Sourdough Discard Crackers with Parmesan

Sourdough crackers are a thing, and thank goodness for that! Crisp, buttery, and flavorful, packed with grated Parmesan and herbs, these sourdough discard crackers taste like they’re straight out of a pizzeria!

This is a great recipe to use up excess starter, and it tastes so much better than store-bought crackers.

Even better, they’re a crowd-pleaser! Who can resist the delightful combination of Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese, butter, and garlic baked to perfection in a cracker form? Crispy, cheesy, and studded with herbs is how we’ll take ours, please, and thank you!
These sourdough starter crackers are irresistible and addictingly delicious whether you’re snacking on them plain or pairing them with a creamy dip!

Using Sourdough Discard for Crackers

We use a sourdough starter for this recipe. It’s a wonderful way to use excess sourdough discard, and the sourdough infuses an incredible flavor into the crackers. We’re talking buttery, cheesy, and herby all rolled into one!

These crackers are super easy to make and only use a few ingredients. You can top them with whatever herbs and cheese you like, so feel free to get creative.

If you need a sourdough starter, we recommend taking a look at our Wild Yeast Sourdough Starter recipe.

And by the way, this sourdough cracker recipe works with fed or unfed sourdough starter, but using unfed sourdough starter will give the crackers more of a sourdough flavor. 

The Ingredient List

Here is a list of the ingredients you will need for homemade sourdough crackers. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.

To make these sourdough crackers with parmesan cheese, you will need the following ingredients:

• Sourdough starter discard. When you feed your starter, save the discard in a jar and store it in the fridge until you have enough to make things like this cracker recipe. 
• Flour. We are using all-purpose flour, but this recipe works well with whole wheat flour, rye flour, or spelt. 
• Grated parmesan cheese. For some variations, you can substitute with Mizithera, Asiago, or Cheddar cheese. If you need a dairy free recipe, you can use nutritional yeast. 
• Melted butter. You can substitute the butter with olive oil or sesame oil. 
• Herbs and seasonings. We used an Italian seasoning blend, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. 

How to Make Sourdough Starter Crackers

Here is a brief overview to get an idea of what to expect with this recipe for discard crackers. Scroll down to the printable recipe card for all the details.

Do you have ten minutes? Because that’s all the time it really takes to prepare these sourdough starter crackers (not including rest time and bake time of course!).

1. Add the sourdough starter to a bowl then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Let the dough sit for 10 to 20 minutes to absorb the moisture.

2. Divide the dough in half, then use a rolling pin to roll each section into a thin rectangle. Tip: roll the dough on a sheet of parchment paper to make it easy to transfer.

3. Brush the top with oil and sprinkle with cheese and seasonings. Bake the crackers until golden brown, then let them cool and break them into rustic shapes.

Now get a bowl of guacamole or carrot hummus and dip in.

🍽️ What to Serve with Sourdough Crackers

Sourdough crackers add a nice wholesome touch to any charcuterie board, cheese platter, or a hearty bowl of beef barley soup. Here are some other ways to serve these discard Parmesan crackers. 

• whipped ricotta dip
• Lebanese style hummus
• buffalo chicken dip
• onion soup dip
• bacon bean dip
• chili relleno dip
• hot crab dip
• Lebanese baba ganoush
• red beet hummus

Helpful tips

• Don’t forget to preheat the oven. The oven should be hot when you start baking the crackers.
  
• Roll the dough out thin. It should be about 1/16″ thick. If you want thicker crackers, you will need to bake them longer.
  
• You don’t have to slice the crackers before they bake because you will break them into rustic crackers when they come out of the oven.
  
• If you want perfectly portioned square crackers, use a pizza cutter to slice squares in the cracker dough prior to placing them in the oven. When they cool down, you can snap them along the score lines.
  
• Roll the dough out on a piece of parchment paper, then use the paper to slide the thin sheet of dough onto a sheet pan or cookie sheet.

✅ Substitutions and Variations

• Swap the melted butter for olive oil and omit the Parmesan for a dairy-free cracker. 
  
• Add sesame seeds to the top of the crackers and replace the butter with toasted sesame oil for a sesame cracker. 
  
• Play around with the seasonings.
  • Fresh herbs: Try using fresh rosemary, thyme, basil, or tarragon.
  • Seasonings and spices: Try topping the crackers with everything bagel seasoning, paprika, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes. 
  • Nuts and seeds: Add chopped almonds, pistachios, or macadamia nuts. Or, top the crackers with sesame seeds, poppy seeds, or caraway seeds.

🍛 More Sourdough Discard Recipes 

There are so many wonderful things to do with sourdough discard! Every time you refresh your starter, instead of throwing away the leftover unfed starter, you can put it to use in all kinds of delicious recipes.

• sourdough banana bread
• sourdough donuts
• overnight sourdough pancakes
• sourdough waffles
• sourdough ricotta waffles
• sourdough pizza dough

⏲  Storage 

Store the crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for 7 to 10 days. If you store them in the fridge, they can pick up moisture and lose their crispy texture. 

You can store them for up to six months in the freezer if you keep them in a freezer-proof container. 

Saving Your Sourdough Discard

You can make this recipe with freshly fed sourdough starter, but if you want an extra sourdough flavor, use the discard you save when you feed your starter. 

Save your discard in the fridge after each feeding until you are ready to use it in a recipe. You can keep topping off the discard container and don’t need to feed the discard. Just save it until you have enough to bake a discard recipe.

My discard will usually last 7 to 10 days in the fridge before it starts to get a watery hooch on top.

The longer you save it, the more “sour” it will taste. 

If you’re big on sourdough like we are, you will absolutely love these cheesy, flavorful sourdough crackers! They are a simple to make and a fabulous way to make the most of your sourdough starter!

More Sourdough Inspiration

If you’re looking for more inspiration on all things sourdough, here are a few of our favorite sourdough recipes!

• Sourdough spelt bread is a rustic hearty bread that is perfect for anyone looking to diversify their bread-baking repertoire.
• Our einkorn sourdough bread has a crisp crust and a hearty crumb, perfect for any occasion.
• Our sourdough bread is easy to make and always a great way to use your ripe sourdough starter. 

Frequently Asked Questions

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