These southern fire crackers are just mini saltine crackers seasoned with olive oil, ranch seasoning, and red pepper flakes for a fun, easy party snack. They're also perfect for movie night or served with your favorite soup or chili. Fire crackers have a bold, zesty, slightly spicy flavor that's seriously addictive!
You might also like these homemade sourdough crackers or these homemade tortilla chips!
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Ingredient Notes
You just need a handful of ingredients to make these southern fire crackers!
Mini Saltines - My favorite crackers to use are mini saltines because they're a blank canvas for flavor! However, you can also use oyster crackers, Ritz crackers, or even Cheez-It's or goldfish!
Olive Oil - I always use either extra virgin olive oil or a more neutral light olive oil because they have the best taste. You could substitute vegetable oil but I personally don't think it tastes as good so I don't recommend it.
Ranch Seasoning - Powdered ranch seasoning adds the best flavor to the crackers! My favorite brand is the Trader Joe's Ranch Seasoning, but you can use whatever you like!
Red Pepper Flakes - This is how southern fire crackers get their fire! However, you can reduce the amount of red pepper flakes for milder crackers, or leave them out all together.
Citric Acid - This is optional, but just a tiny bit of citric acid adds and extra punch of flavor! However, if citric acid isn't something you keep on hand, it's not worth buying just for this recipe.
Nutritional Yeast - This is also optional, but I like adding 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the crackers for a little bit of cheesy flavor!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Seasoned Saltines
In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, ranch powder, nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, and citric acid until combined.
Add the mini saltine crackers to a gallon ziploc bag, then pour the seasoned oil over the crackers. Gently shake to fully coat the saltines in the seasoned oil.
Let the crackers marinate for at least 2 hours (but overnight is even better).
You can eat the seasoned fire crackers as is, or bake them to dry them out a bit!
Preheat the oven to 250°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Spread the seasoned saltines in an even layer on the baking sheet and bake at 250°F for 20-30 minutes, tossing every 5-10 minutes, until golden brown and slightly dried out.
Allow the fire crackers to full cooly to room temperature before storing.
Recipe FAQ's
Store the seasoned saltine crackers in an airtight container for up to a week!
Fire crackers are essentially just spicy, seasoned, saltine crackers!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
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Recipe Card
Southern Fire Crackers
Special Equipment
- gallon ziploc bag
Ingredients
- 1 box mini saltine crackers, about 5-6 cups
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons buttermilk ranch powder
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, optional
- 2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon citric acid, optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, ranch powder, nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, and citric acid until combined.
- Add the mini saltine crackers to a gallon ziploc bag, then pour the seasoned oil over the crackers. Gently shake to fully coat the saltines in the seasoned oil.
- Let the crackers marinate for at least 2 hours (but overnight is even better).
- You can eat the seasoned fire crackers as is, or bake them to dry them out a bit!
- Preheat the oven to 250°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the seasoned saltines in an even layer on the baking sheet and bake at 250°F for 20-30 minutes, tossing every 5-10 minutes, until golden brown and slightly dried out.
- Allow the fire crackers to full cooly to room temperature before storing.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Pam says
I made a batch of these to bring to work and 5 people asked for the recipe! When I make them for myself I’ll cut the pepper flakes amount in half or leave them out altogether. These are a hit for sure!
Valorie says
Just a quick question...do you seal the bag while they 'set/marinade'?
Kyleigh Sage says
Yes!!
Christine Baxter says
I've made these once before and loved them. I'm thinking of using a mix of mini saltines, mini club crackers and cheese it's next time. Has anyone tried this?!?
Kyleigh Sage says
I've only tried it with mini saltines and oyster crackers, but those other options should work just as well! If you do try it, please let me know how it is!!