Easy Homemade Rosemary + Sea Salt Crackers
Rosemary + Sea Salt Crackers are buttery, crispy, light and easy to make. They are the perfect accompaniment for a cheese plate or your favorite dip.
Olive Oil Rosemary Crackers with Sea Salt
Making homemade crackers is easier than you might think! You don’t need fancy equipment or a lot of ingredients to create these crispy crackers with a hint of sea salt and olive oil.
You can cut them into any shape you like and enjoy them with an array of toppings and dips. I’ll also share ideas to customize them so you can make your perfect snack cracker.
Try this new recipe the next time you set out baked cheese, dips or a charcuterie board for entertaining. Your guests will be totally impressed that you made these delicious baked crackers from scratch!
Gather Your Ingredients
- All purpose flour — nothing fancy here…time to raid the pantry!
- Fresh rosemary — I prefer fresh rosemary for this recipe, but you can substitute dried. Mince or crumble the dried herbs. As a rule of thumb, when substituting dried herbs for fresh, reduce the measurement to 1/3. For this recipe, that would be 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary.
- Coarse sea salt — for sprinkling on the crackers. Sea salt also goes into the dough and you can use fine salt or crush the larger flakes between your fingers before mixing it in. I use Maldon.
- Baking powder — this is a leavening agent, and helps create light, airy crackers.
- Room temperature unsalted butter — adds flavor and lift by creating little air pockets here and there.
- Milk — I use 2%.
- Organic extra virgin olive oil — this gets brushed on the crackers to help the sea salt adhere and to provide another subtle layer of flavor.
How To Make Rosemary + Sea Salt Crackers
If you have more than one sheet pan, you can bake half the crackers while you assemble the remaining crackers on another sheet pan.
- In a mixing bowl, combine flour, rosemary, sea salt and baking powder with a whisk until combined. Add cubed butter to the bowl and work it into the mix using a pastry cutter or clean fingers (my preference!) until it resembles coarse sand. Stir in the milk using a fork or wooden spoon.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead for a couple of minutes until it becomes a smooth ball of dough. Divide the dough in half, flatten each portion into a disk then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Working with one portion of cracker dough at at time, place it on a floured work surface and use a rolling pin to roll it into a rough rectangle about 1/16-inch thick (or as thin as you can). Cut it into shapes using a pastry wheel, pizza wheel, or cookie cutters.
- Transfer the cracker shapes to a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper. Use a fork to dock each cracker (so steam can escape during baking). Lightly brush the tops with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
- Bake for 18-23 minutes in a 350°F oven, until the edges are golden brown. Allow the crackers to cool on the cookie sheet before serving.
Variations on This Recipe
Rosemary can be a strong herb for some, so feel free to omit, reduce the amount or substitute with another hearty herb like thyme, oregano or sage.
Instead of or in addition to sea salt, consider ‘garnishing’ unbaked crackers with fun options like poppy seeds, sesame seeds or grated parmesan cheese.
Serving Suggestions
The ultimate way to serve these crackers is alongside a charcuterie board! They are perfect for soft, creamy cheeses like brie and fresh goat cheese, but hearty enough to support an aged gouda or slice of salami.
These are a cross between a rich butter cracker and a pita cracker, and are just right for all kinds of dips including hummus, spinach + artichoke, or bean dips.
Pack them in lunches with chicken or tuna salad or enjoy them on their own as a simple snack.
Common Questions
You can definitely gather up the scraps and re-roll them to make as many crackers as possible. Once you get to the very end, bake off the extra little bits…you can use them on salads, soups and chilis or crush them to use as a breading.
Make sure they are completely cool before placing them in an airtight container to store at room temperature. Make them in advance to save time and still have crispy homemade crackers for entertaining.
I would enjoy them within 3 to 4 days since they are preservative-free. Trust me…that won’t be a problem!
Heck yea! Use a pasta roller to roll out thin, uniform sheets of cracker dough. For this method, I divide the dough in fourths rather than in half so it is easier to fit in the roller. Like with pasta, start with the thickest setting and work your way down to the setting for fettuccini (that is setting #3 on mine).
A Few More Excuses to Make These Crackers…
- Goat + Gouda Pimento Cheese Spread
- Baked Lemon Ricotta Dip with Blackberries + Honey
- Basil + Lemon Burrata
Easy Homemade Rosemary + Sea Salt Crackers
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced (or 1 tsp dried rosemary)
- 1 teaspoon sea salt, if coarse, crumble with fingers before adding
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into small pieces
- ½ cup milk, 2% is what I use
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
- coarse sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, rosemary, sea salt, and baking powder. Add the softened butter and use your hands to mix until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Add the milk and mix.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead for a couple minutes until the dough is smooth. Divide the dough in half and flatten each portion into a disk. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Working with one disk of dough at a time, remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a work surface that's been lightly dusted with flour. Roll the dough very thin, about 1/16". Cut into rectangles (or other shapes). Carefully transfer the crackers to a parchment lined sheet pan. Dock with a fork. Lightly brush the tops with olive oil or use olive oil cooking spray. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. (Repeat with the other disk of dough.) (See notes 1 + 4.)
- Bake for 18-23 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown. Allow the crackers to cool completely on the baking sheet before serving.
Notes
- Gather up the scraps and re-roll them to make as many crackers as possible.
- Cool completely before placing them in an airtight container to store at room temperature. Enjoy within 3 to 4 days since they are preservative-free.
- Instead of rolling with a rolling pin, use a pasta roller. For this method, divide the dough in fourths rather than in half so it is easier to fit in the roller. Like with pasta, start with the thickest setting and work your way down to the setting for fettuccini (as recommended by your pasta roller).
Nutrition
Pin for Later! Rosemary + Sea Salt Crackers
I have made this recipe twice now with great success! I made a half quantity each time as I don’t have a biscuit tin to store them at the moment. Also I think it’s too dangerous to make a full batch as we are only two people, and the crackers are so moreish! Will use the crackers to make canapés for New Years Eve with labneh cheese (doesn’t need a slaty cheese because of the sea salt on the crackers) and smoked salmon on some, taramasalataon others.
I don’t cook the biscuits for the full time, but set the oven to 15 minutes, then watch them like a hawk until they are just crisp and only slightly turning color. I’ve been using dried rosemary, but when I remember to pick up some fresh from the supermarket, I will definitely try like that.
Thank you for sharing this recipe – so easy, but delicious!
Thanks, Lee! Wish I was coming to your place for NYE…your canapés sound amazing! (Definitely try the fresh rosemary when you can!) Happy New Year!