Perfectly crunchy and satisfying gluten-free protein crackers! These are sturdy enough for dipping and tasty enough to enjoy on their own.
This recipe was originally published in March 2019. It has been updated for content and photos.
You and your family will LOVE these protein crackers, so when snack time hits, make this your go-to high-protein choice.
With perfect texture, great flavour, whole grains, healthy carbs, and nutrient-dense ingredients, you cannot go wrong here.
These healthy crackers are far superior to anything you’ll find in the grocery store.
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Reader Feedback
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 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. – Judy
Why you’ll love these
- They’re made using wholesome ingredients like white beans, chickpea flour, and oat flour.
- High in protein with 12 grams of protein per serving.
- NO artificial colors, flavours, added sugar, or preservatives. Just the good stuff!
- They’re allergen-friendly, gluten-free, dairy-free, and nut-free, making them school-safe, workplace-safe, and gym-safe.
- These protein crackers are also tried and tested with an oil-free version!
- They’re sturdy and perfect for dipping. (I like them with hummus.)
- Fun to make with your little ones to get them excited about healthy eating. Plus, all you need are some pantry ingredients (no eggs).
These crunchy protein crackers were given a double thumbs up by my hubby (Mr. Healthy Kitchen) and both my boys. They devoured the entire batch almost before I could finish snapping some pics. 😉
Ingredients + Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to make this delicious protein crackers recipe.
- Beans: I like white to keep the colour of these crackers kid-friendly. I have not tried other beans, but I imagine the results should be similar.
- Flour: A mix of oat flour, chickpea flour, and tapioca starch (also known as tapioca flour).
- Milk: I’m using soy milk, but any other non-dairy milk would work too.
- Spices: I like a mix of onion powder, garlic powder, and salt, but feel free to customize to your taste.
Instructions
(This is a summary with step-by-step photos, full recipe measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.)
Add the beans and milk to your blender and puree until smooth. (photo 1)
Transfer the bean mixture to a large mixing bowl. (photo 2)
Add all the dry ingredients to the same bowl. (photo 3)
Then mix until combined and you have a ball of dough. (photo 4)
NOTES: The dough will be firm, but softer and stickier than pizza dough.
Stretch the dough (half at a time) between two sheets of parchment paper. (photo 5)
Once it’s thinly rolled out, remove the top sheet of parchment paper. (photo 6)
NOTE: The thinner the dough, the crunchier your crackers will be and the quicker they will bake.
Use a silicone spatula to straighten out any round edges if you want mostly square crackers. (photo 7)
Then cut into a grid pattern using a pizza cutter or sharp knife and gently push each row over. (photo 8)
Poke the protein crackers all over with a fork to make holes. (photo 9)
Optional: Brush the crackers with a good quality oil. (photo 10)
Optional: Then sprinkle with rosemary, or other herbs and spices, if you’d like. (photo 11)
Bake the crackers until golden and crispy, let them cool, and then separate them as needed. (photo 12)
Enjoy your homemade protein crackers with your favourite dip or spread, or as is.
Variations
Here are a few ideas to switch up this delicious cracker recipe.
- Cut them into larger flatbread-style shapes or smaller bite-size crackers.
- Make them spicy with a teaspoon of cayenne pepper, black pepper, or red pepper flakes added to the mix.
- Top them with sesame seeds, flax seeds, poppy seeds, chia seeds, everything bagel seasoning, chopped pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds for added texture and protein. (If avoiding oil, you can also mix any of these seasonings into the dough.)
- Increase the protein by adding 1-3 tablespoon of ground flax seed, chia seeds, or almond flour (only if you can have nuts).
- Try new flavours such as Italian seasoning, cajun, taco seasoning, nutritional yeast for cheesiness, or any other combination of spices you’d like.
How to serve them
Use a variety of different spreads and dips. Here are some of my favourites.
- All the hummus! (Roasted red pepper, dill pickle, jalapeno, peanut butter, so many choices!)
- Dairy-free beer cheese dip, spinach artichoke dip, sour cream and onion dip, or ranch dressing.
- Spread with your favourite nut butter! (Think peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, pecan butter, walnut butter, or pistachio butter.) – Or sweeten it up with our homemade healthy nutella!
- Add these crackers to your next vegetable tray, or make a cheese and cracker spread.
Storage
Store your homemade protein crackers (once cooled completely) in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
To freeze, make sure the crackers are cooled to room temperature and store them in a freezer-safe airtight container for up to 3 months.
Expert Tips
- If you don’t have oat flour or chickpea flour on hand, you can make some by grinding oats and/or chickpeas in a high-speed blender. (I use my Vitamix).
- The dough will be firm, but softer and stickier than pizza dough. This is normal.
- Use TWO sheets of parchment paper (1 below and 1 above the dough) when stretching, to prevent it from sticking to your rolling pin.
- Separate the rows of protein crackers AND prick the dough with a fork before baking for ultimate crispiness.
More healthy high-protein snack recipes
If you tried this recipe, please let me know 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 YouTube to see more delicious food.
Buon appetito
Rosa
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 19 ounce can white kidney beans drained + rinsed (approx 2 cups)
- ½ cup soy milk or plant milk of choice
Dry Ingredients
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- 110 grams oat flour approx. 1+¼ cup
- 120 grams chickpea flour | garbanzo flour approx. 1+¼ cup
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch or cornstarch
Optional
- olive oil
- crushed dried rosemary
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉/176℃ and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Blend the beans and milk until smooth and then transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
- Add all the dry ingredients and mix until you have a ball of dough. It will be firm, but softer and stickier than pizza dough.
- Divide the dough roughly in half and place each half on your prepared trays, or work on your counter if easier. (Make sure the dough is on parchment paper, and not directly on your tray or counter to prevent sticking.)
- Place another sheet of parchment paper over the dough and use a rolling pin to flatten and stretch the dough as evenly and thinly as possible without breaking it. Then remove the parchment paper on top of your dough and smooth out any rough or rounded edges to make them straight with a silicone spatula or your fingers. (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 use a fork to prick the dough all over.
- Optional: Brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary and extra salt if you'd like.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 30-35 minutes, until the edges of your crackers are golden. Remove from the oven, let cool to room temperature, and serve with a dip or as is.
Notes
- If you don’t have oat flour or chickpea flour on hand, you can make some by grinding oats and/or chickpeas in a high-speed blender. (I use my Vitamix).
- The dough will be firm, but softer and stickier than pizza dough. This is normal.
- Use TWO sheets of parchment paper (1 below and 1 above the dough) when stretching, to prevent it from sticking to your rolling pin.
- Separate the rows of protein crackers AND prick the dough with
LouAnn
I’ve made crackers previously but they did not stay crispy. Do these stay crunchy??
Rosa
Hi LouAnn, these stayed crispy for us for 3 days at room temperature.
lisa
Thanks for giving me decent snack options that won’t mess up all me hard work. I tried these w black beans and almond flour, drain off most of the bean fluid and it works. I used fresh rosemary from my garden and that boosted the look and smell as well.
Rosa
Thanks for sharing your process with us, Lisa!
Rj
Sounds great can I substitute something else for the oats I can’t have oats. I’m strict gluten free.
Rosa
These haven’t been tested without the oats, so I’m not sure what a suitable sub would be.
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.
Elizabeth
I haven’t had a chance to try it yet but it looks really good. Is that 11g of protein per serving then? Do you think you could sub some of the oat flour for the Devotion Buttery blend protein powder? I’m supposed to get 20-30 g of protein per meal. Any way I can pack in more protein so I don’t have to add much else to my lunch would be great. Thanks!
Rosa
I’m not familiar with that protein powder, and haven’t tried these with protein powder so I really can’t say.
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
Jamie Graff
Great question! I was thinking this same thing. I’m going to try replacing the chickpea flour and will check the consistency before baking.