Cheese and Crackers: Which Cracker Goes With Which Cheese

The cracker is a plate you can eat, and a good one adds crunch without taking over.

Two things decide the match, flavor and strength. Flavor is how loud the cracker is. Strength is whether it survives a knife loaded with cheese. A soft, spreadable cheese on a thin, brittle cracker ends in crumbs; a subtle cheese on a rosemary-and-garlic cracker ends up tasting like the cracker.

Cheese and crackers at a glance

This cheese and crackers table pairs each cheese type with a cracker style, and the reason behind it.

Plain crackers for delicate cheese

Plain crackers are the right choice for delicate cheese because they have almost no flavor of their own. A water cracker, a plain crispbread or a simple butter cracker lets a good brie or a fresh chèvre taste exactly like itself. When you have paid extra for a cheese, keep the cracker quiet.

Salt on the cracker is the thing to watch. Salty cheese on a salted cracker tastes saltier than either alone, so choose an unsalted or lightly salted cracker for feta, blue and aged cheeses.

Flavored and seeded crackers with cheese

Flavored and seeded crackers work with cheese when the cheese is simple and the cracker's flavor has a reason to be there. Black pepper, sesame, caraway or rye in the cracker adds interest to a mild cheese, a young Gouda or a plain cheddar, and fills the gap when the cheese itself is bland.

The failure case is the heavily seasoned cracker with a subtle cheese. Garlic, onion and herb crackers are loud enough to cancel the difference between a good brie and a cheap one. If you want to serve one, put it next to a bold cheese rather than a delicate one, and put a plain cracker alongside for everything else.

Sturdy crackers for soft and spreadable cheese

Sturdy crackers matter most for soft and spreadable cheese, because a thin cracker snaps under the knife. Choose a thick, dense cracker, a seeded flatbread, a toasted crostini or a whole-grain crisp for goat cheese, a creamy blue, a soft ripened round or a cheese dip.

A quick test at the store: press the cracker between your fingers. If it flexes or feels fragile, save it for slices of hard cheese. If it is thick or dense and snaps cleanly, it can carry a spread.

Crackers for hard and aged cheese

Crackers for hard and aged cheese can be thin, because the cheese is sliced thin or broken into shards. A light crisp lets the crunch of the cheese's crystals and the sharpness of a long-aged cheddar come through. Oatcakes are a traditional match for cheddar: their toasted, slightly sweet grain flatters a sharp cheese without competing. For a deeper look at how age changes cheddar, see aged vs. young cheddar.

Crackers for blue and pungent cheese

Crackers for blue and pungent cheese have two good directions, sweet or earthy. A fruit and nut crisp, with raisins, figs or walnuts baked in, gives the sweet side a salty blue wants. A rye cracker or crispbread gives an earthy, slightly sour base that suits washed-rind cheeses. The blue cheese pairing guide goes further on what to put beside a blue.

Cheese and crackers mistakes to avoid

Cheese and crackers mistakes are mostly about timing and quantity, not about picking the wrong brand. Crackers go stale quickly in open air, so put them out near serving time and keep the box closed. Offer more than one style, because no single cracker suits every cheese: one plain, one seeded or oat, and perhaps one sweet.

Do not stack toppings on a cracker that cannot hold them. A cracker carrying cheese, jam and nuts needs to be sturdy, and the weight usually argues for bread instead (see cheese and bread). For gluten-free guests, check the label for a gluten-free cracker; rice crackers and seed crackers are common choices.

Cheese itself needs care too. The USDA advises that perishable food should not sit out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln says the same of cut cheeses on a board. Crackers are shelf-stable, but the cheese on the board is not.

Questions about cheese and crackers

These questions about cheese and crackers come up most often when people stock a board.

What is the best cracker for cheese?

The best cracker for cheese is a plain, neutral one, such as a water cracker or thin crisp, because it leaves the cheese's flavor untouched. Add a seeded or oat style if the board has bold cheeses.

Should crackers be plain or flavored with cheese?

Crackers with cheese should be plain for delicate, high-quality cheeses and can be flavored for mild or simple ones. If the cracker is the louder partner, it is the wrong match.

What cracker goes with cheddar?

The cracker that goes with cheddar is most often an oatcake, a plain crisp or a seeded cracker, since all three support a sharp cheese without covering it.

What cracker goes with brie?

The cracker that goes with brie is a plain water cracker or a thin, lightly toasted crisp. Brie is soft, so choose one with enough snap to hold a wedge.

What crackers are best for soft cheese?

The best crackers for soft cheese are thick and sturdy, such as seeded flatbread or whole-grain crisps. Thin crackers break when you spread.

How many crackers per person for a cheese board?

Crackers per person for a cheese board is a loose figure, but a handful of crackers per guest, in two styles, is a sensible start. Cheese amounts are about 2 ounces per person as an appetizer; see the cheese board guide.

Choosing your cheese and crackers

Pick the cracker after the cheese: plain for the delicate ones, thick for the soft ones, oat or seeded for cheddar, rye or fruit and nut for the blue and pungent ones. Two or three styles cover a whole board. For the full plan, use the board builder.