Ranch Crackers- Sourdough Discard Recipe

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If you are looking for an easy discard recipe, this is the one for you! Ranch Crackers come together quickly and can be prepped ahead of time for flaky and crispy crackers with a tangy kick.

Ranch crackers are made with 6 simple ingredients! Next time you're looking for the perfect snack, try this easy snack recipe!

A top view of a bowl of sourdough crackers made with sourdough starter discard in a bowl on a tea towel.

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Why This Recipe Works
Ingredients
Instructions
Storage
Optional Add-ins
Substitutions
Serving Suggestions
FAQ
Related
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Recipe
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Why This Recipe Works

Easy - Mix by hand and just one bowl to wash!
Real Ingredients - When you make crackers from scratch, you control the quality!
Fast - It takes about 5 minutes to make the cracker dough and less than 25 minute baking time. You can also make the dough ahead of time and let it ferment overnight.
Travels Well - When we are headed on road trips, especially to go watch our teens during football season, I always pack a few bags of these!

My kids love snacking on crackers! They will dip sourdough crackers in Cottage Cheese Ranch Dip or eating it with cheese and Summer Sausage. If you love sourdough crackers, be sure to try Plain Sourdough Crackers and Cheesy Sourdough Crackers. The cheesy version tastes just like goldfish and cheez-its! Here are other Sourdough Discard recipes you'll love to try!

Ingredients

sourdough starter discard | The discard can be very old! If it has been sitting in your refrigerator for a week or two, it can still be used in this recipe! For a lighter, flakier cracker that resembles a saltine, you can use active starter if you choose.
All-Purpose Flour | Use whatever flour you like! I have had great success using freshly milled flour, kamut, einkorn, whole wheat... once you've made this recipe a time or two, start experimenting! Once I even used Bobs 1:1 gluten-free flour blend to make a batch because it was all I had in the cupboard.
Butter | If you or someone in your family has a dairy allergy or sensitivity, you can swap the butter for melted coconut oil and it will work perfectly fine.
Ranch Seasoning | I wrote this recipe to be used with either Hidden Valley Ranch Packets or Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix.
Salt | A little for in the dough, plus a generous sprinkle on top just before baking! I like a flaky salt, sea salt, French salt or other coarse varieties.
Olive oil | This is just for brushing the top before baking. It doesn't take much, but really browns the crackers up really nice and gives the salt (and any optional spices) a good foundation to stick to.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Step 1 In a large bowl, combine the flour, sourdough starter, ranch seasoning, melted butter and salt. Start by using a wooden spoon, then use your hands to work the dough into a ball. It will start out messy, but once the ingredients blend, it will be a soft and pliable dough. Flatten the ball into a rectangular disc.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sourdough starter, ranch seasoning, melted butter and salt. Start by using a wooden spoon, then use your hands to work the dough into a ball. It will start out messy, but once the ingredients blend, it will be a soft and pliable dough. Flatten the ball into a rectangular disc.

Optional: place the dough ball in an air tight small bowl and ferment in the refrigerator for 12 - 48 hours. Then remove from the fridge for 30 minutes before continuing with the next steps.

Step 2 Roll the dough with a rolling pin until it is about 1/16 of an inch thick.

Using two sheets of parchment paper, sandwich the room temperature dough between the sheets. I put a tea towel or silpat mat under the bottom layer to prevent it from slipping. Roll the dough with a rolling pin until it is about 1/16 of an inch thick. Thicker crackers or uneven crackers will take longer to bake and could burn on the edges while remaining slightly doughy in the middle.

Preheat the oven to 375°. Prepare the dough by removing then top layer of parchment and drizzling it with olive oil. Smooth the olive oil over the entire surface. I use a pastry brush for this step! Cut the crackers into one inch squares using a knife, pizza cutter, cookie cutters or pastry cutter. Leave the dough exactly as it is, do not try to separate the crackers.

Step 5 Once they are fully cooked, transfer the crackers to a cooling rack.

Sprinkle the crackers with coarse salt, pepper and any additional seasonings you desire. I like to sprinkle with a little extra dried dill or parsley.
Bake the sourdough starter crackers for 25-30 minutes. Once they are fully cooked, transfer the crackers to a cooling rack. Do not leave them on the parchment paper to cool, this can cause the bottoms to be soggy.

Storage

Store the fully cooled homemade crackers in an airtight container or ziptop bag. These crackers will be fresh for about 3 days, but I've eaten them at a week.

Optional Add-ins

Make Spicy Ranch Crackers by adding ¼ teaspoons each of garlic powder, red pepper flakes, onion powder, and dill weed. I like to substitute plain olive oil with a pepper-infused olive oil for a spicy crackers! Lightly sprinkle the tops with extra fresh ground black pepper and more crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
Double Ranch Crackers are flavor-packed and my kids love them! Instead of using one ranch packet (or two tablespoons of ranch dressing mix), use two! It will be a "POW!" sort of flavor!
Southwest Ranch Crackers are such an easy upgrade. In addition to the packet of ranch seasoning, add a tablespoon of taco seasoning or fajita seasoning to the dough!

Serving suggestion for sourdough discard ranch crackers is to serve with cheese, showing a large wheel of gouda cheese.

Substitutions

I prefer to use olive oil for brushing, but other oils could be used, such as vegetable oil, canola oil or avocado oil.
To make this recipe with fresh milled wheat, measure ⅔ cup of wheat berries and then grind. This will get you an almost exact 1 cup of flour.
Substitute your favorite dairy-free butter alternative and buttermilk-free ranch seasoning to make this recipe dairy free.

Serving Suggestions

Serve these ranch crackers with sliced cheddar cheese, whipped feta, summer sausage or small deli meats. Perfect for holiday parties, a casual movie night or party snack.
Make fancy shapes and sizes for a charcuterie board, cheese boards or game day spread.
Make homemade lunchables for your kids! Use a 2" round cookie cutter to shape the crackers and serve with round deli meats, such as pepperoni and sausage.
Customize your own savory snack mixes by tossing together little crackers, pretzels, mini saltines, chex mix, nuts, and popcorn.
Serve these tasty crackers with a big bowl of soup! Make a double batch and use half as a soup topper, save half for later!

You're gonna love this addictive snack! It's a great recipe and sure to be a favorite in your kitchen! Please leave me a comment and tell me how you liked them!

Happy baking!

- Meg

Pinterest graphic for sourdough crackers that are ranch flavored.

FAQ

Can I make these crackers gluten-free?

To make gluten-free crackers, you'll need to substitute the sourdough starter with a gluten-free starter and use gluten-free flour.

Can I omit the ranch seasoning?

While the ranch seasoning adds a delicious flavor, you can omit it if you prefer a plain sourdough cracker. You can always add your favorite seasonings after baking.

Can I use store-bought sourdough starter instead of homemade?

Absolutely! Store-bought sourdough starter can be used as a substitute for homemade starter in this recipe.

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