Keto Better Cheddar Clone
Course: Appetizers u0026amp; Snacks, Baked GoodsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings
4
servingsPrep time
30
minutesCooking time
40
minutesCalories
300
kcalTotal Carbs
2
gramsNet carbs
2
gramsFat
4
gramsProtein
7
gramsPre-keto, one of my favorite crackers was the Better Cheddar. In this recipe, I come VERY close to duplicating the flavor of that cracker, minus the slight sourdough taste (see notes). Unlike the Better Cheddar, these crackers are very sturdy and will easily hold up to the thickest dip.
Ingredients
1 cup full fat, small curd cottage cheese (225g) *see notes
2 TB finely shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese, gently packed (18g)
2 tsp cheddar cheese powder
2 tsp nutritional yeast
Directions
- Preheat oven to 225F or 110C.
- Combine all ingredient in a small food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula if necessary.
- Line a baking sheet or cookie tray with a silicone mat. Portion 24 scoops on to the mat. This is super easy using a #100 disher scoop. Alternatively, you can use a slightly overfilled 1/2 tablespoon measuring spoon.
- Bake for 40 minutes. At this point the scoops should have flattened out into round cracker shapes. Rotate the tray and bake for another 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the crackers firm up for 30 minutes using the oven’s residual heat.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool. Crackers will last up to 2 weeks in a ziplock bag, though I recommend adding a desiccant packet to keep them crunchy.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Nutritional info is based on a serving size of six crackers
- I used Kemps brand cottage cheese and it works wonderfully. If you try this recipe and the crackers do not spread out, please post a comment with the brand of cottage cheese you used and the ingredients list, so that I can determine which ingredient is inhibiting the spread.
- In future tests, I may see if adding King Arthur’s Sourdough Flavor (available on their website) to see if that gets these to be a 100% flavor match with Better Cheddar crackers.
Can’t wait to try these!
Thank you for all your hard work!
Oooh..heading to the kitchen right now! Yum 😋
Now I have something new to do this week end, excellent idea, thank you
I just tried with the Good brand cottage cheese I was so excited to get from being the lowest carb and I know now why it’s so lower,, it’s watery and less curds in it. My mixture ended up being like soup ! Then I rewatched yours and saw how thick yours is. People definitely need to drain watery ones. I ended up having to add several cups of almond flour to get it to any sort of scoop long consistency but I was afraid it wouldn’t spread out so I spread them myself. It’s cooking still. I know they won’t be like yours. I will try a different brand next time.
Good tip.
Hi Steve! Just to let you know, when I want to eat this kind of chips, I just put them in the microwave for 30 seconds and they come out as crispy as you like. So, even if they become a little “wilted”, they come back to life!
So if they’ve gotten a bit uncrispy, you re-crisp them in a microwave? Mine tend not to last long enough to get un-crispy. 😉
Did I miss how many crackers constitute one serving?
Found it. Six per serving
Found it. Six
I use Daisy full fat cottage cheese for the original crackers. I used the silpat for two recipes and they came out perfectly. Then I used parchment paper and they did not spread or get crunchy. Perhaps the silicone heats more slowly than the parchment paper.
Good info on the parchment paper. Thanks.
Good info, Jan. Thanks.
Just tried this recipe. I used 1 cup of 1% Cottage Cheese because that is what was on sale. Added 1 tbsp of clean-ish Ranch Seasoning. Blitzed in small food processor. After 2 rounds of 40 mins at 225f the crackers were firm to the touch but still somewhat pliable. (My 1 rack top oven might run cool.) I decided that just sitting in a warm oven wasn’t going to dry them out enough so I peeled them off the Silpat and put them on a cooling rack to get some warm air underneath and baked them for another 40 mins at 225f (probably 200f in my top oven) and they did something cool…they curled a bit and really look like chips! I am excited to try more flavours because this was so easy. Thank you for making keto easier through cool recipes and techniques. I have a photo of the result if you’d like to see.
I would like to see the photo!
Photo please!!
Hi Steve,
Mine didn’t spread, but the still turned out great. Just had to cook them a lot longer. I used Knudsen 4% small curd. I even picked it because it had less ingredients than the other brands. LOL! Here are the ingredients:
Cultured pasteurized grade A nonfat milk, milk and cream, whey, contains less than 2% modified food starch, salt, calcium phosphate, xantham gum, guar gum, acetic acid, vitamin D3.
Hope this helps.
I just tried these yesterday and I love them! Only one issue: I used Walmart cottage cheese brand and they didn’t come out crunchy like yours (I can hear the sound of yours). I had to put them in the dehydrator and then they got crunchy!
Do you think draining the curds would help? Or a higher temperature in the oven?
Thx so much for your awesome recipes
I would try draining the curds a bit before running them in the food processor. I’m reluctant to recommend upping the temp, as the edges start to brown a bit too much at higher temps.
Steve, your measurement on the sjhredded cheddar is off 8 gr. Is not correct 2 Tbls is 18 gr.
8 gr. Adds no flavor,
Fixed. Thanks.
Wonder if you could add a pinch of something like citric or ascorbic acid in place of the sourdough flavoring?
I’ve made similar with 4 whipped egg whites, 1 cup of shredded cheddar. Spread out on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove and flip the sheet of ‘dough’ and brush with melted butter. I add a touch of sea salt at this point. Cut into squares and separate those squares on your baking sheet. Bake those for an additional 2-3 minutes and they taste just like Better Cheddars or Cheez-its.
I’m going to try your recipe for sure!
Hi Steve, I love your recipes, videos and taste tests. I made these crackers today. The flavor is great. I followed your recipe exactly. My problem is they haven’t gotten crisp. They’re firm but pliable. Any ideas on how to crisp them up? Thank you so much for all you do for all of us.
Does the cottage cheese brand you used contain either guar gum or xanthan gum? It appears, based on looking at the comments on that video that one of those ingredients is in every brand that didn’t turn out like mine.
I used daisy cottage cheese, 4% milkfat, small curd, ingredients: cultured skim milk, cream and salt. I used 1/2 tbsp each but didnt try to flatten. Mine held their shape but should be flatter and crispy. Disappointed but will try again trying to flatten them. I took them out of the oven and cooled, Then I decided to flip them over and put them back in the oven to see if I can get them to crisp up.
If the crackers aren’t crisp, try putting them in a dehydrator which will crisp them nicely. That’s what I had to do.
Well, I did one batch exacly as written and one batch modified. On the 2nd batch I added 2 tablespoons almond flower, 2 teaspoons butter powder, and 1/2 barley malt powder. We will see how it is in 2 hours.