Homemade Healthy Goldfish Crackers
on Feb 01, 2022, Updated Jan 10, 2024
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These homemade healthy goldfish crackers are so simple to make! They taste just like the store ones but contain only 3 ingredients!
I shared a recipe for homemade cheez-it crackers and was inspired to make a similar variation for goldfish. I was a little hesitant to try it out because I didn’t want to spend a long time cutting out small fish shapes from dough, but I found this 5-in-one fish cutter that cuts out 5 small goldfish shapes at once! I’ve made these crackers with my toddler several times and he loves getting a chance to cut out the fish shapes and count off how many there are. Counting goldfish is a fun math activity, and getting to eat them is even more fun 😉 If you love store-bought goldfish crackers, you’ll love this easy-to-make homemade version!
If you’re looking for more snack ideas that can double as snacktivities for your little ones, be sure to also try out these homemade cocoa puffs and these easy 4 ingredient peanut butter cookies!
What You’ll Need
Here is what you’ll need to make these homemade healthy goldfish crackers:
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Use a good quality cheese for best results.
- All Purpose Flour: Main component for the dough.
- Butter: Adds moisture and fats to the cheese dough. Make sure to use cold butter.
- Cold Water: Use as needed to help moisten the dough.
Recipe Substitutions & Additions
- Cheddar cheese: You may substitute cheddar cheese with another type of cheese. Try to use a cheese that is low in moisture for best results. I tried this recipe out with a 4-cheese Mexican blend and obtained good results.
- All purpose flour: All purpose flour may be replaced with whole wheat flour, but the texture of the crackers may vary slightly. The amount of water needed to moisten the dough may also vary.
- Butter: The butter may be replaced with a plant based butter.
- Optional Add Ins* Feel free to add in extra spices and seasonings for a little more flavor and taste!
Step by Step Instructions
STEP 1: Add the shredded cheese, flour, and butter to a food processor and pulse it in increments until it forms into a grainy, sand-like texture (Images 1 & 2).
STEP 2: Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of iced cold water to the food processor and pulse until it starts to form into a dough (Images 3 & 4). Avoid pulsing too much so that it doesn’t overpower the processor, just pulse until it starts coming together into a dough. The amount of water needed will vary depending on the temperature of the environment.
STEP 3: Place the dough mixture onto a surface and lightly knead it to come together (Image 5).
STEP 4: Form a disc with the dough, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes (Image 6).
STEP 5: Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface ⅛ to ¼ of an inch thick. Use a small cookie cutter to cut out small shapes from the dough (Image 7). You can also use a pizza slicer to slice the dough into small square-shaped crackers.
STEP 6: Gather the scraps, re-roll the dough, and cut out more cracker shapes. Repeat this process until all of the dough is used up. Place the shapes on a parchment paper lined pan (Image 8).
STEP 7: Bake the crackers at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown. The total cook time will depend on the thickness of your crackers. Keep a very close eye on the crackers as they can burn quickly. Let them cool completely before serving.
Storage Instructions
Once cooled, store the crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They will be slightly less crisp the longer they are stored, but they will still have the same taste.
Tips For Success
- Use good quality cheese when making these crackers. I’ve made this both with pre-shredded packaged cheese and cheese grated from a block and have had success both times.
- Use a good quality food processor, I love using this 5-cup food processor to make these crackers.
- Keep a very close eye on these crackers as they are baking so that they do not burn. The bake time will vary depending on the thickness of the crackers, so check on them after a few minutes! The crackers will harden as they cool.
- Feel free to add in other spices like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, etc. for a little added flavor!
- I used this 5-in-one fish shape cutter to cut out 5 fish cracker shapes at a time, but you can use anything that you have on hand!
- I love serving these crackers in a portable mini snack holder!
Other On-The-Go Snacks You’ll Love
Homemade Goldfish Crackers
Ingredients
- 2 cups (8 oz) shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
- 1-2 tbsp ice water, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
- Add the shredded cheese, flour, and butter to a food processor and pulse it in increments until it forms into a grainy, sand-like texture.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of iced cold water to the food processor and pulse until it starts to form into a dough. Avoid pulsing too much so that it doesn't overpower the processor, just pulse until it starts coming together into a dough. The amount of water needed will vary depending on the temperature of the environment.
- Place the dough mixture onto a surface and lightly knead it to come together.
- Form a disc with the dough, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes
- Roll out the dough onto a lightly floured surface ⅛ to ¼ of an inch thick. Use a small cookie cutter to cut out small shapes from the dough. You can also use a pizza slicer to slice the dough into small square-shaped crackers.
- Gather the scraps, re-roll the dough, and cut out more cracker shapes. Repeat this process until all of the dough is used up. Place the shapes on a parchment paper lined pan
- Bake the crackers at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown. The total cook time will depend on the thickness of your crackers. Keep a very close eye on the crackers as they can burn quickly. Let them cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Use good quality cheese when making these crackers. I’ve made this both with pre-shredded packaged cheese and cheese grated from a block and have had success both times.
- Use a good quality food processor, I love using this 5-cup food processor to make these crackers.
- Keep a very close eye on these crackers as they are baking so that they do not burn. The bake time will vary depending on the thickness of the crackers, so check on them after a few minutes! The crackers will harden as they cool.
- Feel free to add in other spices like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, etc. for a little added flavor!
- I used this 5-in-one fish shape cutter to cut out 5 fish cracker shapes at a time, but you can use anything that you have on hand!
- I love serving these crackers in a portable mini snack holder!
Hello! If I wanted to use whole wheat flour, would I need to change anything else or would the rest of the recipe be the same?
Hi Corinne! I haven’t tested these out with whole wheat flour myself so I can’t speak for sure to the texture, but I would start with a slightly lesser amount and add a bit more if the dough seems sticky to touch. I hope that helps!
how many to a serving
Love this recipe and so do my kids! I even got a cute goldfish cookie cutter so they look legit. The only thing I would amend is both times I made this recipe I used much more water than what the recipe recommends but not a big deal. Thanks!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed these crackers, Hillary!😊
Hello, we are at a higher altitude. Do we have to do anything different?
Hi Sarah! You may need to slightly increase the temperature of the oven while baking (I’d test around 375F) and check on the crackers at the 7 to 8 minute mark for browning on the edges to see if they are cooked through😊
How do you store these?
Hi Britt! These crackers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They are slightly less crisp with each day, but still have the same taste.
Could you freeze these crackers to keep them longer? Or would they keep longer refrigerated?
Hi Sierra! I haven’t tried freezing or refrigerating these crackers because I’m not sure how the texture would be affected. You could maybe try making a larger batch of dough to freeze instead😊
Delish! Super easy and turned out great. I didn’t have to add any ice water to get the dough to stick together. Tasted like Cheez-Its but way better!
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed these crackers, Maddie!😊
Thank, loved how easy it is…
Hi, can I use dairy free cheese for this recipe?
Hi Ashlee! Dairy-free cheese will work😊
I loved these! I’m wondering about storage. How can I save them so they don’t get soggy or stale? Any suggestions would be great! Thanks
Hi Melanie! You can store them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days. They do get slightly less crunchy each day but still have the same overall taste😊
Can these be frozen and just re-crisped in the oven? Or freeze the uncooked dough, then dethaw and bake? Just wondering if I make a lot at the same time, but want to make them last longer if they don’t get eaten right away. Thx!
Hi Meredith! I haven’t tried freezing the actual crackers, but I worry that the texture may be different when reheating them. I’m thinking that freezing uncooked dough might be a better option as these crackers are best freshly baked, but I haven’t tested this out myself to say for sure. I hope it works out if you give it a shot!😊