Let me introduce you to these amazingly crispy seeded crackers that are made with seeds, seeds and nothing but nutritious seeds! Yes, you read that right! These crackers contain no oil, no flour and no sugar! Apart from water and a little flavouring in the form of dried herbs these easy crackers really are all seeds. Read on to discover the secret!
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Seeds, seeds, glorious seeds
I am absolutely LOVING these crispy, seeded crackers. I can't stop eating them. They are crispy and crunchy and so healthy - I can't believe that I'm actually promoting a super healthy recipe on my site. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against healthy eating - most of my recipes are made with fresh ingredients. But I don't take it to extremes. I do I try not to cook with cans of soup and other things that contain a lot of preservatives, but I'm not against it when the recipe calls for it. As long as it's not every meal.
But these easy seeded crackers are so healthy it's unreal. And they are so delicious they should be illegal! Apart from a teaspoon or so of dried herbs for extra flavour and some water to hold everything together, there are absolutely no other ingredients in these crackers apart from seeds.
You can use a mixture of any seeds you prefer - pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, linseeds and sesame seeds. I even added a tablespoon of poppy seeds. You can also play around with different seasonings. I used a mixture of oregano and thyme, but you could use garlic granules, rosemary, or even paprika. And if you do want to add an extra ingredient you could sprinkle a little grated parmesan cheese over the top before baking.
Plus they are so easy to make that even a child could make them! They take only 2 minutes to mix, 10 minutes to stand and then they're into a moderate oven for 50-60 minutes until they are dried out and crispy. Job done!
What's the secret to crispy seeded crackers?
The secret is chia seeds.
Chia seeds are tiny black seeds that come from the Salvia Hispanica plant, a flowering shrub that is native to Central America. They are believed to have been a staple in the ancient Aztec diet.
Chia seeds are a true super-food and are absolutely packed with fibre, anti-oxidants, minerals and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. They are also reported to be effective in promoting weight loss.
But aside from that, one of their properties is that they can absorb up to 25 times their own weight in water, which makes them turn sticky and gelatinous. And this is what forms the 'glue' that holds these seeded crackers together.
You can get chia seeds in any large supermarket, or failing that, from a health store. You can also get chia seeds from Amazon. (Tip - the supermarket tends to be the cheapest).
Let me show you what to do. It won't take long!
What you will need
Equipment
You will need a mixing bowl that is large enough to hold all your seeds plus the water.
Apart from that, the only other things you will need will be a baking tray and some baking parchment to prevent the crackers from sticking to the tray. This recipe makes enough to fill a 13" x 9.5" (or 33cm x 24cm) baking tray.
Ingredients
I made 24 crackers, but you could cut them larger or smaller to suit your preference.
**You can get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making these crispy seeded crackers on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**
Seeds - I used a mixture of sunflower, pumpkin, linseeds, sesame, hemp and poppy seeds. In total, you will need 200 grams or about 7 ounces (1.5 cups) of mixed seeds. I would suggest half a cup each of sunflower and pumpkin seeds, and the final half cup being a mixture of the smaller seeds.
Chia seeds - For this recipe you will need 50 grams of chia seeds which is about one-third of a cup. Please do not omit the chia seeds - the recipe will not work without them, and you will end up with a tray of roasted seeds rather than crackers.
Salt - this is optional but I added half a teaspoon.
Oregano - this was for flavouring. In addition to the oregano, I added half a teaspoon of thyme. You can substitute these with your own choice of flavourings.
Water - this is used to soak the seeds so that the chia can swell up and stick the seeds together. For this recipe you will need three-quarters of a cup.
Parmesan cheese - this is optional, and not pictured. If you want to add a little cheesiness to the crackers, you can sprinkle them with grated parmesan cheese before baking.
What to do
Place the seeds, salt and seasoning into a small mixing bowl and stir in the water. Give it a really good stir to distribute the chia seeds throughout. Cover and leave for 10 to 15 minutes to soak.
Once the seeds have soaked the chia seeds will have absorbed all the water and the seeds will be sticking together.
Line a baking tray with baking parchment and press the seeds into a thin even layer. Use wet hands to do this because the mixture will be quite sticky. Use a pizza cutter or the back of a knife to score the seeds into squares or rectangles.
If you are using parmesan cheese, you can sprinkle it on now. I only used cheese on half of the crackers because I wanted to be able to photo the crackers both with and without cheese. I actually prefer them with the cheese on!
Bake in a preheated oven (160C/320F) for 50 to 60 minutes until the crackers are dried and crispy.
You may find that the crackers towards the inside are still slightly damp underneath. If this happens, remove the cooked outer crackers and turn the remaining ones face downwards and return to the oven for a further 5 to 10 minutes. Keep your eye on them, they burn easily.
Serve these crispy seeded crackers as a snack, top them with a slice of cheese or serve with a bowl of hummus for dipping. They are also delicious when spread with this mushroom pate, and are perfect for popping into a lunch box for a mid-morning burst of energy!
Store the crackers in a cool place in an airtight container. They will stay crunchy for more than a week. I always eat them before that, so I can't be too precise on exactly how long they will last 🙂
Crispy seeded crackers FAQ
Scoring the crackers before baking them makes them easier to break into nice evenly-sized crackers. You can bake them without scoring, but you will find they break into uneven sizes when you try to cut them.
These crispy seeded crackers can certainly help with weight management. Chia seeds are high in fibre, which can promote a feeling of fullness when consumed as part of a calorie-controlled diet. In any event, they are far more beneficial than eating a slice of cake or a bar of chocolate.
Soaked chia becomes very sticky. If you wet your hands before pressing the seeds onto the baking tray you will find the seeds tend not to stick to your hands. You may have to wet your hands at intervals while pressing out the seeds.
Save for later
If you would like to make these crispy seeded crackers yourself, why not save this recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it easily? Just click on the image below.
Alternatively, you can save the recipe by clicking on the floating heart icon on the right-hand side of the screen.
Related recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe you may want to try some of my (probably less healthy) snack-type recipes too:
You can find these and other recipe ideas in my collection of how-to guides.
📋The recipe
Crispy seeded crackers
(Click the stars to rate this recipe)
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Baking tray 9.5" x 13" / 24 cm x 33 cm approximately
- Baking parchment
Ingredients
- ½ cup / 65 grams shelled sunflower seeds
- ½ cup / 70 grams dried pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup / 70 grams mixed seeds (linseed / sesame / poppy)
- ⅓ cup / 50 grams chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt optional
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ cup / 175 ml cold water
- ¼ cup / 50 grams grated parmesan cheese optional for topping
Instructions
- Place the seeds, salt and seasoning into a small mixing bowl and stir in the water. Give it a really good stir to distribute the chia seeds throughout. Cover and leave for 10 to 15 minutes to soak.½ cup / 65 grams shelled sunflower seeds, ½ cup / 70 grams dried pumpkin seeds, ½ cup / 70 grams mixed seeds (linseed / sesame / poppy), ⅓ cup / 50 grams chia seeds, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ¾ cup / 175 ml cold water
- Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F
- Line a baking tray with baking parchment and press the soaked seeds into a thin even layer. Use wet hands to do this because the mixture will be quite sticky. Use a pizza cutter or the back of a knife to score the seeds into squares or rectangles.
- If you are using parmesan cheese, you can sprinkle it on now.¼ cup / 50 grams grated parmesan cheese
- Bake in a preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes until the crackers are dried and crispy.
- You may find that the crackers towards the inside are still slightly damp underneath. If this happens, remove the cooked outer crackers and turn the remaining ones face downwards and return to the oven for a further 5 to 10 minutes. Keep your eye on them, they burn easily.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Store the crackers in a cool place in an airtight container. They will stay crunchy for more than a week.
Notes
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.
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