Humans are always looking for ingredients that can enhance the flavor of a dish. Sure, we have spices to get the kind of taste we want. But there are certain flavors that can only be achieved with the help of an ingredient.
There are some ingredients that make your food a little bit sweet. Then there are those which are ideal for adding a salty flavor to your food.
But sometimes, an ingredient is not easily available. In such a situation, finding a substitute becomes necessary.
Be it snacks or full-fledged recipes, crackers are always there with their buttery form. The crackers are famous for the crunch, with a slightly sweet or salty flavor. For this reason, the Ritz crackers have gained popularity.
However, Ritz crackers can be hard to find, so we are talking about the substitutes for Ritz crackers. Let’s check them out!
Substitute For Ritz Crackers
Crackers can add a certain crisp to your food. But there’s no reason why you should only stick to one types of crackers. Due to their overgrowing popularity, there are different types of crackers available these days.
There are also other food substitutes that you can use in place of crackers. These substitutes are ideal for when you can’t find any type of crackers.
1) Bread Crumbs
Believe it or not, bread crumbs are the perfect substitute for Ritz crackers if you need them for fritters, meatloaf, and casseroles. Bread crumbs are great for soaking up liquids.
However, there is no saltiness or buttery flavor in bread crumbs like Ritz crackers. You can overcome this issue by adding butter flavor extracts. Even better, you can add melted butter to your bread crumbs.
This is an important part because Ritz crackers have butter content which isn’t available with bread crumbs. If you don’t know how to make bread crumbs, you need to dry the pieces of bread for two to three days, so they can toughen up.
Once the bread is toughened up, blend them to the grainy texture. Also, don’t forget to add butter!
Bread crumbs are also ideal for keeping your ingredients from breaking into pieces. Especially if you have mixed butter with bread crumbs, your ingredients will stick together even during frying.
Bread crumbs can be used without butter when you don’t want a buttery flavor in your dish. They are also ideal for people who don’t like a salty flavor in their food.
2) Corn Flakes
Bread crumbs cannot be found in the supermarket, and you have to dry them yourself. So, if you don’t have the time to make bread crumbs, it’s best to go for corn flakes.
We are pretty sure that you would have this breakfast cereal at home. When you have to use corn flakes as a substitute of Ritz crackers, it’s best to crush them first.
Corn flakes will have a buttery form and deliver just-right crunchiness.
If you don’t have corn flakes, you can opt for rice squares. However, you will need to add a bit of salt because rice squares and corn flakes don’t have the salt content.
Like bread crumbs, corn flakes can also be used by people who don’t like extra salty flavor in their food.
But if the corn flakes available at your home are too old, it is best not to use them. They will be too hard and can ruin the taste of your food. If you don’t like the taste of corn flakes in general, you can try another substitute from this list.
3) Crostini
We are pretty sure that you love Ritz crackers for garnishing fruit, veggies, and meat. However, if you cannot find them, you can opt for crostini.
For this purpose, you need to cut this and brush its sides with melted and salted butter.
Once crostini are brushed with butter, you need to toast them at 230-degrees Fahrenheit for around fifteen minutes.
If you would prefer that they have a brown shade then you can keep them on the grill or on the toaster for a little longer.
Crostini often come with different toppings. To add flavor to your dish, you can pick crostini with condiments as toppings.
If you just want the crispy taste in your dish, then you should get plain crostini or make them at home. You can also put herbs on your crostini to add a natural taste to your dish.
4) Coconut & Herbs
To begin with, this substitute is especially for the recipes where you need to replace Ritz crackers for fritters, meatloaf, chicken patties, and fish cutlets.
That being said, you can dip the ingredient in beaten-up eggs and roll them in herbs and coconut.
However, you should use flaked and unsweetened coconut for this mixture, so it leaves behind a crispy and crunchy texture.
Most of the time people use crackers and bread crumbs as an outer coating of a dish. This outer coating becomes crispy when fried.
The crispy taste of cutlets, cheese balls, etc., comes from such ingredients. If you need a substitute for crackers as an outer coating, you should choose an ingredient that will not come apart easily.
However, crackers or herbs will not stick to your dish on their own. This is why you should dip the ingredient in eggs or milk first.
5) Saltine Crackers
If you cannot find Ritz crackers, you can always opt for saltine crackers, because why not? Saltine crackers are also known as soda crackers and are available in a square shape.
The saltine crackers are very thin, hence the crunchiness. They are made from yeast, baking soda, and flour. They come with a sprinkled layer of coarse salt. As a result, saltine crackers have a crispy and dry texture.
Usually, saltine crackers are a perfect substitute for Ritz crackers which means they can be used with salads, soups, stews, and chilis.
Even more, these crackers are ideal for snacking, so savor them with peanut butter, butter, or cheese, however you like.
Saltine crackers can be crushed to make toppings for different dishes, such as red meat, baked or fried poultry. But keep in mind that saltine crackers don’t have a buttery flavor in them.
The reason why saltine crackers are considered the best substitute of ritz crackers is their salty taste. If you want that extra touch of salt, you should go for the saltine crackers. You can find them easily at any local store.
They can also be given to kids as a snack to keep them busy while you work in the kitchen. They are also an incredible snack option for parties and can be enjoyed with cold drinks.
6) Club Crackers
Club crackers made by Keebler are great for everyone who is looking for an alternative of Ritz crackers. The best thing about club crackers is that they have the similar texture and flavor as of Ritz crackers.
These crackers are made by the Keebler Biscuit company and can go well with all kinds of ingredients. The crackers have a small and square shape.
Club crackers are perfect for consuming as snacks. They are eaten as snacks with peanut butter or cheese. Even more, it can be added on top of caviar and sour cream.
Like saltine crackers, club crackers are also ideal for parties. If your kid has invited over their friends and you are looking for snack ideas, don’t forget to add club crackers to the list. They go well with juices and dips.
You can also have them as an evening snack with tea. Club crackers make an ideal outer coating for different dishes. Before you use club crackers as an outer coating, it is best to crush them.
After that, they can be used both as an outer coating or as an ingredient in a dish.
Conclusion
Can you imagine a cheese ball or a chicken patty without its crispy? You probably can’t.
Fried foods will not taste good without their crispiness. But achieving that right level of crisp is not easy. You may also want the outer coating to have a salty taste. There are different ingredients that can be used as an outer coating.
Bread crumbs are the most common ingredient used for making the outer coating of different dishes. But they don’t have any taste, which is why people prefer using Ritz crackers.