County Carb

Snacks

Crispy Parmesan Cheese Crisps

Crunchy Parmesan crisps baked from little mounds of grated cheese with black pepper and garlic. They take 8 minutes in the oven and snap like chips.

  • Prep5 min
  • Cook8 min
  • Total13 min
  • Servings4
  • Net carbs*1.1 g
  • LevelEasy

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Golden baked parmesan cheese crisps on a baking mat
Photo: HeatherMarieKosur, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Parmesan crisps are made from one main ingredient: finely grated cheese, baked until it melts into lacy rounds and turns crunchy as it cools. They taste salty, toasty and a little nutty, like the browned edge of a baked pasta dish. Snack on them plain, crumble them over a salad or serve them next to a bowl of soup.

Use a block of real Parmesan and grate it yourself on the small holes of a box grater. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with starch to keep it from clumping, and that coating stops the shreds from fusing. The result is crisps that crumble apart instead of forming a single crunchy sheet.

Ingredients

Makes 16 crisps (4 per serving). Tap an item to check it off.

Equipment

  • Rimmed baking sheet
  • Parchment paper or silicone mat
  • Box grater

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
  2. Toss the grated Parmesan with the pepper, garlic powder and thyme.
  3. Place level tablespoons of cheese on the sheet, 2 inches apart, and flatten each into a thin 2-inch round.
  4. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, until the crisps are deep golden at the edges and the bubbling slows.
  5. Cool on the sheet 5 minutes until firm, then move them to a rack to cool completely.

Estimated nutrition per serving

Calories
112
Total carbs
1.1 g
Fiber
0.1 g
Net carbs
1.1 g
Protein
10.1 g
Fat
7.1 g

*These are estimates, calculated from the ingredient weights above and USDA FoodData Central data, divided by 4 servings. Net carbs = total carbs minus fiber. Values vary with brands, quantities, ingredient swaps and how you portion the dish. How we estimate nutrition.

Kitchen tips

  • Watch the last 2 minutes closely. Crisps go from golden to bitter quickly.
  • For taco-shell shapes, drape the warm crisps over a wooden spoon handle and let them set.

Substitutions

  • Parmesan → aged cheddar Same amount, finely shredded. Greasier and softer, so blot with a paper towel after baking.
  • Thyme → everything bagel seasoning Use 1/2 teaspoon and skip the garlic powder. Watch the salt.

Swaps change the nutrition estimate shown above.

Storage and reheating

Fridge
Not needed. Keep at room temperature in an airtight container with a paper towel, up to 5 days.
Freezer
Not recommended. They absorb moisture and lose their snap.
Reheat
If they soften, re-crisp in a 300°F oven for 2 to 3 minutes and cool again.

Questions cooks ask

Can I make these in the microwave?

Yes. Microwave small mounds on parchment for 60 to 90 seconds, checking every 20 seconds.

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