Parmesan Crisps
These Parmesan Crisps are a one-ingredient wonder – quick to bake, super crispy, and perfect for topping risotto, soups, salads, or snacking straight from the pan.
This Simple Parmesan Crisp Recipe Always Delivers Big Flavor
In culinary school, we learned how to make cheese fricos – the classic restaurant term for this crispy cheese situation that can be a snack, garnish or low-effort appetizer. Most recently, you’ve probably seen a similar version pop up at the grocery store, marketed as Parmesan “crisps” or “whisps.”
Whatever you call them, this is one of those back-pocket techniques every serious home chef should know. With literally one ingredient and an oven, you can create a crunchy, salty finishing touch that instantly makes an ordinary dinner feel like something quite special.
Along with Crispy Prosciutto, these Parmesan crisps are a beautiful finishing touch to our Risotto Milanese, where the crunchy cheese echoes and enhances the cheese in the risotto. But once you see how easy it is to make Parmesan crisps, don’t be surprised if your “garnish” mysteriously turns into a snack you keep making “for later.”
Why You Will Love Parmesan Cheese Crisps
- Crispy, golden and full of umami flavor.
- Super quick to prep and bake.
- Perfect as a snack, garnish or appetizer.
Parmesan Crisps Ingredients
A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.
- grated Parmesan cheese – the star (and only character) of the show. A high-quality, aged Parmesan (like 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano) is worth the investment here, as it melts evenly, browns beautifully, and crisps as it cools. Lower-quality or younger Parmesan tends to stay pale and slightly chewy instead of crisp. Skip the pre-grated cheese and grate your own here.
How To Make Parmesan Crisps
- PREP. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper, and scoop heaping 1-tablespoon mounds of cheese over the parchment, spreading each into a thin circle.
- BAKE. Bake until cheese is golden brown, then transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool completely. When cool, the cheese can be broken into pieces.
Parmesan Crisps Recipe Home Chef Tips
- Watch closely near the end of baking – cheese crisps go from golden to burnt pretty quickly. If you think it’s done, it is.
- If using multiple pans, rotate them halfway through cooking.
- The crisps will firm up significantly as they cool, so don’t worry if they’re not super crispy right out of the oven.
Parmesan Cheese Crisps Recipe Variations
- Spicy Parmesan Crisps – sprinkle each circle with a small amount of red pepper flakes before baking.
- Black Pepper Parmesan Crisps – sprinkle freshly grated black pepper over each cheese circle before baking.
- Herb Parmesan Cheese Crisps – sprinkle each circle with a pinch of your favorite herbs, like dried rosemary or thyme, before baking.
- Cheese Blend Crisps – Mix a small amount of finely grated Asiago in with the Parmesan for a slightly sharper bite.
- Everything Bagel Crisps – sprinkle each circle with a bit of Everything Bagel Seasoning before baking.
Save This Recipe!
Enter your email and we’ll send this recipe to your inbox.
How To Use Parmesan Crisps
Parmesan cheese crisps are incredibly versatile and add instant crunch, salt and flavor wherever they land. Some ideas:
- Salads – break crisps into shards and scatter over a Salmon Caesar Salad or Tomato Beet Salad.
- Snack Boards – use as a crunchy element on a Cheese And Wine Tasting board.
- Soup Topper – especially good crumbled over Chicken Parmesan Soup and Creamy Lasagna Soup.
- As a snack – no explanation needed!
Storage And Reheating
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a day.
- Reheat: If needed, re-crisp briefly in a 350 degree F oven or air fryer.
- Freeze: Not recommended, as the texture will become chewy after thawing.
More Foxes Love Lemons Favorites
Parmesan Crisps Recipe
Save This Recipe!
Enter your email and we’ll send this recipe to your inbox.
Ingredients
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
- Spoon heaping 1 tablespoon mounds of Parmesan onto prepared pan, spreading each into a thin circle. Bake 6 to 9 minutes or until golden brown.
- Transfer pan to rack to cool. When cool, break cheese into pieces.
