Butter-Baked Saltine Crackers

Saltines may be the go-to for vegetable soup and chicken noodle, but Southerners know these essential crackers are far more important than that side-kick position. Once dressed up with butter and baked, saltines transform into a special kind of appetizer—one that you'll want to make for every occasion, perhaps even just a weeknight dinner.

Learn how to make buttered saltines, and discover your new signature appetizer.

What Are Buttered Saltines?

At the mere mention of buttered crackers, some of us fondly recall mowing through a sleeve of saltines and a hunk of butter as an after-school snack, items almost always on hand. (Insiders know how to rake the edge of the cracker along a stick of slightly softened butter to create a perfect curl.)

Other buttered cracker fans describe restaurants and diners where a basket of cellophane-wrapped cracker packets and bowl of individually-wrapped butter pats are the first things servers placed on tables as a complimentary starter.

And still others tell of eating buttered saltines with soups and salads, using the crackers as the bread of the day. No matter the context or occasion, salty crackers and creamy butter are a delicious duo—and that simple goodness is what gets the newcomers so excited and keeps the old hands so devoted.

But none of that is what we mean by buttered saltines. These crackers are soaked in spices and melted butter, than baked again until crispy, buttery, and rich. It's not a costly appetizer, but it is one that will impress everyone who manages to snag a bite or two.

How To Make Buttered Saltines

There's no set recipe for buttered saltines any more than for buttered toast or bowls of cereal, although some people turn the idea into something slightly elevated: warm butter-baked saltines.

These are sometimes credited to country and social clubs across the South, but the truth is that we'll never know who first prepared them. (But it was probably a talented, resourceful home cook who knew exactly how to transform modest ingredients into simple dishes that please us all.)

• Step 1. Lay out crackers in a single layer on baking sheets.
• Step 2. Melt the butter, and pour it over the crackers. Use a spoon or pastry brush if you need to make sure all the crackers are well covered.
• Step 3. Bake the sheets of buttered saltines until they begin to brown. Serve warm.

Some versions of this two-ingredient recipe call for clarifying the melted butter, while others skip that step. If you prefer clarified butter, it's quick and easy to use ghee.

Tips for the Best Buttered Saltines

• Start fresh: Be sure to open fresh saltines so that they'll turn out crisp. This is supposed to yield 8 dozen crackers, but it's tempting for the cook to gobble up half the tray as soon as they come out of the oven.
• Coat well: Make sure you evenly pour the butter over the crackers so they're all buttery. This helps with an even bake.
• Serve warm: Stash these baked crackers in a bread basket or any type of insulated bowl so they stay warm as long as possible. But even cool, these will fly off the table.