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?
Can’t wait to make these! You’ve changed my life with your recipes. I would choke down healthy food for years before I found you and realized that it can actually be delicious! I can’t wait for your next book and thank you for posting the blurry picture so we know you are actually human like the rest of us. Haha! Love to you and thanks for making being vegan a yummy thing!
Thank you so much Janet! I’m so happy to hear that you love the recipes so much. :)
Thank so much for sharing this recipe. I made the crackers today and they were so easy to make and they are delicious! I sprinkled some Herbamare on top as well because I like the extra flavor.
I LOVE these. They are so easy to make and fill me up. I’m training for a half marathon right now and I always have the best speed workouts when I eat this for my mid afternoon snack. I have to confess that when I’m really pressed for time and just need to get these in the oven fast before a morning run I use garlic and onion powders and they come out just fine. :)
And these are totally 5 stars, just like everything you come up with!!
Will these crackers work in the dehydrator? Anyone tried?
Hi Jocelyn, I can’t see why they wouldn’t! I know a few readers tried it, and all seemed pretty happy with the end result. :)
I just made these crackers this morning. You didn’t warn that we would be standing over the baking sheet eating “just a little more” while they cool! I managed to finally walk away to save them for dinner. I am going to put any crumbly bits on my oatmeal.
Haha! I’m definitely familiar with that “problem.” ;) I’m glad you like the crackers, Lynn!
Just a quick clarification on the Endurance cracker recipe. In the description, you mention grating a sweet onion with the microplane. There is no sweet onion listed in ingredients… Did I miss something?
Really awesome! Made them today, my hubby & 1yr old (both gluten intolerant) loved them- they will last very little ;)
One question though- when I took them out at 30′ it was very hard to lift from parchment paper, stuck in many parts, had to change for 2nd bake. Would anyone know if I did anything wrong?? Thank you!
When I made these I used a reusable silicone baking liner….crackers and liner stayed perfectly separate! I added 10 minutes to this recipe with the liner, and it made them more crispy that way. Yum yum yum!!
Second time making the Endurance crackers and love, love, love them. I cannot see ever going back to store bought. Super easy, can’t stop eating these little gems (I cut them into one by one inch crackers.) Thank you so very much.
You’re so welcome! I’m so happy to hear you’re loving the crackers.
I now make these on a regular basis and eat them as crackers for cheese or humous, as croutons on salad or with soup and sometimes just as a snack on their own. I do all kinds of versions now, for example with curry powder, turmeric and home-ground cumin seeds, or with garlic and thyme.
Thanks so much for brining the true wonders of Chia to my attention!
Love the creativity and experimentation, Lorna! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the recipe and all the ways it can be adapted. Thanks for sharing!
Hi there – this recipe looks amazing! Just wondering what a good substitute for garlic would be (can’t eat garlic as it gives me stomach pains…long-time IBS)
Hi Anna, You could simply omit the garlic, or if you still want that extra oomph, try adding a sprinkling of your favourite herb(s), chili powder, or even a bit of shaved onion. The sky’s the limit when customizing these crackers.
I LOVE this recipie. I’ve being trying to go more towards a vegan diet and theses crackers give me the protein and energy that I’ve been craving. I love crunchy snacks and this is a guilt free one that goes great is avacado or a homemade cashew spread. I appreciate the notes about reheating slightly if they get soggy. Mine got a little soggy from being in Tupperware.
Love your blog. Many thanks.
I’m glad to hear you enjoy the recipe, Megan! These crackers are one of my fav snacks, for sure.
I made these on the weekend, but I put coconut sugar in, so I have a sweet version ;) great recipe, so easy and tasty. Can´t wait to do spicy ones as well
Sounds like a great twist, Lisa!
Hi. You mention onion in the directions (under the photos) but there is no onion listed in the ingredients? Could you please fix recipe or can someone who has made these let me know how much onion? I’m really looking forward to making these. Thanks so much.
AH I must have missed your comment! I too am confused about the onion thing, and asked about it yesterday. It seems like you never got an answer.
Hi there! I’m sorry for not getting back to you sooner, your comment must have slipped right by me. Apologies, too, for the confusion! My original recipe contained minced onion, but in my revision of this recipe I decided not to include it to simplify things. When I do add fresh minced onion , it’s usually only about a teaspoon or so. I hope this helps!
This looks great. The instructions say preheat to 300. But under the picture it says 325 for first and second cooking. Please clarify. Thanks
Hey, Thanks for your question! Please follow the recipe as it’s been revised. I will try to change that text in the blog post!
Sounds like a recipe worth trying. Thanks!
I made these yesterday! Was surprised at how light they are! I finally found something that I like shaman spice in! It’s perfect! Thanks for the great and easy recipes! My hubby likes them too! Yay!
I’m glad to hear the crackers are a hit, Autumn! They’re a standby in my house for sure. :)
I’ve been making these crackers ever since my daughter introduced them to me – love them! They are fantastic and I never buy store-made crackers anymore.
One thing I’d like to know is the nutritional information and I can’t seem to find it… especially how many calories per cracker (I usually get about 30 crackers per recipe) and grams of protein.
Hey there, I’m so happy to hear these crackers have become such a classic in your family! They’re a standby for us, too. :) Unfortunately, I haven’t calculated that full nutritional info out myself, but if you head over to a free online tool like caloriecount.com or nutritiondata.com, or even an app like MyFitnessPal, you can plug in the recipe information to find out the nutritional analysis. I hope this helps!
I cut mine before baking them so they don’t crack
I just made these and WOW! First off your tutorial is excellent–thank you so much for taking the time!
They came out perfect–for fun and because it is a favorite taste of mine–I tossed in a TB of caraway seeds.
When they were ready to cut, I found the pizza cutter was breaking too many of them. I switch to a wavy vegetable slicer (the kind for making carrot chips or french fries). I simply pushed down straight and then moved further down the line. They cut beautifully!
Again thank you so much!
Here’s the type of cutter I used.
https://jet.com/product/detail/daa13adf7cc143d2b5236a41c7662b0e?jcmp=pla:ggl:gen_jd_home_garden_a3:kitchen_dining_kitchen_tools_utensils_a3_other:na:na:na:na:na:2&code=PLA15&ds_c=gen_jd_home_garden_a3&ds_cid=&ds_ag=kitchen_dining_kitchen_tools_utensils_a3_other&product_id=daa13adf7cc143d2b5236a41c7662b0e&product_partition_id=161674078380&gclid=CjwKEAjwvb2_BRCb_s7Yo7_ZlHASJABz6L0j1IJRULK5bO80brgb_f_xFTUkUy48nFax-3nXatSm1RoCaC_w_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds