4-Ingredient Water Crackers Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for details.

Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: Make our 4-Ingredient Water Crackers Recipe, and prepare to be shocked at how effortless it is to make the perfect crisp, go-with-everything cracker. We’re talking four inexpensive pantry ingredients, a half-hour hands-on prep time, and just 12 minutes in the oven! Plus, no machine needed!

• Quick and easy: Making these crispy treats is mostly hands-off. You just mix and knead the ingredients and go about your business while the dough rests for an hour. Then, simply roll out and bake.
• Simple ingredients, mild taste: These lovely snacks bake up golden brown with a pleasant, toasty flavor. It’s surprising to think this yummy nibble is made from just flour, salt, vegetable oil, and water! Although they’re versatile enough to handle any topping or your favorite cheese or dip, they’re totally delicious on their own.

What would we do without lovely crunchy snacks?! They’re addictive and perfect while binge-watching, waiting on dinner, or just as a tasty distraction! You can feel good about enjoying Bigger Bolder Baking snack recipes because they have no preservatives, no artificial color or artificial flavors, wholesome ingredients, and no junk, period! Try our all of our munchy treats, including Homemade Cheez-Its with Real Cheddar, Microwave Sweet Potato Snacks, Sweet and Spicy Nuts, and Sourdough Discard Crackers.

Table of Contents

• What are 4-Ingredient Water Crackers?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Why
• How to Make 4-Ingredient Water Crackers
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Make Ahead & Storage Instructions
• FAQs
• More Recipes with Just 3 or 4 Ingredients

What are 4-Ingredient Water Crackers?

• 4-Ingredient Water Crackers, also known as water biscuits, are thin, crisp, savory crackers. And they’re dairy-free and egg-free. 
• These simple crackers are unleavened, differentiating them from saltines, which are made with yeast and baking soda.
• These crackers developed from ship’s biscuit or hardtack, a simple baked good made from flour and water. Sailors and soldiers often carried long-lasting hardtack for sustenance. Water crackers, a tastier, less dense form of ship’s biscuit, became popular in the 19th century due to the English company Carr’s, who started baking the crackers in addition to bread.

Tools You Need

• Mixing bowl
• Measuring cups
• Measuring spoons
• Glass measuring jug
• Kitchen scale (optional)
• Wooden spoon
• Baking sheets
• Parchment paper
• 3-inch (7.5cm) round cutter

Key Ingredients and Why

All-purpose flour

• All-purpose flour provides the crackers’ structure.
• All-purpose flour, with a protein content of 9 to 11%, is the perfect flour to use to give these homemade crackers a mix of crispness and tenderness.

Salt

• Salt gives the crackers flavor. Especially in a recipe with a short ingredient list, salt is essential to enhance the taste of the crackers.
• Importantly, salt strengthens the gluten structure, which makes the dough more elastic and easier to work with.

Water

• Water hydrates the dough, which activates the gluten.
• Using water gives these crackers their signature crispness. If milk or cream were used in place in water, the crackers would not have their satisfying crunch but would be flaky and soft.

Vegetable oil

• Vegetable oil gives the crackers delicate crispness and keeps them from being dry.
• Even though vegetable oil has a neutral flavor, it adds a touch of rich mouthfeel.

How to Make 4-Ingredient Water Crackers

Make the dough

Rest the dough

Roll out and cut

Bake the crackers

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• The thinner you can roll the dough, the crunchier your crackers will be.
• This dough can spring back a lot as you roll it. If you have trouble rolling the dough thin because of this, just cover the dough with a tea towel, let it rest for 15 minutes, and then keep rolling.
• If you have a pasta roller, you can use this to roll the dough to the thinnest setting.
• You can add different dried herbs or spices to the flour for different flavors: try 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary, thyme or crushed fennel seeds or sesame seeds, or a ½ teaspoon of black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes.
• If you enjoy making homemade crackers, check out my 3 Homemade Cracker Recipes!

Make Ahead & Storage Instructions

• Make cracker dough in advance:
  • Refrigerate dough: Make the water cracker dough in advance, shape it into a disc, wrap it well in plastic wrap, or place it in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to three days.
  • Let the dough come to room temperature before rolling it out.
  • Freeze dough:
    • For more extended storage, make the water cracker dough, shape it into a disc, wrap it well, and place it in a freezer bag. You can freeze the dough for up to two months.
    • Let the dough thaw overnight in the fridge before baking the crackers. Let the dough come to room temperature before rolling it out.
• To store crackers:
  • Keep crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

FAQs

Can I make these crackers gluten-free?

• Yes, you can make these crackers gluten-free.
• Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum (or add 1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum), or try our Easy Almond Flour Mix. 
• Gluten-free flour absorbs liquid at a different rate than all-purpose flour. When mixing, use up to three-quarters of the amount of liquid called for, and then add more if needed to achieve the same consistency as described in the recipe.
• Rolling out dough made with gluten-free flour can be more difficult as it may be stickier. Try rolling out the dough between two pieces of parchment paper.
• The baking time may vary. Watch the crackers while baking and remove them when they are lightly golden.

Why is poking holes in the crackers necessary?

• Pricking the unbaked crackers with a fork is called “docking.”
• Docking prevents large air bubbles from forming in the dough, which helps the crackers bake evenly.

Can I use olive oil in this recipe?

• Yes, you can use olive oil instead of vegetable oil in this recipe.
• Note that olive oil will change the texture and flavor of these crackers. The texture may be more crackly and slightly brittle, and they will be less neutral tasting due to the robust flavor of olive oil.

More Recipes with Just 3 or 4 Ingredients

• 3-Ingredient Shortbread Cookies
• 4-Ingredient Homemade Goldfish Crackers
• 4-Ingredient Paleo Pancakes
• 3-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies
• 4-Ingredient Cheddar Pecan Shortbread

Try These Recipes!

Ginger Shortbread Cookies

Cranberry Pistachio Shortbread Cookies

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe

Savory Biscotti With Parmesan, Black Pepper and Rosemary