Ever miss that crunchy texture that foods like chips and crackers used to provide? This easy cheese crisps recipe will hit the snacking spot! Best of all, unlike most storebought cheese crackers, the one ingredient is 100% real food!
The next time you need a healthy alternative to crackers or a break from carrots and celery for dipping into salsa or sauces, try these! And it only takes 15 minutes and a hunk of cheese.
Cheese Crisps? Isn’t That Unhealthy?
It’s true, 100% cheese crisps certainly aren’t an everyday food, but if you are craving chips, this is a much healthier alternative!
Cheese crisps are higher in calories and fat than some other snacking choices and not recommended for the lactose intolerant. In our house, we do keep moderate amounts of raw, aged cheeses and high-fat dairy like butter, cream, and yogurt in the meal rotation. (The keywords here are “moderate” and “rotation.”)
Getting “Real” About Dairy
There’s nothing better than snacking on fresh veggies and fruit. That’s undeniable. But dairy in its most natural form — raw, organic, pastured (meaning grass-fed), and full fat — does have nutritional value and can be handled digestively by most people. Even better if it’s fermented as it’s lower in sugar and lactose and contains probiotics!
Food rotation is a key element in getting good nutrition and avoiding food allergies. When I know we are carefully choosing what and when we consume, I can feel good about indulging in things like real dairy once in a while.
As always, a good meal planning system (check out my favorite, Real Plans!) helps guard against the overconsumption of any one kind of food.
For this reason, I have kept some dairy in my favorite 200+ recipes featured in The Wellness Mama Cookbook (although dairy is rarely essential to the recipe and easily skipped if needed).
For variety, the recipes frequently call for healthy milk substitutes like almond and coconut milk.
How to Make One-Ingredient Cheese Chips
There are a few important keys to making cheese chips. The first is choosing the right cheese. You need a nice, hard, low-moisture cheese such as Parmesan (a block or shreds of it, not the grated stuff in a canister), cheddar, or asiago.
The second is a close eye. Cheese crisps go from being not-quite-done to burnt in seconds! Take them out when they’re bubbly and just starting to brown around the edges.
If your cheese crisps are too lacy and crumbling, try mixing a couple of types of cheese together. I found that a mix of Parmesan and cheddar held together better than just cheddar.
Mix It Up!
If you’re feeling ambitious and would like to add some flavor complexity to your cheese chips, try sprinkling them with spices before baking. I like them with a dash of taco seasoning and a thin slice of jalapeno. Or try a pinch of Italian seasoning.
This creative recipe puts the cheese in a muffin tin to cool so to make crisps in bowl form.
Without further ado, here’s how to get your savory umami fix from 100% real cheese crisps. It takes little prep time or cooking know-how.
100% Real Cheese Crisps Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 oz low-moisture cheese (Parmesan, asiago, or aged cheddar, freshly grated)
- ½ tsp herbs or spices (try paprika, taco seasoning, or Italian seasoning, optional)
Instructions
- Very lightly oil a cookie sheet or use a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.
- Use a 1 tablespoon measure to put small piles of cheese onto the cookie sheet leaving sufficient space between for spreading.
- Sprinkle with herbs or spices if using.
- Turn the oven on 'Broil' and put the cheese in.
- Watch carefully. It may take a little practice to learn timing. When bubbles slow down slightly and at first sign of browning, it's time to take them out.
- Allow the cheese to cool slightly, then gently remove them using a thin spatula to a paper towel covered plate to cool completely.
- When cooled, use just as you would chips for snacking or dipping into homemade sauces.
- To store, wait until fully cooled and pack between layers of waxed paper in a shallow dish.
Notes
Nutrition
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Ever made cheese crisps? Have a better version to share? Do so below!
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I have made these in the microwave. They don’t come out as fancy as in the oven or under the broiler, but on a hot summers day, or if I am STARVED, I use the micro. I get a large dinner plate and put a chunk of cheese in the middle of the plate. Depending on your microwave, I microwave it on high for one or two minutes (again, depending on the size of the chunk) until you see the edges get brownish. I then stop the micro and drain off the accumulated oil, and either eat it that way, or if the center is still soft, micro it for a few seconds more. They do come out thinner, crispier, and looking more like cheesy lace. I do a few, drain them on paper towel and I’m good to go.
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I can’t wait to try the turmeric lemonade on this 4th of July weekend! and need to make some more of these cheese ‘chips’ because I’m all out. We’ve been using our latest find of pork rinds for dippers! ….with the most delicous find, an almond based ‘hummus’ type dip, no beans less carbs!
Anyway, I actually want to send a personal/professional invitation to you, but I cannot find anywhere a place to email you personally outside of a post, and do apologize for inquiring in this forum. Not sure if you would be so kind as to reply here if and where I could do so. Happy 4th of July weekend to you and your family! ~Pam
Option: when they are just about to crisp up, yet still malleable, top it with pulled pork or chicken! Then, fold it in half so it looks like a taco! Garnish with cilantro, guac or avacado and eat like a taco! I’ve made these cheese crisps into mini appetizers and they are delicious!!
these are fantastic. I’ve baked them in the toaster oven and have fried them in my skillet. I’ve also made ’em larger or smaller and when hot you can roll a larger one over a stirring spoon or something long enough – so when it has cooled down – makes a taco. (I can’t remember where I found that idea – this site or another that also has yummy recipes.)
Press a jalapeño slice in the middle before cooking . That spices them up nicely! I think I used Jack cheese.
I love these. I use a shredded Mexican cheese blend and take them out while they’re still a little soft and use them as mini tortillas for tacos.
If you are leery of broiling you can also bake these at 400 for @ 7-10 mins…..for some reason I always forget stuff under the broiler!
You can also do pepperoni…trying tonite
I need to know how to store them to keep them crisp, and how long will they last. Thanks for he recipe, you might have saved my carbs diet!!!!
What temperature do you broil these at?
broil is a setting on the oven. Just crank it up to ‘broil’. it heats the top element only at a high temp.
The US broil is top down heating akin to a UK grill (grilling in the US uses a bottom up heat sort of akin to a UK barbecue)