Cheez-It is a cheese cracker manufactured by the Kellogg Company through its Sunshine Biscuits division. Approximately 26 by 26 millimetres (1.0 by 1.0 in), the square crackers are made with wheat flour, vegetable oil, cheese made with skim milk, salt, and spices.
History[]
The history of Cheez-it crackers began in 1921, when Wiston Green founded the Green & Green Company in Dayton, Ohio. The company produced a variety of baked snack foods such as Dayton crackers, graham crackers, gingersnaps, and during World War II ,hardtack. On March 31, 1921, Green introduced Cheez-it crackers, commonly called Cheez-its, as a new product. The company marketed the cracker as a "stoned rabbit", a reference to a dish of melted cheese over toast. On May 23, 1921, the first Cheez-it logo was submitted to the United StatePatent and Trademark Office.
In 1932, the Kansas City-based Sunshine Biscuits (which was known as the Loose-Wiles Biscuit Company until 1947) acquired the Green & Green Company, and with it came the Cheez-it cracker. Sunshine Biscuits expanded the distribution and popularity of Cheez-it Crackers across the country. In 1996, Keebler acquired Sunshine Biscuits, and in 2001, Kellogg's acquired Keebler, bringing Cheez-it Crackers under its umbrella. Cheez-it Crackers were officially launched in Canada on January 2020.
In late 2023, Kellogg's spun off its North American cereal divison as WK Kellogg Co. The company's snack food business, including Cheez-it, became part of the renamed Kellanova.
Ingredients[]
- Enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2), folic acid)
- vegetable oil (cottonseed, palm, sunflower and/or soybean oil with TBHQ for freshness)
- skimmed milk cheese, aged cheddar cheese (skimmed milk, whey protein, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, annatto extract color)
- horseradish
- salt
- paprika
- yeast
- paprika oleoresin (for color)
- soy lecithin
Nutrition facts[]
These nutrition facts are for the original cheddar cheese Cheez-It crackers. Each serving of 30 grams (about 27 crackers) contains:
- 150 calories
- 8 grams of total fat
- 2 grams of saturated fat
- 0 grams of trans fat
- 0 milligrams of cholesterol
- 230 milligrams of sodium
- 17 grams of total carbohydrates
- Less than 1 gram (but listed as 3% DV) of total dietary fiber
- 3 grams of protein
- 0 grams of sugar
- 1 gram of dietary fiber
Flavors and types[]
There are a variety of Cheez-It flavors and products, including:
- Atomic Cheddar
- Buffalo Wing
- Cheddar Cheese Grooves
- Swiss Cheese Grooves
- Cheddar Jack
- Cheez-It Big (a larger cracker more suitable for garnishing or dipping)
- Cheese Pizza
- Chipotle Cheddar
- Duoz (two flavors in one box)
- Duoz Sharp Cheddar & Parmesan
- Duoz Bacon & Cheddar
- Duoz Jalapeño & Cheddar Jack
- Extra Toasty
- Gripz "mighty tiny"
- Hot & Spicy (without Tabasco sauce)
- Italian Four Cheese
- Mozzarella
- Pepper Jack
- Provolone (with real hickory smoke flavor added)
- Queso Fundido
- Reduced Fat
- Reduced Fat White Cheddar
- Scrabble Junior
- Sharp White Cheddar Grooves
- Snack Mix
- Snack Mix Double Cheese
- Snack Mix Sweet & Salty
- Snap'd
- Snap'd Cheddar Sour Cream
- Snap'd Double Cheese
- Snap'd Jalapeno Jack
- Snap'd Barbecue
- White Cheddar
- Whole Grain
- Zesty Cheddar Ranch Grooves
- Zingz Chipotle Cheddar
- Zingz Queso Fundido
Discontinued[]
Former offerings include:
- Asiago
- Baby Swiss
- Barbecue & Cheddar Snack Mix
- Cheesy Sour Cream & Onion
- Chili Cheese
- Colby
- Duoz Smoked Cheddar and Monterey Jack
- Duoz Zesty Queso and Cheddar Blanco
- Hot & Spicy (with Tabasco sauce)
- Hot & Spicy Grooves
- Nacho
- Parmesan & Garlic
- Romano
- Smoked Cheddar
- Snack Mix Sriracha
- Twists Buffalo Bleu