I think I’ve mentioned this before, but I frequently look to raw diet cookbooks and websites for inspiration. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with cooking food, but I love using raw foods resources for healthy desserts and figuring out variations on flavors. Those raw people can get super creative, and they usually only use whole foods which is great.
Case in point: they’ve been doing the flax seed cracker thing forever — they just dehydrate them instead of baking them. I’ve hardly ever seen a recipe for flax crackers that wasn’t raw, so I decided to see if they worked as well in a standard oven since I don’t own a dehydrator.
Related: How to Make a Flax Egg
They do! These things are awesome – super healthy (flaxseed is all kinds of good for you), super flexible (you could season these with a ton of different flavors), delicious, and easy! And of course, vegan, gluten free, sugar free, yadda yadda yadda.
The basic recipe is essentially just ground flaxseed and water – from there the flavors are up to you. I did a bit of a garlic and onion thing for this recipe, but it would also be great with Italian herbs, some nutritional yeast to give it a more “cheesy” flavory, some Mexican spices, you name it.
Related: Rustic Rosemary Herb Crackers
The dough is really easy to work with as well. As I mentioned, you just mix up water, ground flaxseed, some salt and some spices, and then spread it out on a parchment or silicone lined cookie sheet (you do want to make sure it’s lined or really well greased), pre-cut them so they will snap into nice square crackers once they are cooked, and bake for about 20 minutes.
I didn’t even have a rolling pin handy and was able to roll the dough pretty thin with just my hands (make sure you keep your hands wet if you do it this way).
As you can see I went right up to the edges — this recipe makes a perfect amount for a standard cookie sheet. In retrospect, I would probably not go quite up to the edges next time as they tended to cook a bit faster than everything else and ended up a bit too crispy (read: “burnt”). Make sure to keep an eye on these and take them out when the edges start to get browned. If the middle isn’t quite cooked enough you can leave them on the pan for a few minutes to finish baking.
That’s all there is to it! Nice crispy crunchy crackers that are crazy healthy. I like making up a couple of batches and just leaving them around to munch on when I want a snack. They’re also great with spreads like hummus or mock salmon dip.
Important: Use freshly ground flaxseed! Flaxseed goes rancid quickly, especially after it’s ground. If you get a fishy taste, that might be why.
Flax Seed Crackers
Ingredients
- 2 cups ground flaxseed Use freshly ground flaxseed to avoid a fishy taste.
- 1 cup water start with 3/4 c. and add more as needed to make a workable dough
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix until an even dough forms.
- Spread evenly onto a parchment or silicone lined baking sheet – about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Gently cut dough into squares on the baking sheet (you just need to score the dough so it snaps after it’s baked – be careful not to cut up your silicone mat or cookie sheet!)
- Bake for 20-30 minutes until crisp and edges are browned but not burnt.
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This recipe puts the ‘crack’ in crackers! I cannot exaggerate how tasty these are. Thank you!!
My first go at these was not bad!
I definitely would recommend trying and if your sceptical of the tastes like health add a touch more herbs. Till your pallet adjusts to healthier.
Any storing tips? I will go back over the blog but I’m thinking the fridge? Or will a airtight container in pantry be alright?
Fourth time for making these crackers. Love them. I have added finely chopped red bell pepper, jalapeno, onion, finely shredded carrot. I also use Chia seed for personal health reason and they work fine and never had a fishy smell. Also lemon juice, onion powder, garlic powder, and Mediterranean spices. I also dehydrate them for about 17 hours as I believe more healthy. Thank you for the recipe!!
Easy recipe with all good stuff-will be a keeper, for sure. Provides great versatility for seasonings, too, based on the other reviews (many thanks for the feedback, all!).
I loved this recipe! I had only ground flaxseed (that was several years old!) on hand, but if there was a fishy flavor/odor, it escaped my notice. I sprinkled in some rosemary instead of the onion and garlic powders, and I topped the crackers with coarse kosher salt. The crackers on the edge baked crispier than those in the middle because they were thinner – I think next time I’ll do multiple smaller batches so I can get a more even thickness. I made this recipe in order to use up my ground flaxseed that I’d had unused for so long, but I may have to keep buying it now and make this a staple!
Interesting. I made them today and they are good. I definitely want to tweak it to my tastes. What was curious, is I keep my flax in the freezer and I ground them fresh and still had a fishy odour. That seems to be going away as they cool and is not noticeable when eaten with something. I definitely want more seasonings next time and I had to double the recipe to fill my pan, which I will do again if I make them again.
Thanks!
So easy! And vegan and delicious.
Thank you for helping me live better – and save money on $6 boxes of flax crackers.
I never again have to walk by a box of flax crackers at Whole Foods with a wistful gaze.
I know- I made them but had to do a recipe and a half. The smell of the crackers baking was wonderful. I, also spend a fortune on flax “flackers” seed crackers at Whole Foods. I will add chia, hemp seeds, more spices.
I haven’t tried yet. But can’t wait to try them. I have been looking for a cracker recipe. What is calorie count and nutritional count if you have it. I am just starting eating like this. I am having trouble knowing how much I can eat of each thing. Thanks.
Made these today. Added sesame seeds and some other savory seasoning. Too fishy! And I like fish. But the flavor was too overpowering. Husband said same thing. Disappointed because I was looking forward to adding flaccid to daily diet.
Flaxseed only smells and tastes fishy when it is rancid. Buy fresh flax seed, mill them at home before using. Store the unused seeds in the fridge.
This was easy, quick, and they came out perfect. I had not tried these crackers before. It has a fish oil type flavor, which is odd because I use the same flax meal in my keto bread, and no fishiness comes through. I believe these crackers would be great dipped in some fish patte, or tuna salad. Since there is a slight fish oil flavor to the crackers, perhaps some seaweed and a bit of lemon zest might work added to the recipe, and some mackerel and sardine patte to dip them in. People say I’m crazy, but I am seriously so.
Great recipe! I substituted the ground flaxseed with Golden Flax Meal. I put the dough between two parchment paper sheets and rolled it thin with a rolling pin. Flattening it with the hand works well too. I scored the dough with a pizza slicer before baking. That makes it easier to to separate the crackers without breaking them after they’re baked. The baking was increased to 40 minutes, to make them crispier. Next time I will be more adventurous with flavour and seasoning. I definitely recommend this recipe!
What’s the best time way to store them and for how long?
Mine were fishy and I used good flaxseed. I don’t like fish so probably won’t try these again. The recipe works just fine it’s my taste buds.
Your seeds might have been rancid.
Great recipe with tips. I added sun dried tomatoes, nutritional yeast, turmeric and some acv. I also spread this out on two cookie sheets for thinner Keto crackers.
Thank you!
Just the recipe I was looking for. I was afraid that they would taste oily or fishy as reported in some of the comments. But I just made a batch and they came out great. But it’s important that the crackers be totally dry, otherwise they do taste oily. Easier to get them crisp if they are on the thin side.
I don’t know if this has been mentioned in some of the comments but a study in 2013 showed that 1oz. flaxseed per day lowered systolic blood pressure by 10 points and diastolic by 7 over a period of 6 months. Beats some medications. Worth a try.
“..flaxseed induced one of the most potent antihypertensive effects achieved by a dietary intervention.”
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Very good and easy. How do you store them ?
These flax crackers look so zesty and tasty! Absolutely love your creative idea! Thanks, Jessica for sharing!
Just made these. They are delicious. Thx much for the inspiration. Great way to add flax to your diet. Next time i will try eliminating the salt in the batter, and instead sprinkling some on top.
Tasty, simple recipe
Are the crackers crispy?
Eating some right now! I added hemp seeds to mine (like 2 or 3 Tbsp ) for some added protein. Very good and easy recipe! Thank you!
I’ve found the fishy smell is much less if I use Bob Red Mill’s Premium Gold Flax. That’s what I use when I’m making a cinnamon version, which I use with fruit spread in the mornings. The darker flax is okay for garlic/parmesan/chili. Just a thought! 🙂
Yes! Flax meal and ground flax seed are the same thing. You can even make your own, but since it’s so cheap either way, why would you? The organic Walmart brand is great at a great price!
Hi. I enter everything in MyFitnessPal. There is a huge calorie difference between a cup of unground flaxseed and a cup of ground flaxseed. Do you mean a cup of unground, then grind? No-one else has asked this question so maybe it is obvious to everyone else!!
When I make flaxseed cookies, just add 1/2 cup of date paste. Can garish with apples, bananas, etc.
I use cream cheese/bacon/olive/walnut dip my mother made when we were kids.
This is a great base for just a little mashed pumpkin, some crushed pumpkin seeds, and dried cranberries for Thanksgiving loving. I’m trying out flax milk for cheese, hope it doesn’t end up too grainy – I bought “superfine muslin cloth” for a smooth finished product. Nothing like cheese and crackers.
Ground flax is simply flax seed ground up and it is better to grind it because of digestion/absorption.
Thanks! I made an adapted version of these today and they turned out well.
Thank you for this great recipe!
Someone above added honey; I think I’ll try maple syrup and maybe some finely chopt walnuts. Grinding your own flax is the only way to go – small Braun spice/coffee grinder/chopper is perfect.
I mixed mine with ground Tigernuts, cinnamon powder and cayenne pepper. Excellent result.
Will try it next with raisins, and perhaps grated coconuts.
These are just going in. I used the whole cup of water but the flax dough was really thick. Did the best I could but should I have used more water? Not sure what the consistency should be.
Put wax paper over the spread out dough and press it out.. then score it. No messy hands. Works really well.
Great simple recipe!
This has become a staple for our family.
Flax seeds are very sturdy seed. Impossible to break open with our human teeth. They need to be ground for us to benefit from the nutrients they contain. Check out Nutritionfacts.org for more beneficial nuggets…be loved
I am going to try this. It’s very simple!
Awesome! I was literally just feeling like I wanted some low carb crackers to eat with pate and I found this page. I’ve got plenty of flax seed so I’m off to get creating. 🙂
I too grew up on Jiffy brand corn mix. But my mother made it in a 9 x 9 brownie pan. Will this recipe work with that, or will it need temperature or timing adjustments. Thanks for another great recipe!
Just made these in my toaster oven. Excellent recipe! Thanks!
Just found, and ove, your friendly website ~ I put fresh ground flax on something every day. I have a book on flax seeds ! I am tempted to add other seeds like sesame, poppy, chopt sunflower or pumpkin seeds, etc. Thanx for this inspiring recipe, I have always been a health freak; but have simplified my diet and ingredients even more lately and this is a great gift too ! P.s. Always keep flax seeds in the fridge !
mine were dark too i used bob’s red mill flaxmeal. cooked them 25 min and they were not too crispy. i thought i should have added more water but given that they werent crisp even with what i thought was not enough i guess not. they have a good flavor and i have to control myself eating them. afraid i will be in bathroom all day tomorrow!
Hi! To answer your question…it depends. lol Not a great answer, I’ll admit, but it really does depend on such disparate things as humidity, type of grinder, etc. What I would do is experiment and keep notes. Measure (for example) 1 cup of seeds, grind them and measure the resulting meal carefully. Extrapolate from there. An half an hour in the kitchen should give you an approximate idea. Freeze any leftovers in a non-self-defrosting freezer. (The self-defrosters have extreme temperature swings as they warm up to melt the ice, warming our food in the process.) You probably figured all this out already, but just in case…
Made these in half quantities, and added Rosemary instead of garlic. I don’t have baking paper so I used foil with a wipe over of vegetable oil instead. They are really tasty, but mine were much darker (I used ‘milled flax seed’) from holland and barret. They’re really tasty, kind of nutty. I loved them, partner said not their taste ,too much like nori…hehe, more for me!
I find cooking flax over 300-350 makes it taste fishy.. If i cook lower and slower or microwave there is no fishy taste
Thanks for the tip Carla. I will try a lower temperature and longer cook time, to see if the fishy taste goes away. 😃
There is a vital reason these should be made in a dehydrator – flaxseeds in particular are very oily and these oils turn toxic with heat…thus, dehydrate no higher than at 37 degrees C
Great recipe! My first batch was awesome! Can’t wait to experiment with different spices!
made them in the sandwich maker lined with baking paper… …covered crackers as well,turned out lovely and crispy
My dough was so sticky I could barely spread it. What did I do wrong?
You used too much water. Next time, start with less than you used previously. Add additional water 1 teaspoon at a time until you have a suitable dough.
This method of mixing, should solve your issue.
I am making these crackers right now and my house smells so amazing. Can’t wait to try them with my sundried tomato tapenade. Thank you for the recipe and tips
I love this recipe, it’s so simple. I added fresh rosemary sprigs and ground sea salt, I also rolled the dough between parchment paper which gave me two batches. I prefer them thin and they taste great, hubby loves them as well
I looked & looked for flax seed crackers in stores, couldn’t find any, searched online and found your recipe. I had Hodgson Mill’s milled flax seed on hand, garlic powder & chili powder, making the crackers was so easy, different from anything I’ve ever baked, but easy. And more important, they are good! Now I have a healthy snack on hand went I want to crunch on something or want to hold off hunger for a while. I keep them in a ziplock bag on the frig freezer door, sometimes eat them with Cabot cheddar or Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter (only peanuts, no sugar, no added fat, only a trace of salt). I thought of sending the recipe to Hodgson Mill, but it isn’t my recipe, it’s yours, it would be a great addition to their recipes.
Sincerely, Sally Donaldson
Just out of the oven they taste great with guacamole I spiced them up with cumin, red pepper flakes, and nutritional yeast. I didn’t get them as thin as stated but next time I will. This will be my new go to cracker!
I have these in the oven right now to dip into Frank’s Redhot Buffalo Chicken Dip. My secret ingredient, shhhhh, will be bacon. hahaahahaa. Can’t wait til they’re both done! Also, I will be making another variation of these with coconut sugar and cinnamon for a “graham cracker”. That will be most welcome! Thanks for a recipe this gluten/sugar free girl can enjoy!
Are you buying whole flaxseed or flaxseed meal? If you are buying the meal, it very well could be rancid. Whole flax keeps well; meal goes rancid easily. I use a coffee grinder to grind mine. Hope that helps.
Nutritional yeast often doubles well as a “cheesy” addition. I’d start there and if that doesn’t hit the spot then delve into vegan cheeses which can be tricky. Good luck!
Super easy and tasty too!!! THANKS for the help in continuing my gluten free new way of eating.
I have been looking for cracker recipes because I am cutting down on wheat. This is very easy and tasty, also tried honey and 1 tsp cinnamon, good but will add more cinnamon next time. I plan to store in a tin, is this the best way to store them and keep them crisp? how long can I store crackers?
Thanks you,
Grandma B
According to NutritionaData – these crackers contain:
(Per cracker)
Calories – 21.6
Fat – 1.4
Carbs – 1.7
Fiber – 1.2
Net Carbs – 0.6
Protein – 0.9
I am so thrilled to see this recipe and I wll be making these this afternoon! Flax has zero net carbs so these will be perfect for my low carb diet! Thank you!
just what i was looking for, for my hummus. I just recently found I am allergic to wheat, yeast and gluten so this is great and you can mix it up! Going to store today and seeing what i can add to them to make a variety! Thanks so much!
I use golden flax meal all the time to make flax pancakes. What a great new recipe to try! Thanks for this!
They smell fishy because they have Omega 3 in them… same as fish. If you’ve ever taken an Omega 3 supplement and then burped, you’ll taste a nasty fishy taste. FORTUNATE, these crackers DON’T taste nasty. They’re yummy!
Nutritional Yeast!
I just made these with salt only -sooooooo delicious! Probable would be yummy with rosemary, too. What would you say is the calorie count on each 2 inch square?
I’m trying these right now! I’m going to use them as substitutes for graham crackers in s’mores. 🙂 I added a bit of honey, guava, and cinnamon. Thanks for the recipe!
I just put a batch of these crackers in the oven. It
Was do easy!! Cant wait to taste!!
Just did a quick calculation using the calorie information on the back of my ground flaxseed package. Since this recipe gets all its calories from flaxseed, the calories for the whole recipe are 960. If you make the 24 crackers, that is 40 calories per cracker. Sorry, I don’t have time to calculate the rest of the values at the moment. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe on my wheat free diet.
Oh these are just what I was looking for! Thank you so much. I am going to make a nice big batch tomorrow. I am a new vegan and looking for easy ways to beat snack attacks.
Can you eat too many flax seeds? Is there a limit? I saw on Dr. Oz that 2T a day will cut hot flashes in half so I’m going to try these crackers.
Thank you for this recipe because it’s been on my mind to make these! Going to after work today. Can’t wait to check out the rest of your site to later!
They are the same =)
My experience was that they needed to be sure and be thin so they would turn out crunchy; mine turned out soft and kind of eh. I would surely keep making them but maybe add spices like some of the above to give them some more flavor. I did use them for low carb and added cheese but if you are relying on them for a diet that forbids that, spice it up! They were very very easy.
You can try using Nutritional Yeast!
Thanks for posting this recipe!! Just made them…but did not have enough flax meal on hand (only had 1 1/2 cups) so added 1/2 cup of chia seeds!! So good. After 10 minutes of bakign started smelling fishy (though my flax has been in the freezer)…but taste fine! (hopefully I’m not going to make myself sick). My 3 year old loves them (with vegan butter on them). So yummy!! Also, can’t do onion so did 1 tsp garlic and almost a full tsp of salt. Love how easy this is to make too!!
Any ideas on how to make them cheesy while still being vegan and soy free? Just found out my daughter is allergic to soy, egg and milk to mention a few and I’m trying to find an alternative to gold fish:) I don’t know much about vegan cheese yet. Thanks:)
Try adding nutritional yeast.
google search led me to this. enjoyed the recipe. i grind my own flax so no issues of rancidity there. i really do love dehydrated flax crackers but sometimes i am impatient. thanks for this!
Yay! All recipes for flax crackers are “raw” versions that require a) cooking at low heat in the oven for 8+ hours (not exactly eco-friendly) or b) using an expensive dehydrator. I love hummus and almond butter and am trying to cut out most wheat and gluten from my diet – after 2 weeks I’m noticing significant results, most especially that my carb cravings are nil and I don’t feel as tired as I used to when I’d eat wheat products. Anyhow, I know flax is great for you, and just last week bought some flax meal to enjoy as a hot cereal – it’s filling, tasty, and can be customized in so many ways! Thanks, Jessica! I look forward to making a spicy version of these crackers with fresh jalapenos…
PS: flax meal MUST be refrigerated to keep it from going rancid – I’m learning a lot in a book I’m reading, called “Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight.” 🙂
I made these last night at home. The flaxseed meal we used was a lot darker than sample pictured in the photo, and I used other spices to flavor the dough. It helped to use olive oil on my fingers to spread the dough evenly throughout the baking pan. Sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds for extra flavor. Baked 15 minutes and no burned crackers. Husband LOVED them! Even took some to work with him today to eat with his tuna fish. Perfect for the low-carb dieter!!
Glad you enjoyed them! Toasted sesame seeds is a great idea, that would add such a nice depth of flavor!
have the same fishy smell issue. I think that if you use 4/5 whole flax seed and about 1/5 grownd it will reduce the smell. what do you think?
Could i put this in the dehydrator?
I haven’t tried that, but it could probably work
Definitely. I have only made my flax crackers in the dehydrator and this with slight variations has always been the recipe. Realize that if you dehydrate on low to keep the enzymes alive (approx 105 degrees) it could take 24 to 48 hours to have them crispy enough…
I too had the fishy issue. I had kept my flax refrigerated, but I got the rancid fishy taste too. Don’t know what can be done there as we are pretty much at the mercy of suppliers and we don’t know how old their stock is.
I was so excited to try these but I’ve made them twice now with fishy results 🙁 I was also told that the flax could be rancid but it smells fine, the dough smelled fine, smelled good when cooking but then the last few minutes of baking it started to smell bad and now they all taste so fishy I can’t stomach them! I’m so bummed.
Do you think if I buy flax at a big store (Bob’s Red Mill) that there is a chance it’s sat out too long on the shelf? Maybe if I buy from a natural food coop it would be better? I need help! I really want to make these and love them.
Any tips would be great!
What an easy recipe. The crackers look delicious and exactly what I have been looking for (I am currently doing a cleanse and can’t have wheat, sugar, etc).
I loved these! I made a savory seed version with sesame, poppy, and rye seeds and then made a graham style one with some molasses, honey, and cinnamon. These were perfect. Easy, customizable, and deliciously free of all the things that my son is allergic too. Thanks – I’ve shared this recipe (through your site) with everyone I know! It is always good to feel empowered by options when allergies seem to confine and limit. This one gives us some choices.
This looks good! I got a couple of questions 🙂 how much flaxseed do I need to ut in the food processor to obtain 2 cups of ground flaxseed? and do you happen to know the nutrition facts for these crackers? Thanks! 🙂 I will try to make them later.
I just found this great page with recipe and super helpful pics. As I read the comments, Bethany’s experience reminded me of reading once that omega 3s are what make fish fishy! I think it would be more pronounced in older oil. I know we’re supposed to buy freshest seed possible and grind as we use but sometimes, the flax seed available will just be fresher than others, no?
So excited to try this recipe for myself and others I know who want to try a flax and chia seed combo cracker! Chia is even higher in omega 3s and other nutrients than flax! You’re not supposed to have to grind chia to get the benefits, but they’re the size of poppy seeds! How do you chew that?! A cracker!!!
Just what I was needing. I am on a general cleanse, eating mostly raw and no gluten, sugar, daity, etc … and just HAPPENED to have a bag of Bob’s Red Mill Fax Meal in the freezer. Really, this is going to be PERFECT for my guacs, dips, & spreads. YUMMY. Thank you.
I just made these and I love them! However, they smell and taste fishy! I heard that’s because the flax seeds are rancid but I just bought the meal from my grocery store already ground. I think I will have to buy fresh from now on.
Made these and they are yummy! Thanks for the great pictures!
wow, i have to try this sometime! looks really great.
great recipe! i have been wanting to try some healthy crackers to snack on… i will try this with more spices 🙂 may be some cumin and black pepper!! yummy 🙂
I’ve been wanting to incorporate more flaxseed in my diet. Thanks for the recipe!
Amazing. Super easy – I need to make them.
Lovely pictures and great simple recipe. I’ve been experimenting with all sorts of gluten-free crackers lately. These flax crackers will surely be included. What dip or spread do you recommend with it?
I’m making these tomorrow morning, and I’m betting that I’ll polish them off for lunch. They look SO good.
YUM!! They look just like graham crackers!!! DELISH! 😀
sounds yummy! not to sounds stupid, but are flax meal and groud flax the same?? i think they are, but sometimes i am very wrong! =)
I think they are the same – I’ve made it with both so I do know either works!
Great recipe! I love the idea of making crackers (without any wheat or sugar) – I’m off today and I just might try this recipe out! Happy Monday to you.