Homemade Seed Crackers

Crisp, crunchy, and jam-packed with nutrition and rich flavor, these homemade seed crackers are the perfect snack! They require just 5 minutes of active time and are great with dips, on salads, or in soup.

Homemade seed crackers are a reader request that I've been testing over and over for several months. I finally reached the best version of seed crackers, and they are crisp, jam-packed with nutrition from a variety of seeds, and just the perfect addition to snacks or charcuterie boards.

Just like my everything bagel crackers, these are an easy way to elevate simple snacks and dips. I imagine serving these with hummus, cashew cream cheese, or on a cheese board with brie en croute.

Recipe features

• Easy to make: Requires just 5 minutes of hands-on time. All you do is mix the ingredients together, let them rest for 10 minutes, then bake!
• Customizable: A few of the ingredients are required, but most can be customized using your favorite seeds and seasonings.
• Nutritious: Seed crackers are made using mostly seeds, which provide a variety of vitamins and minerals in addition to beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and fiber.
• Versatile: Serve with dips, on cheese boards, as croutons on salads, or as a crisp topping on soups.

Ingredients

• Ground flax seed: If you've ever made a flax egg, you know that ground flax seed acts as a binder in recipes. It is the primary binder in this recipe, so it shouldn't be omitted. However, I have used chia seed in place of ground flax seed in this recipe and it yields a similar result.
• Whole flax seed: This is one of the options for the seed blend. I have a spice grinder that I use to grind whole flax seed into ground flax so that I don't have two separate bags. You can also do this in a small food processor or blender.
• Hemp seeds: Also sometimes labeled as hemp hearts. These are a good source of protein.
• Pumpkin seeds: I prefer roasted, salted pumpkin seeds because they have a richer flavor than raw pumpkin seeds. That being said, either works in seed crackers.
• Black sesame seeds: These have a rich, nutty flavor. I bought mine at an Asian grocery store, where they are very affordable. Regular sesame seeds can be used if black sesame seeds aren't available.
• Nutritional yeast: This adds cheesiness and depth to the crackers. It can omitted if you don't have it on hand, but I do think it's worth using.
• Italian seasoning is an easy way to add herby flavor to the crackers. If you don't have Italian seasoning, dry rosemary is another delicious option.

Step-by-step instructions

Start by adding all of the seeds, flour, nutritional yeast, and seasonings to a heat-safe medium mixing bowl. I use my glass Pyrex mixing bowls, which are heat safe.

Add 1 cup of boiling water to the seed mixture. Again, please make sure you are using a heat-proof bowl!

Boiling options: I boil water in my electric kettle because measuring it in my heat-proof liquid measuring cup. You can also boil it on the stove, but I recommend measuring it out after in case the liquid evaporates while boiling on the stove.

Stir the seeds and water together. Let rest for 10 minutes. This allows the seeds to gel and bind with the flour. It also thickens the mixture.

Prepare a half-sheet pan with parchment paper. Use a spatula to spread out the seed cracker mixture. It should be as uniform and flat as possible to encourage even cooking.

Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes. They are ready when golden, crisp on the outside, and firm in the center. You should be able to easily transfer the entire sheet to a cooling rack. If not, they need to bake longer.

Let cool for at least 10 minutes before breaking into rough cracker-sized pieces.

Tips for success

• Rotate your pan: I recommend rotating the baking sheet halfway through cooking. This is because a lot of ovens have heat spots, which causes certain parts of the dish to cook more quickly than others.
• Let the crackers cool for at least 10 minutes before breaking them up. They will firm up while cooling, making for crisper crackers.

Variations

• How to substitute seeds: These seed crackers use a total of 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (18 tablespoons) seeds. All of the seeds can be increased in amount, decreased in amount, or substituted as long as you end up with 1 cup + 2 tablespoons of seeds. I did not use sunflower seeds because I don't love their flavor in the crackers, but they are a good option if you like them.
• Cheesy seed crackers: I have not tested this recipe with shredded Parmesan or any other cheese. I do think it would work well if you omit the nutritional yeast and use just ¼ cup of shredded Parmesan etc.
• Gluten-free option: I have not tested this recipe with a gluten-free flour. I do think a gluten-free all-purpose flour like the kind by Bob's Red Mill would work in place of regular flour. Almond flour might lead to crumbly crackers.
• Egg in place of ground flax: This is one of the rare circumstances where you can't use an egg in place of a flax egg. This is because the ground flaxseed is used for binding and not leavening.
• Everything bagel seasoning: Truly one of the best all-purpose seasonings, everything but the bagel seasoning is a great addition to seed crackers. Use 1-2 tablespoons of the seasoning, depending on how strong you want the flavor to be. If using a salt-containing seasoning, I recommend omitting salt in the crackers.
• Shapes: I actually have not tried cutting the dough into shapes. It is relatively wet when it goes into the oven, so cutting it into shapes would likely be difficult.

Storage tips

• Storage: Let seed crackers cool completely before transferring to a storage container. The crackers will soften up as they sit, especially if in a humid environment.
• These keep for 2-3 days at room temperature. They are best enjoyed the day of making because they do lose some of their crispness.
• Freezing: I only recommend freezing these if you plan to use them as croutons. If using as croutons, first crumble up into bite-size pieces. Then freeze in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. Warm them in a skillet over medium heat to re-crisp.

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