For all my readers who are nut-free, for all those asking about how to make keto crackers with fathead dough, and for anyone simply looking for a coconut flour alternative to almond flour crackers… this keto fathead crackers recipe is for you. Best of all, you only need three ingredients to make it!
What Are Fathead Crackers with Coconut Flour?
To understand what fathead crackers are, first you need to familiarize yourself with fathead dough in general. Fathead dough practically has a cult following in the keto community. It’s truly a game changer! It brings back that chewiness factor that so many of us are missing from keto bread recipes like keto pizza, keto bagels, and keto cinnamon rolls. These have hundreds of rave review and you have to try them all if you haven’t already. So what are fathead crackers? You can probably guess. They are coconut flour crackers made with the infamous fathead dough. But let’s be real for a minute. Chewy is not what you want when it comes to crackers (we’ll save that for coconut flour tortillas instead)! Nonetheless, I’ve had people tell me that they want a recipe for fathead crackers with coconut flour. So, time for some testing! I’ve gone through about half a dozen trials with these keto friendly crackers. At first I used cream cheese, just like other fathead dough recipes do, but quickly discovered that it doesn’t belong in crackers. It makes the crackers too soft! I also played around with the ratios of the remaining ingredients. The result? These keto crackers are more crisp than a typical fathead cracker recipe. That being said, they still soften a bit more easily than some other crackers. If you like super crispy crackers, try paleo almond flour crackers instead. They are also an ideal option if you are both keto and dairy-free, because these fathead crackers do contain mozzarella. And if you need to avoid nut flours altogether, try some toasty flax seed crackers. In case you do opt for these keto cheese crackers, be aware that the dough is a bit more dry than typical fathead dough. Here is what the ball of dough looks like after chilling:
Tips For How To Make Keto Crackers
With only three basic ingredients, you’d think that these keto friendly crackers would be pretty straightforward. And don’t get me wrong, they aren’t difficult. But like any fathead dough, there are a few challenges that people run into. There are a few in particular that are specific to this keto crackers recipe, so below are some tips to help you nail it:
Make the dough for fathead crackers with or without a food processor.
The instructions on the recipe card below use a food processor to make the fathead dough. This is my preferred method and the easiest to do. But, if you don’t have one, it’s no problem! You can simply stir together the dry ingredients and then knead the dough to help it form. If you are new to fathead dough, or if you have any trouble with the dough forming, check my tips on working with fathead dough in my fathead pizza and fathead bagels recipes.
Chill the dough before rolling out the keto crackers.
The necessity of this step – and even how long it takes – will depend partly on the temperature in your kitchen. The warmer it is, the more sticky and unmanageable the dough will be. To make the dough easier to work with, and to make it even possible to form the keto cheese crackers, chill the dough first. About an hour should be enough time.
Wipe and use oil to help with sticking.
After rolling out the dough, you might experience some sticking when cutting the crackers. Wiping any stuck-on dough off the knife is a huge help. Also, try lightly oiling the knife to reduce sticking. Similarly, oil the spatula a bit before using it to transfer the crackers from where you cut them to the pan for baking. If your dough is thoroughly chilled and you follow these tips, cutting the crackers will be super easy. Here is how they look before baking, with holes poked to prevent bubbling:
Use a pizza cutter for convenience.
This is not required, but a reader recommended this technique when making keto tortilla chips. If you have a pizza cutter, it can be a super quick way to cut up the keto crackers the same way!
Don’t waste leftover dough pieces.
When cutting rectangular keto crackers, you’ll inevitably end up with little uneven pieces on the edges. Don’t toss ’em! You can form a ball, roll them out again, and cut more crackers. Alternatively, you can also roll them into bread sticks. Brush with some butter, sea salt and herbs to bake. Note that these will have a longer baking time than the crackers, so I don’t recommend baking them together.
Get the timing right for baking.
This is probably the most important part. Fathead crackers are a little finicky if you want them to be crispy. The trick is to leave them in the oven with the door propped open after baking, to help them dry out. I use this technique in other recipes that need to be crispy, like baked zucchini chips and sugar-free meringue cookies. The only problem is, keto crackers continue to brown a bit in the oven afterward – even with the oven off – so if you over-bake them beforehand, they’ll taste a bit burned. The key is to get them just barely, very lightly golden, then turn the oven off, prop it open, and leave in there for longer to crisp up and brown more.
How To Store This Keto Crackers Recipe
Considering that they contain cheese, fathead crackers with coconut flour last a pretty long time. They are fine on the counter for several days, maybe even a week. You can also refrigerate your keto cheese crackers if you want to keep them for longer, but they might soften more this way. In any case, if you store your keto friendly crackers and find that they have gotten too soft, you can return them to the oven at a very low temperature (about 200 degrees F) to crisp up again.
Double boiler – A must for fathead dough if you’re not using the microwave Food processor – This makes it so much easier to make fathead crackers. I use it almost every day! Parchment paper and rolling pin – You need these for rolling out the dough. Half sheet pan – This one is both durable and inexpensive!
Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too - I’d love to see it! Want more help and tips on working with the fathead dough used in this recipe? Check my tips in my fathead pizza post or see the complete fathead dough guide in The Wholesome Yum Easy Keto Cookbook!)
