I Tried 6 Saltines, and This Is the Only One I’ll Buy from Now On

I keep a box of saltines in my pantry at all times. Not because I value them as a delicious snack, but because I know that someone will eventually get sick and it will be the only thing they can eat. As I’m typing that last sentence, I realize how sad that sounds. My poor box of saltines has been relegated to calming distraught bellies and partnering with soup to ease the symptoms of a cold. Perhaps it’s time I give them an opportunity to prove themselves as something more than a soup topping or bland belly-filler. In order to do that though, I needed to find a delicious saltine, so I tested six brands and here’s how I found my favorite.

How I Chose the Saltines

I live in a big city and while we have plenty of stores, we don’t have all of the stores. Specifically, we don’t have a Meijer or a Walmart. So for this test, I only selected saltines that were available locally. I chose basic saltines without any additional flavors or seasonings. 

How I Tested the Saltines

All crackers were emptied onto individual plates and served without packaging to remove any bias. Crackers were sampled by taste testers plain and also topped with a slice of cheddar cheese, with sips of water between tastings for palate cleansing. Flavor was the biggest judging criteria, followed by cracker texture, mainly crispness, snapability, and sturdiness. 

The Best Store-Bought Saltines, Ranked

6th Place: Nice (Walgreens) 

With their fun scalloped edges, these were the prettiest of the crackers, and I appreciated that they were sturdy with a nice crisp texture. Unfortunately, they didn’t taste the best, giving off an odd “toasty” flavor that was possibly, as one tester questioned, “mixed with cheese?”. They weren’t awful and held up well, but their hard-to-place flavor situation secured their last-place standing.

5th Place: Kellogg’s Zesta

These sturdy square crackers had enough “snappy” strength to hold up to my thick slices of cheddar cheese. While the construction of the cracker was solid, the flavor was lacking. One tester even said the crackers had no flavor. Yikes! The crackers are mildly salty, but as another tester said, “They’re just okay.”

4th Place: Aldi

This was one of the lighter crackers, giving an almost airy vibe. It was somehow still sturdy, snapping evenly in half without crumbling, and was capable of carrying the heavy slice of cheese with grace. Testers appreciated its mild, lightly salted flavor, but it wasn’t enough to get them higher on the list.

3rd Place: Market Pantry (Target)

The Market Pantry saltines looked like many of the other crackers in the bunch but excelled above others during the snap and sturdy test. They were fabulously strong and held up nicely, even when one tester decided to add two slices of cheese as a topping. The flavor was deemed “good” with testers reporting they were well-salted and “cracker-y.” One tester even said the crackers were “yeasty, but in a good way.”

2nd Place: Westminster Bakers Co.

Saltines of this caliber should be reserved for cheese boards and bowls of lobster bisque! The most expensive saltines on the list, these crackers are definitely an elevated version of the classic. Their rustic appearance and thickness make them fun to eat. The flavor is mild, but somehow they taste cleaner and less processed than others on the list. A delicious cracker, but it landed in second place because of cost.

1st Place: Nabisco Premium

It was unanimous! All of my testers loved this saltine the best. One even closed her eyes, muttering, “Mmmm” as she chewed. I loved this one, too. It was crisp, but easy to snap and didn’t leave a pile of crumbs. It was delicious by itself, thanks to its perfectly salted top, but tasted exceptionally awesome when topped with cheese. Moving forward, this is the saltine I’ll stock in my pantry—for any occasion!