Delicious Recipes for Ranch Oyster Crackers

As popular as oyster crackers are as additions to bowl-favoring meals, the popularity of oyster crackers soared as a snack once different flavorings were introduced as a means to jazz this food item up. The most popular flavor option is ranch. The easiest recipe simply takes a package of ranch seasoning and mixes it with a few other ingredients in order to achieve a desirable flavor. As a snack, ranch-flavored oyster crackers are awesome enough on their own. Have you tried adding these to a salad? Instead of using regular croutons, try this as an alternative.

Cracking Into History

In 1792, John Pearson of Newburyport, Massachusetts transformed hard biscuits into crackers in an attempt to make the product last longer after they were first baked. This resulted in a new bread that was called hardtack by some and sea biscuits by others. This became incredibly popular, especially among sailors as the extended shelf life of the product allowed them to keep the food without fear of spoilage. Even though Pearson’s new bread invention was deemed as the first official cracker, history has it that the simple combination of flour and water likely dates to a timeline that goes much further back.

As for the history of oyster crackers, there is much dispute over this food item’s origin. According to Kitchn, the first story suggests the first oyster crackers began in 1847 when Adam Exton invented the product out of his Cracker Bakery in New Jersey. The second story has The Westminster Cracker Company from New England claiming they came up with oyster crackers in 1828. Either way, oyster crackers got their name due to the shape they came in when they were first made. They looked like oysters and were often used as add-ons thrown into oyster-based stews. Nowadays, oyster crackers are used as a topping for various soups, stews, and chowders. They’re even used in chilis. These crackers are also regarded as water crackers, Philadelphia crackers, and Trenton crackers.

Recipe #1 – Ranch Oyster Crackers

The recipe included in this article also offers a few options if you want to try a few variations. On average, when these ranch oyster crackers are kept in an air-tight container at room temperature, they should keep for a week. They’ve also been known to last for up to two weeks but this depends greatly on what the air quality is like in the room it’s being stored. The cooler and dryer the storage area is the better. You cant freeze the crackers or refrigerate them as this will compromise the quality. Ideally, make only what’s needed so that you don’t have to contend with food waste. This is a common recipe found on sites such as AllRecipes.

Ingredients List

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil (canola oil will do too)
• 1 single ounce package of ranch-style dressing mix
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 twelve-ounce package of oyster crackers (would you rather make your own?

Directions

Preheat the oven to 237 degrees Fahrenheit (135 degrees Celsius)

Grab a mixing bowl and whisk together the vegetable oil, ranch-style dressing mix, dried dill weed, lemon pepper, and garlic powder.

Pour this spice mixture over the crackers in a medium bowl, then stir until all the crackers are well-coated.

Line up the seasoned crackers on a large baking sheet, preferably lined with wax or parchment paper.

Bake the crackers anywhere from fifteen to twenty minutes.

Once removed from the oven, allow the crackers to cool before handling.

Recipe #2 – No Bake Ranch Oyster Crackers

Like all awesome food products, there is more than one way to go about it as a recipe. If you’d rather keep the oven out of it as you make your own ranch oyster crackers, here’s a great recipe to do exactly that.

Ingredients List

• 2 packages of oyster crackers
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 1 envelope of ranch-style dressing mix
• 1 teaspoon dill weed
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning

Directions

Place the oysters into a large bowl and set them aside.

In a small bowl, combine the canola oil, ranch-style dressing mix, dill weed, onion powder, garlic powder, and lemon pepper seasoning. Mix these ingredients well.

Pour this over the crackers and gently mix this up until all is well-covered.

Allow the mixture to stand for two hours before storing them in an airtight container.

OPTIONAL – if you want to intensify the flavor of this ranch oyster cracker mixture, lay this out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place them into an oven preheated at 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Let them bake for about fifteen minutes. Yeah, we said no bake, but the option is still there if you’re up for it.

Recipe #3 – Buttery Ranch Oyster Crackers

If you’d like to have your ranch oyster crackers have some butter flavoring to it as well, try this recipe idea;

Ingredients List

• 1 package of oyster crackers
• 1 cup melted butter
• 1 package of ranch-style seasoning mix

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Farenheit.

Gently pour the oyster crackers into a large mixing bowl.

our the melted butter over the crackers, then gently toss them about in the bowl to coat.

Springle the ranch-style seasoning mix over the crackers and gently stir to combine.

Place the crackers out as a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and put them in the preheated oven.

Bake the seasoned oyster crackers for about ten minutes.

Gently toss the crackers and put them back into the oven to cook for an additional five to ten minutes. The idea is to have the crackers reach a golden color.

Once ready, remove the crackers from the oven and have them cooled down to room temperature.

Transfer the crackers into an airtight container and store them at room temperature. If you can’t wait that long, just eat them.

Additional Options

If you want a bit more kick to the ranch oyster crackers, gently apply a single dash of red pepper flakes and whisk together with the ingredients to make your seasoning.

If you want the ranch oyster crackers to be zestier, throw in a package of Italian seasoning with ranch-style seasoning. This combination is great. Don’t forget to add the rest of the listed ingredients, though.

Instead of using oyster crackers, you can just as easily apply this seasoning recipe to peanuts and follow the same instructions used for baking.

Make Your Own Oyster Crackers

Would you rather make your own oyster crackers from scratch? Here’s how it’s done;

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons of butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 1/3 cup cold water

Directions

Make sure the oven rack is placed in the middle position before preheating it to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl to combine.

Add the butter to the mixture and work into it until the mixture looks like a coarse meal.

Add the water and lightly knead the dough until it comes together to form a ball.

Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and cover it with the overturned bowl. Let it rest for fifteen minutes.

Roll the dough on the well-floured surface until it’s about 1/8-inch thick. Cut them into 1/2-inch shapes. Usually, squares, rectangles, and diamonds are the most popular choices.

Transfer the pieces onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and space the shapes out so they’re not touching each other.

Bake these crackers for fifteen minutes, or until they begin to show color around the bottom edges. Turn the oven off and crack open the oven door for about eight inches.

Allow the crackers to cool inside for about thirty minutes. This helps the crackers to crisp up.

Take note that homemade crackers done in this manner don’t have the preservatives found in the prepackaged boxes. They’ll only last about a week when kept in an air-tight container in a cool, dark, and dry place. Should you go the homemade crackers route through this method, you can also exercise the option to throw a one-ounce package of ranch-style seasoning that would work itself into the dough.

Make Your Own Ranch Seasoning Mix

Making your own ranch seasoning is easy enough to pull off. With the right ingredients, you can make your own ranch-style seasoning mix. One great thing about doing this is you’ll know exactly what’s in the mix as opposed to buying it as a package from some store. It should be pointed out here the homemade version of ranch-style seasoning mixes is just as strong in flavor at three tablespoons’ worth as an entire packet that’s sold in the stores. Bear this in mind as you proceed.

Ingredients List

• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons dried dill
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried chives
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

Directions

Round up all these ingredients and place them into a food processor. Mix it all up until it’s down to a consistency you prefer. Some like a finely ground powder while others like their seasoning mix to be a bit more coarse. If you don’t have or want to use a food processor, just whisk all this by hand instead.

OPTIONAL: If you add a 1/4 cup of buttermilk powder, this makes the ranch seasoning mix a bit creamier in texture. Doing this also closely mimics your creation of what’s sold in the stores.

Store your ranch-style seasoning mix in a sealed container and kept in a cool, dry place. Without the buttermilk powder, this can last for up to a year. If the buttermilk powder is used, refrigerate this in a sealed container and it will keep for up to a month.

If you actually want to use this as a ranch dressing for salads, add the buttermilk powder, plus1/3 a cup of mayo, and a 1/3 cup of milk to the seasoning mix and whisk until thoroughly mixed. When properly stored in the refrigerator, it will keep for up to a month.

Sante Fe Ranch Seasoning Mix

Want to kick it up a notch or two? How about spicing up that ranch seasoning mix, Sante Fe style? Here’s a tried and true recipe that works wonders for foodies who want something a bit spicier;

Ingredients List

• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons dried dill
• 3 teaspoons garlic powder (note the extra teaspoon here)
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 teaspoons dried onion flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried chives
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 half tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

Directions

Combine all these ingredients and pour them into a food processor. Mix it until it’s down to your preferred consistency. If you don’t have or want to use a food processor, whisk it all by hand.

OPTIONAL: If you add a 1/4 cup of buttermilk powder, this makes the ranch seasoning mix a bit creamier in texture. Doing this also closely mimics your creation of what’s sold in the stores.

Store your Sante Fe Ranch seasoning mix in a sealed container and kept in a cool, dry place. Without the buttermilk powder, this can last for up to a year. If the buttermilk powder is used, refrigerate this in a sealed container and it will keep for up to a month.

Just like the regular ranch-style dressing mix recipe explained, if you want this in liquid dressing form as a dip or dressing, include the buttermilk powder with the 1/3 cup of mayo and the 1/3 cup of milk.

Variants

If you’re really feeling experimental, there are flavored oils you can go with. If you want to use olive oil instead of canola oil or vegetable oil, this will work too. To get even more of a kick to the ranch oyster crackers, throw in a dash or two of red pepper flakes.