Pecan & Pumpkin Seed Crackers
Description
Delicately crunchy, savory crackers made with pecans, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, and psyllium husk. Season them with herbs and infused oil, or keep the flavor neutral for pairing with your favorite dips and spreads. Yield: 4 servings of about 5 crackers (40g) each, totaling roughly 20 crackers (160g) Prep Time: 25 minutes | Bake Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes | Cool Time: 10 minutes ✎ Storage: at room temperature for 2 weeks (or longer). Note that the crackers must be fully dehydrated and fully cooled before being sealed in a container in order to last this long. ✎ Replace the Pecans: At the moment, I have not tried this recipe with another nut or seed in place of the pecans. However, I have no reason to believe that some options would produce similar results. The flavor, density, and type of crunch would vary, but I suspect they would be tasty and hold together similarly. Here is the weight per half cup and the macros (per serving) for some other options I think would work. If you try any, please let us know how they turn out.
- slivered almonds (65g): 245 calories | 12g protein | 20g fat | 2.5g net carbs
- hazelnuts, blanched (72g): 265 calories | 11g protein | 22g fat | 2.5g net carbs
- walnuts (50g): 235 calories | 11g protein | 20g fat | 2g net carbs
- sunflower seeds (70g): 250 calories | 12g protein | 20g fat | 4.5g net carbs
Ingredients
Wet ingredients:
Dry ingredients:
Instructions
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In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the water and flaxseed meal. Set aside to gel.
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Put the pecans, pumpkin seeds, and dried herbs in a small or mini food processor and pulse until a portion is breadcrumb-like texture, but some smaller chunks remain. See the photo below for clarification.
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Add the remaining dry ingredients to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.
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Whisk the oil into the flax/water mixture.
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Preheat the oven to 270°F (130°C).
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Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and mix until no dry patches remain. I use a small silicone spatula for this.
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Prepare 2 sheets of parchment. Place one sheet on the countertop and, with well-oiled hands, transfer the dough to the sheet. Press the dough out into a rectangle about ½ inch (13mm) thick. Then, top with the second sheet of parchment and roll to roughly ⅕ inch (5mm) thick. I use a rolling pin with spacers/thickness guides for this. See the one I use in the "Used to Make This Recipe" section below.
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Remove the top sheet of parchment and, using a large kitchen knife, cut the dough into 2-inch (5cm) square crackers, or crackers of desired size/shape. The dough is sticky, so you may wish to wipe off the blade between cuts to prevent sticking.
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Transfer the sheet of parchment to a baking sheet and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until fully dehydrated. Crackers will not rise or spread, so they do not need to be seperated from one another before baking.
To check if the crackers are fully dehydrated, choose one from the center and allow it to cool slightly before testing. The crackers may not take a full hour and a half to dehydrate, or they may take longer. Dehydration time will be affected by the crackers' thickness, the accuracy of the water measurement, and the accuracy of your oven temperature. I prefer to bake crackers that contain nuts and seeds at low temperature over a long time period to prevent the acrid burnt taste that can develop if over-toasted before fully dehydrated. You may be able to bake them more quickly at a higher temperature if that's not a concern for you. -
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow to cool on a wire cooling rack for about 10 minutes, or until comfortable to handle. Optionally, spray with oil and sprinkle with salt and additional seasonings. I like to add garlic powder and more dried herbs. The oil will absorb quickly, so have opened salt and seasonings at the ready. You can also add a "top coat" of spray oil.
If you want to measure and track your added spray oil and toppings, you can put the pan of crackers on a kitchen scale, tare the scale, and then add your oil/toppings and measure the weight of what's added. -
Once the cracker have cooled enough to handle, gently break them apart. Cool the crackers fully (30-45 minutes) before sealing in a container to store.
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Enjoy the crackers on their own as a snack or side, or topped with your favorite low-carb vegan cheese or spread.
Used to Make This Recipe
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Nutrition Facts
Servings 4
Serving Size about 5 Crackers (40g)
- Amount Per Serving
- Calories 250kcal
- % Daily Value *
- Total Fat 22g34%
- Total Carbohydrate 6.5g3%
- Dietary Fiber 4.5g18%
- Protein 10g20%
- Net Carbs 2g
* Total Carbs - (Fiber + Allulose + Sugar Alcohols) = Net Carbs
Notes
- Regarding storage, I have kept many of the keto crackers I make for weeks without them spoiling. If they've become stale, I just pop them back in the oven at a low temperature for 20-30 minutes to freshen them up. However, the crackers need to be completely dehydrated and cooled before sealing in a container to keep. Otherwise, you will have moldy crackers within a couple days and your expensive ingredients will have been wasted.
- Psyllium husk powder weighs about twice as much as whole seeds. Thus, 4.5g is about ½ Tbsp.
