White bean protein crackers are crispy, flavourful and perfect for dipping! Your picky eaters will NEVER guess they’re made using beans and chickpea flour. So feel good about snack time with this healthy, nutritious, high protein snack recipe.
You and your family will LOVE these protein crackers!
Here’s why
- They’re made using nutritious ingredients like white beans, chickpea flour and oat flour.
- Absolutely NO artificial flavours, colours, or preservatives. Just the good stuff!
- They’re allergen friendly and nut free, making them school safe snacks.
- No “weird” ingredients. 😉
- They’re perfect for dipping. (I like them with hummus.)
- Fun to make with your little ones to get them excited about eating healthy.
- They’re vegan, gluten free and if you skip the optional topping, they’re easily made oil free too.
- These white bean and chickpea flour crackers can easily made soy free if needed, with a simple swap. (Just choose a different milk option.)
These crunchy protein crackers were given a huge thumbs up by my very picky toddler, and that is REALLY saying something.
Seriously, give these a try, you will not be disappointed. Like get to the kitchen, now. 😉
How to make protein crackers
First combine all your dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
EXPERT TIP: If you don’t have oat flour or chickpea flour on hand, you can make them by grinding oats and/or chickpeas in a high speed blender. (I use my Vitamix)
Then add the beans and plant milk to your blender and purée. Add your bean mixture into your flour mixture until you have a ball of dough resembling pizza dough.
This will take a couple of minutes of mixing.
Now, cut your dough in half. Then, working on your counter or baking tray, lay out a sheet of parchment paper and place half of the ball of dough on top.
Lay another sheet of parchment paper on top of the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin until very thin and as evenly as possible.
The thinner the dough, the crunchier the cracker you will be.
When you’re happy with the thinness of your dough, remove the top piece of parchment paper.
Lastly, gently even out any rough edges by pushing gently with a silicone spatula in order to get square protein crackers.
Using a cookie or pizza cutter, cut your protein cracker dough into a grid pattern. Then gently push each row and column over so there is a tiny bit of space in between. This will help with extra crispiness.
Finally, prick your dough all over using a fork and drizzle with olive oil, extra salt and rosemary, if using. Repeat with second half of dough.
Bake your protein crackers for about 35 minutes, until golden and crispy. Then remove from the oven, let cool to room temperature and enjoy!
These crackers pair extremely well with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus or my Dill Pickle Hummus. But they also taste great on their own.
How long do they keep?
Store your homemade protein crackers (once cooled completely) in a sealed container at room temperature for up 5 days.
Expert Tips
- If you don’t have oat flour or chickpea flour on hand, you can make them by grinding oats and/or chickpeas in a high speed blender. (I use my Vitamix)
- Make sure to use parchment paper below and above the dough when stretching, to prevent it from sticking to your rolling pin.
- Don’t forget to separate your rows of protein crackers AND prick the dough with a fork, before baking! These are a must for crispy protein crackers.
More healthy snack recipes
If you tried this recipe, please let me know about it in the comments below. I always love hearing from you! Don’t forget to Subscribe to This Healthy Kitchen to be among the first to get my new recipes! You can also FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter to see more delicious food and get all the latest updates.
Much love
Rosa
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup oat flour gluten free if preferred
- ¼ cup chickpea/garbanzo flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Wet Ingredients
- 19 ounce can white kidney beans drained & rinsed (approx 2 cups)
- ½ cup soy milk or plant milk of choice
Optional Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon crushed dried rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and set aside.
- Add the beans and milk to your blender and purée until creamy. Then pour your bean mixture into the bowl and mix until you have what resembles a ball of pizza dough.
- Cut the dough roughly in half and place half on each prepared tray, or work on your counter if easier. (Either way, make sure the dough is on parchment paper, and not directly on your tray or counter.)
- Place another sheet of parchment paper over the dough and using a rolling pin, flatten and stretch the dough as evenly and thinly as possible without breaking. Then using a silicone spatula, straighten out any rough or rounded edges to make the dough square or rectangular in shape. (This will help with even, uniform crackers, but is not entirely necessary.)
- Cut the dough into a grid pattern with a cookie or pizza cutter. Slightly separate each row and column by pushing the edges over with your cutter. This will help crisp up the edges. Then using a fork, prick the dough all over.
- Optional: With a silicone brush, brush the olive oil over top all your crackers, and then sprinkle with the rosemary and extra sea salt if desired.
- Bake for 35 minutes, until the edges of your crackers are lightly golden. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature and serve with hummus or alone.
Leona Will
Hi Rosa. Can I substitute butter beans for the white beans? Thanks.
Rosa
Hi Leona, that should work just fine. Enjoy 🙂
Richard Jones
Hi Rosa,
I came across your site after searching out “protein cracker”. I’m a (vegan-ish) guy looking for high protein snacks to boost my protein intake (without a bunch of protein shakes) for my new workout program. I think these crackers might be the ticket (especially since I love to eat Great Northern Beans).
My questions are…
– Have you ever considered incorporating vital wheat gluten into the mix since it has a lot of protein compared to other vegan ingredients? If so, how would you suggest I implement that? Maybe use vital wheat gluten instead of the chickpea/garbanzo flour?
– How important is it to punch the little holes in the crackers? I assume that is for stress relief. So, do they crack more easily if I don’t do that?
Thanks for what appears to be a GREAT recipe.
I will try it soon.
Richard in Colorado
Rosa
Hi Richard,
I haven’t tried these with vital wheat gluten so I’m not sure.
As for poking holes, don’t skip this step. Without them, the crackers will fluff up more and won’t be as crispy as a result. Hope you enjoy the recipe.
Sandee
Hi Rosa!
Excited to make these protein crackers.
I don’t have cornstarch. Would tapioca flour/starch be an acceptable substitute?
Can I use all oat flour or almond flour if I don’t have chickpea flour?
Rosa
Hi Sandee, tapioca starch should be a fine substitute. However, I haven’t tried these without the chickpea flour, so I can’t say for sure. If you give it a try, please report back.
Robin
Sodium very high for those of us needing to watch our amounts. Any tips on lowering it without taste compromised? Sodium should be same as calories or under it for folks who must watch our levels. Thanks