
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?
Ummmm, I am SO excited to make these! And dip them in hummus. Or crumble them over soup. The options are endless. Thanks for another awesome recipe!
Those look so good! I’m glad you make some and shared the recipe. I was hoping you’d also recreate the Thai Rice Bowl you had there, but if you don’t, I might be able to figure it out. It looked really good, too.
Thanks Beth, I will keep that in mind too!
I’ll be making these today and trying them out on my kiddo’s. My taste buds are the easiest in the family to please! I haven’t heard of Herbamare before but I’ll be checking to see if they have it at Cosco when I go by later today! Thanks as always for the wonderful recipes that get me through the week!
Great, please let me know what your kids think of them! I’m always curious about that.
My son enjoyed them very much! He is nearly 15 months and being to have a food palate of his own and when I gave him half of my first cracker he ate it do quickly them reached his hand out for another :-)
I don’t have herbamere but they still are delicious without the add. I used 3 tbsp of nutrition yeast, 1/4 tsp salt, three pinches of kelp granulars, and everything as specified in the recipe. Thanks for this recipe.
Raw crackers have been my guilty pleasure lately. I love your flavouring ideas with the herbamere and kelp. I will have to try that next! :) And of course, also with the pepitas, etc you have in your crackers. :)
This is a great recipe! Thank-you! Looks like these will be a good replacement for my rice cakes… Wondering if it is possible to make them sweet as well – with some cocoa powder and cinnamon? What do you think?
Keep up the positivity – it is contagious!
vicki
You read my mind! I think a sweet version would be wonderful.
I just made these as above, but added the tiniest drizzle of honey over top (’cause I like sweetandsalty). The fattiness of cocoa powder might change the structure of these, but you could swap out the spices no problem.
Do you think it would work to grind up the seeds (or most of them)? I find crackers made of whole seeds to be really hard to digest. Thanks!
Good question! I think it would probably still work, as the chia seeds are the binding agent.
I make a cracker that is very similar to this and all seeds are ground.
Hahaha love the “butt kicking clause” ;)
I can’t wait to try these. Reminiscent of your salad toppers, one of my favourites!
I live in Canada (GTA) and I buy chia seeds at Costco.
Oh really? Wow I will have to keep my eyes peeled for them next time I’m there!
I usually find them in the pharmacy section with protein powders, etc. The container is 450g for $13.49. Late last fall they were “on sale” for $11.49!
I grab chia seeds at Winners or Homesense all the time!
Wow! I’ve never thought to look there!
Wow I wouldn’t have looked in the pharmacy section either! No wonder why I haven’t seen them there. Good to know Winners also has them. I will add this to my post!
I went on a cracker-making spree around the holidays last year, but mine definitely were nothing like this! These look so full of texture- I’m a big fan of that. I’ll have to try this one out asap- this would be great for Superbowl munchies along with some hummus (or a bunch of other spreads/dips I can think of)!
I also love that I have all of these ingredients on hand, except for the pepitas. That’s nothing a quick trip to the store can’t fix. :)
These look amazing! I’ve been searching for a good gluten free cracker substitute. Thank you for ending my search : )
I’m excited to try these. I bought a few big bags of chia seed from a co-op order and wasn’t sure what to do with them. Sometimes I toss them in smoothies…what are some of your other chia favorites?
hey Emily, Here are a bunch of my recipes with chia seeds!
http://ohsheglows.com/recipage/?search_term=chia&ui=133
Awesome snack idea and the nutritional stats are great! I really like that you can bake them too. I would love to buy a dehydrator, but for now, I’ll be relying on my oven.
Time for a visit to the Whole Foods’ bulk bins…
I love using the grater or the garlic press….I just wish I had a little person around who was always in chrage of “doing” the garlic…blick it’s my least favorite task because it leaves my fingers all stinky!
you are too funny! ever seen a fatigues bird?! so cute!
your crackewrs look yummier that the restaurant ones, no lie Angela!
Mmm I wish I was not at work so I could make these right now! I will definitely be going to the bulk barn tonight to get the ingrediants :)
I found Herbamare at the Superstore last week in Georgetown and got all excited. Im sure if someone was around me they would of wondered what was wrong with me lol I have been looking everywhere for it ever since you mentioned it!
Thanks for the recipe! Enjoy this beautiful sunny day :)
haha don’t worry I do the same thing when I find something in a grocery store. It was my mother in law who got me hooked on Herbamare. It’s so tasty! I’m really liking the kelp granules too. I didn’t realize they are low in sodium.
Bulk Barn sells Herbamere, as do Goodness Me stores!
Awesome. They’re kind of like Dr. Kracker. But with Chia!
These look amazing! Can’t wait to try them in hopes of kicking my boss’ butt tomorrow! :)
Is there anything that can be used in place of the herbamare and kelp seasonings?
More salt would probably do the trick as well as some spices or other seasonings.
Yay! I’m excited that you had to make these quickly :) This weekend’s baking project :) :)
Thank you for this recipe! I always struggle to find the perfect pre-workout snack and some of these crackers with some hummus will definitely be perfect! I can’t wait to try this!
Oooh, I’m going to try these for sure. They look like they’d be so awesome with hummus :D
These sound delicious…I too am a big fan of Mary’s Gone Crackers crackers but these look like they’ll be even better. I can’t believe how quickly you recreated these when you got home – you definitely ROCK!