Sourdough discard crackers are thin, crispy and have that amazing tang that you can only get with real sourdough!
You'll never want to throw away your sourdough discard after you taste these addictive crunchy crackers!
Consider this your new "no-waste" recipe when it comes to sourdough baking. If you have a sourdough starter and you're tired of throwing out the discard, you'll want to start saving it for sure!
TIP - Keep a separate glass jar in your fridge specifically for sourdough discard. Instead of throwing your discard away after a feeding, add it to the jar until you have enough to make a sourdough discard recipe!
The discarded starter imparts a tangy, almost cheesy flavor into the cracker that is perfect on a charcuterie board with meats and cheeses or paired with dips like hummus.
They are so thin and crispy too. I promise you will become totally addicted!
There's only 4 ingredients; sourdough starter discard, melted butter, dried herbs and salt.
Trust me, this is a sourdough discard recipe that you're going to want to make over and over again!
If you like crackers, make sure to try our sourdough butter crackers too!
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Step by step instructions
This recipe is so easy, let's dive straight into the details!
1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and tear a piece of parchment paper big enough to cover a baking sheet. Melt the butter in a mixing bowl.
2. Weigh the sourdough starter discard in the mixing bowl with the melted butter and add the dried herbs and salt.
3. Stir until the ingredients are well combined.
4. Use an off-set spatula to spread a very thin, even layer of the mixture onto the parchment paper.
5. Place the parchment paper onto a baking sheet and sprinkle the top of the batter evenly with ½ teaspoon of salt.
6. Bake for 10 minutes, remove and score the crackers with a knife or a pizza cutter into squares. Return to the oven and bake an additional 40-50 minutes, making sure they don't over-bake.
7. Remove the crackers from the oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Tips for success
- Butter definitely gives the sourdough discard crackers the best flavor, but they can be made with other fats. I tested this recipe with olive oil but found that it tasted more oily than tangy. If you decide to use olive oil, I would make sure it is the highest quality you can find in order to get the best flavor.
- Because this is a cracker recipe without added flour, the batter is very thin and spreadable. I use parchment paper to hold the batter while baking but you could also use a silicone baking mat.
- The discard can be mixed with the other ingredients cold, right out of the fridge, or at room temperature.
- The crackers can be scored after they have baked and "set-up" for about 10 minutes if you would like a uniform cracker. If you'd like a more "rustic" cracker, let them bake without scoring and simply break them apart after they have cooled completely.
- Check your crackers around the 30-40 minute mark. Oven temperatures vary, so your crackers may be ready sooner!
- These crackers can be seasoned in so many different ways. Any fresh or dried herbs will work. Think rosemary or thyme! You can also use hard cheeses like parmesan stirred into the mixture or sprinkled on top before baking.
How to store
- Store the crackers in an air-tight container such as a mason jar with a tight lid, or a Weck jar. They can be stored at room temperature for up to a week.
Recommended kitchen tools
- silicone baking mat (affiliate link)
- offset spatula (affiliate link)
We've got other recipes that you can make with your discard like sourdough seed crackers, sourdough butter crackers, sourdough pizza crust, sourdough chocolate chip cookies, sourdough cinnamon rolls, sourdough naan and sourdough tortillas, so make sure to check them out too!
And don't forget to pin this recipe for later!
Sourdough Discard Crackers Recipe
INGREDIENTS
- ¾ cup (200 g) discarded sourdough starter (stirred down)
- 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter (melted)
- ¼ teaspoon (1 g) fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons dried herbs (Herbs de Provence)
- ¼ teaspoon (1 g) salt for sprinkling on top
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your oven to 325°F (162°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Melt the butter in a mixing bowl and let cool.
- Weigh the sourdough discard, dried herbs and salt into the bowl of melted butter and mix thoroughly until well combined. Use an off-set spatula to spread the mixture in a thin, even layer onto the parchment paper. Sprinkle the top with salt.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and score the crackers. Bake for an additional 20-50 minutes or until the crackers are golden brown. Let cool completely before breaking into squares. (Oven temperatures vary, check the crackers after 20 minutes into baking to make sure they do not over bake. See notes.)
NOTES
- Because these crackers are so thin, in some ovens they can brown quite quickly. I recommend checking them at the 20 minute mark the first time you bake them to make sure they do not over bake and burn. Adjust your baking time accordingly!
- The discard can be used either, cold, right out of the fridge or at room temperature.
- Store in an air-tight container for up to one week at room temperature.
- Fresh herbs and grated hard cheeses can be added to create different flavors.
- Scoring the crackers is optional. The sheet can easily be broken into pieces after baking and cooling off.
Cristi Paton says
I made these this morning with some discard. LOVE them. I let them cook too long and some are a little over done (that's what we call burnt at our house) But they are so good. I may eat them all before anyone else has a chance to taste them. 🙂
Steve Jarrett says
I used black and white mustard seeds instead of herbs (slightly spicy kick) and even the little boys loved them. Will make again. So easy to do and such great results.
Excellent use of discard. Keep a mother starter in the fridge so didn’t know what to do as I fed it weekly. Great use.
Cathy says
Delicious way to use up that discard! I’ve added nutritional yeast - awesome!
Bill Lévay says
Thank you kindly for the recipe as they came out, IMO, just perfect and dang addicting. I followed the recipe and aside from needing more baking time to get a nice color there were no other issues.
I also want to thank you for the technique as well. I've tried making crackers previously and never had any luck. I think the combination of a thicker batter (vs a runnier batter) along with making them very thin is the trick.
Thank you again!
Liz says
My gracious! These are wonderful! I'm so excited to try this recipe and have such great results!
Karen Johnston says
These turned out much better than I expected! Has anyone tried them with less butter? It looks like I might eat all of them tonight......
Brenda says
I made these crackers a few days ago and they were fabulous!!!
I’m really excited to have this recipe!
I left out the herbs and added 1 cup of dried Parmesan cheese. I just love Better Cheddars, but am annoyed at how much they cost for so few. These are similar. I wanted to wait to post a comment to see how any leftovers would keep. They’re still crispy and perfect!
Good idea to use the offset spatula to spread them out! Thank you so much for this recipe!!!
Monica says
Scrumptious crackers! Such an easy & brilliant idea to use the discard. I live that no additional flour is needed. The crackers are so crispy. I'm pondering my next flavors... Thank you for the great recipe.
Alison Moss says
These are SO good! I have so much discard and have tried SO many discard recipes but this is so far the BEST! Easy and delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and they turned out great. I just used rosemary for the dried herbs and I had unsalted butter so I used that. I checked them after 35 mins and they were done enough (I think my oven runs hot) and next time I think I'd take them out maybe even a few mins earlier, the really thin ones round the edges were a bit browner and a tad bitter. But SO delicious! I'm no baker but these I could do! Thank you!!
Stacey says
Really glad I stumbled across your recipe. I love the flavor of these crackers! But while the first batch was just perfect, the second time I made it the crackers turned out tough and hard to chew (except for the really thin ones on the edge). Could it be that my starter was thicker? Or Maybe I just didn't spread it out as thin the second time? Can you tell me the size of the rectangle of cracker dough on the parchment? That would be helpful to know how thin to spread it.