American Snack
Cheesy Nooch & Smoked Paprika Sourdough Discard Crackers (“Vegan Cheez-Its”)
Nostalgic, ultra-savory homemade "Cheez-It" crackers powered by tangy aged sourdough discard, nutritional yeast flakes, sweet white miso paste, smoked paprika, onion powder, and vegan butter—cut with a fluted wheel and pierced in the center for authentic crunch.
The good part
Fermentation Science & Baker’s Notes
Combining the natural lactic acid in sourdough discard with the glutamic acid in nutritional yeast and fermented white miso replicates the exact chemical flavor profile of sharp aged cheddar cheese without dairy or processed oils. For deeper fermentation diagnostics, Desired Dough Temperature math, and starter ratios, consult our The Zero-Waste Sourdough Discard Playbook and the master Vegan Sourdough & Wild Fermentation Pillar Hub.
Storage, Freezing & Refreshing
Store crusty artisan sourdough loaves cut-side down on a wooden board or inside a linen bread bag at room temperature for up to 3 days (avoid sealed plastic bags, which trap moisture and soften the blistered crust). For longer storage, slice the cooled loaf completely, place parchment squares between slices, and freeze in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months; toast straight from frozen or refresh whole loaves in a 375°F oven for 8 minutes.
Nutrition, Digestibility & Swaps
Provides B-vitamins and 5g of plant protein per serving from nutritional yeast. Want to adapt another family bakery recipe to 100% plant-based sourdough? Open our interactive Vegan Baking Converter.
Gather
Ingredients
- 200g (scant 1 cup) unfed sourdough discard
- 120g (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 40g (1/2 cup) nutritional yeast flakes (nooch)
- 55g (4 tbsp) cold vegan block butter, cubed (plus 1 tbsp melted for brushing)
- 1 tbsp sweet white miso paste (delivers aged cheddar glutamate depth)
- 3/4 tsp smoked Spanish paprika + 1/2 tsp garlic powder + 1/2 tsp onion powder + 1/4 tsp ground turmeric (for cheddar-orange color)
- 1/4 tsp fine sea salt + flaky sea salt for topping
Make
Method
- 01Pulse or Rub Butter & Nooch into Flour: In a food processor (or by hand in a bowl), pulse the flour, nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, turmeric, and salt with the cold cubed vegan butter and white miso until it looks like coarse golden cornmeal.
- 02Add Sourdough Discard: Add the 200g unfed sourdough discard and pulse/mix just until a smooth, bright orange dough ball forms. Flatten into a disk and rest 15 minutes.
- 03Roll, Fluted-Cut & Center-Poke: Roll out between two sheets of parchment paper to a uniform 1/16-inch thickness. Peel off top parchment, use a fluted pastry wheel (or knife) to cut into 1-inch squares, and poke a single hole right in the center of every square using the blunt end of a wooden skewer or chopstick (prevents ballooning and creates the classic look).
- 04Bake to Crispy Snap: Brush lightly with melted vegan butter, sprinkle with flaky salt, and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 20 to 23 minutes until crisp and lightly browned at the edges.
Keep cooking
Swaps, storage, and useful next steps.
Provides B-vitamins and 5g of plant protein per serving from nutritional yeast.