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Better than store-bought homemade Goldfish. Yes, yes, you can make cheesy goldfish crackers at home. It’s way easier than you think. Plus these Goldfish taste so much better than the boxed stuff, so much better…and maybe a bit cheesier too. They’re fun crackers that are extra crunchy, flaky, perfectly salted, and heavy on the (real) cheese). Every bite is roll your eyes back good. These bite-sized crackers are best enjoyed any time of day – warning – they’re rather hard to stop eating. So delicious!
Homemade Goldfish.
Yes, we are making them, and HBH family, I am so excited. These are fun! And delicious.
Of course. It’s probably not a secret at this point, but I’m really having a lot of fun making homemade versions of my favorite childhood foods. Just a couple weeks ago, I made homemade cinnamon toast crunch. Before that, it was homemade frosted brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts. Before those pop tarts I made homemade chocolate fudge pop tarts. And finally, I also made healthy homemade Samoas cookies. So yes, it’s safe to say I love making things “homemade”. And you know what…these Goldfish crackers could possibly be my favorite homemade snack yet.
Well, I take that back. Nothing can beat cinnamon toast crunch for me…that recipe will most likely be my forever favorite. But I think these Goldfish come in second. Because really, who could not love Goldfish crackers? They’re crunchy, cheesy, and perfectly salty too.
You just have to love these!
To be honest, I made these the other week when things were at a heightened stress level for the entire world. Like so many of you, the matters of the world can weigh on me too, but the one thing I find that always brings much-needed happiness and joy? Cooking, baking, and creating new recipes for my family and friends. Food is healing too. I know first hand that stress cooking is a real thing. When I’m stressed or feeling anxious, I cook or bake something for anyone who’s willing to taste test. It’s how I show love, how I show support, and how I cope.
The other thing I tend to fall back on when anxious? Recalling childhood memories…those always make me smile. Enter this Goldfish recipe. I have countless memories eating Goldfish by the handfuls as a kid. My mom would buy either Goldfish or Cheez-It’s, whatever was on sale that week. I’d say eight times out of ten she’d buy the Cheez-It’s because they were always cheaper. But the truth? I had a soft spot for the Goldfish…even though they pretty much taste the same.
Why the soft spot? Ahh, the shape of course! And probably the sole fact that mom would buy them less, so obviously that just made me want them more.
Regardless, I loved Goldfish growing up. My brothers and I would snack on them after school and throughout the summer months. We loved them. So when I had the thought to try my hand at homemade Goldfish, I immediately ordered this cookie cutter. And well, now I have this recipe to share. I’ve been holding onto it for longer than I planned, so I’m overly excited to share.
Surprisingly, these are much easier to mix up than you might be thinking. In fact, they’re actually pretty easy. If you’ve made my homemade cinnamon toast crunch, you can certainly make these fun Goldfish crackers too.
First, the shape. If you want a true Goldfish cracker, you’ll need this cookie cutter, which comes in a set of other fish cookie cutters, or one of similar shape and size. You’d could also try this cutter, which is a single goldfish cookie cutter and not apart of a set.
If you don’t want to purchase the cookie cutter or simply just NEED to bake these today (I get that completely), just cut the dough into squares and make “Cheez-It’s” instead. Really, the shape doesn’t matter, it’s all about the cheesy cracker!
Second, the cheese. I used sharp orange cheddar cheese. If you want the true Goldfish look, use orange cheddar. If the color doesn’t matter to you, you can also use white cheddar. I recommend using a cheddar that’s aged and on the drier side. This will bake nicely.
Once you have your shape and your cheese all sorted, it’s time to mix up the dough. I like using the food processor to easily mix the dough and create the flakiest, crunchiest crackers, but you can simply use your hands as well. If you’re using your hands, you’ll want to make sure to finely grate the cheddar cheese instead of using shredded cheddar. This will give you the best consistency.
The dough is a mix of cheese, flour, paprika, onion, and garlic powder, and of course, some butter. It’s SIMPLE.
Once the dough is mixed, it’s time to roll it out, then transfer to a baking sheet, and bake! Yup, these crackers are that simple, quick, and easy to make.
And fun, and well, of course delicious. I mean, they’re cheese crackers, you know. Absolutely nothing not to love.
My little addition to these? A sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top just before baking. No, it’s not what you might find on the classic Goldfish crackers from the box, but it’s so darn good.
In my honest opinion, these taste better. They have flavor, real cheese, and yeah, that little addition of flaky sea salt too.
They’re flaky, extra cheesy, and have just the perfect crunch. Truly so good. And I’m warning you now, these are hard to stop eating. It’s the cheese, the crunch, and that last sprinkle of salt. You will not be able to stop…
Which is just fine. You made homemade Goldfish. Eat them all and enjoy every last one.
And with that, I’ll leave you all to it. Hoping these bring a smile to your face today. And as cheesy as this sounds…makes your tastebuds happy too!
Oh and lastly, if you feel generous, bake a double batch and gift these to your neighbor, your friend, or someone who might just enjoy a homemade cracker.
Looking for other snack recipes? Here are some oldies, but goodies…
Sweet ‘n’ Savory Roasted Nuts and Pretzels
Lastly, if you make this homemade Goldfish, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Love watching you cook!! Looks beautiful where you live too!!
Thank you so much Carol! xTieghan
These were so easy to make a delicious! Thank you!
Thank you so much Nicole! xTieghan
Suggestions please on how I can make these without a food processor. Thank you.
Hi Sylvia,
You can do this by hand, just make sure the butter is super cold! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Could I use margarine or does it need to be butter just thinking what i have on hand.
Hi Stephanie,
You can use margarine just make sure that it is super cold. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Love this! Tieghan, we don’t have the orange sharp cheddar here in the UK, we only have the white super sharp kind which is more crumbly. Do you think it would work? It’s less waxy than the orange stuff, so maybe more butter? p.s. have been an avid follower since 2013, LOVE everything you do!
Hi Kim,
I think that would be totally fine to use! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
We made these this morning, my son had such fun – we only had a small star cutter but they came out very cute & tasty!
Thank you Lee! xTieghan
The gluten-free note says something about whole wheat flour, but I only see all-purpose flour in the recipe. Is something missing?
Hey Liz, the whole wheat flour was just a typo, recipe fixed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
What do you think about substituting almond flour for the regular flour? Trying to avoid carbs at the moment….
Hi Linda,
I would recommend using gluten free flour as I have not tested this with almond flour. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Does anyone have the link for the mini goldfish cookie cutter? Thanks!
Hi Rachel! The link is updated and I will leave it here as well! So sorry about that! xTieghan
https://www.amazon.com/Ann-Clark-Cookie-Cutters-Goldfish/dp/B07NLZBKM5?tag=halfbakedharvest-ssc-780196-20&ascsubtag=4577200190
This looks AMAZING!!!! My 7 year old brother will love them!!
Aw so sweet of you to make these for him! I hope he does love them! xTieghan
These are going to be so much fun to make – looking forward to the weekend when I have time to make them…. And – I already have a fish cookie cutter to use! Yay! Thanks for sharing – Goldfish are my favorite snack.
So perfect!! I hope you love these Amanda! xTieghan
What size are these crackers? The link you provided for the cutter is 3”. Thanks!
Hi Deb! So sorry about that! I fixed the link and will add it below for you as well!! xTieghan
https://www.amazon.com/Ann-Clark-Cookie-Cutters-Goldfish/dp/B07NLZBKM5?tag=halfbakedharvest-ssc-780196-20&ascsubtag=4577200190
Yep, it was easy to find the minis!
This is going to be so much fun, and I’ll actually be able to give my grandchildren “goldfish” crackers! I can’t wait until the cookie cutter comes 😉
And thanks for the photos you include of the process of making and baking – those help so much!
Mary
I cannot wait for you to try these, Mary!! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Can’t wait to try!! My daughter misses goldfish so much with being unable to eat gluten! Ps- I think your link is wrong because that cutter is 3 inches.
Thank you so much Krista! I hope she loves this! The link is fixed! xTieghan
The link that you posted for the goldfish cookie cutter is for the 3 ” one, not the mini . But I did find several minis on Amazon .
Thank you for letting me know, Robin! I hope you love these! xTieghan