I developed the recipe for these crackers because crackers were something I really missed when I adopted low carb eating many years ago. It’s easy enough to eat cheese without the crackers, or to use fresh veggies to dip into guacamole, but there’s something about a cracker that completes the snack.
Typical store-bought crackers, the Saltines and Triscuits that we grew up on, are made with wheat flour and have about 20-25g carbohydrates per ounce. For someone on a low-carb or very low carb meal plan, that can equal a third or as much as all of their carbohydrate target for the day. Some brands, like Wheat Thins, also add an astonishing amount of sugar, which might explain why to me they are as addictive as cookies!
Wheat flour is also a problem if you have a gluten sensitivity. There are now lots of new snack foods that are marketed as ‘gluten free’ but you have to read labels carefully to see if they are also low carb. Many are made from rice flour, which is gluten-free but has roughly the same amount of carbs as wheat flour.
Cauliflower is also very popular for all kinds of gluten-free baked goods, from crackers to bread to pizza crusts, but if you read the ingredients, cauliflower is almost always followed by some kind of starch. Gluten free but not low carb.
I use chickpea flour and almond flour in my crackers to lower the carb content to 6g per ounce. Chickpea flour makes a surprisingly good substitute for wheat flour in simple baked goods like waffles, pancakes, and piecrusts. It’s also a good alternative for thickening gravies or dredging pan-fried foods. There are a lot of cracker recipes made from 100% almond flour, and these can be made that way, but I think the addition of chickpea flour makes them crispier.
These crackers are also a great way to get some seeds into your diet. Seeds provide crunch and flavor as well as added nutrition. Different varieties are good sources of some hard-to-obtain nutrients. The recipe below has pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, and flax seeds, but you can vary them according to what you like and have on hand.
Pumpkin seeds – good source of zinc, to support hormone production and your immune system
Sunflower seeds – excellent source of Vitamin E, important for brain and heart health
Sesame seeds – one of the highest plant-based sources of copper, required for collagen formation
Flax seeds – an excellent plant-based source of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids
I also added hemp hearts because they are another good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Recipe Tips
When I started making these I was surprised by how easy it is to make a large quantity. The hardest part is rolling them out, because the dough is kind of stiff and sticky. A silicone baking sheet, which can be used for rolling and put right on a cookie sheet and into the oven, makes the job a lot easier.
Once baked, the crackers, as well as all of the raw ingredients, should be stored in the freezer if not eaten within a week. The oils in nuts and seeds can spoil very quickly, and freezing helps to keep them fresh.
I love having these crackers in my freezer for a quick snack with sardines - but more about that next time!
As with all my recipes - this one might be just the thing for you, particularly if you follow a low carb or gluten-free way of eating. Or, you might be wondering - who can be bothered to make their own crackers???
One of the foundational principles of my practice is that there is no one-size-eats all way of eating. Schedule a consultation for help figuring out the way of eating that's best for you, your health goals, and your life!
Crispy Seeded Crackers
Ingredients
1 cup almond flour
1 cup chickpea flour
1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 cup hemp hearts
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
Additional coarse salt or seasoned salt for topping
Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Mix flours, seeds, and spices together in a large bowl.
Blend egg with water and add to bowl.
Add the egg and water into the bowl with flour and seeds and mix until a homogenous dough is formed.
Let rest for at least 5 minutes to give the ground flaxseeds and water a chance to bind the dough together. It will be slightly sticky.
Divide the dough in half and transfer each half to a 12x18 silicon baking sheet or sheet of parchment paper.
Flatten the dough with your hand to about 1-inch thick. Cover with another piece of parchment paper, and roll with a rolling pin to approximately 1/8 inch thickness. Remove the parchment paper cover.
Sprinkle with coarse salt or a seasoned salt mix of your choice.
Using a long knife, press the blade into the dough to cut it into approximately 1"x 2" rectangles. The dough should be scored, but don't separate the crackers.
Carefully move the baking sheet or parchment paper with the raw crackers to a half-sheet pan or cookie sheet.
Repeat steps 7-9 with the 2nd half of the dough. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove one pan at a time from the oven and use the knife to separate the crackers along the score lines. Flip them over. Return to oven and repeat with the second pan.
Bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until the crackers are crisp and slightly browned.
Per 1 oz serving (approximately 4 crackers) - 6g carbohydrates, 6 g protein, 9g fat, 2.5g fiber
Variations
The crackers can be made with 100% almond flour, rather than a mix of almond and chickpea. They will be slightly lower in carbs, higher in fat, and not quite as crisp
Vary the seeds according to your preferences. Just keep the total volume the same (approximately 2 cups).
Vary the seasonings according to your taste. Garlic power, onion powder, dried herbs would all be good additions.
If you'd like more of the salt on top to stick, you can separate the egg and mix a little bit of the egg white with water to brush on top of the raw crackers before sprinkling with salt. Use the rest of the egg in the recipe as directed.