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Not only are these homemade wheat thins much easier to make than I assumed, but they’re also cheaper and healthier. It requires few ingredients and tastes like the real thing even better!
DIY Wheat Thin Crackers
Nothing beats homemade snacks and treats. Not only do they tend to taste better than the store-bought options, but you can control what ingredients go into the recipe and which ones to avoid.
These crackers are made with simple and basic pantry staples, no additives, artificial flavors, or food coloring. These homemade wheat crackers pack perfectly and make a great school lunch box idea!
Ingredients
Thanks to whole wheat flour and a mixture of basic pantry spices and seasonings, these homemade crackers are super simple to pull off and taste even better than the boxed version. Head to the pantry and see if you have everything you need to make this yummy snack happen:
- Whole wheat flour: you can also use all-purpose gluten free flour mix (one that has xanthan gum in it).
- Sugar: to make these thins sligthly sweet.
- Salt: a little to enhance the flavors.
- Paprika: for a pinch of spiciness.
- Butter: for buttery flavor and delicious texture.
- Water: helps forming the dough.
- Vanilla extract: flavor, aroma… delish!
How to Make Wheat Thins
Roll up those sleeves, and let’s make these homemade wheat thins! Here’s what you need to know about the steps:
- Prepare
Preheat oven and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat. - Make the dough
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and grate the butter into the mixture. Stir together the water and vanilla and add to the flour mixture and stir until a dough forms. Shape into a ball. - Cut into squares
Roll out half the dough into 1/16th inch thickness. Using a pizza cutter or knife, cut the dough into squares or your shape of choice. - Bake
Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through for even baking. Allow to cool down completely before storing.
Want to enjoy these same yummy crackers but gluten-free? I also have a great recipe for gluten-free crackers that beats the boxed version any day.
If you need more ideas for your packed school lunches, check out my latest ebook, 101 Packed Lunches for endless lunch inspiration!
101 Packed Lunches eBook
All my best kid-friendly lunches from over a decade of creating meal plans. Add some variety to your child’s lunchbox with these epic lunches, plus receive my Pack Meals Like a Pro ebook, free with purchase!
How to Pack Homemade Wheat Thins for Lunch
Just like store-bought wheat thins, these will absorb the moisture of other items in the lunch box. Be sure to pack them in their own compartment so they aren’t next to any fruits or other wet ingredients.
More Homemade Snacks for the Lunchbox
Homemade snacks you can make once and enjoy all week are always a winner! My kids’ favorites are baked apple chips, homemade Doritos, and cheese straws. For the sweet-tooth, this chocolate coconut granola is a must-try!
Homemade Wheat Thins
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups 100% whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus extra for sprinkling
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons water, or more if dough it too dry
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Prep the oven:
- Preheat oven to 400F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat.
Make the dough:
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, paprika, and salt.
- Using a cheese grater, shred butter onto flour mixture. Using your hands, combine until thoroughly mixed.
- In a small dish, mix together the water and vanilla and pour the liquid into the flour and butter mixture. Stir this until it comes together. You made need to use your hands a bit to really mix this together. If the dough appears dry, add a touch of water, but not too much, as you do not want the dough to become sticky.
Shape the dough:
- Split the dough in half. On a floured surface or on a non-stick mat, roll out one half of the dough very thin about 1/16th inch. Using a pizza cutter, large knife, or cookie cutters, cut into whatever shape you desire. Immediately after cutting, transfer the crackers onto lined baking sheets. Repeat as necessary. Sprinkle with more salt, if desired.
Bake:
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, watching closely because they can burn quickly. Halfway through baking, rotate the pans to ensure even baking.
Store:
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool down completely before storing in an airtight container.
Liz says
I wanted to edit my review because I forgot a couple things but it wouldn’t let me. PERFECT recipe, the vanilla does not turn it into a dessert type cracker, with the small amount of sugar, paprika and vanilla the flavor is spot on for the organic wheat crackers I buy at the grocery store at a lot less cost and a lot less ingredients. I buy all my baking stuff from Azure Standard.
The butter, I didn’t bother grating it I just used a pastry blender to chop it up into pea size pieces and then blended it together with my hands. I live in a tiny log cabin with no dishwasher so I do anything I can to avoid dirtying more dishes. I like that this recipe doesn’t call for a food processor, that’s another big thing to have to wash!
Liz says
The BEST Wheat Thin Type cracker I’ve found! Such accurate and delicious flavor, made all organic with my ingredients and didn’t cost me $5 for about 15 crackers! I’ve been making a lot of crackers lately and have tried lots of methods for getting them rolled out thin enough. I’m a potter so I’ve even used my slab roller (kind of like a giant pasta machine), my kitchenaid pasta roller and a rolling pin. I finally found the best method is to take about a tangerine size amount and roll between two pieces of parchment paper. Doing this small amount at a time makes it fast, easy and manageable to get 1/6″ thickness and it doesn’t take forever. Then I use my pizza cutter to cut them into kind of squares and bake them right on the parchment paper on a cookie sheet. I find this thin that 7 minutes is the ideal bake time. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Kimberly says
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a thoughtful and thorough review! I’m so glad you enjoyed this classic recipe!
Jenna marie says
These turned out great!!!
Linda says
Thank you for the recipe and for some of the comments too. I really like wheat thins and crackers in general but try not to eat processed foods. The vanilla seemed off to me too, but you are correct the processed crackers have a ton of sugars.
MOMables says
It’s crazy how much refined sugars they have! This is definitely a better way to enjoy crackers every now and then.
Cathy says
I just made these with Bob’s Red Mill low carb baking mix and they are AWESOME. Had to make another batch right away because the kids gobbled them up. For the second batch I added a little onion powder and garlic powder to the paprika and left out the vanilla. Savory, wonderful little crackers. Thanks for this recipe! We’ve really been missing crackers around here.
Liz says
Loved this recipe! I added some Old Bay Seasoning to please my Marylander husband, and used my pasta machine to roll out the dough- saved me so much time!
MOMables says
what a great idea to use the pasta machine Liz! I’m thrilled you liked it.
Lindsay says
this was a huge hit!
MOMables says
We credited the original source: King Arthur Flour Cookbook. Nothing suspicious about crediting a source.
Elyse says
How many days are these good for?
MOMables says
2-3 in an airtight container. if you are not going to eat them, bake half and freeze the other half of the dough.
Quianna says
Could you sub out maple syrup or honey for the sugar? I try to avoid it whenever possible. I’ll try it either way but i just thought i would ask before i went through the effort! Thanks!
MOMables says
Quianna, I haven’t tried it but in this recipe it’s only 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar so using a liquid sweetener will work! I use coconut palm sugar myself and they come out great.
Nadia says
Do you think I could sub coconut oil for the butter?
MOMables says
absolutely.
Lori says
I’m getting ready to try these now. Do they still taste like the real deal with the sugar and vanilla? Have you tried them without?
MOMables says
wheat thins are not sugary and vanilla. they are whole wheat and salty..
Lori says
I know… what I meant was, I was surprised to see the recipe include sugar and vanilla since they taste salty and I was curious if they really have that same taste despite those ingredients. I’m going to whip up a batch now and find out :)
Karin says
Real wheat thins have an outrageous amount of sugar/corn syrup. The vanilla does seem odd though.
MOMables says
karin, the vanilla adds a little hint of the packaged flavorings… you can of course leave it out. Our recipe has no corn syrup… I hope you enjoy them!
Christina says
Have you tried making these gluten free? Wondering if this would work with gluten free flour. Thanks!
MOMables says
Christina, I have a gluten free version coming out very soon. sign up for our newsletter so you know when the recipe is published! :)