Baked Cheese Crisps

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Whether you’re looking for baked cheese crisps or simply a cheesy, crunchy snack, these cheddar parmesan crisps are a savory, chip-like snack that’s also naturally healthy, gluten-free, low carb, and keto-friendly. You can make these cheese chips with cheddar, parmesan, or other cheeses, and I’ll explain the pros and cons of each, plus tons of variations and ideas to make them your own. You’ve got so many options!

What Are Cheese Crisps?

When you bake little heaps of cheese in the oven, they turn into these amazing, crispy baked cheese crisps (a.k.a. cheese chips). They are crunchy, cheesy, and very simple to make.

And just like homemade pork rinds and fruit leather, they only take a few ingredients to create a mouthwatering snack.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for cheese crisps, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

The only ingredient you really need to make baked cheese chips is… shredded cheese! The most common types of cheeses used are cheddar and parmesan, but this cheese crisp recipe actually works with all hard or semi-hard cheeses:

• Parmesan – Parmesan crisps are more light and definitely the crispiest texture. This is probably the most foolproof cheese to make cheese crisps with, because it basically always comes out crispy. These also come out saltier than those made with many other cheeses, even without adding any additional salt.
• Cheddar – Cheddar cheese chips are just slightly more challenging, because you have to get the timing just right. If you don’t cook them enough, they will be soft and pliable (not crispy), but if you cook them for too long, they will burn easily. It’s just a little more difficult to make the cheddar ones crisp without burning them, but it is doable.
• Mozzarella – Mozzarella cheese will be similar to cheddar, but less crunchy, since mozzarella has more moisture. If you choose to use this cheese, be sure it’s low-moisture part-skim mozzarella, not the fresh variety, which has even more water content and won’t crisp up.
• Pepper Jack – A little bit different flavor with a bit of heat. It’s a great option when you want to mix things up a bit.
• Swiss – The swiss gives a distinct flavor and would be great with everything bagel seasoning.
• Colby – Mild and creamy, colby jack cheese is great for dipping, as it’s not as flavorful as some of the other options.

Flavor Variations

Baked cheese crisps are easy to customize with different cheeses or spices! Try these combinations:

• Plain Parmesan Crisps – If you love parmesan, you’ll love this plain version. You can also add any of the seasonings listed below to it.
• Plain Cheddar Chips – You can definitely make plain cheddar chips too. Be sure to watch them closely when cooking as they go from done to burnt in a hurry.
• Italian – This is the version on the recipe card below! It includes a blend of cheddar and parmesan, plus Italian seasoning blend.
• Everything Seasoning – Use mozzarella or parmesan cheese and sprinkle with everything bagel seasoning.
• Cool Ranch – Sprinkle cheese piles (I like Parmesan or cheddar) with powdered ranch seasoning.
• Salt & Vinegar – Use parmesan cheese and sprinkle with salt and vinegar seasoning.
• Sour Cream & Onion – Use a mozzarella or parmesan cheese with a sprinkle of sour cream and onion popcorn seasoning.
• Spicy Jalapeno – Use pepper jack for extra spicy or cheddar for a milder heat. Top cheese pile with a thin slice of jalapeno.
• Chili Lime – Use cheddar cheese with a sprinkle of chili powder and lime zest.
• Mexican – Make the cheese crisps using a Mexican cheese blend and swap out the Italian seasoning with taco seasoning.

How To Make Cheese Crisps At Home

This section shows how to make parmesan crisps, cheddar chips, or any other kind of cheese chip you want! The process is the same for all of them. For full instructions, see the recipe card below.

1. Prep. Preheat oven and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. (A silicone mat also works fine.)
2. Mix cheese. If you’re using multiple cheeses, stir them together in a small bowl.
3. Form piles. Place tablespoon-sized heaps of the shredded cheeses (think 2-inch circles) onto the parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle with seasonings of your choice.

4. Bake. Place the cheese crisps in the oven until the edges start to brown. Watch closely, as they go from done to burnt quickly.
5. Cool. Let the chips cool in the pan until they are no longer gooey, then use a thin spatula to transfer to a paper towel or cooling rack to crisp up.

How To Make Cheese Chips Crispy?

The keys to crispy baked cheese crisps are:

• Size of the piles – Keep your piles of cheese fairly small, and don’t layer them too thick. You want the cheese to spread into a very thin layer as it bakes in the oven, which will make it crispy.
• Spacing – Make sure you leave enough space between the piles for them to spread, otherwise you’ll end up with a sheet of cheese! That’s still perfectly edible, but individual chips are better for most purposes. Plus, the edges get the most crispy, so it’s better to have separate chips so that you have more edges.
• Oven time – The time in the oven will vary depending on your particular oven, and more importantly the size and thickness of your cheese piles. If you don’t bake them for long enough, your chips will be chewy instead of crispy (this is less of an issue with parmesan crisps, which get crunchy easily, and more so with other cheeses).
• Browning – The cheese crisps are done when the edges are a little browned. This is the doneness indicator to watch for.
• Watch closely – They will go from “not yet” to burned very fast! Chips made with semi-hard cheeses, like cheddar chips, are prone to be too soft if you take them out too soon, but burned if you wait too long. Parmesan crisps are a bit more foolproof, since parmesan is a harder cheese than cheddar.

Storage Instructions

• Store: Keep cheese crisps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to one week.
• Freeze: You can also freeze them in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
• Crisp up again if needed: If your chips lose their crispness, you can bake them again, just until cheese melts, and then remove from oven and let them cool to crisp up.

What To Serve With Cheese Crisps

There are lots of ways to use baked cheese crisps. You can do almost anything with them that you would do with “regular” chips:

• Dipping – Along with tortilla chips and zucchini chips, these parmesan cheddar crisps are the solution for all the dipping, all the topping, and all the crunchy, salty snacking you’ve been missing. They’re awesome for everything from spinach artichoke dip and crab dip to salsa and guac… almost just as much as munching on them all on their own.
• Topping – Top ’em with whatever you like to make nachos such as more cheese, ground beef, and sour cream.
• Soups – Serve the chips on the side for something crunchy, or melt them over the top of your soup. Try cheddar chips with taco soup or parmesan crisps with creamy mushroom soup.
• Salads – Crumble your cheese chips into salads, such as a Caesar salad or spinach bacon salad. Seriously, if you haven’t tried a salad with parmesan crisps, you’re missing out! Since they are super crunchy, they make the perfect stand-in for croutons.

More Cheesy Recipes

If you like this baked cheese crisps recipe, you might also like some of these other cheesy recipes:

Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup

Loaded Cauliflower Casserole

Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole

Cheesy Broccoli Casserole

Recipe Card

4.91 from 108 votes

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Baked Cheese Crisps (Plain + 10 Easy Flavors!)

This quick & easy baked cheese crisps recipe will show you the basic method for crunchy cheese chips, plus 10 simple seasoning combinations!

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 7 minutes

Total: 12 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 4 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

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• 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese (shredded) ▢
• 3/4 cup Cheddar cheese (shredded) ▢
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning (optional) ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Stir the cheeses together in a small bowl.

3. Place uniform tablespoon-sized heaps of the shredded cheeses onto the baking sheet, 2 in (5 cm) apart. (They will spread, so make sure to leave enough room.) Sprinkle with Italian seasoning, if using.

4. Place in the oven for 6-8 minutes, until the edges start to brown. (Watch them carefully, as they go from done to burned fast.)

5. Allow the cheese chips to cool slightly in the pan, then transfer them to paper towels to drain and get crispy.

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1/4 of entire recipe, or ~6 chips

• This cheese crisps recipe combines both cheddar and parmesan. If you prefer just one of them, just double that one and leave out the other!
• See the post above for 10 easy flavor variations.

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 152

Fat 11g

Protein 11g

Total Carbs 1g

Net Carbs 1g

Fiber 0g

Sugar 0.1g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Keywords: baked cheese crips, cheddar chips, cheese chips, keto cheese crisps, parmesan crisps

Calories: 152 kcal

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