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?
These got “two thumbs up” from my husband who devoured them with hummus and was none the wiser that he was eating something healthy instead of his usual potato chips.
Me/Angela: 1
Carnivore husband: 0
Has anyone tried using chopped nuts in these wonderful crackers?
Has anyone tried chopped nuts in these wonderful crackers?
Hi Angela,
I live in Panama, Central America! Just wanted to tell you that my search looking for crackers has ended…thanks to you!!! These are the best crackers I’ve ever had!! And the best part they’re homemade and soo unbelievably easy to make! I just have two questions …what’s the best way to store them?? in the fridge? and how long do they last?? Not that they’re gonna last long
I’m guessing you have sorted this out now, however just wanted to say that I made some (lots!) in Sept or Oct and they still taste great 3 months on. I have kept them in a sealed container in the cupboard :)
How could they last 3 months ?!? ours are gone after 4 days (or less) ! :)
Wow! I just made these and they are now my favourite cracker too. Next time I’m going to try them seasoned with rosemary and maybe i will try a sweetish version too with cinnamon or something. Thanks for posting this recipe!
These tasted AMAZING!!!!!! Thanks for making amazing food ideas that are easy to have a guilt free conscience about eating. The only problem is that I’m having an energy buzz right before bed :)
Wow – made these today…yum! BUT can someone let me know how to stop the crackers sticking to the baking paper? I lost a lot of them when I was turning them as they stuck to the paper.
Hey Teresa, Are you using wax or parchment paper? You should use parchment (I didnt have any sticking issues).
I also had that problem. Then tried with foil (which I use very often and usually has no sticking problems) on the second batch and was slightly better but still lost like a third of the seeds.
I am allergic to both garlic and sesame seeds. Do you have any suggestions for substitutes? Thank you!
I have omitted the garlic when I havent had any and have used linseed instead of sesame seeds :)
These are sooo good and incredibly filling.
Did I mention easy, too? I made them for company with food allergies. They loved them too.
Thank you so much for the recipe! I’m in love with these crackers. I changed a few ingredients since I didn’t have sunflower seeds, but the result was still amazing!
I posted the recipe with a link to your page on my blog here:
blogs.cotemaison.fr/cuisine-en-scene/2013/11/27/crackers-maison-aux-graines/#more-10866
Thanks again :-)
Lucie
PS: Huge fan of your blog!
Love these! They smell amazing in the oven!
There are amazing! I’m giving them as my Christmas “cookies” this year.
I’ve been sugar and flour free for 5 months and these are exactly what I’ve been looking for. Made a batch tonight and they are INCREDIBLE…especially dipped in hummus :-) thank you!!!!!
I know, it’s been a long time since you made these, but I just tried them yesterday and loved them so much I wanted to thank you! I tripled the onion, and cooked the rest according to the recipe. They were SO delicious that my daughter and I couldn’t stop eating them!
I just made these. They are UNBELIEVABLE!!! I can’t stop eating them. I have found my new food addiction. I added a bunch cayenne pepper and fresh rosemary. They are AWESOME and super easy to make.
Hi Angela! Made these a few days ago – they are great! Really robust though, which is good because you really don’t feel the urge to eat the entire batch in one sitting (something I often do when making breads + crackers…so bad). I added 2T nutritional yeast + approx 1t tamari. I might try making them next time with half ground + half whole seeds just to see what that does texture-wise. Thanks for the yummy recipe!
Can’t wait to try this.
I love these crackers and make them all the time. The one thing I do differently is that I turn over the entire cracker slab *before* I cut them with the pizza slicer. I think it’s a time-saver. So glad a friend gave me your recipe. Thanks a ton!
I make these crackers all the time (with a couple of tweaks)and adore them, as does everyone with whom I share. I am wondering about Alison’s comment that she turns over the entire slab before cutting them, and would love to know her procedure for doing this. Thanks.
I made these today and they got stuck to the parchment paper. Should i have used cooking spray before I spread the cracker mixture on the parchment?
Excellent recipe! However, could you turn this into a printable recipe without all the extras i.e .comments. To print this out came to 30 pages. Thank in advance.