Best Crackers for Kidney Disease

Crackers are a popular snack item and if you have kidney disease, you may be wondering if crackers are okay to eat with kidney disease? Let’s walk through some potential problems with crackers and how to overcome them.

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Are crackers ok to eat with kidney disease?

Yes – if you choose the right kind and pair them with the right foods. There are a few problems with crackers that are common across many processed foods. Here is what you will want to look for when buying kidney friendly crackers:

Low Sodium Crackers

A low sodium cracker should contain less sodium than calories.

Most Crackers tend to be high in sodium. It is recommended that people with kidney disease consume less than 2300mg of sodium per day.

A good rule of thumb is to read the nutrition label and choose foods with less sodium than calories. For example, Ritz crackers would not be a good choice for people with kidney disease because each serving has 130mg of sodium, which is more than the 80 calories per serving.

Low Phosphorus Crackers

A low phosphorus cracker is a cracker that contains no phosphorus additives. Whole grain crackers may appear to have a lot of phosphorus, but the phosphorus naturally found in grains is poorly absorbed. However, phosphorus additives are very well absorbed by your body and will have a bigger impact on your labs.

Crackers often contain phosphorus additives, which are bad for your cardiovascular system – especially for people with kidney disease. If we continue with the Ritz cracker example and take a look at the ingredient list, we can see that it has a PHOS ingredient. This means that Ritz crackers would not be a good choice for someone with kidney disease.

Many baked good contain phosphorus additives because they are commonly found in baking powder. However, there are options available that do not contain additives. Whenever possible, it is important to choose a cracker with no phosphorus additives.

Low Potassium Crackers

All of the crackers featured in this article would be considered low potassium crackers. However, many people with Chronic Kidney Disease do not need to limit their intake of potassium.

It is important to talk to your healthcare team before following a low potassium diet. If you do not need to follow a low potassium diet, it can be harmful to do so. Unnecessary potassium restriction can worsen your blood pressure and even make your body less efficient at handling potassium.

Additionally, potassium restriction should not be the primary strategy for managing potassium in your blood. There are many other effective strategies that you can use that are not related to the potassium in the foods you eat.

Balancing the Carbohydrates in Crackers

Crackers tend to be high in carbohydrates, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Carbs give you energy. However, certain carbs are better than others. Carbohydrates that come from whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts are loaded with valuable nutrients and fiber that are good for people with kidney disease.

Crackers, on the other hand, are highly processed and typically low in fiber and nutrients. This doesn’t mean that we can’t have crackers, but it does mean that we don’t want to eat ONLY crackers when we get hungry.

If you are not on dialysis, you will want to pair crackers with higher fat, and higher fiber foods. This may include things like nut butter, or home-made lower sodium guacamole.

If you are on dialysis, then you will want to pair crackers with higher fat and fiber foods as well as higher protein foods. Peanut butter is an example of a higher protein food that also contains fiber and fat.

If you have diabetes and kidney disease, be sure to limit yourself to just one serving of crackers, in addition to pairing them with higher fiber and higher fat foods (or higher protein if on dialysis). Pairing crackers with these types of foods will help ensure that your blood sugars stay in range and avoid large spikes.

Best Crackers to Buy for Kidney Disease

Top picks

These options have more fiber than other options making them my top choices for best crackers for kidney disease!

Triscuit Garden Herb

• Calories: 120
• Protein: 3g
• Carbohydrate: 20g
• Fat: 4g
• Sodium: 115mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 110mg
• Calcium: 10mg
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 0g

Triscuit is one of the higher fiber cracker options on the market, which make this one of my top picks. The majority of their flavors have slightly more sodium than calories, so if you searching specifically for a lower sodium cracker, stick with this flavor (or they also make a hint of salt flavor as well). Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Wheat Thins Hint of Salt

• Calories: 140
• Protein: 2g
• Carbohydrate: 22g
• Fat: 5g
• Sodium: 55mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 90mg
• Calcium: 10mg
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 4g

Wheat Thins hint of salt are another kidney friendly cracker that is higher in fiber. This cracker is low in sodium and contains no phosphorus additives. Just be careful of their other flavors, which will be higher in sodium. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Kidney Friendly Graham Crackers

Although I kind of consider graham crackers to be more of a cookie (and have included them on my cookie page), I’ve also listed them here for your reference.

All of the graham crackers listed below are low sodium graham crackers with no phosphorus additives (which makes them low phosphorus graham crackers!). If you have diabetes and CKD, these cookies will raise your blood sugar, so be sure to eat them in moderation. Like many crackers, these will be lower in fiber, so keep that in mind when deciding what else to eat with your meal or snack!

• Annie’s Organic Honey Graham Crackers
• Annie’s Organic Friends Bunny Grahams
• Diamond Bakery Original Hawaiian Graham Crackers
• Enjoy Life Vanilla Honey Graham Cookies
• Mary’s Gone Crackers Graham-Style Kookies
• Nabisco Teddy Grahams
• Simple Truth Organic Honey Graham Crackers

Lower fiber cracker options

These crackers are low in fiber (which is not ideal), but still low in sodium and contain no phosphorus additives.

365 By Whole Foods Market, Organic Original Water Crackers

• Calories: 60
• Protein: 1g
• Carbohydrate: 10g
• Fat: 1.5g
• Sodium: 40mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 0mg
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 0g

These water crackers are low in sodium and contain no added phosphorus. Note that the serving size of these crackers is small, which is why they appear to have less carbohydrates, sodium, etc. Be sure to pair these with a higher fat, higher fiber food for a more filling and satisfying meal. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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365 by Whole Foods Wasabi Rice Crackers

• Calories: 130
• Protein: 3g
• Carbohydrate: 25g
• Fat: 1.5g
• Sodium: 85mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 0g

These water crackers are low in sodium and contain no added phosphorus. These crackers have no fiber and are low in fat. Be sure to pair these with a higher fat, higher fiber food for a more filling and satisfying meal. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Absolutely Gluten Free Original Crackers

• Calories: 70
• Protein: 0g
• Carbohydrate: 12g
• Fat: 2g
• Sodium: 65mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 40mg
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 0g

These kidney friendly crackers also come in onion, cracked pepper, flatbread, and everything flavors that are low sodium and contain no additives. These crackers contain zero protein, so they may be a good choice for someone who is trying to follow a low protein diet. Note that the serving size of these crackers is small, which is why they appear to have less carbohydrates, sodium, etc. Be sure to pair these with a higher fat, higher fiber food for a more filling and satisfying meal. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Blue Diamond Nut Thins

• Calories: 130
• Protein: 3g
• Carbohydrate: 24g
• Fat: 2.5g
• Sodium: 80mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 60mg
• Calcium: 15mg
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 0g

Blue diamond makes several varieties of their ‘nut thin’ crackers that are low in sodium and contain no added phosphorus including honey cinnamon, original, hint of sea salt, pecan, and sriracha flavors. Despite having the word ‘nut’ in the name, these are mostly made from rice flour and are low in fat and fiber. Be sure to pair these with higher fat, higher fiber foods to ensure a balanced and satisfying meal or snack. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Crunchmaster Roasemary and Olive Oil

• Calories: 140
• Protein: 3g
• Carbohydrate: 21g
• Fat: 5g
• Sodium: 90mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 90mg
• Calcium: 65mg
• Fiber: 2g
• Sugar: 0g

These kidney friendly crackers are low in sodium and contain no phosphorus additives. This company has one of other flavor that also meets this criteria: Avocado Toast Ultimate Everything. Note that these crackers are low in fiber and fat. We recommend pairing with higher fiber, higher fat foods to ensure a satisfying and balance meal or snack. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Edward & Sons Brown Rice Snaps

• Calories: 60
• Protein: 1g
• Carbohydrate: 13g
• Fat: 0g
• Sodium: 0mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Calcium: 1.3mg
• Fiber: 0.5g
• Sugar: 0g

This company makes a variety of low sodium (or sodium free!) crackers that contain no phosphorus additives. Note that the serving size of these crackers is small, which is why they appear to have less carbohydrates, sodium, etc. Be sure to pair these with a higher fat, higher fiber food for a more filling and satisfying meal. Also, these crackers are listed as being whole grain, yet with zero potassium listed, which is likely to be an error. Based on the ingredients, this product likely has similar potassium as other brands. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product (and also see the other flavors available).

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Target Sea Salt Pita Crackers

• Calories: 140
• Protein: 4g
• Carbohydrate: 21g
• Fat: 4g
• Sodium: 135mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 120mg
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 0.5g
• Sugar: 0g

Target has a few lower sodium, phosphorus additive-free crackers available including these and also gluten free multigrain rice crackers and cracked pepper water crackers. They are all relatively low in fat and fiber, so be sure to pair them with higher fat, higher fiber foods to ensure a more balanced and satisfying meal or snack. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Harvest Snaps Veggie Chips

• Calories: 130
• Protein: 5g
• Carbohydrate: 16g
• Fat: 5g
• Sodium: 75mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 200mg
• Calcium: 50mg
• Fiber: 4g
• Sugar: 0g

It is a bit of a stretch to call these crackers, but they were listed in the cracker section of my database, so I’m going to include them as an option! These kidney friendly snaps come in several flavors that are low in sodium and contain no phosphorus additives including Tomato basil, mango chili lime, parmesan roasted, lightly salted, black pepper, caesar, wasabi, and honey dijon. These are made from peas and are a bit higher in potassium than a traditional cracker, so keep that in mind if you have a potassium restriction. These are also higher in protein, so if you are on a low protein diet, be mindful of how much protein you are eating in your meal or snack. These are relatively low in fat, so we reocmmend pairing them with a higher fat food to ensure a more satisfying and balanced snack. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Le Pain des Fleurs Quinoa Crispbread

• Calories: 60
• Protein: 2g
• Carbohydrate: 12g
• Fat: 0.5g
• Sodium: 30mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 180mg
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 1g

These kidney friendly crackers also come in buckwheat, chestnut, and ancient grain varieties that are also low in sodium and contain no phosphorus additives. Note that the serving size of these crackers is small, which is why they appear to have less carbohydrates, sodium, etc. Be sure to pair these with a higher fat, higher fiber food for a more filling and satisfying meal. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Manischewitz Passover Matzos Crackers

• Calories: 120
• Protein: 5g
• Carbohydrate: 24g
• Fat: 1g
• Sodium: 0mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 135mg
• Calcium: 10mg
• Fiber: 4g
• Sugar: 2g

These kidney friendly crackers contain 4g of fiber and zero sodium. These crackers are low in fat, so be sure to pair them with something that is higher in fat to ensure a more satisfying and filling snack. Also, note that these crackers are a bit higher in protein compared to some others. Keep that in mind if you are following a lower protein diet. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Premium Unsalted Tops Saltine Crackers

• Calories: 70
• Protein: 1g
• Carbohydrate: 13g
• Fat: 1.5g
• Sodium: 60mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 20mg
• Calcium: 0mg
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 0g

These crackers are only salted on the bottom, which is smart because that is the part of the cracker that is most likley to touch your taste buds! Many store brands will carry similar crackers, so check those labels to verify that the nutrition information is similar. These crackers are low in fiber and fat so be sure to pair them with higher fat, higher fiber foods to ensure a more filling and satisfying snack. Note that the serving size of these crackers is small, which is why they appear to have less carbohydrates, sodium, etc. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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RW Garcia Sweet Potato Crackers

• Calories: 140
• Protein: 2g
• Carbohydrate: 18g
• Fat: 7g
• Sodium: 50mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Potassium: 85mg
• Calcium: 11mg
• Fiber: 1g
• Sugar: 2g

Despite the flavors, these kidney friendly crackers are low potassium. They also come in Everything, Kale, Lentil & Turmeric, and Sweet Beet flavors that are all low in sodium and contain no phosphorus additives. Click the icon below to check prices and reviews for this product.

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Suzie’s Organic Multigrain Rice Cake Thins

• Calories: 50
• Protein: 1g
• Carbohydrate: 11g
• Fat: 0g
• Sodium: 15mg
• Phosphorus
  Additives: None
• Fiber: 0g
• Sugar: 0g

Suzie’s rice cake thins are essentially an ultra-thin rice cake that can be used as a cracker. These would be a good option for anyone who needs a gluten-free cracker. They come in a variety of low sodium flavors and also contain no phosphorus additives. Despite being made with whole grains, they are very low in fiber. Be sure to pair these with a high fiber and high fat food for a balanced snack.

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