Remember the chia seed crackers that we ate at Chocolatree Café just before hiking up 0.6 miles of rocky mountainside?
ƒHere they are in all their glory.
We kicked some major mountain booty that day and I’d like to think the chia seed crackers had something to do with it. After all, the Aztecs and Mayans used chia seeds (known as a “running food”) for hundreds of years to fuel their long journeys!
As soon as I got home, I knew I had to bust out a version of these in my own kitchen. I was “running” on 3 hours of sleep thanks to a 4am wake-up call and the chocolate I was inhaling wasn’t making me feel any better. The chia crackers came to my rescue!
Endurance Crackers
Yield
22 large crackers
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
These Endurance Crackers are extremely light, healthy, and crispy while providing long-lasting energy. I love serving them with hummus (obviously) or smashed avocado and sea salt. Feel free to change up the seasonings and spices as you wish. These crackers are inspired by the ChcolaTree Organic Oasis in Sedona.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup pepita seeds (or pumpkin seeds)
- 1/2 cup sesame seeds
- 1 cup (250 mL) water
- 1 large garlic clove, finely grated on a Microplane
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 300ºF (150°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the chia seeds, sunflower seeds, pepita seeds, and sesame seeds.
- Add the water, garlic, and salt. Stir with a spatula until combined. Allow the mixture to sit for a couple of minutes until the chia seeds absorb the water. After the 2-minute rest, when you stir the mixture, you shouldn’t see a pool of water on the bottom of the bowl.
- With the spatula (and a hand, if necessary), spread the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet in two small rectangles, about 12x7 inches each and 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle additional salt on top.
- Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully flip each rectangle with a spatula. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes more, until lightly golden around the edges. Watch closely near the end to make sure they don’t burn. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes on the pan and then break the rectangles into crackers and let cool completely on the pan. Store in an airtight container or jar on the counter for up to 2 weeks. You can also freeze the crackers in freezer bags for up to 1 month.
Tip:
- * If the crackers soften while storing (this can happen in humid environments), toast them in the oven on a baking sheet at 300ºF (150°C) for 5 to 7 minutes. After cooling, this should return them to their former crispness!
Nutrition Information
(click to expand)As I reached for my garlic powder, I thought why not use fresh garlic instead? My mom recently shared a trick with me for mincing garlic: just use a fine grater instead of chopping it. I used my Microplane and it was the perfect consistency for these crackers. Just be careful you don’t saw off the end of your nail like I almost did.
10 seconds flat for fresh garlic!
After grating, I whisked the garlic in a glass with the water (note: I ended up using a full cup of water instead of the 1/2 cup shown here).
Pour the water mixture into the seed mixture and stir well. It will be thick and gel-like in consistency.
Now season as you wish.
I used a mixture of Herbamare, kelp granules, and kosher salt for maximum flavour, but you can really play around with the seasonings any way you like! Add some spices too if you wish. Taste and adjust if necessary.
This picture hates me, clearly.
Spread onto your baking sheet lined with parchment (or a non-stick mat, but you will have to bake them a bit longer). You want to spread the mixture as thin as possible.
After baking for 30 minutes at 300F, remove from the oven and slice crackers with a pizza slicer.
I did a large diamond shape. You can do any size and shape you want, depending on how much ninja power you are looking for!
With a spatula, carefully flip the crackers and bake for another 30 minutes until toasty and golden on the bottom. Mmm.
My new favourite cracker, easily.
Not only are they vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, soy-free, nut-free, and sugar free, but they can be made raw if you dehydrate them.
After cooling, they are crispy, chewy, and basically mind blowing ninja fuel perfect for dipping into hummus. Eric said they taste better than the ones at Chocolatree, but he may be biased. I couldn’t get over how light and crispy they are!
The question is: Whose butt do you want to kick this week?
Your boss, tough assignment, killer workout, or midterm exam?
Go make a list of things to butt kick.
Eat these crackers.
Kick some butt, ninja style.
It’s like bird food, but waaaaay better.
Do you ever see a tired bird?
I rest my case.
~~
Many of you ask where you can buy chia seeds. If you are looking for an online retailer in the US, try www.chiaseedsdirect.com. I’ve found both of these businesses to have very competitive prices. You can also purchase chia seeds from bulk food stores like Bulk Barn here in Canada or in natural food stores! Update: More readers also told me Costco sells them (in the supplement section) and even Winners and Homesense! Who knew?
I can’t wait to make these crackers and really timely that I found Herbamare at Whole Foods yesterday!
Glad to hear that you found it! Costco also has it if I remember correctly.
I wasn’t able to find it at the Costco here but I’ll keep checking :)
I saw them at Spouts the other day in Bulk and containers.
Just came across the endurance crackers picture and it looks delicious! I’d love to try it but I am having trouble pulling up the recipe. Could you repost the recipe or put it here in the comments. Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! It has inspired me to try my hand at making my own in the future. I found your site when I was looking for additional ideas for using my chia seeds, besides today’s breakfast pudding, which was my first attempt at eating them. Your recipe is saved in my vegan paleo favorites! Thanks a bunch!
WOW! These look soooo good! Looks like they would be the perfect snack for work or after a workout.
WOW< that was super quick!! I'll be buying all my seeds this weekend! :) Can't wait to try them… and I've just run out of the Mary's crackers you gave me so these will be my replacement! ;)
These look delicious! I love crackers, but these look like they’d be a tasty as well as a wholesome snack. Also, the idea of grating garlic is genius, so going to do that from now on!
Does it make your fingers smell like garlic for days after? I guess it with keep the vampires away.
for garlic smell on hands – put a small squirt of dishwashing liquid on a STAINLESS STEEL SPOON and using your fingers rub the dishwashing liguid like you are cleaning the spoon, making sure you rub the spoon on your hands where you touched the garlic, be sure to get under your nails a bit with the spoon. Rinse the spoon and your hands well. Smell all gone.
If you rub your fingers along a stainless steal knife under running water, you will have no garlic smell left on your hands! It really works!
Mmmm I am on those this afternoon! They look soooo good! I am a Mary’s cracker addict so these should bump those right out of the running! :-)
I am getting the ingredients I don’t have and I am making this today. They look just like Dr. Krackers.
Great recipe. Thanks for sharing!!!
Look so delicious! Especially with hummus mmm. Thanks for another cracking (geddit, hah.. oh dear) recipe!
haha love that
Haha, a tired bird…good point. They’re never really just chilling or relaxing. Always making some high pitched crazy noise or flying around. I think I could be super annoying if I eat these ;)
I will have to try making these soon – I’ve been trying to find a homemade cracker recipe that I love, and these definitely seem like a good candidate!!! I’d like to kick the butt of my HM training program, so ninja power crackers would be helpful.
I love microplane-ing garlic – no big chunks, no press to clean, and super fast!
I cant wait to try these crackers, my family is gluten free due to myself and my daughter having celiac disease, i’m so excited to have a recipe to follow that i dont have to convert to gluten free!!! I’m constantly looking for healthy energizing snacks for us that we can easily gobble up!
i absolutly love your web site!!
Wow these are amazing… just hope I can find all these ingredients abroad! x
These look awesome! I love chia seeds and these look like such crispy, perfect crackers. Yum!
Did you use toasted sunflower and pepita seeds, or did you toast them first? My seeds tend to be pretty moist. Will they toast up on the pan?
I cannot have sunflower seeds – is it possible to simply add more of the other ingredients, or do you have a recommended substitute?
Hey Frankie, I think you could replace the sunflower seeds with more pepitas (or a combination of more pepitas and sesame seeds). If you decide to experiment, or try anything else, please let us know how it goes!
I’m so glad you re-created those crackers! These nutritionals are amazing. Can’t wait to try it!
Do you have a garlic press? I use that rather than a grater – much safer for your nails. :)
No I don’t, but that would work too!
I of course have Herbamare as I live in Switzerland! Its a staple here :-) Chia seeds are harder to come by but I’ve already had some ordered and shipped to TX for our visit in 2 weeks. Thanks for the recipe!
These look really good! I have been looking for a good crunchy homemade cracker recipe, and I will be trying these! YUM.
These look amazing. I can’t wait to try them and play around with the flavors. I’m a big Mary’s Cracker fan but it will be nice to have a change.
Yum– love all the seedy goodness going on in these crackers!!!
valid point indeed…never seen a tired bird – except the ol’ birds i work with ;)
thanks for the recipe!
wow I’m surprised they stick together and form such a sturdy cracker using basically just seeds! I could definitely get all these seeds in the bulk section to save some money and make these.