Italian Seed Crackers

Italian-Style Seed Crackers 

These seed crackers have been part of my retreat kitchen for years. I originally started making them because I wanted something genuinely crunchy that could be prepared ahead and served with dips, fermented spreads and plant-based cheeses without relying on a conventional flour-based cracker.

They are incredibly simple once you understand the basic formula: seeds for structure and crunch, ground flax to bind everything together, vegetables for moisture and flavor, and plenty of herbs and seasoning. I usually make large trays at a time, because they keep very well and are one of those things that disappear surprisingly quickly once they hit the table.

At the Chef Training we normally make them in a dehydrator, which gives them that very dry, crisp texture. But you absolutely do not need a dehydrator to make them at home. I've included an oven method below too.

Ingredients

Wet mixture

• 2–3 large tomatoes
• 2 medium zucchinis, roughly chopped
• ¼ sweet onion, optional
• 1 garlic clove, optional
• ½ bell pepper, optional, for a little extra flavor

Seed mixture

• 1 cup flax seeds or chia seeds, finely ground
• 1 cup golden flax seeds
• 1 cup brown flax seeds
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1 cup white sesame seeds
• 1 cup black sesame seeds
• ½ cup pumpkin seeds, optional

Seasoning

• 1–2 tbsp dried oregano
• 1–2 tbsp dried basil
• Salt, to taste

Method

Grind 1 cup of the flax seeds, or chia seeds if using, in a dry blender until you have a fairly fine meal. Set aside.

Blend the tomatoes and zucchini with the onion, garlic and bell pepper, if using, until completely smooth.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the ground flax with all of the whole seeds and dried herbs. Pour in the tomato and zucchini mixture and mix very thoroughly. I prefer to do this with my hands because it makes it much easier to make sure the ground flax is evenly distributed and all of the seeds become hydrated.

Allow the mixture to sit for around 10–15 minutes. The flax will begin absorbing the liquid and the mixture should thicken considerably.

Spread the mixture evenly over silicone-lined trays. Aim for roughly 3–5 mm thickness. Keeping the thickness consistent is much more important than getting the surface perfectly smooth.

Score into crackers with a knife or spatula before drying. This makes them much easier to separate later.

Dehydrator method

Dehydrate at 50°C / 122°F for approximately 18–24 hours, or until completely dry and crisp.

Once the crackers are firm enough to handle, flip the whole sheet over, peel away the silicone liner and continue dehydrating directly on the mesh tray. This exposes the underside and speeds up the final drying considerably.

Break along the scored lines once completely dry.

No dehydrator? Make them in the oven

The flavor and texture will be slightly different, but they work very well baked.

Line baking trays with parchment paper or silicone mats and spread the mixture about 3–4 mm thick. Score it into crackers before baking.

Bake at approximately 130°C fan / 150°C conventional for around 40–50 minutes.

Once the sheet is firm enough to move, carefully flip it onto another sheet of parchment, remove the original paper or silicone mat and separate the crackers along the scored lines.

Return them to the oven for another 30–45 minutes, depending on their thickness. Lower the temperature slightly if the edges are browning before the centres are dry.

For an especially crisp cracker, turn the oven off once they are baked and leave them inside with the door slightly open for another 20–30 minutes. You're not just trying to cook them here, you're trying to drive out enough moisture that they stay crisp once cooled.

Let them cool completely before storing. They become noticeably crisper as they cool.

A few ways to change them

The recipe is very forgiving, so think of it more as a basic technique than a formula you can never touch.

For a greener, fresher version, add finely chopped parsley, dill, chives or coriander. You can also replace the zucchini with grated or blended carrot for a slightly sweeter cracker.

For something more Mediterranean, try oregano, rosemary, thyme, garlic and a little fennel seed. Smoked paprika, chili flakes or cumin take them in a completely different direction.

You can also change the seed combination depending on what you have. Pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, flax and chia all behave slightly differently, but the important part is retaining enough ground flax or chia to bind the mixture together.

If your vegetable mixture is particularly watery, add a little more ground flax. If the mixture becomes extremely stiff and difficult to spread, add a small amount of tomato, zucchini or water.

And don't forget the salt. These crackers are often eaten with something already strongly flavored, but an under-seasoned cracker still tastes under-seasoned.

Storage

Once completely cool and dry, keep the crackers in an airtight container at room temperature. If properly dried, they can stay crisp for several weeks.

If they soften because they've absorbed humidity, simply return them to a low oven or dehydrator for a short time to crisp them up again.

They're especially good with hummus, vegetable dips, fermented spreads, pâtés and cultured plant-based cheeses, or simply broken over salads for crunch.

Want to go deeper?

This is one of the kinds of techniques we work with in my Plant-Based Chef Training: not simply following recipes, but understanding texture, flavor, fermentation, dehydration, seasoning and how different preparations work together on the plate.

If you'd like a much larger collection of recipes together with the theory behind them, you can also get the Chef Training Workbook, which brings together many of the preparations and techniques I teach.

And if you'd rather learn them hands-on, you can find information about the upcoming Plant-Based Chef Training Retreats in Spain here too.

[Explore the Chef Training Workbook]
[See upcoming Chef Training Retreats]