Deliciously crisp low carb, grain-free crackers made with sunflower and chia seeds. This nut-free snack will delight adults and kids alike. This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill.
Can you believe the summer is almost over? As I write this, I am sitting here at a cottage in Canada and it already feels like fall. It’s been unseasonably chilly and very rainy – not the best cottaging weather. Muskoka cottages aren’t really made for this kind of weather. Five kids and six adults cooped up inside when all the best activities are meant for out of doors. The cousins are all getting along better than expected, but everyone is starting to get a little stir crazy. One could almost wish for the start of school to send them on their way. Whoa, did I just say that? Did I just actually wish away the rest of the summer???
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Well, okay, since we are on the subject of back to school, let’s talk about it. Why not, right? After all, it’s just around the corner and many school systems are back in session already. So whether or not you are eking out the last of the summer warmth or suffering through a rainy vacation as I am, back to school is likely on your mind. It’s amazing how quickly the summer goes.
School lunches are tough for me. I don’t expect my kids to be completely low carb or gluten-free as I am, but I do try to be mindful of keeping carbs, gluten and sugar to the minimum. Our schools are also completely nut-free and coming up with healthy snacks to add to their lunch boxes can test the limits of my creativity. I can’t reach for my go-to almond flour without risking the wrath of the school board.
A quick peek in the freezer the other day brought to light a bag of Bob’s Red Mill sunflower seeds and some Bob’s chia seed. I thought that with some grinding, I might turn them into a serviceable replacement for the almond flour. Well, let me cut to the chase and tell you that they made a far-more-than-serviceable replacement, at least as far as these crackers are concerned. I might even go so far as to say that they are the best low carb crackers I’ve ever made. They crisped up better than almond flour crackers typically do and had such a great toasted, salty flavour with hints of parmesan and rosemary. My kids actually didn’t get to eat many of them, as my husband and I liked them so much we kept nibbling every time we passed through the kitchen. A healthy snack both adults and kids love? Winning!
Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. As always, all thoughts, opinions, recipes, photography, random tangents and incoherent rambling is my own.
- 1 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill chia seeds
- 3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
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Preheat oven to 300F.
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In a high-powered blender or food processor, grind the sunflower seeds and chia seeds until finely ground (I actually grind mine in batches in my coffee grinder, it works quite well). Then measure out 1 1/2 cups of the ground sunflower seeds and 1/2 cup of the ground chia seeds into a large bowl.
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Stir in Parmesan, fresh rosemary, garlic powder and baking powder.
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Stir in egg and butter until dough comes together.
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Turn dough out onto a large piece of parchment paper and pat into a rough triangle. Top with another large piece of parchment paper. Roll out to about a 1/8-inch thickness, as evenly as you can. Remove top parchment
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Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to score into 2 inch squares. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Transfer whole bottom parchment paper to a large baking sheet.
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Bake 40 to 45 minutes, or until edges are golden brown and the crackers are firm to the touch. Remove and let cool completely before breaking apart. They will continue to crisp up as they cool (but I don't blame you for breaking off the uneven edges and nibbling on those!)
Serves 10. Each serving has 8.98 g of carbs and 6.61 g of fiber. Total NET CARBS = 2.37 g.
Food energy: 223kcal
Saturated fatty acids: 4.21g
Total fat: 18.39g
Calories from fat: 165
Cholesterol: 10mg
Carbohydrate: 8.98g
Total dietary fiber: 6.61g
Protein: 8.71g
Sodium: 255mg
Kaitlin Vincent says
These look and sound divine! Perfect for packed lunches. Yum!
Diamond M Carmichael says
I’m allergic to all nuts and seeds including sunflower seeds but not chia seeds is there a replacement for the sunflower seeds?
Christen says
Maybe Hemp? Pretty flavor neutral if you can have it.
Cindy Maddux says
Wow, this sounds like a keeper for sure. I’m looking forward to trying these. I’ve never tried baking crackers before but this looks so simple and easy. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Oh, and you made me a bit jealous talking about your early fall weather. Down here in the deep south (I’m in Mississippi on the Gulf Coast) you can practically drown when you take a breath because of the high humidity levels and the heat is stifling. I can’t wait for summer to be gone!
Thanks again for everything you do. You’re amazing!
Carolyn says
I am sure you can barely wait for fall!
Cindy Maddux says
Forgot to ask, are the sunflower seed the roasted and salted ones or the dry roasted unsalted kind? Or does it even matter? I just bought a big bag (not Bob’s Red Mill) and ordinarily it would take me quite a while to go through a bag of this size because I usually just use it for my salad or grab a handful for a snack. Thanks.
Carolyn says
I use raw sunflower seeds.
mellissa @ ibreatheimhungry says
These look fantastic! Never thought of grinding the sunflower seeds up – great idea, can’t wait to try it!!!
Carolyn says
Thanks, Mellissa!
Joyce says
These look amazing. A long time ago I made rosemary crackers from a Martha Stewart recipe. These sound even better (and easier!)
Christine at Cook the Story says
I love your addition of rosemary!
Conni says
When you are using so many unusual ingredients like Chia seeds for instance, what do you store in the freezer and what do you store on the shelf?
Thanks
Conni
Carolyn says
I keep almost all of it in the freezer, except for things I know I use really often and will use up the bag quickly.
Janet Bain says
Chia seeds can be kept at room temperature for a long period. No fats to go rancid.
Amanda says
Love!!!
Gabrielle says
I just made these this afternoon and they were quite easy and delicious! I hope I can stretch them out to make the ten servings!!!! I put mine on a silicone baking sheet, covered with parchment and then rolled them out and cut them before baking. That way I didn’t have to move them off of the sheet, just put the silicone sheet in the oven. I think you could do that with your parchment as well. I once made crackers similar to this and it had a bit of tomato paste which was wonderful.
Carolyn says
I don’t move mine off the parchment. Maybe I didn’t convey that well enough in the recipe, I will take a look and amend.
Joyce says
OMG! These are delish! I just made them, but I only had a flax and chia seed mix and the sunflower seeds. Didn’t matter they taste awesome!!
maria says
rather than sunflower seeds, do you think ground up pumpkin seeds would work?
These crackers sound lovely—and I love your recipes and your writing. As I have written before, it was your almond tea cake recipe that made it possible for me to stay with low carb—opened up the world of low carb goodies and fun and joy! and greatly improved health and well-being. THANK YOU once again (and the biscotti recipes, too!)
Maria
Carolyn says
I think any ground seed would probably work just fine. Thanks for the lovely words!
Susan says
Carolyn,
A profound thank you for another fantastic recipe. I’ve never made crackers before & miss them terribly (also GF & very very low carb). I made these today, as well as your cheddar biscuits for biscuits & gravy for supper, and your crock pot chocolate cake. It’s been a busy cooking day.
The crackers are delicious, especially with herbed goat cheese. I was out of rosemary and used herbs de provence instead. The whole house smelled heavenly while they were baking, then to be swapped out with the sweet smell of chocolate cake.
Thank you for never failing to share your amazing gift of making those of us who are on a limited diet feel like we can still eat good tasting and healthy food.
Beth says
I feel exactly like this. 🙂
Kristen says
What an inventive recipe! I love the flavors! (And love the comment ^^^) You rock!
fabiola@notjustbaked says
I love how healthy and easy these are to make!
Shawn @ I Wash You Dry says
These are gorgeous crackers!! I love the addition of the chia seeds with sunflower seeds. Sounds incredible!
Marnely Rodriguez-Murray says
I am so obsessed with cheeseboards and these crackers look like the perfect pairing to my cheese addiction!
Nicole says
Wow! These crackers look fabulous!
Liz says
Oh, my gosh, these look amazing! I can never find a store bought cracker that appeals to me…going to have to make a batch of these beauties!!!
JulieD says
Looks soo good, Carolyn! Now I’m craving these crackers!!
f1ossy says
Thanks!! looks great
Heidi says
What would a good substitute for Chia be?
(Chia reacts very badly on me…nausea and vomiting or stomach pains.)
Carolyn says
You could do flax seed meal or you could just do another 1/2 cup of ground sunflower seed
Heidi says
Thank you, I will try the flax.
🙂
Susan says
Hmmm. I might try rolling them out on the parchment already in the baking sheet, saving any awkward transfer.
Denise says
What an eazy peazy recipe! I had to substitute with pumpkin seeds and some flax meal and they turned out fine. (I didn’t increase the ground chia seeds as they absorb liquid like crazy and I worried that the dough wouldn’t bind together. )
Thanks – Now I’ve got something to put the butter on!
Amanda @GlitterItGold says
Wow, these look amazing! and I happen to have everything to make them. I also just happened to spot Spring Pea pesto crostinis with Proscuitto and burrata on What’s Habby cooking and I am seeing a lovely marriage of these two recipes. Also, I just discovered your blog and I can’t get over the name. It can so relate. I love it and I can’t wait to browse through completely.
Erin says
I have made these three times now and they might be my favorite. My husband told me to hide them from him. Even taking that measure they don’t last very long. I used pumpkin seeds instead of sunflower, I think it gave it an earthier flavor. I just wanted to give you props. These are absolutely delicious.
Carolyn says
Thanks, Erin! They are one of my favourites!
Denise S. says
Excellent! I just made these and they are cooling, I can’t keep my hands off of them. It’s awesome to have real crackers to crunch on without all the gluten.
Carolyn says
These are some of my favourite crackers!
Denise S. says
Just a follow up but I made these in Dec 2015. I forgot and froze a bag and just found them in my freezer. I’m eating them now and they are as good as when I made them almost a year ago. They have a great flavor and still really crunchy. I’m making a new batch now.
Carolyn says
Oh wow, that’s so good to know!
Denise S. says
I just made another batch and froze most of them so they last longer. These taste really good with a red beet smoothie I make after my workout.
Nicole says
These turned out incredible! How do you recommend storing them?
Carolyn says
Depends on how long it will be before you eat them all. On the counter for 2 days is fine, after that the fridge.
Carolyn says
So I thought this was a comment on a different recipe…sorry. These are fine on the counter for up to 5 days or so.
Jackie Byars says
These are great! They are the first crackers 8’ve eaten in over a year, and I really like them.
Carolyn says
We love them too and since my sister is dairy free, I discovered at Christmas that they are just as good without the parmesan.
Rebecca says
were they as crunchy? i made a similar recipe yesterday with no cheese and they aren’t crunchy enough
Carolyn says
Carolyn,
Thank you for this exquisite cracker recipe!
I just discovered your wonderful blog through a search for grain-free crackers. I found out recently that I am insulin resistent, Prediabetic. To reverse this, I have completely changed my eating lifestyle–very low carb diet which means not having the foods that I used to find comforting and satisfying. So, for the past several months I have been pining for a crispy, delicious, “appropriate” cracker to incorporate into my new eating style– then I found YOUR recipe!
When I brought together the dough, it came out a little dry and crumbly–I was still able to roll it out with the parchment paper, but the dough came a part in places. Did I do something wrong? Otherwise, the taste is phenomenal! Thank you again.
Carolyn says
I am going to guess you didn’t grind your sunflowers enough. Hard to say for sure.
Carolyn says
Yes! That is it! I ground the sunflowers a bit finer and voila, the PERFECT cracker. Thank you, Carolyn
Peggy D.... says
I am dairy free. When you made them without parmesan, did you make other adjustments? I do a bit better with sheep or goat dairy but try to reserve that for special occasions like Christmas lasagna made with strips of roasted zucchini or deli turkey slices.
Jackie Byars says
These are GREAT! I am addicted and really missed them when I was away from home on vacation and couldn’t make them.
Janet says
I made a radish top pesto to go with these….and goat cheese and pickled radishes. Boy are they good!
Lydia Richards says
AWESOME – these are the best crackers “since sliced bread”!!! Everyone that tries them wants the recipe!
Well done, increcdible with all cheeses and it’s easy to substitute different seeds (sesame, etc.). Love you and your website!!!! Keep up the great effort and work – you make a difference!
Carolyn says
These are some of my favourites too. So glad I can make a difference!
Alexandra says
I used a mix of ground sunflower, pumpkin, flax and chi seeds and some while sesame seeds with the rest of the ingredients but substituted fennel for rosemary. Absolutely delicious! Such a useful (forgiving) recipe. Thanks so much. I’ve really been missing crunchy on keto.
Carolyn says
Glad you like them. You’re right, it is very forgiving!
Pat says
I want to try these crackers but would like to clarify the ingredients. Aa you are measuring out the sunflower seeds ( & chia seeds) AFTER grinding, how much do I need to be starting with for these ingedients? I want to make sure that I have enough on hand before I start. Also, are you using freshly grated Parmesan from a block of cheese or are you using “dry” grated Parmesan (I buy this from an Italian store but it has the texture of the kind of parm found in shakers.)
Thanks for your help.
Carolyn says
After grinding, yes. You need a bit more than it calls for but it can fluff them up a bit so you may find you have a bit of leftovers. I used freshly grated parm.
Pat says
Thank you. I’ll try making them this afternoon.
André says
Ótimas receitas obrigado por compartilhar
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
I want to snack all day!
Helen says
I made these today, I added extra egg whites to get the dough to foam. I loved them. I decided to freeze 1/2 the batch as I wasn’t sure how long the will stay fresh.
Jennifer Blake says
So amazing! Cannot wait to make these on our long weekend!
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says
Rosemary and Parmesan are the perfect combo – such a great snack!
Meseidy Rivera says
These would be perfect on a cheese board. Love the rosemary and parm.
Cookin Canuck says
I was just talking with a friend yesterday about some great grain free crackers she had tried at a restaurant. Now I need to make her a batch of these!
Fara says
Hi, when you say grated Parmesan do you mean the cheese in the bag or the finer grated version in the box? Thanks
Carolyn says
Actually, I really mean grating your own, which is what I do but if you want to get pre-grated, used the bagged kind.
Heather Kunch says
These are my absolute favorite!! I make at least once a week. Everyone in the house loves them (even the couple people who don’t eat Keto). I want to try your sesame crackers next. I love your website and have made many of your recipes from which I always get rave reviews! Thank you so much 😊
Carolyn says
Thanks so much, Heather!
Dagmar VonBernewitz says
I did the same thing – as the dough was really brittle with just one egg – I also used roasted sunflower seeds instead of raw – that was probably why the dough was drier.
Jamie says
These crackers are my absolute favorite. Everyone loves them. If I skipped the parm would they fall apart? would there be an adequate substitute? Parmesan is really expensive where we live.
Rebecca says
I found these to be rather delicate and crumbly (but tasty!). Maybe I need to add a little more butter or oil, or perhaps work the “dough” a bit before rolling it out.
Carolyn says
Could be the sunflower seeds needed a bit more grinding too. The more coarse they are, the more delicate and less cohesive the final product.
Suzy says
Absolutely love these crackers – thank you Carolyn. After three years of keto and following many groups and social pages, I can honestly say I enjoy yours the most. You are also so generous with your recipes and time. Cheers – thanks again!
Carolyn says
Thanks so much, Suzy!