Crispy, buttery sourdough discard crackers using only two ingredients. They have that tangy sourdough flavor! Plus options to mix in cheese and seasonings.

A bowl filled with sourdough discard crackers

What is Sourdough Discard?

A sourdough starter needs to be fed with flour and water to stay alive. Each time you feed your starter it grows. You use a portion of the fed starter to bake bread, and you'll hang on to a certain amount of starter to keep the starter going for years to come.

What inevitably happens, though, is that you'll end up with more starter than you need, so you discard the extra. Thus, sourdough discard.

While it's often considered waste, this tangy, nutrient-rich mixture can be repurposed in various recipes, adding depth of flavor to things like sourdough discard dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, breadsticks, and bagels.

Using sourdough discard not only reduces food waste but also brings a delightful, subtle sourness to your baked goods.

Whenever I have sourdough discard, I add it to a large jar that I keep in my fridge. Once that jar gets full, it's time to make some discard recipes, and this is a great one for using up a lot of discard at once.

Want to get started in sourdough? Check out this blog post.

a large jar of sourdough discard — Accumulated sourdough discard from my starter, Frodough

Helpful Tools for Making Sourdough Discard Crackers

Half Sheet Pan - This pan from USA does a great job of evenly distributing heat and is my go to for cookies, roasted veggies and anything that calls for a regular sheet pan.

Silicone Baking Sheet - It's important that your sheet pan be lined with parchment paper or a baking sheet like this so you can easily remove it from the pan and break up the crackers once they're cooked.

Offset Spatula - I love using this offset spatula for smoothing out the cracker dough evenly on the sheet pan. Also works great for decorating cakes and smoothing batter!

Ravioli Cutter - You don't need this tool, but it does make a fun fluted edge on the crackers when you score them. If you don't have one of these, a knife works great instead!

Overhead view of sourdough discard crackers scattered on a green surface

Tips for Making Sourdough Discard Crackers

Use room temperature sourdough discard

I always keep my discard in the refrigerator. When I want to make these crackers, I pull it out of the fridge to come to room temperature. This helps to make it easier to pour and easier to mix, plus it will prevent the butter from getting to cold and getting firm again.

Have fun with mix-ins

You'll see in the step by step photos below that I folded shredded cheddar cheese into this recipe. You're welcome to try different cheeses for fun flavor combos! Swiss, parmesan with black pepper, gruyere and thyme. Get creative!

Consider the thickness of your crackers

You have total control in this recipe over how thick or thin you want to make your crackers. The thinner you spread the batter on the sheet pan, the thinner your crackers will turn out. They'll also bake faster when they're thinner.

I like a bit of thickness to mine personally. Kind of like Wheat Thins or Cheez-Its.

Some folks go for much thinner crisp style crackers.

Step by Step Making Sourdough Discard Crackers with Cheese

sourdough discard in a bowl with melted butter and a whisk — Two ingredient crackers: discard and butter

sourdough discard mixed with melted butter — Two ingredient crackers: discard and butter

What to Serve with Sourdough Discard Crackers

My family eats these just as they are as a snack, but they also pair fabulously with dips and spreads.