5 Ritz Crackers Snack Ideas You Can Make With Just 3 Ingredients

Picture this: It's getting late, perhaps around midnight, and your stomach rumbles. It craves a quick snack — one you can whip up without turning on the oven or the stove. Plus, it would be great if the snack required only three ingredients that you already have in your pantry or refrigerator. Well, you're in luck because I've got five different snack ideas for you. They're each made with three ingredients, one of which is the always-cravable, buttery, and accessible Ritz crackers.

For those craving something savory and satiating, you can't go wrong with a pizza-inspired snack that even celebrities can't get enough of. If you love lox bagels, I've got a snack idea for you as well. For dessert lovers, we'll be making a cheesecake-inspired Ritz cracker snack. For chocolate lovers and all you campers out there, there's a s'mores-inspired snack with your name on it. And finally, for those desiring a snack that's both sweet and savory, we'll be using fruit and some Brie cheese.

When Selena Gomez shared with Vanity Fair that her favorite midnight snack is a three-ingredient dish made with Ritz crackers, canned cheese, and pepperoni, it opened up a whole new world of snacking possibilities for me. I immediately thought of all the quick and easy sweet, savory, or sweet and savory snacks I can now make any day (and any time of the day) at home. But let's go back to Gomez's snack for a minute — this recipe was actually her stepfather's creation and is super easy for us to replicate in our own kitchens.

To recreate Gomez's favorite late-night snack, squeeze some canned cheese onto a Ritz cracker. "Squeeze as much as you want," the actress told Vanity Fair. While she would always use canned cheese, you can always opt for another, like Swiss, Brie, or American. Then, add pepperoni before placing this open-faced Ritz cracker (which can also be sandwiched with another cracker) in a toaster oven. According to Gomez, heat your snack for about five minutes to get the cheese "all melty and gross" and warm the pepperoni.

The point is to make a quick and easy mini pizza with just three ingredients and a little ingenuity. And honestly, I'm a fan. I mean, here at Tasting Table, we already feel that canned cheese belongs on your next pizza. Plus, you can further customize this snack by swapping out the pepperoni with ham or prosciutto. 

Now if Gomez's three-ingredient midnight snack is not your jam, try another snack using Ritz crackers. Let's say you're craving something sweet. If you're thinking about something closer to dessert and cheesecake, then this quick and easy recipe is probably the one for you. To start, grab that container of berry or blueberry cream cheese from your refrigerator. Next, spread some of that sweet cream cheese over a Ritz cracker. Then, top the cream cheese with a drizzle of honey. You've just made yourself a Ritz cracker "cheesecake."

If you only have plain cream cheese in the fridge, fret not. Add the cream cheese to a small mixing bowl before mixing in a dollop of blueberry or strawberry jam. Then, spread this mixture on a Ritz cracker. If you don't have any jam, fresh fruits like blueberries or diced strawberries will do the trick. You may want to pop the cream cheese into the microwave for about 20 seconds first. This will make the cream cheese melty and easy to spread and mash the fruits into.

When I worked in New York City, I once happened upon a deli that served me an unforgettable Brie cheese sandwich with apple slices. That sandwich is the inspiration behind this next three-ingredient Ritz cracker snack. For this treat, retrieve some Brie cheese from your refrigerator — it can be any one of these nine grocery store Brie cheeses — and cut your desired amount into small wedges. Once finished, top your Ritz cracker with a Brie wedge.

If you want to be a little bougie or channel your inner chef, you can torch the top of the cheese so that it melts a little. Next, top the cheese with a slice of apple. Any apple would do, but in my opinion, something tart, like a Granny Smith or a Pink Lady, would be best. With that, you've made a delicious mini Brie cheese open-faced sandwich with a Ritz cracker. To further elevate this snack for, let's say, a potluck or gathering, drizzle some honey over the apple slice and garnish with a few specks of sea salt flakes.

Continuing on the dessert snack train, let's make a Ritz cracker snack that will please all the campers and chocolate lovers out there. If you're thinking s'mores, you're on the right track. Add a piece of chocolate to a Ritz cracker before topping that with a marshmallow. You can either blitz the snack in the microwave for about 15 seconds on high so the marshmallow and chocolate become melty or use the toaster oven for about five minutes. The air fryer may also work.

Since we're making s'mores here, don't forget to top the melty marshmallow with another Ritz cracker. If you have leftover Halloween candy, you can give your s'mores a sweet candy upgrade. Instead of using plain milk chocolate, like the ones from Hershey's, try using Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, Rolos, or my favorite, Twix. The marshmallow you use can also be fancy, like our homemade raspberry marshmallows recipe.

Having grown up in Brooklyn, I couldn't leave out a lox bagel-inspired Ritz cracker snack idea. For this snack, spread some cream cheese over a Ritz cracker before topping it with smoked salmon. Leave it as is for a quick and delicious three-ingredient snack. But to really mimic the flavors of a lox bagel, top the salmon with a caper or two and some sliced red onion. If this snack has you craving the real deal this week, be sure to check out our delicious loaded lox bagel recipe.

The next time you're itching for a snack and have a box of Ritz crackers handy, remember how simple it is to create a satisfying treat for yourself, be it sweet, savory, or sweet and savory. All you'll need are two other pantry staples. Of course, you don't have to use the exact ingredients that I've listed here. After all, this is only meant to serve as your guide. With a little creativity, the Ritz cracker snack world is your oyster. (Oh, hey, canned smoked oysters, chili crisp, and Ritz crackers! See?)