Jatz, Savoy, Ritz or Aldi Eton: Which cracker tastes best?

While the cracker aisle of the supermarket is awash with options, for many, the plain round cracker is the classic choice any time you’re entertaining. 

But with many similar options available, how do you know which one is really the best accompaniment to your cheese and dips? 

Selection and voting

Water crackers, rice crackers and crackers featuring cheese, seeds, fruit and other flavourings are widely available at our supermarkets, but there’s something to be said for a plain cracker as the perfect vehicle for whatever topping you want to serve up to your guests. 

To compare the similar options available at our supermarkets, we asked our tasters to sample Arnott’s Jatz and Savoy, Mondelez’s Ritz and Aldi’s home-brand Eton cracker. 

All four are round, approximately 45mm in diameter, with the classic serrated edge and evenly spaced holes in the centre. 

CHOICE staff were asked to blind taste-test each option, cleansing their palates with water between each sample. After trying all four, they cast a single vote for their favourite variety.

And the winner is

In a clear victory, Aldi’s Eton beat out the competition, earning a whopping 48% of the vote. Ritz came second with 22%, followed by Savoy with 19% while Jatz scored last place with just 11% of tasters nominating it as their favourite.

The Aldi Eton cracker is also a winner on price. A 225g box costs just $1.49 compared to the $4 you’ll pay for the same-sized box of Jatz or Savoy. Ritz crackers are $3.50 for a 227g box.

In judging the options, more than one taster noted that the Savoy was more salty than the other options, which was a plus for some, though others found its saltiness was overpowering. 

The Ritz was described as too soft and crumbly, and one taster said it was better on its own, rather than as an accompaniment to cheese or dips. Jatz was described as having a nice, hard crunch, but the Eton was said to be “just right”.

What’s in your cracker?

While the listed ingredients in all of these crackers are similar, there are some notable differences. 

Ritz are made with fructose syrup, the Savoy uses golden syrup, and both Eton and Jatz use malt extract from barley. 

All options contain sugar, salt and baking powder. Eton, Jatz and Savoy crackers carry a two-star health rating, but the Ritz crackers don’t provide a rating.

Other ingredients you might find in these crackers include:

• herb extract and yeast (Jatz, Eton and Savoy)
• emulsifiers (Jatz, Savoy and Ritz)
• acidity regulators (Eton)
• food acid (Jatz)
• enzymes (Ritz).

The Ritz also contains added minerals (iron and zinc) as well as vitamins (riboflavin, thiamin and folate).

As some of our tasters noted, one cracker is much saltier than the others. The Savoy contains 848mg of sodium per 100g compared to 490mg, 497mg and 427mg per 100g in the Jatz, Eton and Ritz crackers, respectively. The Ritz cracker is the only one of the four not made in Australia, being manufactured in Indonesia.

Are Jatz and Savoy the same? 

While Arnott’s make both of these very similar crackers, they are not exactly the same. 

Savoy crackers were originally made by Melbourne baker, the Brockhoff Biscuit Company. When Arnott’s merged with this firm in the 1960s, they responded to Victorian consumers who wanted to keep their preferred variety and continued to make the Savoy.

The difference between the two crackers is minor. Apart from the difference in sodium (see ‘What’s in your cracker’, above), the ingredient lists reveal that while Jatz are made with malt extract from barley, the Savoy is made with golden syrup. 

The packaging is also very similar, as are the crackers themselves, though look closely and you’ll see the word ‘Savoy’ stamped onto one side of that variety. 

In terms of availability, you’ll mostly find the Savoy in Victoria and Tasmania, though it can be found in some independent retailers in other states. Jatz is available around the country.

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Margaret Rafferty

Margaret Rafferty joined CHOICE in 2018 as a Content editor and since then has filled the roles of Commissioning editor, Managing editor and now Editorial consultant. Margaret has written on a wide variety of topics and enjoys making complex subjects easy to understand. With over 20 years of media experience, Margaret brings a strong storytelling background to CHOICE. She works closely with people across the organisation to help tell stories that make a positive difference to people and is passionate about uncovering bad practices and helping Australians to avoid falling victim to shonky products and services. Find Margaret on LinkedIn.

Margaret Rafferty joined CHOICE in 2018 as a Content editor and since then has filled the roles of Commissioning editor, Managing editor and now Editorial consultant. Margaret has written on a wide variety of topics and enjoys making complex subjects easy to understand. With over 20 years of media experience, Margaret brings a strong storytelling background to CHOICE. She works closely with people across the organisation to help tell stories that make a positive difference to people and is passionate about uncovering bad practices and helping Australians to avoid falling victim to shonky products and services. Find Margaret on LinkedIn.