These gloriously green gluten-free, paleo and vegan pesto kale seed crackers are a cross between kale chips and seed crackers.
We go through crackers pretty quickly at my house. Whether paired with a chunk of cheese, a swipe of dip, a spread of nut butter or just eaten plain, crackers are a pantry staple.
And since so many store-bought gluten-free varieties are little more than nutritionally void starches and sugars I like to bake up my own homemade crackers when I can. Plus there’s something innately rewarding about making your own anyways. Lately it’s been these pesto kale seed crackers.
What are kale crackers?
These kale seed crackers are like a cross between a kale chip and a seed cracker. They’re light and crisp with a beautiful green color and rustic appearance. Just the thing for nibbling on when you get a chip craving or need a little something to tide you over until dinner. And because these flourless crackers are made with a mixture of kale and seeds instead of flour they’re more nutrient dense than most crackers.
They also happen to be one the easiest crackers you can make at home. Here’s how you do it:
First preheat your oven to 200 F. A low slow bake is the key to these pesto kale seed crackers. The low temperature and longer baking time ensures that the kale and seeds get crisp and crunchy without burning or turning brown.
Next chop your kale up in the food processor. Add your pumpkin, sunflower and chia seeds and pulse again until coarsely chopped. Then stir in some water and a bit of either homemade or store-bought pesto (I use a dairy-free pesto to keep the crackers both paleo and vegan) to make a dough.
Lastly, roll out your dough very thinly between two pieces of parchment and pop it in the oven to dehydrate.
Honestly the hardest part is waiting for the crackers to be done. Once cooled break your crackers into whatever sized pieces you’d like and nibble to your hearts content!
More homemade cracker recipes to check out:
Serves 8
Sylvie Shirazi
15 minPrep Time
1 hr, 45 Cook Time
2 hrTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2 oz/ 56g kale, stems removed
- ½ cup/60g pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup/ 60g sunflower seeds
- 2 Tablespoons/24g chia seeds
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml filtered water
- 2 Tablespoons/30ml homemade or store-bought pesto (use dairy-free for paleo and vegan)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 F.
- Place kale in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and chia seeds to bowl and pulse again until finely chopped.
- Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in salt and filtered water. Let stand for 10 minutes until mixture is sticky and starts to hold together. Stir in pesto.
- Place seed mixture between two large pieces of parchment and roll out with a rolling pin until very thin.
- Place parchment on baking sheet and remove top sheet. Place baking sheet in oven and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes and dry to the touch. Turn off heat and let crackers cool completely in oven before removing.
- Once cooled, break into pieces and serve. Store crackers at room temperature in an airtight container.
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Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she’s been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
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