In the land of limited editions that dare to make the consumer want to try something more extreme or risky, we have the new, tame, and enticing, Limited Edition Buttery-er Ritz Cracker. Not extra butter, not heaps of butter, not movie theater butter — although an Ultimate Butter version in 2016 apparently took that dive — just the non-threatening and seemingly safe Buttery-er.
Before going into this, I should note that I love original Ritz Crackers. Growing up, there were two elite plain and buttery crackers — Nabisco’s Ritz and Kellogg’s Club. Ritz Crackers were always the preferred base for a ridiculous amount of squishy, squirt-y Easy Cheese or cream cheese, and Club Crackers felt like the more elegant, refined buttery choice for proper cheese and/or meat. As an adult, my favorite iteration of a Ritz is the fudge-covered one that pops up for the holidays — an absolutely underrated pinnacle of the modern sweet and salty snacking era.
Diving into this new Buttery-er version is a very familiar and satisfying experience. Soft and crumbly with a perfect amount of salt and a lovely golden buttery flavor throughout. My initial thought is that they are, indeed, more buttery, or, apologies, buttery-er. However, it isn’t an aggressive or artificial flavor like a Jelly Belly jelly bean; it’s simply a richer foundation to an already rich cracker. They also feel softer and more crumbly with an even quicker melt-in-your-mouth sensation than the original that’s been promising a “bite of the good life” since the 1930s.
Fun fact: both the original and these new limited edition Ritz Crackers contain no butter, and are vegan. Any buttery presence in one versus the other is the density of the science-flavored oils. The ten extra calories and half a gram more fat per serving in these, as opposed to the original, would imply a heftier hand in dosing that fatty flavor.
But is it all just a mind trick? There’s only one way to truly find out: a side-by-side taste test. Eating an original Ritz cracker and then the new Buttery-er version right after confirms what I thought prior to having the control cracker — it’s more buttery, and it’s subtle. The limited edition leaves a slightly more pronounced buttery oil feeling on the tongue than the OG, similar to movie theater butter, but much less intense. This makes sense because the “butter” at most theaters is also butter-flavored oil.
The Buttery-er Ritz Cracker is a lusher, slightly elevated experience from its already elite predecessor that I’m happy I found and tried. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if they made this the full-time recipe, but unless you’re a cracker completist, you don’t NEED to rush out to find these before they’re gone.
Purchased Price: $4.99
Size: 13.7 oz
Purchased at: Nob Hill
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (5 crackers, 17g) 90 calories, 5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 130 milligrams of sodium, 10 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 1 gram of sugar, and 0 grams of protein.
Frankly, I was shocked to learn that Ritz crackers are vegan since they taste so goddamn good and buttery, but I’m not at all displeased by this. Vegans deserve treats, too!
“This makes sense because the “butter” at most theaters is also butter-flavored oil.”
Not quite. The oil used is coconut oil, but the butter flavor comes from something called flavacol. It’s about 1/2 tsp for 1/2 cup of unpopped kernels.