Easy Cheese Crisps Recipe

Crispy cheese fricos are an easy and versatile snack that you can serve with wine for a wine and cheese party, add them to a charcuterie board, or serve as an accompaniment for soup or salad.

They bake up thin and lacey as the cheese melts and spreads out. When they cool they become crisp and crunchy! You only need one ingredient; most commonly freshly shredded cheddar cheese or Italian parmesan, but I’ll also share ways to upgrade them.

Ingredient Notes

• Cheese. I used extra sharp chaddar here, but Colby Jack is also great. Grab a block of it because you’ll have to grate it yourself. Grated Parmesan is also excellent and actually cooks up crisper because it’s a drier cheese. You can also try it with Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, or Asiago, but always grate it yourself.
• Optional, Cheese Nips or Cheez Its. I saw this special ingredient added on an episode of Chopped. They give extra crunch and depth to homemade fricos.

How to Make Cheese Crisps

1. Use a grater to shred the cheese and place small piles into a circle on a baking sheet. Spread out the pile of cheese evenly so the middle is a little thinner than the edges.

2. If you want the variation, crumble 1 or 2 cheese crackers over each of the shredded cheddar circles.
3. Bake until they turn golden brown in order for them to get crispy. If you take them out too soon they will be chewy.
4. Use a paper towel to dab off visible oil from the cheese crisps. Let them cool for about 1 minute on the pan and then remove carefully with a spatula onto another paper towel to dab off the bottom side. Allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack for about 15 minutes.

Storage

Allow the crisps to cool completely before storing them in an airtight container. Keep at room temperature for about 5 days.

Helpful Tips

I find that making the rounds smaller makes them cook up crisper. So if you’re serving these as snacks, keep the shredded cheese scoops to about 1-inch in diameter.

When placing the shredded cheese circles on the baking sheet, make sure there’s plenty of space between each one because they will spread out as they cook.

To help with crispness and uniformity, keep the center of the cheese circles a little thinner while the outer area can be a bit thicker. This helps them cook more evenly.

Allow the crisps to sit on the baking pan for a minute before moving them to a cooling rack. That way they are easier to transfer without breaking.

Dab the top and bottom of the baked cheddar crisps with a paper towel to remove excess oil. Parmesan crisps don’t get as oily when they cook so you may be able to skip that step.

Watch them closely in the oven to make sure they don’t burn. All ovens cook differently so try a test batch first and adjust the time or temperature accordingly to find the sweet spot.

How to Make a Cheese Bowl

As I mentioned above, these are fabulous when served with soup or salad. Turn them into edible salad bowls with just a couple of easy tricks, and serve them at a ladies luncheon.

1. Follow the directions for making the cheese crisps, but make the circles of shredded cheese about 2 ½ inches in diameter. For the bowls, you can make the circles more uniform in thickness rather than making them thinner in the center.

2. Once you’ve baked the cheese, let them sit on the hot pan for at least 30 seconds, then lift with a spatula and lay them over an upside down muffin tin. You can gently press the sides down to create a bowl.
3. Once they’re cooled completely, lift the cheese bowl and serve a salad inside. This spinach and arugula salad with tomatoes and goat cheese is the perfect combo.

More Cheese Appetizers

If you can’t get enough cheese or you’re looking to add something to your cheese board, try adding these easy 2-ingredient cheese hors d’oeuvres, or for a little extra add ham, cheese and fruit kabobs.

These cheddar cheese coins are like savory shortbread crackers in texture, and they go great with a glass of wine. Another baked option, but quicker and easier, are ham and cheese phyllo cups.

And you can never go wrong with homemade pimento cheese spread as a party dip.

These cheese crisps are little bites of heaven, and you probably have the ingredients on hand to make them!