13 Creative Ways To Use Ritz Crackers

Ritz crackers are an American snack food staple, and they have been around so long that they are downright historical. The name "Ritz" promised affordable luxury to consumers suffering through the Great Depression, and the borderline-addictive cracker has been extremely popular ever since. The salty, rich, buttery taste of Ritz crackers is mild but satisfying, and they've become a faithful standby due to their versatility. They fit right in inside a kid's lunchbox or next to a party dip. But with some creativity, Ritz crackers can do much more in your kitchen than you think they could.

The possibilities become endless once you consider what these savory snacks are — basically, a kind of seasoned bread. These round, golden beauties can be taken from their iconic brown wax sleeves and become an ingredient in all sorts of recipes. Some of those recipes are classics, like mac and cheese, while others are a bit more inventive (mock apple pie, anyone?). Once you consider the possibilities, you will want to double up on Ritz crackers next time you shop.

Green bean casserole is an American holiday classic; cans of cream of mushroom soup and green beans combine in the oven to make something comforting and delicious. Green bean casserole is traditionally topped with crispy fried onions or shallots before baking. Crispy alliums make an excellent topping for the dish because they add a much-needed crunch to an otherwise soggy (though delicious) bake. But crushed Ritz crackers will achieve the same effect and can be pulled from the pantry like the rest of the classic casserole ingredients.

Shelf-stable fried onions in a jar can be hard to find at typical grocery stores, and homemade fried onions require an oily, teary-eyed process. Ritz crackers are a quick and easy replacement. To top your casserole, just break up the crackers and sprinkle them over the dish. Try not to break them up too heavily, leaving large enough shards that they can get crunchy in the oven. The salty and crispy cracker topping will do the job of fried onions without the fryer or fuss.

Swapping apples for Ritz crackers in an apple pie may sound like an unorthodox substitution to you. But as strange as it sounds, mock apple pie has been a suggested use for crackers for quite some time now. Crackers and biscuits appeared as fruit substitutes in baked goods recipes in the 19th century. A mock apple pie recipe was printed on the side of Ritz cracker boxes, and the recipe allowed bakers during the Great Depression to mimic the all-American apple pie without the increasingly unavailable fruit.

While a classic apple pie relies on layers of apples soaked in sugar, spices, and lemony syrup, a mock apple pie instead takes advantage of the dryness of pantry crackers. When swapped with the main ingredient, Ritz crackers absorb the sweet and spicy liquid, creating a moist filling that is distinctly apple-like. Simply combine sugar syrup with cream of tartar and lemon, then pour over a crust layered with Ritz crackers. Once baked, the pie has all of the comforting flavors of apple pie without the fruit itself.

Crackers are often the base of a pie crust; they just tend to be sweet varieties, like graham crackers or chocolate wafers. But savory Ritz crackers or saltines make a smart and easy addition to a pie base.

A graham cracker crust is typically made by adding butter to the sweet, crushed crackers and then pulverizing them together. This creates a thick, wet sand-like mixture that can be pressed into a pie pan and prebaked. This results in a dense, crumbly crust that pairs well with creamy pie varieties like cheesecake and custard pie. When Ritz crackers are folded into the crust, their salty and buttery flavor complements the sweetness of the pie. Ritz crackers have a light, almost airy melt-in-your-mouth texture, while graham crackers or wafers are denser and chewier. Adding Ritz crackers will lighten up the texture of the crust. To incorporate them into your crust, you can add some of the salty crackers to your food processor alongside graham crackers or wafers. Just a few Ritz crackers are enough to create a sweet and salty combination. But you can go further and replace the sweeter crackers entirely, making a crust with just Ritz alone. 

Most meatloaf recipes will call for some kind of starchy, bread-based binder: it's what makes it a meatloaf, not just, well, meat. The classic choice is a basic breadcrumb, and while that works great, Ritz crackers will do the job while enhancing the smoky, slightly sweet flavors of a meatloaf.

The binding agent of a meatloaf may seem like a bland afterthought, but it's a critical element of the dish. It is an essential factor in both its flavor and texture. Meatloaf recipes will usually call for dried breadcrumbs from the can, which will absorb and hold the moisture of the meat. But crumbled Ritz crackers can be the same binding workhorse that breadcrumbs have always been; they keep the inside of the dish moist while giving it a light and tender springiness. As an added bonus, the salty and savory cracker will subtly boost the flavor of the meatloaf. There is no need to use a particular recipe if you opt for this breadcrumb alternative — swap out the breadcrumbs in your favorite recipe. Meatloaf is all about adaptability, so don't stress about the switch.

Croutons play a crucial role in many salads — in fact, they are arguably the best part. Chunks of torn bread are dried and toasted, adding a delicious crunch to fresh and delicate leafy greens. But croutons can be fussy to make and often feel too big and tough in their final form. Ritz crackers or saltines make a creative and convenient solution.

With the need for stale bread and an oven, it's easy to imagine just skipping croutons altogether in a salad. But the role of a crouton is far more than just a much-welcome carb in a vegetable dish. They absorb the dressing, creating piquant flavor bombs between the salad greens. They also add interesting texture to the mélange, bringing crunch on the outside with melt-in-your-mouth tenderness from the absorbed dressing. Ritz crackers are a great substitute that will do all of the above while adding their salty flavor. They are far cheaper than store-bought croutons, and you may already have them in your kitchen. To make Ritz croutons, roughly chop the crackers and toast them in butter before adding to any salad.

Ritz crackers may be humble, but they are still a favorite snack of the stars. "Today" host Hoda Kotb was treated to a vanilla cake decorated with Ritz crackers while on air, showing millions of viewers that simplicity is something to celebrate.

Simple might even be an understatement: The cake itself is just two main ingredients. The boxed yellow cake mix meets crushed Ritz crackers, and after following the instructions on the cake box, it can go right into the oven. Beyond the sheer ease factor, the crackers add a delicious richness to the cake batter. The saltiness will actually enhance the sweetness of the cake and bring added moisture. Kotb's vanilla-frosted cake was decorated with whole Ritz crackers, so there was no mistaking the dish's star. But you can also blitz the crackers into a fine crumb and coat the outside of the cake after frosting. Plus, this easy baking hack is not just for vanilla cake. Ritz crackers would be a great addition to chocolate or red velvet cake mixes as well; the saltiness of the snack will complement almost any cake flavor you can possibly dream up.