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?
Hi Angela
Love these although I find them finicky when trying to make larger batches.
Wondering why you didn’t include hemp or flax seeds?
Is the temp too high for hemp? Couldn’t it be lowered a tad?
And is it true whole flax seeds are indigestible?
Thx
Greta
(it’s true, whole flax seeds have a nearly indigestible hull on them, which is why grinding them in your coffee grinder before using is the best thing.)
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/flaxseed/AN01258
They are awesome!!
Wow! These just came out of the oven and they are AMAZING! So easy and delicious! I added rosemary and thyme and dipped a couple in some garlic hummus. New favorite snack for sure!!
hello! i made these last week and my husband and i loved them!!! so delicious. i was wondering if you have experimented with freezing them? there were none left to freeze but i would like to make more ahead of time!
thank you!
amy
Yes they do freeze well :)
awesome thank you! do you need to toast them or do you just let them thaw and eat them once thawed? (i found these were awesome to take to work in my lunch!)
These are in the oven right now. I added a 1/4 cup poppy seeds because the more the merrier right? I also upped the onion and garlic. Even the kids love these. I swear, I’m changing my carnivorous ways because of you Angela. I’m slowly evolving into a vegan :)
I followed the recipe to a tee and everything was going great until I realised they stuck to the parchement paper after 30 minutes, and it was not an easy task to remove it. About 1/3 of the seeds were left on the paper (and some of stuck to the crackers). Any idea how I can avoid this next time? I realise from your pics that mine were spread out thinner than yours, so perhaps 30 minutes was too long. Thanks!
Ah sorry that happened to you, what a pain! Yes my guess is that they were spread too thin. Try them a bit thicker next time..I havent had that problem before. Goodluck!
These are great, Angela! Thanks so much for the lovely recipe! I omitted the fresh garlic and onion, herbamere and kelp granules. I didn’t have pumpkin seeds so I used hemp seeds. I added 1/4 cup nutritional yeast, 1/2 tsp garlic and herb dip mix, 3/4 tsp cumin seeds, 3/4 tsp chili powder, and some dehydrated onion salt. I can’t wait to dip them in hummus and pack them in my lunches each day!
holy moly. i’d pinned these a month or so ago, meaning to make them that weekend. life happened, and i only now got to them. they’re in the oven for their second round right now (and i just broke them in pieces. totally missed your brilliant idea of cutting with a pizza cutter, so mine are ugly) but i sneaked a taste and they’re amazing!! i seasoned with garlic and cajun seasoning, plus a touch of italian seasoning. also added about a tablespoon of nutritional yeast. LOVE them and one batch was definitely not enough. will have to make more soon!
made those today and they turned out to be delicious ! i wish they contained less fat ..i can eat it in really small amounts otherwise i get a little bit sick .. but they are really good (again, in small amounts for me) :)
I’ve made three batches of this cracker since I came across the recipe a few weeks ago … They’re wonderful! Wondering if anyone has tried a sweet version? Maybe replacing a portion of the water with honey or maple syrup, and adding some dark cocoa and/or cocoa nibs?
I just made these….Needed to (add) use 1/4 c hemp to make the 1/2c of sesame seeds. I needed to bake them an additional 20 min to crisp-up. I would ensure next time that the “dough” is super flattened prior to baking. These came out deliciously great-no trouble at all to make. Just curious as to what your other top 2 for 2012 recipes are if this is in the top 3? Thanks!
Good question, I will have to think about that! perhaps a year end review?
Thanks for the recipe, Angela. I really enjoyed those endurance crackers! Looking forward to what you come up with in 2013.
I didn’t even know raw vegan cracker recipes existed before this post (I am totally uninformed when it comes to the whole raw business in general)
And I’ve been meaning to get on board with the whole chia seed movement but I haven’t bought any yet or tried to cook with them [I did finally buy beets and turnips for the first time recently and they are so awesome for vegan novice chef like me haha]
Anyway these cracker look spectacular!!!!!!!
I’ll try making them soon. They’re even low-carb so I won’t have to pull all my usual wacked-out flour substitutions and stuff woot woot
If I wanted to dehydrate them instead, do you have any idea how long at what temp? Thanks!
Nooooooooooooooooo .
I left them in too long, despite your warning, and burnt them.
They were super easy, so I will try again. Thank you.
Angela,
I wrote last year about using a dehydrator for making endurance crackers, and I still find that it works well. I have basically settled on “sweet” recipes (using raisins, agave syrup, etc). or “salty” recipes (using a bit of soy sauce). The garlic and onion recipes were appreciated by me and no one else in the family, and the lingering onion odors in the house when drying were not popular either.
I’ve noticed, frustratingly, that chia seeds have increased about 50% in price in the past year due to their wider use in the food industry.
One question I have is whether the crackers can be made with milled chia seeds – done by putting them into a coffee grinder and processing them about 10-15 seconds. Apparently, some of the food companies that are now utilizing chia have found that the absorption of the Omega 3 fatty acids and presumably other components is considerably increased with milled chia rather than whole chia. Unlike milled flax seeds, milled chia is relatively heat stable and not prone to going rancid. I haven’t yet made a milled chia batch and was wondering if you had tried it?
These. Are. AMAZING. Wow easily the best crackers I’ve ever eaten in my life! I just seasoned them with about 1/2 tsp of coarse sea salt and they are perfect! My only regret is not having doubled the recipe because they aren’ gonna last!
Hey Angela, how do you freeze your endurance crackers? In a ziplock baggie?
Thanks for the recipe. I made these yesterday and was so proud of myself. They are delicious!!!!. I have so many allergies, so it’s hard to find something healthy, low carb, and something I can eat. Thanks a ton!!
These are amazing!!!! How do u store them so they stay crispy?