Easy cheese crackers with the spicy kick of pepper jack cheese. These keto crackers are easy to make and perfect for all your game day celebrations. This post is sponsored by Cabot Creamery Cooperative.
Is there anything better than snaking on a bowl of salty, crisp cheese crackers while watching the big game?
No really, I ask that in all seriousness. Is there anything better? I think not. Although you can definitely take those crackers up a notch by using really good quality cheese. And maybe giving it a spicy kick by using really good quality Pepper Jack, like the one from Cabot Creamery.
It’s no secret that have a long standing love of Cabot cheese, because I think it’s some of the best cheddar in the world. And I am not shy about telling people that. I even had a long talk with a cashier at Trader Joe’s about it, when I discovered that it was sold there.
He may have thought I was a little obsessive about my cheese. He would be right.
I don’t just love Cabot Creamery for their cheese, though. I love them for their business model. Did you know that they are a cooperative of over 1000 family farms in New England and New York and that 100% of the profits go back to the farmers? And 2019 marks 100 years of this cooperative. Happy Birthday, Cabot!
They also happen to be a certified B Corp, which means that they are held to a higher standard of social and environmental responsibility and transparency. I’ve been fortunate to work with them in the past and I admire the company and the employees so very much.
But none of that would matter much if they didn’t produce very good cheese. And they do produce very good cheese. Award winning cheddar of different varieties, and some non-Cheddar cheeses too.
I recently fell hard and fast for their Pepper Jack. Creamy smooth Monterey Jack with a peppery bite, this stuff is so good. And amazingly, happens to be lactose free, just as all of their Cheddar. Good news for people with lactose intolerance.
And while it’s really great on crackers, it turns out that it’s really great IN crackers too. These are some of the best keto crackers I’ve ever made.
How To Make Keto Cheese Crackers
Really, these cheese crackers are made with a modified fathead dough so they are easy to whip up. You can have them ready for all of your game day celebrations, perfect for dipping or just eating on their own.
But in this case, instead of mozzarella, you use Pepper Jack. Because it’s such a smooth cheese, it melts beautifully and makes perfect cheese crackers.
I usually melt the cheese in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave, in short bursts on high. But you can also melt the cheese on the stovetop in a pot. Just be sure to keep the heat very, very low and stir constantly.
Once the cheese is melted, you stir in almond flour, some additional seasonings, and an egg.
I highly recommend using a really flexible rubber spatula for stirring the dough together. I’ve made quite a bit of keto fathead dough and one of the best ways to get it to hold together is to really knead it hard against the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
Then turn the dough out onto a work surface. If your dough is sticky at all, this is where you can work in more almond flour. It shouldn’t be tacky and you should be able to roll it out easily, but different almond flours vary considerably.
Roll it out quite thinly, no more than ⅛ inch thick, so it will crisp up properly. Then cut into small crackers. I use a pizza wheel and to be frank, I am terrible at getting nice straight lines. But once they are baked and broken apart, no one can tell!
You have to keep baking them in a low temp oven until they are crisp. How long this takes can depend on how thinly you rolled the dough.
As they are baking, the edge pieces can brown more quickly than the center. That’s okay, just break them off and set them aside to cool, and keep letting the rest bake.
When they’re done, you will have some of the tastiest cheese crackers you’ve ever tried. Great to eat on their own, for dipping, or even topping with more cheese.
Happy snacking!
Keto Cheese Crackers with Pepper Jack
Ingredients
- 6 ounces Cabot Pepper Jack cheese grated
- 1 ½ cups finely ground blanched almond flour (150g) plus more for dusting
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- Coarse salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300F and line a work surface with a silicone baking mat. Sprinkle the mat with almond flour
- In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the cheese on high in 30 second increments until well melted and can be stirred together to a smooth consistency.
- Add the almond flour, salt, garlic powder, red pepper flakes and the egg and stir to combine. Work in well together with a rubber spatula, kneading the dough up against the sides of the bowl (if your dough is really sticky still, work in another few tablespoons of almond flour – it should be very pliant but not tacky)
- Turn the dough out onto the prepared work surface and top with a piece of parchment or waxed paper. Roll out as thinly as you can, no more than about ⅛ inches thick.
- Cut the crackers into the desired shape and size using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife. I made mine about 1 inch across.
- To make little circles in the middle, take a straw and poke a hole (then blow out the material that’s stuck in the straw from the other end). You can also simply take a fork and prick the crackers a few times.
- Brush the dough with the melted butter and sprinkle with the coarse salt, pressing lightly to adhere.
- Transfer the silicone mat to a large baking sheet. Bake 20 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and the edges are beginning to crisp up, then turn off the oven and let the crackers remain inside. If the edge pieces are browning too fast, simply remove them and let the remaining crackers sit in the warm oven until firm to the touch. They will continue to crisp up as they cool.
Notes
Sherry Lynn Spradlin says
Oh no!! I used COCONUT flour instead of almond!! Is there anything I can do to salvage these ingredients? I added an extra egg and some water but it’s still a crumbly mess. Help!!
Carolyn says
I answered this comment already… not sure what’s going on here?
Sherry says
Oh no!! I used COCONUT flour instead of almond!! Is there anything I can do to salvage these ingredients? I added an extra egg and some water but it’s still a crumbly mess. Help!!
Karen Laster says
I made these using red pepper cheese from Sam’s Club. The cheese is quite spicy and I love it. Didn’t change anything but the cheese and they are delicious! Thanks, Carolyn! You are the best!
Kathy says
Hi Carolyn – Thanks for all of your creative recipes! I was wondering about these pepper jack crackers – the Cabot PepperJack cheese comes in 8oz bricks, although I know some of their varieties come in 6oz bricks. I want to verify the recipe calls for 6oz of the 8oz brick. Thanks!
Carolyn says
Just measure out 6 ounces from the 8 ounce blocks.
Barbara says
There is nothing like Cabot cheese. Crackers will be simple to make, will be nice to have, to snack on.
Carol Rydzanich says
I love your recipes. I’m getting better at the savory items I’m making but I’m having issues with cakes, breads and such. I’ve tried so many and sorry to say they have been a disaster. I recently tried the blueberry scones and muffins. They came out awful. Really dense and just had a nasty taste. Any ideas on what I may be doing wrong.
Loved the chicken fritters! Im a widow so I do have to cut some recipes in half but they came out just fine:
Thanks for all you do!
Carolyn says
What almond flour are you using? What sweetener? What brand of coconut flour?
Sharon says
Love love love these crackers! i make them all the time , Im a little lazy so I use a fork and prick the crackers. we leave them sitting on the counter and they seem to get better evert day. Great cracker to take to a party because you can make it a few days before, the only down side is you better take a few copies of the recipe because Everyone will want it.
Kristine says
Hi Carolyn
Do I need to wait for the cheese to cool before adding the dry ingredients? Thanks! These look awesome 😊
Carolyn says
No, you definitely do not want it to cool or the cheese will firm up to much to mix in properly.
Allyssa says
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! Highly recommended!
Betsy says
Yum!! Better than cheez-its! Love these delicious cheesy crackers! Perfect protein rich cheese cracker! I’m a little nutty… I like cheese crackers in my chicken soup. These are perfect for that! 🙂
Valentina says
These EASY keto cheese crackers are so delicious! We love serving these with dips!
Debbie Brough says
Hi Carolyn
I have made your Keto Cheese Straws and love them. I was going to make these crackers and was wondering what the difference in texture is. I use the Cheese Straws as crackers. Just wondering before I make them.
Thanks for taking the time to make sense out of this post. lol
Debbie
Carolyn says
The cheese straws are softer, more like a sandy shortbread texture. The crackers are crisp and a little sturdier.