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
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 cup oat flour, gluten free if preferred
- 1/4 cup chickpea/garbanzo flour
- 2 tbsp corn starch
Wet Ingredients
- 1 19 oz can white kidney beans drained & rinsed (approx 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup soy milk or plant milk of choice
Optional Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp 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.
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
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.
Great-looking recipe! Will be trying it over the next couple of days, and will report back. A few questions:
1. Have you dried using any other beans? (Just curious, as white kidney beans aren’t typically my favorite)
2. Have you tried varying the ratio of oat to chickpea flour? I was thinking of upping the latter for more protein content?
3. Have you tried adding baking powder or any other leavening? (Again, just curious, as I like a light texture in a cracker)
Thanks much!
Hi Zain, I haven’t tried another bean as I wanted to keep the crackers as lightly coloured as possible and no I didn’t try more chickpea flour. (I did try all oat)
I did try a half teaspoon of baking powder and it didn’t make a huge difference but feel free to add some if you prefer.
Hope you enjoy!
These are lovely! Nice and crunchy, very tasty and I love all the nutrients in these. My kids and I enjoyed, and asked when I’ll be making them again.
Thanks so much for the wonderful review Judy!
Hi. Making these tonight. What is the best way to store the crackers?
Once cooled, you may store them in a sealed container or jar at room temperature for up to 5 days. Enjoy!
Hi
Can we use any other flour other than oat?
Hi Penny, I haven’t tried making these with another flour but feel free to experiment. Please report back if you try another flour. 🙂
I have a 13-year old daughter with ARFID (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder) and her diet consists of all white foods. We have a hard time getting protein and fiber into her, and are very concerned with the amount of highly processed foods and sugars she consumes, so this cracker recipe gave me some hope. I made them last night with some modifications because I didn’t have the exact ingredients and didn’t want to go to the store. I used almond flour instead of chickpea flour, oat milk instead of cashew milk, and pinto beans instead of white kidney beans. As her tastes are super sensitive and she refuses to even taste anything that she thinks smells or tastes suspicious, I was worried she may detect the beans. She won’t try rosemary but I had some everything bagel seasoning that she does like and very lightly sprinkled that onto the crackers to mask any potential bean flavor. I also didn’t tell her about the beans as that would have been a deal-breaker. I am so pleased to share she LOVES these crackers!! Feeding a child with ARFID is so so hard and I feel relief that I can finally give her something that’s GOOD for her and doesn’t cause a fight. Thank you for this recipe that will now be a staple in our home!!
Hi Alison, I really appreciate you stopping by and taking the time to leave your feedback. Although I’m not familiar with AFRID, I can certainly appreciate the struggle you must feel daily and I’m thrilled that she enjoyed these crackers. I hope you continue to find more healthy recipes for her to enjoy. Good luck! 🙂
Great recipe with lots of flavour and crunch. Will be making again!
Thanks Rita, glad you enjoyed.
This looks super tasty!! I can’t wait to give it a try! It’s all delicious ingredients 🙂
Thanks so much Roslia. Enjoy!
What a great way to get beans into picky eaters’ bellies! And homemade is always best so you know there are no preservatives or hidden ingredients in these crackers!
Thanks so much for the feedback Jenn. You’re absolutely right on homemade! 🙂
Wow! These look awesome! Love that they are gluten free and packed with protein. I’ve never made my own crackers but I’m going to have to give it a try!
Thanks Amanda! I highly recommend them.
wow these look awesome! I can totally imagine eating them with some hummus!
Thanks so much Becca! 🙂