My 3 year old used to love Goldfish crackers. Every time she asked for a snack, she would ask for Goldfish. Personally I don’t really care for them, and have often wondered why toddlers love them so much. And I finally realized why. It is because we have encouraged our children to love them by having them available in every situation of their little lives! At home, on the road, at church, at friend’s houses, at preschool….and on and on. For some reason it is the go-to snack cracker for little kids. They are packed full of preservatives and they really aren’t even good!
These homemade healthy snack crackers may replace our old friend Goldy……. These are packed with nutrients and are delicious! (for toddlers and adults alike) The great thing about homemade crackers is that you can change up the recipe and make them different every time. Here are a couple of ideas to try:
- Try adding different cheeses to change the flavor
- Garnish with different types of nuts or seeds (sesame seeds, poppy seeds, crushed almonds, etc)
- Try different herbs – fresh or dried – or don’t use herbs at all!
In a food processor or blender add the first 5 ingredients:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup oatmeal, blended until fine in a blender or food processor
- 3 tablespoons wheat germ
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh herbs- OPTIONAL (I used dried basil and they were delish)
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup olive or other oil
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Then add the water, olive oil and cheese. Blend – the dough should come together into a ball. You can add more water or oil if the dough seems to dry.
Roll the dough out as thin as possible on a floured surface. Cut out shapes using a knife or cookie cutter. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet (or silpat or parchment paper) Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes – until they start to turn golden.
Serve to your snacky little toddler.
Devour and feel happy about knowing exactly what they are eating!
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24 Comments
These sound great, and similar to another homemade cracker I’ve tried. My daughter loves them and I bet she’ll love these too. The problem – they go soft/ soggy when stored in a Ziploc storage bag. Any solutions for that problem?
The crackers that I made 4 days ago are still crunchy! I stored them in a ziploc. I’m not sure if it is the wheat germ in these crackers or the fact that I rolled my dough out super thin, but they really are still crunchy. If yours do go soft, you can pop them in your oven at 325 for a few minutes and it should crisp them right up. Good luck!
Thank you for posting this!! My daughter will soon be eating solids and I was wondering what I would do instead of goldfish!
Thanks for this. My daughter is always asking for crackers, but I find it almost impossible to find whole wheat crackers (ww is the 1st ingredient listed) in the store. Will have to try this.
Thank you for posting. My son loves crackers, he will choose them over anything else, even cookies. I usually by organic 100% whole wheat just so he is getting a better alternative to the goldfish one, but this is even better, because I know exactly what he is eating.
[...] Snack Crackers for Toddlers Homemade Alternative to Goldfish Crackers [...]
awesome! can’t wait to try these!!
These are so adorable. Mother of 4 and preschool teacher I am remembering these!
Found a great cookbook. Thought I would share
http://5ba70di2xbvd6per2-x7cc216s.hop.clickbank.net/
I can’t wait to try these with my toddler (and her super picky Daddy!)
brilliant thank you! i love your blog and all your food ideas for kids. Becca
We need a Pinterest share button!
Wow this is really an awesome idea for children. Homemade healthy snack crackers is really good for kids because it attracts them and it also nutritious, right?You made a great job Natalie! I will also try this one.
[...] Homemade Crackers [...]
My daughter and I had so much fun making these. Thank you so much for sharing this! I am excited to try some of your other great recipes. Most of my children have grown and gone but I believe in healthy eating and will use your wonderful ideas. Thank you for them!
Thanks, Natalie! I can’t wait to try these. My girls would love picking their own shapes.
[...] also been bookmarking a number of homemade cheese cracker recipes, and then a friend sent me another link this week that I decided to try. I used half whole wheat, half rice flours, and needed a little [...]
Love them!!! I didn’t have cheddar cheese (I use Swiss) but they were delicious! It take some time for older kids to get used to the taste after those store bought loaded with salt. Will make them again soon :)
Tina – So glad you liked them! My sister made them with Swiss and said they tasted just like Cheez-it crackers. I will have to try that!
Thanks for the recipe! My kids had fun helping me make them. My 4 year old thinks they are sooo good.. My almost 2 year old gives them to the dog. lol. I used medium cheddar and I think next time I will use sharp so there is more flavor.
Heather – glad your kids like them. They are also really good with Parmesan or Swiss cheese.
[...] Healthy Kid Crackers [...]
i like this because i good
These look great and I will definitely try them for my bunny cracker (Annie’s brand) obsessed two year old. However, I must note that your photo has large carrot and celery sticks. They make the photo pop, but are a choking hazard for toddlers. Perhaps diced fruit or applesauce would be a better serving suggestion. Some people are clueless and might feed their toddler the sticks unknowingly.
I would definitely store these in a tin, not plastic. They would stay crunchy… but I don’t think they’ll be lasting very long, so I won’t worry too much! :D