You Only Need 2 Ingredients to Make These Homemade Cheez-It Crackers (They’re Absurdly Easy)

Crackers made from cheese are hardly a new thing. The Italians have long been making frico, and the concept comes up over and over again as a low-carb way to get some crunch into snack hour. But Cheez-It crackers hit different: they are so orange and salty and delightfully specific in shape. There’s no mistaking that exact crumble they make, whether I’m mindlessly eating them in front of the TV or topping my salad at my favorite burger spot.

So when I learned that TikTok claims you can make homemade Cheez-Its with just two ingredients, I had to give it a try. Especially because the video was full of incredibly bad dad jokes and puns.

You’ll start by cutting marbled cheese slices into squares and poking a hole in each one using a straw. Place the cheese squares on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with flaky salt. I also added smoked paprika to some of mine because I’m bad at leaving things alone (and also it worked really well, so I recommend doing that). After seasoning, put the cheese squares into the oven at 275°F for 25 minutes.

I didn’t even consider pulling them out at 25 minutes — they didn’t look crispy at all. Instead, I spun the sheet, as a few had gotten slightly dark, and set a timer for five more minutes. Even then, they were flabby and not at all crunchy like I want from a Cheez-It. I decided to try a second batch using my oven’s convection setting. This was a slight improvement, but still left me wanting more. I made a final batch, this time using the convection setting at 250° and leaving them for 45 minutes. Even though about half of them came out looking nearly burnt, flavor and texture-wise these were the clear winners. 

If you don’t have a convection oven, I would turn up the temperature to 275° and bake for 45 minutes.

Nothing will ever replace the original Cheez-Its, but if you’re looking for a crispy homemade snack that’s absurdly easy to make, these are just that. The final version had that shattering crispness and tasted just like cheese, if not exactly a Cheez-It. And given that it takes almost no effort (assuming you aren’t making three batches), it’s totally worthwhile. 

I’m not sure I can help you make better crackers, but I leave you with my only Cheez-It related tip (besides finding yourself a steakhouse that uses them to garnish their salads): the plural of Cheez-It is not Cheez-Its, nor is it a group noun (as I so badly wish), but, per the company itself, the plural of Cheez-It is Cheez-It crackers.