10 Healthiest Cheese Crackers—and 3 To Skip

Cheese crackers make perfect sense when you need a healthy snack that's easy to grab and loaded with flavor. They are shelf-stable, loaded with cheese flavor, and have a satisfying crunch—just a few reasons to love them.

However, nutritionally speaking, many cheese crackers are less than impressive. They're high in nutrients we'd like to limit, like sodium and saturated fat, and low in nutrients we need more of, like fiber and protein, so they're not always the healthiest snack on the shelf. While no one food can make or break your health, frequently eating snacks that are high in calories, fat, and sodium can be detrimental and increase the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease or lead to unnecessary weight gain.

We reviewed some of the healthiest cheese crackers available on store shelves and a few you may want to limit or skip altogether. Whether you're looking for a real cheese variety, vegan, gluten-free, or allergen-friendly, you can find a healthy cheese cracker in our top picks.

How we chose the healthiest cheese crackers

While "healthy" can be subjective to each person's unique nutrition needs and goals, here's what we used to find the most nutritious and healthful cheese and cheese-flavored crackers.

• Lower sodium: Snacks like crackers are notoriously high in sodium, and when you add cheese to the mix, most choices have more sodium than we'd like to see in a snack. We chose crackers with 10% of the daily value of sodium or less or as close to it as we could find.
• Whole food ingredients: Instead of artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives, we choose crackers that include whole foods, seasonings, and spices to maximize flavor with less processing.
• Less saturated fat: Cheese is naturally high in saturated fat, so avoiding it isn't a realistic option when choosing cheese crackers. The American Heart Association warns against eating too much saturated fat as it is linked to a higher risk of heart disease.

10 Healthiest Cheese Crackers

Best: Simple Mills Farmhouse Cheddar Almond Flour Crackers

When you want a certified gluten-free cracker made with whole food ingredients, try Farmhouse Cheddar Almond Flour Crackers. Made with a blend of almond flour, sunflower seeds, and flaxseeds, these crackers have 3 grams of protein and a satisfying crunch and cheesy flavor. Each serving has a 10% daily value of sodium and only 1.5 grams of saturated fat, even though the ingredients include real cheddar cheese. They're also grain- and corn-free, making these cheesy crackers a good choice for those with allergies or sensitivities.

 The Healthiest Store-Bought Crackers

Best: Annie's Cheese Cracker with Hidden Veggies

Annie's Cheese Cracker with Hidden Veggies is certified organic and includes vegetables like pumpkin, tomato, and carrot, which help add natural color and flavor. Each serving of 45 crackers has just 5% daily value of saturated fat and 13% daily value of sodium. You won't find any artificial colors or flavors in these bunnies.

Best: Every Body Eat Cheese-Less Thins

Every Body Eat Cheese-Less Thins are an allergy-friendly, vegan cheese cracker snack free from gluten and corn. They have just a handful of ingredients, including brown rice flour, potato starch, olive oil, nutritional yeast (where the cheesy flavor comes from), and seasonings. You'll find just 6% of the daily value of sodium, making these a great lower sodium choice, and you'll even get 3 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber in each 25-cracker serving.

Best: Cheddies Classic Cheddar Cheesy Crackers

Cheddies Classic Cheddar Crackers are made with just seven ingredients: wheat flour, organic cheddar cheese, cornstarch, whey protein, sugar, onion powder, and jasmine extract. Each serving has 6 grams of filling protein and only 9% of the daily value of sodium, even though it's brimming with cheesy flavor. They're also non-GMO, certified humane, and the company sources its cheese from regenerative dairy farms.

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Best: Patagonia Provisions Vegan Cheddar Cheeze Crackers

For a large cracker you can load with toppings, try Patagonia Provision's Cheddar Cheeze Crackers. These crackers are vegan, organic, and have no added sugars. The cheesy flavor comes from nutritional yeast, and they're naturally colored with turmeric. Each serving has just 0.5 grams of saturated fat and only 11% of the daily value of sodium. Plus, you'll get 3 grams of protein and 2 grams of fiber in each serving from ingredients like organic wheat flour, sourdough, and nutritional yeast.

Best: Highkey Cheddar Almond Flour Crackers

While Highkey Almond Flour Cheddar Crackers are higher in saturated fat than we'd like to see, their high protein and fiber help land them on our healthiest list. Lupind flour, resistant cassava flour, almond flour, and whey protein help add 8 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein to these crackers, making them a balanced and filling snack all on their own.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

 4 Best Gluten Free Crackers To Buy, Say Dietitians

Best: From the Ground Up Cauliflower Cheddar Crackers

Made from cauliflower, rice, potato, and cassava, these Cauliflower Cheddar Crackers are certified gluten-free and vegan, with just 120 calories per 50 crackers. Each serving has just 5% daily value of saturated fat and 14% daily value of sodium (making them a little higher than we'd like to see but still decently low for how many crackers are in each serving). These crackers include a vegetable blend of spinach, broccoli, carrot, tomato, beet, and shitake mushrooms. While the crackers won't replace vegetables, the veggie ingredients add 2 grams of fiber to each serving.

Best: Made Good Cheddar Star Puffed Crackers

Certified organic and gluten-free, Made Good's Cheddar Star Puffed Crackers are also free from the top nine major allergens, making them an excellent choice for kids and adults with food allergies. While each serving has a 10% daily value of saturated fat and a 12% daily value of sodium, you'll also get 25% of the recommended daily value of micronutrients, including vitamins D, A, C, E, B1, and B6.

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Best: Mary's Gone Cheezee Crackers

Using chickpea flour, Mary's Gone Cheezee Crackers have 4 grams of protein in each serving of 19 crackers. These plant-based crackers are cheese-flavored, certified organic, and gluten-free for maximum flavor without any dairy. They're crunchy and tasty while only providing 10% of the daily value of saturated fat and 12% of the daily value of sodium.

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Best: Blue Diamond Pepper Jack Almond Nut-Thins

Blue Diamond's Pepper Jack Almond Nut-Thins are made with rice flour and almonds for a gluten-free cracker with 1 gram of fiber and 2 grams of protein. The satisfying crunch is only made better with the flavorful pepper jack seasoning, which adds no saturated fat to these crackers and only 9% of the daily value of sodium, making them a lower-sodium cheesy cracker option.

3 Unhealthiest Cheese Crackers

Worst: Lance ToastChee Sandwich Crackers

ToastChee Cheddar Cheese Sandwich Crackers are high in saturated fat, at 17.5% of the daily value, and they provide 18% of the daily value of sodium. However, they're also loaded with artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives.

 The 30 Unhealthiest Snacks on the Planet

Worst: Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers

The original cheese cracker, Cheez-It Baked Snack Crackers, may not be the worst cracker nutritionally. Still, with 13% DV saturated fat and 14% DV sodium, the crackers provide less than 1 gram of fiber and very few micronutrients. They also include enriched flour and vegetable oil as primary ingredients, offering little other nutrition.

Worst: Whisps Parmesan Cheese Crisps

With the high amount of protein in each serving of Parmesan Cheese Crisps, we'd love to love these crackers, but they're just too high in fat and sodium to make a regular appearance on the snack table. The ingredient list is minimal, with just Parmesan cheese, milk, salt, and enzymes. Each serving has 7 grams of saturated fat, which is 35% of the recommended daily limit, and 15% daily value of sodium. While offering no fiber, they contribute 13 grams of protein in each serving.