Crackers: the salt is in the box you pick

The salt in a cracker depends almost entirely on which box you buy. Per 100 g, plain matzo has none, regular saltines have 941 mg of sodium and whole-wheat saltines 1214 mg, while low-salt saltines drop to about 198 mg. A single 3 g saltine carries about 28 mg. A 115 g sleeve carries about 1080 mg. Most of the trials behind this page did not test the crackers on a supermarket shelf. They tested crackers baked for the study, with sunflower seed flour, barley fibre, camelina oil, added fatty acids or chicken liver and eggshell, so every result below describes one of those recipes and says nothing about an ordinary box. The plain control cracker in one of them had a glycemic index of 90, which is high, and swapping 30% of the flour for whole wheat only brought it to 77. The one test of crackers against other foods for nausea came from 72 women in hospital with severe pregnancy sickness, and crackers came third of four, behind apple and watermelon.

The numbers, per 100 g

How much is actually in it

• Among 16,357 packaged foods in 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries, 97% of flavoured cookies and crackers already met the regional sodium reduction target. — label data for 16,357 packaged foods in 12 categories, 14 countries (n = 16357) Evidence C source
  97% of flavoured cookies/crackers met the regional target, against 82% of all foods
• Among 418 Italian packaged foods with a protein claim, crackers sat at the bottom of the range, with a median of about 16% of energy from protein against about 70% for processed meat. — 418 pre-packaged foods bearing protein claims, major Italian retailers (n = 418) Evidence C source
  Median protein share of energy about 16% in crackers vs about 70% in processed meat
• Sodium in US crackers runs from 0 mg per 100 g in plain matzo to 941 mg in regular saltines and 1214 mg in whole-wheat saltines, and low-salt versions of saltines and whole-wheat crackers drop to about 190 mg. — USDA SR Legacy cracker records (50 records) (n = 1 record per product, no Foundation samples) Evidence E source
  Sodium per 100 g: matzo plain 0; whole-wheat low salt 186; saltines low salt 198; whole-wheat 800; saltines 941; whole-wheat saltines 1214

What a real portion looks like

• One saltine cracker weighs 3 g and a sleeve 115 g in the US dietary survey database, so at 941 mg sodium per 100 g a single saltine carries about 28 mg and a sleeve about 1080 mg. — household measures for Crackers, saltine in the USDA food and nutrient database for dietary studies (n = 5 household measures for FNDDS code 54325000) Evidence E source
  1 cracker 3 g; 1 bite size 1 g; 1 sleeve 115 g; 1 cup 50 g; quantity not specified 18 g
• US labelling law sets the reference amount for snack crackers at 30 g and for crackers not used as a snack at 15 g, which is the basis for the serving printed on a US label. — all crackers sold with US Nutrition Facts labels Evidence E source
  Reference amount 30 g for snack crackers, 15 g for crackers not used as snacks

What your body absorbs

• Replacing 30% of the flour in crackers with sunflower seed flour cut the glycemic index from 90 to 53 in 11 healthy adults, while 30% whole wheat flour brought it only to 77, still in the high range. — 11 healthy adults (7 women, mean age 23.5, BMI 23), portions with 50 g available carbohydrate (n = 11) Evidence B source
  GI 90 control, 77 with 30% whole wheat flour, 53 with 30% sunflower seed flour; GL 12, 11 and 6 per serving
• Crackers made from barley flour enriched with beta-glucan had a glycemic index of 49 against 78 for whole-wheat crackers in 10 healthy adults, though the same barley fibre worked better in cookies (GI 34) than in crackers. — 10 healthy volunteers (5 men, age 25.4, BMI 22.6), portions with 40 g available carbohydrate (n = 10) Evidence B source
  GI 78 whole-wheat crackers vs 49 barley crackers; 81 vs 34 for cookies; barley portion 3.5 g beta-glucan

What it does to your health

• When 44 young adults snacked on crackers with cheese dip, flat square crackers led them to eat 15% more cheese (131 kJ) than finger-shaped sticks, while the number of crackers eaten, about 28, did not change. — 44 young adults (13 men, age 23, BMI 21), four 30-minute afternoon snack sessions (n = 44) Evidence B source
  Cheese intake +15% (131 kJ, P=0.016) with flat squares; cracker intake 28 regardless of shape
• In 66 adults aged 65 and over, 35 g of camelina oil crackers twice a day for 12 weeks raised blood alpha-linolenic acid compared with placebo crackers, with no significant change in cholesterol, triglycerides or inflammatory markers. — 66 free-living adults aged 65 or older, Italy, 50 completed (n = 66) Evidence B source
  Serum ALA higher vs placebo (p<0.01); lipids and inflammatory markers not significantly different
• Crackers enriched with polyunsaturated fatty acids eaten as a 67.5 g daily snack for 70 days did not reduce waist circumference in 25 adults with overweight, the trial's primary outcome. — 25 adults with overweight and abdominal adiposity (n = 25) Evidence B source
  No reduction in waist circumference, body composition or insulin resistance vs control crackers

Safety, limits and interactions

• A 71-year-old woman recovering from anaesthesia went into cardiac arrest after aspirating cracker pieces and was revived after one round of chest compressions, a single case the authors use to flag dry solid foods for older patients recovering from anaesthesia. — one 71-year-old woman after carotid revascularisation, postanaesthesia care unit (n = 1) Evidence D source
  Hypoxaemic cardiac arrest, return of circulation after one round of compressions

What people believe that the data does not support

• In 72 women admitted with severe pregnancy sickness, cream crackers scored 6.5 out of 10 for agreeability and caused gagging or vomiting within 10 minutes in 11%, behind apple at 7.2 and 4% and ahead of white bread at 6.0 and 17%. — 72 women within 24 h of first admission for hyperemesis gravidarum, under 16 weeks, Malaysia (n = 72) Evidence B source
  Agreeability apple 7.2, watermelon 7.0, crackers 6.5, white bread 6.0 (p=0.019); intolerance 4%, 10%, 11%, 17% (p=0.02)
• Over 78% of 101 US adults wrongly read the label serving size as how much they should eat, and seeing the larger proposed serving sizes led 60 people to serve 27% more cheese crackers to someone else. — US adults in four experiments (N 101, 51, 60, 61) (n = 273) Evidence B source
  78% misread serving size; +27% cheese crackers served to another person; +41% cookies served to self

What is still unknown

• Micronutrient-enriched crackers with chicken liver and eggshell given to pregnant women in Indonesia did not change infant growth or maternal haemoglobin (12.0 against 12.3 g/dL), and women ate only 72-103 g a week of the 525 g recommended. — 274 mother-infant dyads completing the trial in 28 village clusters, Sumedang, Indonesia, from 7-13 weeks gestation to 5 months postpartum (n = 274) Evidence B source
  No effect on birth length, LAZ or length velocity; Hb 12.0 vs 12.3 g/dL; anaemia 11.9% vs 11.3%; adherence 72-103 g/week

The bottom line

If you watch your salt, read the sodium line per 100 g and not the brand name. The spread between a low-salt saltine and a whole-wheat saltine is more than sixfold, and the low-salt versions of saltines and whole-wheat crackers sit around 190 mg. A regional target is a weaker promise than it sounds. Across 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries, 97% of flavoured cookies and crackers already met the sodium reduction target, more than the 82% of foods overall, so a cracker that meets it has cleared a bar almost all flavoured cookies and crackers clear. The serving printed on a US label is a legal reference amount, 30 g for snack crackers and 15 g for crackers eaten with something else. It is not a recommendation. Over 78% of 101 American adults read it as how much they should eat, and in another experiment people shown larger label servings put 27% more cheese crackers on someone else's plate. Shape matters in a way you would not guess. Young adults given flat square crackers with a cheese dip ate 15% more cheese than with finger-shaped sticks, and the same number of crackers, about 28. A protein claim on a cracker box means little. Among 418 Italian products carrying one, crackers had the lowest share, a median of about 16% of energy from protein against about 70% for processed meat. The recipe trials are where the evidence is still unsettled, for the same reason each time. Barley fibre crackers scored a glycemic index of 49 against 78 for whole-wheat ones, and sunflower seed flour crackers scored 53, but those numbers come from 10 and 11 healthy young adults in single studies that nobody has repeated. Two longer trials found little. Camelina oil crackers eaten by 66 people over 65 for 12 weeks raised a plant omega-3 in the blood and did not move cholesterol, triglycerides or inflammation. Crackers with added fatty acids, eaten daily for 70 days by 25 adults with overweight, did not shrink their waists. In Indonesia, nutrient-enriched crackers for pregnant women changed neither their babies' growth nor their own haemoglobin, but the women ate only 72 to 103 g a week of the 525 g planned, so we do not know what the crackers would have done if eaten. Crackers are a common tip for pregnancy nausea, and we have one trial on it. In 72 women with pregnancy sickness bad enough to need hospital, each given a single bite of each food and watched for 10 minutes, crackers made 11% gag or vomit, against 4% for apple and 17% for white bread. If crackers stay down for you, that trial gives no reason to stop. It only says apple ranked higher. On who should be careful, our evidence is thin. It holds one case report: a 71-year-old woman waking from anaesthesia breathed in cracker pieces and her heart stopped until one round of chest compressions revived it. That is one person, not a rate, and it is a reason to think twice about dry crackers for an older person still drowsy after anaesthesia or sedation. We have no card on wheat allergy, coeliac disease or blood pressure specifically, so this page cannot tell you who else should avoid crackers. If you have been told to limit salt or gluten, that question belongs to the person treating you.

Sources

1. crk-b5-09 · cross-sectional label analysis
   In this baseline analysis, 82% of foods met the regional target and 47% met the lower target. The greatest proportion of products meeting the regional target were uncooked pasta and noodles (98%), flavored cookies/crackers (97%)
   Nutrients, 2019 · checked 2026-09-23
2. crk-b5-10 · cross-sectional market survey
   Heterogeneity of nutritional profiles was observed for all the items, particularly regarding the percentage of total energy provided by protein, ranging from median ∼16% in crackers to ∼70% in processed meat
   Int J Food Sci Nutr, 2026 · checked 2026-09-23
3. crk-b5-12 · reference dataset
   Crackers, matzo, plain (FDC 172740) - Sodium 0 MG | Crackers, whole-wheat, low salt (FDC 172823) - Sodium 186 MG | Crackers, saltines, low salt (FDC 175056) - Sodium 198 MG | Crackers, whole-wheat (FDC 172749) - Sodium 800 MG | Crackers, saltines (FDC 172746) - Sodium 941 MG | Crackers, saltines, whole wheat (FDC 167942) - Sodium 1214 MG
   USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy records 172740, 172823, 175056, 172749, 172746, 167942 · checked 2026-09-23
4. crk-b5-13 · reference dataset
   Crackers, saltine - FNDDS 54325000 - 1 cracker 3 g - 1 miniature/bite size 1 g - 1 sleeve 115 g - 1 cup, NFS 50 g - Quantity not specified 18 g
   USDA FNDDS, Crackers saltine, food code 54325000 · checked 2026-09-23
5. crk-b5-14 · regulation
   Crackers that are usually not used as snack, melba toast, hard bread sticks, ice cream cones ... 15 g ... Crackers that are usually used as snacks ... 30 g
   21 CFR 101.12, Table 2, Reference amounts customarily consumed · checked 2026-09-23
6. crk-b5-01 · randomised crossover trial
   a control cracker (CC) made with conventional flour, one with 30% whole wheat flour substitution (WWC), and another with 30% sunflower seed flour substitution (SFC). ... The SFC crackers provided low GI and GL values (GI: 53 on the glucose scale, GL: 6 per serving), whereas the WWC and CC crackers provided high GI (GI: 77 and 90 on the glucose scale, respectively) and medium GL values (11 and 12 per serving, respectively).
   Eur J Clin Nutr, 2024 · checked 2026-09-23
7. crk-b5-02 · randomised crossover trial
   Barley products supplied 12 g DF, 50% soluble, with 3.5 g of beta-glucan per portion. ... Individual GI values were 78, 81, 49 and 34 for whole-wheat crackers (WWCr), whole-wheat cookies (WWc), barley crackers (BCr) and barley cookies (Bc) respectively. ... In general, cookies responded better to the addition of barley fiber than crackers.
   J Am Coll Nutr, 2006 · checked 2026-09-23
8. crk-b5-03 · randomised crossover trial
   Cracker intake (28 (sem 1) crackers) of cracker-cheese combinations was not influenced by cracker shape. Cheese intake of cracker-cheese combinations was 15 % higher for flat-squared than finger-shape crackers (131 kJ, P = 0·016)
   Br J Nutr, 2020 · checked 2026-09-23
9. crk-b5-06 · randomised placebo-controlled pilot trial
   Subjects consumed daily 35 g of crackers (Camelina enriched crackers or placebo ones) twice daily for 12 weeks. ... In the camelina group, alpha-linolenic acid serum concentration was significantly higher (p<0.01) compared to the placebo group at the end of the study. ... Camelina oil significantly elevated the serum alpha-linolenic acid concentration with no significant changes in inflammatory markers and lipid profile.
   J Nutr Health Aging, 2023 · checked 2026-09-23
10. crk-b5-07 · double-blind randomised controlled trial
    A double-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted on 25 subjects with overweight and abdominal adiposity. ... Each group consumed a serving of the respective crackers (± 67.5 g) as an afternoon snack every day for 70 days. ... However, the primary endpoint was not met as there was no reduction in waist circumference.
    Clin Nutr ESPEN, 2026 · checked 2026-09-23
11. crk-b5-11 · case report
    On oropharyngeal examination, food particles were observed and suctioned. The patient then coughed up additional cracker pieces. This case highlights the risk of aspiration from dry, solid foods in the elderly during the postanesthesia recovery period.
    A A Pract, 2024 · checked 2026-09-23
12. crk-b5-04 · randomised crossover trial
    On agreeability scoring, apple (mean±SD 7.2±2.4) ranked highest followed by watermelon (7.0±2.7) and crackers (6.5±2.6), with white bread ranked lowest (6.0±2.7); Kruskal-Wallis H test, p=0.019. ... The intolerant (gagged, heaved or vomited) response rates within the 10 min study period were apple 3/72 (4%), watermelon 7/72 (10%), crackers 8/72 (11%) and white bread 12/72 (17%): χ2 test for trend p=0.02.
    BMJ Open, 2021 · checked 2026-09-23
13. crk-b5-08 · randomised experiments
    the majority of participants (over 78%) incorrectly believed that the serving sizes refer to how much food can or should be consumed in one sitting as part of a healthy diet. ... In studies 2-4, the proposed label (vs. the current label) led consumers to serve themselves 41% more cookies (study 2); serve 27% more cheese crackers to another person (study 3)
    Appetite, 2015 · checked 2026-09-23
14. crk-b5-05 · cluster randomised controlled trial
    Intervention adherence was low (72-103 gr/week) compared to 525 gr/week (75 gr/day) recommended, with no significant intervention effect on growth outcomes, after adjusting for maternal height, sex, and human milk intake at 5 months. There were no differences between MEC and SWC groups in maternal Hb (mean ± SD) (12.0 ± 1.1 vs. 12.3 ± 1.2 g/dL) and anemia (11.9 vs 11.3%) at 35-36 weeks GA or morbidity.
    BMC Pregnancy Childbirth, 2025 · checked 2026-09-23