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These crunchy, cheesy vegan Pumpkin Seed Crackers are a delicious standalone snack or the perfect base for dips. Made with wholesome ingredients like raw pumpkin seeds, spelt flour, and nutritional yeast, these homemade healthy crackers will forever alter your snacking experience!
Why get store-bought crackers when you can bake the best vegan crackers at home?! This flavor-packed vegan cheese cracker recipe is simple to make, with a few ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions. The satisfying flavor and texture of these bite-sized treats make them the ideal snack, whether enjoyed plain or paired with your favorite dips and spreads.
Each bite of these savory plant-based crackers is infused with aromatic garlic powder, nutter tenderness, a pop of cheese flavor, and a hint of tea salt. The texture is crunchy from the raw pumpkin seeds with a slightly crumbly and tender interior from the spelt flour.
For more crunchy snack recipes, try my spiced crispy chickpeas, perfect stovetop popcorn, or sweet potato granola.
Ingredients
Raw Pumpkin Seeds: These nutrient-packed seeds add a satisfying crunch to the seed crackers. Look for raw, unsalted pumpkin seeds in the bulk section of the grocery store or health food store.
Spelt Flour: Gives the crackers a delightful nutty flavor and tender texture. Alternatively, you can swap in whole wheat, all-purpose, or gluten-free flour.
Nutritional Yeast: This secret ingredient gives the vegan crackers a cheesy flavor without using dairy! Look for nutritional yeast, also called “nooch,” in the health food section of your grocery store or purchase it online.
Garlic Powder: Enhances the flavor profile of the crackers by adding a nutty depth of flavor. Always use spices with a good expiration date for the best flavor.
Sea Salt: Balances the flavors of the crackers with a touch of salinity. For the best taste, use high-quality sea salt. Alternatively, you can use Kosher salt, Himalayan pink salt, or regular table salt, adjusting to taste as needed.
Baking Powder: Helps the crackers slightly rise for a light, airy, tasty texture. Ensure that your baking powder is within its expiration for the best results.
Avocado Oil: Provides the seeded crackers with a subtle rich flavor. Look for cold-pressed avocado oil for the most nutritional benefit and best flavor. Alternatively, use olive oil or melted coconut oil for a flavor variation.
Cold Water: Helps bind the vegan cracker dough together while still allowing the crackers to bake up with a great crunch. Cold water is better than room temperature!
Maldon Sea Salt: This flaky sea salt adds a finishing touch to the top of the crackers, providing a burst of flavor and extra crunch. Find it in specialty food stores, gourmet shops, or online. Alternatively, you can use another flaky sea salt for a similar effect.
How to Make [Insert Name of Recipe]
- Prepare Pumpkin Seed Flour. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a food processor, blend the pumpkin seeds until they are a fine flour.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Add the spelt flour, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, sea salt, and baking powder to the food processor bowl with the pumpkin seed flour and pulse a few times to blend.
- Add Wet Ingredients. Pour the avocado oil into the food processor and pulse to blend until the mixture resembles fine wet sand. Then add the cold water and pulse a few times, until the dough begins to clump together.
- Form Dough Ball. Remove the dough from the food processor and form it into a tight ball with your hands.
- Roll Out Dough. Place the dough ball on a sheet of parchment paper, then top with another sheet. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough flat, about ⅛ inch thin.
- Cut Dough. Peel the top layer of parchment paper off of the dough. Sprinkle the Maldon salt over the dough, and gently use your fingers to press the salt into the top of the dough. Use a pizza wheel to cut the dough into small square crackers, about 1 inch in size.
- Transfer the Crackers. Use a bench scraper or metal spatula to gently remove the crackers from the parchment paper and place them onto the prepared baking sheet. Allow at least ¼ inch between each cracker.
- Poke Holes & Bake. Use a fork to indent holes into the tops of each cracker gently. Bake the crackers for 15 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned.
- Cool Crackers. Allow the crackers to cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes before enjoying. They will continue to crisp as they cool.
Recipe Pro-Tips
- Optional: Chill the dough. If you have the time, allow the cracker dough to chill, covered, in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This will firm up the texture making it easier to roll out and cut.
- Cut crackers in your desired size. I recommend cutting the cracker dough into about 1-inch squares, but you can cut them a little larger or smaller if you’d like; it does not have to be exact!
- Prick the dough. Don’t forget to use a fork to prick the surface of the cracker dough before baking. This helps prevent air bubbles from forming and ensures even baking.
- Monitor bake time. Keep a close eye on the crackers while they bake, as they can overbrown quickly. Bake until the edges are golden brown and the crackers smell nutty.
- Allow crackers to cool before eating. Proper cooling is essential to a crisp cracker texture. For the best results, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before enjoying.
- Double the batch! Easily double or triple the ingredients in this seed crackers recipe to make a larger batch so you have plenty on hand for snacking and sharing!
Recipe Variations
Below are optional variations to suit your preferences for this recipe.
- Cheesiness: Instead of nutritional yeast, you can substitute for equal amounts of vegan cheese powder, grated vegan cheese, or omit this ingredient entirely to eliminate the cheesy flavor.
- Gluten-Free: Make this seeded cracker recipe gluten-free by swapping the spelt flour for buckwheat flour or a gluten-free flour blend.
- Seasonings: Customize the seasonings to suit your taste. Add herbs like rosemary or thyme or spices like paprika or cumin for added flavor.
- Shapes: Explore making the crackers different shapes! Use fun cookie cutter shapes or cut the dough into rectangles or circles to switch it up.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy these homemade pumpkin seed crackers as a standalone snack or use them as dippers for your favorite spreads and condiments like some of our favorite recipes below.
Storage Directions
- Storage: Store leftover pumpkin crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- Freezing: The crackers can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can substitute the pumpkin seeds in this vegan cracker recipe. Make a sunflower seed cracker variation or swap a mixture of sunflower seeds and hemp seeds for an extra nutritional boost. You can also use chopped nuts like almonds or cashews for an alternative flavor. If you use nuts, be careful not to overblend them in the food processor or they can start to turn into a nut butter consistency.
Cold water is essential for the best cracker texture, as it helps the fats in the dough stay solid, ensuring a crispy texture when baked. Warm dough can result in tough and chewy crackers.
More Vegan Snack Recipes
- Spiced Crispy Chickpeas
- Corn and Peach Crostini
- Banana Mocha Smoothie
- Avocado Pineapple Popsicles
- Banana Nice Bread
Recipe Card
“Cheesy” Pumpkin Seed Crackers (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 2/3 cup spelt flour
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 3 tbsp avocado oil
- 3 tbsp cold water
- 1 tsp Maldon sea salt, for topping the crackers crackers
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, blend the pumpkin seeds until they are a fine flour.
- Add the spelt flour, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, sea salt, and baking powder to the food processor bowl with the pumpkin seed flour and pulse a few times to blend.
- Pour the avocado oil into the food processor and pulse to blend until the mixture resembles fine wet sand.
- Next, add the cold water and pulse a few times, or until the dough begins to clump.
- Remove the dough from the food processor and form it into a firm ball.
- Place the dough ball on a sheet of parchment paper, and top with another sheet of parchment. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough into about ⅛ inch thin sheet. Peel the top layer of the parchment paper off of the dough.
- Sprinkle the Maldon sea salt over the dough, and gently press the salt into the top.
- Use a pizza wheel to cut the dough into about 1-inch small squares. You can cut them a little larger or smaller if you’d like, this does not have to be exact.
- Use a bench scraper to gently remove the crackers from the parchment paper and place them onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Allow at least ¼ inch between each cracker. Gently prick each cracker with a fork.
- Bake the crackers for 15 minutes, until fragrant and lightly browned.
- Allow the crackers to cool on the baking sheet for at least 15 minutes before enjoying or moving to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. They will continue to crisp up as they cool.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftover pumpkin crackers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
- Freezing: The crackers can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for 1-2 hours.
- Optional: Chill the dough. If you have the time, allow the cracker dough to chill, covered, in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This will firm up the texture making it easier to roll out and cut.
- Cut crackers in your desired size. I recommend cutting the cracker dough into about 1-inch squares, but you can cut them a little larger or smaller if you’d like; it does not have to be exact!
- Prick the dough. Don’t forget to use a fork to prick the surface of the cracker dough before baking. This helps prevent air bubbles from forming and ensures even baking.
- Monitor bake time. Keep a close eye on the crackers while they bake, as they can overbrown quickly. Bake until the edges are golden brown and the crackers feel firm to the touch.
- Allow crackers to cool before eating. Proper cooling is essential to a crisp cracker texture. For the best results, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before enjoying.
- Double the batch! Easily double or triple the ingredients in this seed crackers recipe to make a larger batch so you have plenty on hand for snacking and sharing!
Can I just say, these were BOMB! Making on REPEAT! So awesome to find wholesome recipes like yours for my little one. I had to tape my mouth shut to keep from eating them myself! haha!
Loved these crackers! So tasty and crispy. I’m making my second batch today.
Making these for the 3rd time! Thanks for the recipe! Completely fulfills this (secret) cheez-it craving!
This is a wonderful cracker recipe. I have been looking for a recipe for crackers that didn’t have oil in it for years.