heirloom flour and real cheese instead of bleached flour and cheese powder, with a cracker roller that gets you the classic shape in minutes

Homemade goldfish crackers are a cheese cracker made with heirloom wheat flour, real sharp cheddar, and butter, giving you the same snackable, lunchbox-friendly cracker without the bleached flour, cheese powder, and preservatives found in the boxed version. A crimped cracker roller cuts the shaping time way down, so you get dozens of evenly sized crackers in one pass instead of cutting them out one at a time.

Prep Time: 15 min | Chill Time: 30 min | Bake Time: 12 min | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: about 6 (makes ~100 crackers) | Diet: Vegetarian

Why This Recipe Works

Boxed cheese crackers typically rely on bleached flour, cheese powder (rather than real cheese), and preservatives to stay shelf-stable for months. Making them at home with heirloom wheat flour skips the bleaching and bromating process altogether, while shredded sharp cheddar gives you real cheese flavor without the powdered additives. Chilling the dough before rolling keeps the butter firm, which is what gives these crackers their short, crisp texture once baked. A crimped cracker roller presses, cuts, and dock-pokes (the little holes that keep crackers from puffing up) all in one pass, which turns what could be a tedious cookie-cutter process into a quick five-minute job.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups heirloom wheat flour, plus more for dusting
• 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, finely shredded
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for topping
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2-3 tablespoons ice water

How to Make Homemade Heirloom “Goldfish” Crackers

1. Combine the dry ingredients and cheese. In a food processor, pulse the flour, shredded cheddar, salt, garlic powder, and paprika until the cheese is evenly distributed throughout the flour.
2. Cut in the butter. Add the cold cubed butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand with no large butter pieces remaining.
3. Add water and form the dough. With the processor running, add ice water one tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together into a ball. Don’t overwork it.
4. Chill the dough. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap in parchment, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. This firms the butter back up and makes the dough much easier to roll.
5. Roll it out. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about 1/8-inch thickness.
6. Cut with the cracker roller. Run a crimped cracker roller over the dough in even passes to cut and dock the crackers in one step. (This is the tool that makes the shape, and the speed, possible:
7. Transfer and season. Peel away the scrap dough, transfer the crackers to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and sprinkle lightly with extra sea salt.
8. Bake. Bake at 375°F for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just golden. Watch closely in the last few minutes, as they can go from done to overbaked quickly given their small size.
9. Cool completely. Let the crackers cool fully on the pan before storing, they’ll crisp up further as they cool.

Warren’s Note: Re-roll the scraps once for a second batch, but don’t go beyond that, the dough gets tougher each time it’s reworked. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, if they last that long.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this dough ahead of time?
Yes. The dough can be refrigerated, well wrapped, for up to 2 days before rolling, or frozen for up to a month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before rolling and cutting.

Do I need a cracker roller, or can I use a cookie cutter?
A cracker roller speeds things up significantly since it cuts and docks dozens of crackers in one pass, but a small round or fish-shaped cookie cutter works too, you’ll just want to poke each cracker with a fork before baking to prevent puffing.

Why did my crackers turn out soft instead of crisp?
This is usually a sign they were slightly underbaked or rolled too thick. Roll the dough thinner (about 1/8 inch) and bake until the edges are visibly golden, not just set.

Can I use a different cheese?
Sharp cheddar gives the most “goldfish-like” flavor and color, but Parmesan or a cheddar-Parmesan blend both work well and add an even sharper, saltier bite.

How should I store these crackers?
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. If they soften over time, a few minutes in a 300°F oven will crisp them back up.

Is heirloom flour necessary for this recipe?
No, but it’s part of what makes this version cleaner than the boxed original, heirloom wheat flour is typically unbleached and unbromated. Any unbleached all-purpose flour will work as a substitute.