Homemade Sweet Potato Cheddar Crackers: A Wholesome & Easy Snack for Everyone
Sweet potatoes, sharp cheddar cheese, and wholesome whole wheat flour come together harmoniously in these delightfully simple homemade crackers. They are guaranteed to be a hit with both adults and picky eaters, making them the perfect snack for any occasion.
Can I let you in on a little secret? Baking homemade crackers is remarkably easy, often much simpler than people imagine. When I first shared a photo of these savory treats on Instagram, a family member commented, “Oh, fancy!” But the truth is, these Sweet Potato and Cheddar Cheese Crackers are as straightforward as baking gets, requiring minimal effort for maximum flavor and satisfaction.
Why Choose Homemade Crackers Over Store-Bought?
In a world full of highly processed snacks, making your own crackers offers a refreshing alternative. Beyond the simple joy of baking, homemade crackers provide a wealth of benefits. You have complete control over the ingredients, ensuring no artificial preservatives, unhealthy fats, or excessive sodium sneak into your family’s snacks. This means a healthier, fresher, and often more flavorful end product that you can feel good about serving. Plus, the cost-effectiveness of baking a large batch at home often outweighs the expense of repeatedly buying specialty crackers from the grocery store. It’s a mindful choice for both your well-being and your wallet.
The Magic Trio: Sweet Potato, Cheddar, and Whole Wheat Flour
The success of these crackers lies in their thoughtfully selected ingredients, each playing a crucial role in creating a balanced and delicious bite.
Sweet Potato: Nature’s Sweet & Nutritious Touch
Sweet potatoes are more than just a colorful addition; they are a nutritional powerhouse. Packed with vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants, they lend a subtle, natural sweetness to the crackers that beautifully complements the sharp cheddar. Beyond their health benefits, sweet potatoes contribute to the crackers’ tender interior and vibrant hue, making them visually appealing and a little more wholesome than your average cracker. Their moistness also helps bind the dough, ensuring a perfect texture.
Cheddar Cheese: The Irresistible Savory Companion
No cracker is complete without a hint of savory goodness, and sharp cheddar cheese delivers just that. Its distinctive tangy and salty notes create a wonderful contrast with the sweet potato, resulting in a complex flavor profile that keeps you coming back for more. As the crackers bake, the cheddar melts and crisps at the edges, adding an irresistible, toasty depth of flavor and a satisfying texture to every single piece.
Whole Wheat Flour: A Wholesome Foundation
Opting for whole wheat flour elevates these crackers beyond a mere treat, turning them into a genuinely wholesome snack. Unlike refined flours, whole wheat flour retains the bran and germ, offering more fiber, essential nutrients, and a subtly nutty flavor. This not only makes the crackers more satisfying and nutritious but also provides a sturdy base that holds up well to the rich flavors of sweet potato and cheddar.
Simplicity in Every Step: Crafting Your Cracker Dough
The process itself is surprisingly straightforward, whether you prefer the convenience of a food processor or the hands-on satisfaction of mixing by hand. Begin by combining the dry ingredients with cold butter and grated cheese. The key to a flaky cracker is keeping the butter cold and cutting it into small cubes, allowing it to create pockets of steam during baking. Briefly pulsing or cutting in the butter until it resembles small peas ensures a light, crisp texture. Then, the mashed sweet potato and a touch of milk are added, bringing the dough together into a cohesive ball. This simple method ensures a consistent and easy-to-handle dough, ready for shaping.
Rolling and Cutting for Perfect Crackers
Once your dough is prepared, the next step is to roll it out. Lightly flour your work surface to prevent sticking, and roll the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Consistency in thickness is important for even baking. While slicing can seem a little tedious, especially if you’re aiming for perfectly uniform squares, the effort truly pays off. You can use a pizza cutter, a sharp knife, or even small cookie cutters for fun shapes, especially if little helpers are involved. Transferring the cut dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet ensures they don’t stick and cook evenly. The anticipation of that first crunchy bite makes every slice worth it. Promise!
The Baking Process: Achieving Golden Crispness
Preheating your oven to the correct temperature is crucial for cracker baking. A moderate heat allows the crackers to cook through and crisp up without burning. Arrange your cut cracker pieces on a parchment-lined baking sheet, giving them a little space. Before baking, a quick poke in the center of each cracker with a toothpick helps prevent them from puffing up excessively, ensuring a flat, uniform cracker. A final sprinkle of coarse salt adds a delightful texture and enhances the overall flavor. Bake until the edges are just starting to turn golden brown, usually around 12-15 minutes, depending on your oven and cracker thickness. Keep a close eye on them, as they can go from perfectly golden to over-baked quickly!
baking tip:The best way to measure flour
Too much flour can cause problems in your baked goods, causing them to be dry, crumbly or simply have the wrong texture. And since flour has a tendency to compact over time as it sits in the supermarket and in your pantry, if you simply dip your measuring cup into the flour and scoop it out, you’ll end up with more than you should. For best results, use a kitchen scale. Or use the “spoon and sweep” method:
- Fluff the flour in the bag or container with a spoon.
- Spoon flour into measuring cup until it’s overflowing.
- Sweep a flat edge like your knife or finger across the top of the measuring cup, sweeping away the excess.
More detailed info can be found in my full tutorial How to Measure Flour.
Serving Suggestions & Storage Tips
Once cooled, these homemade sweet potato cheddar crackers are ready to be enjoyed! They’re fantastic on their own, but also pair wonderfully with a variety of dips, a dollop of hummus, or alongside a fresh salad. They make an excellent addition to any cheese board, a wholesome lunchbox treat, or a satisfying mid-afternoon snack. For optimal crispness during storage, simply place a slice of regular sandwich bread in an airtight container with your cooled crackers. The bread will absorb any residual moisture, helping your crackers stay delightfully crunchy for longer.
Sweet Potato Crackers
Pin Recipe
Leave a Review
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole wheat flour (113 grams)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary , chopped
- ¼ cup butter , cold and cut into cubes (56 grams)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese , grated (113 grams)
- ½ cup mashed sweet potato , see Notes (106 grams)
- 2 tablespoons milk
- Coarse salt , for sprinkling
Instructions
-
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, salt, pepper, paprika, and rosemary. Add the butter and grated cheese and toss lightly until coated in the flour mixture. Pulse in short bursts until the butter is the size of small peas.
-
Add the mashed sweet potato and pulse until combined. With the food processor running, add the milk. After a few moments, the dough will come together in a ball. Shape into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes.
-
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
-
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. If the dough becomes sticky, add more flour. Cut the dough into 1-inch squares and transfer to the prepared sheet pan.
-
Use a toothpick to poke a hole into the center of each square. Sprinkle with the coarse salt and bake until the edges are just starting to turn brown, about 12-15 minutes.
-
Let cool, then store in an airtight container. Crackers are most crisp fresh from the oven.
Notes
- For mashed sweet potato, wash one small sweet potato and pierce a few times with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees until soft, about 1 hour. Peel off skin and remove any discolored spots. Mash with a fork or in a food processor.
- To keep crackers crisp during storage, place a slice of sandwich bread in with the crackers. The bread will absorb any moisture in the air and the crackers will remain relatively crisp.
Tools for this recipe
(Affiliate links below)
Note: This recipe was originally published October 2013 in partnership with Wisconsin Cheese. Thank you for continually supporting partnerships with brands I love. All opinions are always my own.