This post contains affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
These sourdough pumpkin crackers are thin, crispy and beautifully golden with a subtle pumpkin flavor and warm autumn color. Made with sourdough starter or discard, they’re an easy way to turn extra starter into something crunchy and delicious.
The dough comes together quickly with just a handful of pantry ingredients, then gets rolled thin and baked until crisp. They’re perfect for fall charcuterie boards, holiday entertaining, or enjoying with your favorite cheese, dip or spread.
Pumpkin is such a lovely ingredient to bake with during the cooler months. If you enjoy these crackers, you might also love an easy pumpkin sourdough bread or these soft and chewy sourdough pumpkin bagels, which highlight the same warm pumpkin flavor in a different way.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
Quick Recipe – These crackers don’t require any fermentation time. You can mix the dough, roll it out, and bake them all in the same afternoon.
Perfectly Crispy and Golden – Pumpkin puree gives the crackers a beautiful color and subtle flavor that pairs perfectly with savory toppings.
Perfect for Charcuterie Boards and Snacking – These crackers are ideal for serving alongside cheeses, dips, spreads, or adding to a fall grazing board.
Ingredients
- Sourdough Starter – This recipe works well with either active starter or sourdough discard. Discard is often the easiest option since crackers are a great way to use up extra starter that might otherwise go to waste.
- Pumpkin Puree – I’ve used homemade pumpkin puree. Mainly because I cannot buy canned pumpkin where I live. If you have access to canned pumpkin, it’s definitely the easier option. Homemade or canned will work.
- All Purpose Flour
- Butter – I’ve used salted butter. You can use a homemade butter if you have any on hand. Unsalted or salted butter will work.
- Salt – Salt enhances the overall flavor of the crackers and balances the mild sweetness of the pumpkin. You’ll also top with a little flaky sea salt.
- Olive Oil – Olive oil helps the crackers develop a golden color and crisp texture.
- Pumpkin Seeds – Pumpkin seeds are optional but add lovely texture and make the crackers look extra festive.
Equipment for Making Sourdough Crackers
Sourdough crackers are super easy to make. But there are few things that will make the process a little easier.
Having parchment paper on hand can help to stop the dough sticking to your rolling pin. It also helps to lift the cracker dough onto the baking tray with ease.
A cracker roller is also a worthwhile investment if you make a lot of crackers. It will give you neat little triangular crackers. I use it for all of my sourdough cracker recipes.
A pastry brush also helps to brush olive oil over the dough before you bake it.
If you have trouble getting the dough nice and thin, you can run it through a pasta machine, but honestly, I only ever use a rolling pin and those arm muscles.
How to Make Sourdough Pumpkin Crackers
Making pumpkin sourdough crackers is a fairly easy process, which is very similar to my sourdough pumpkin breadsticks recipe. These crackers are made by forming a dough which is rolled out, cut and baked. Most of the time I cut them into triangles, but I love the look of the round crackers too.
Preheat oven to 320F/160C. You want a cooler oven for these crackers to ensure they don’t burn.
Add sourdough discard, flour, butter and pumpkin puree to a mixing bowl and bring the ingredients together to form a pliable dough (see notes). If it’s too soft and doesn’t come together, add a little more flour.
Divide the dough into two portions (this makes it easier to roll).
Place each ball onto a piece of parchment paper and flatten out with your hands into a rough rectangle. If it becomes sticky, dust with a little flour.
Now roll out to a thin sheet of dough using a rolling pin. You want it around 1/16″ or 1.5mm thick. The thinner you can get it the better because thick crackers won’t cook properly and won’t crisp up in the oven.If the dough is sticky, dust with a little flour. See the notes below for additional info to help.
If you are going to use pumpkin seeds, sprinkle these over the dough and gently press them in using your rolling pin.
Use a cracker roller to perforate dough. If you don’t have a cracker roller you can use a cookie cutter or knife to cut into crackers and then pierce each one with the tines of a fork.
Place each parchment paper with dough on top onto a baking sheet. This recipe will generally need two baking trays.
Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Bake at 320F/160C for around 25 minutes or until crackers are golden and crisp. The pumpkin puree can cause the crackers to burn easily so keep an eye on them.
Let the crackers cool on a rack before breaking into individual pieces.
Flavor Variations for Sourdough Pumpkin Crackers
Sourdough pumpkin crackers are truly beautiful in their simplicity. Whether you choose to add pumpkin seeds or not, they are tasty just as they are.
But if you’re feeling a little adventurous, why not try these flavor variations:
- Sprinkle the dough with black sesame seeds and salt instead of pumpkin seeds.
- Try sprinkling with cinnamon sugar instead of salt for a sweeter cracker (similar to cinnamon sugar sourdough crackers). If you love pumpkin pie, you could even sprinkle them with some pumpkin pie spice mix.
- Homemade Everything Bagel seasoning is amazing on these pumpkin crackers!
- Add ground black pepper along with salt before baking (you could even add some ground black pepper to the dough if you love a little spice).
- Sprinkle the dough with fresh rosemary and salt before baking for a savory taste sensation (or try these savory Parmesan and rosemary sourdough crackers).
How to Store + Freeze
Once completely cooled, store the crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. A glass jar or cookie tin works best to keep them crisp. If they soften, pop them in the oven for a few minutes to refresh them.
You can also freeze the baked crackers or freeze the cut cracker dough and bake straight from frozen whenever you want fresh crackers.
Sourdough Pumpkin Crackers
Equipment
- Digital Scales
- Mixing Bowl
- Rolling Pin
- Cracker Roller
- Baking Trays
Ingredients
- 150 g Sourdough Starter, can use active or discarded starter
- 100 g Pumpkin Puree
- 170 g All Purpose Flour
- 35 g Butter, soft
- 5 g Salt
- 20 g Olive Oil, for brushing
- 10 g Sea Salt, for topping
- Pumpkin Seeds, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 320F/160C. You want a cooler oven for these crackers to ensure they don't burn.
- Add sourdough discard, flour, butter and pumpkin puree to a mixing bowl and bring the ingredients together to form a pliable dough (see notes). If it's too soft and doesn't come together, add a little more flour.
- Divide the dough into two portions (this makes it easier to roll).
- Place each ball onto a piece of parchment paper and flatten out with your hands into a rough rectangle. If it becomes sticky, dust with a little flour.
- Now roll out to a thin sheet of dough using a rolling pin. You want it around 1/16" or 1.5mm thick. The thinner you can get it the better because thick crackers won't cook properly and won't crisp up in the oven.If the dough is sticky, dust with a little flour. See the notes below for additional info to help.
- If you are going to use pumpkin seeds, sprinkle these over the dough and gently press them in using your rolling pin.
- Use a cracker roller to perforate dough. If you don't have a cracker roller you can use a cookie cutter or knife to cut into crackers and then pierce each one with the tines of a fork.
- Place each parchment paper with dough on top onto a baking sheet. This recipe will generally need two baking trays.
- Brush dough with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Bake at 320F/160C for around 25 minutes or until crackers are golden and crisp. The pumpkin puree can cause the crackers to burn easily so keep an eye on them.
- Let the crackers cool on a rack before breaking into individual pieces.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Rate and comment below!
I have a question about the baking paper. I’m also in Australia, what type are you using? How do you stop the crackers sticking to the paper?
My comment is a query as to why you refer to Spring time in Australia as Fall& the weather is cooling down! Really confusing as I was under impression you are based in Western Australia
Hi, thanks for a great recipe. I am just wondering where the butter is incorporated? I may have missed it in the instructions but I can’t see it for looking. Thank you so much 😊
The butter is incorporated in step two 🙂
Totally delicious – the pumpkin just adds depth of flavour.
I find it better to divide the dough into three rather than two parts to allow rolling out as thin as possible so you don’t end up with chewy crackers.
You can microwave any chewy ones to crisp them but they do burn easily so you have to watch them.
I sprinkled nigella seeds, sesame seeds and poppy seeds (separately) and they were all great and are easier to incorporate into the dough than pepitas and other larger seeds..
Thanks so much for this recipe – it’s a winner!