Sourdough Goldfish Crackers

Made with 100% real cheddar cheese, these Sourdough Goldfish are a favorite back-to-school snack made with sourdough discard!

The cheesy crackers are crispy, flaky, and addictive, and are perfect for snacking and store well (if you don’t eat them all first!).

My detailed instructions, photos, and tips walk you through step-by-step on how to make the best sourdough discard goldfish.

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👍 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Copycat recipe that tastes even better than boxed Goldfish crackers (like my Sourdough Discard Cheese Crackers (Cheez-Its) or Sourdough Vanilla Wafers).
• Uses 8oz of real sharp cheddar cheese, like my favorite Sourdough Grilled Cheese.
• Crispy, salty crackers with a snap and slightly airy, flaky interior.
• Easy for kids to roll out, cut out, and bake.
• Bright orange color from real cheese and natural color from turmeric.
• Simple and quick way to use sourdough discard.

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🔍 Top Baking Tips

• For crisp cookies like store-bought crackers, roll the dough thinly to ⅛” or less in between pieces of parchment paper like these Sourdough Butter Crackers.
• Use a food processor to mix the cheesy dough.
• Chill the dough before rolling out so the flavors meld and the dough isn’t too soft to cut.
• Turmeric powder helps color the goldfish to be bright orange, but you can leave it out or add other flavors like ranch!
• Grate or shred a block of real cheddar cheese for the best flavor and texture. Don’t use pre-shredded cheese.
• Dock the crackers with a wooden dowel. This helps prevent them from puffing up too much and adds goldfish eyes.

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🛠 Tools Needed

• Baking scale
  • Flour and sourdough starter can vary in weight from person to person, so weighing your ingredients is the best option! Measuring your ingredients by weight will make your baking more consistent and accurate.
• Box Grater, for grating the cheese
• Goldfish Cut-Outs
  • I use these Goldfish cracker cookie cutouts.
• Rolling Pin, for rolling out the crackers.
• Sheet Pan, lined with parchment paper
• Food processor, for mixing the dough.
• Wooden dowels, for docking
  • Use the blunt end of a wooden dowel or skewers to dock or make a hole in the goldfish to prevent them from puffing up too much.

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🛒 Ingredients Needed

See below for my ingredient recommendations and possible substitutions.

• Block of sharp cheddar cheese, grated
  • Use a real block of sharp cheddar cheese (or other cheese) and grate by hand like I do for my Sourdough Biscuits with Cheddar and Chives.
  • You can use white cheddar or add in other favorite hard cheeses such as parmesan, gouda, or monterey jack.
• All-purpose Flour
  • You can substitute all of the all-purpose flour with gluten-free flour or whole wheat flour.
• Salt
• Baking Powder helps the crackers puff up so they have an airy, light texture and crunch.
• Turmeric powder
  • I use natural turmeric powder, like I do in these Sourdough Carrot Cake Muffins and Sourdough Carrot Cake Scones, for more orange flavor.
  • Substitute with paprika or other flavorings such as ranch seasoning, garlic powder, cayenne, or Old Bay seasoning.
• Unsalted Butter
  • Using butter instead of oil as the primary fat adds richness and keeps the dough soft for rolling out.
• Sourdough Discard
  • If you don’t have an active sourdough starter, learn how to make one in a week by following my how-to guide. See my top sourdough starter tips and other sourdough discard recipes.
  • To make 100% gluten-free, use a gluten-free sourdough starter and gluten-free flour.

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🐟🧀 How to Make Sourdough Goldfish

Follow this detailed recipe guide with step-by-step images as you make the best sourdough goldfish.

1. Grate the Cheddar Cheese

Use the holes of a box grater to grate the cheddar cheese.

2. Mix the Dough

In a food processor with the blade attachment, or by hand, mix the shredded cheese, softened butter, and sourdough discard together.

Mix the dry ingredients in a separate small bowl. Then, add them to the food processor and mix until a cohesive ball of dough forms.

3. Chill the Dough

Scrape out of the food processor, pat down into a disc and cover in plastic wrap or beeswax to rest and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes and up to a couple of days.

The dough should be tacky like Play-Doh and look like Sourdough Pie Crust or Sourdough Galette.

4. Cut Out the Sourdough Goldfish

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC).

Use a rolling pin to roll the chilled dough into a thin slab (less than ⅛” thick) between two pieces of parchment paper.

Use the goldfish cracker mold to cut-out the crackers, separate them, and place close together on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Re-roll scraps.

Dock the fish with a wooden dowel or toothpick with a hole.

5. Bake

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the crackers are crisp and turning dark orange brown. Thinner crackers may bake faster and thicker ones may need more time.

Cool on a wire rack and repeat with the remaining crackers.

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How to Store and Serve

• Store sourdough goldfish in an airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days.
• Be sure to allow the crackers to cool completely before storage.
• If the crackers soften, reheat them in an oven at 300ºF for a few minutes to re-crisp the cookies.
• These are great to pull out of the oven right before a Super Bowl party!

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❓ Frequently Asked Questions