Lentil Crackers Recipe (Gluten-Free & Vegan)

These lentil crackers are a great gluten-free recipe that will keep you coming back for more. They're a crunchy, wholesome, and surprisingly delicious snack your whole family is sure to love.

With their rich, nutty taste, homemade lentil crackers are much more satisfying than the featherweight boxed crackers you’ll find on a gluten-free aisle at the store.

They pack a nutritional wallop as well, with lentils supplying iron, buckwheat adding trace elements like manganese, and flax seeds infusing each bite with healthy omega-3s.

Why You’ll Love These Crackers

These crackers are a favorite in our home for the following reasons and I'm sure you'll love them as well. They're

• gluten-free
• vegan
• higher fiber
• sturdy enough for dips
• customizable
• freezer-friendly

Why Make Homemade Crackers?

As with making anything else homemade, there are many reasons to make your own homemade crackers.

Healthy Ingredients: It's hard to find crackers that are as wholesome as these Lentil Crackers. Whole beans (sprouting the beans makes them more nutritious), hearty flours, and other ingredients with no preservatives or additives make these crackers a healthy snack you can feel good about serving and eating.

Control Over Ingredients: Want a completely organic cracker? Use all organic ingredients. Need a totally vegan recipe? You can do it. Avoiding grains? You can do that too.

Save Money: While time of course, is something to consider, ounce for ounce you will save money making your own homemade crackers, especially if you purchase the ingredients in bulk. Store-bought crackers, like most processed foods, are quite expensive when you look at the price per pound of the finished product.

Gram for gram, homemade crackers are a great value, and putting together the dough is not that difficult.

The lentils that form the base of these crackers are not only rich in nutrients, they take less time to prepare than other beans.

You can boil dry lentils straight out of the package or sprout them for a day or two and boost their digestibility further (make sure to de-gas the lentils though!).

I've made these homemade crackers with both un-sprouted and sprouted lentils, with similar tasting results. I like making a large batch of lentils so I can make these crackers and still have enough to make Lentil Butternut Squash Soup.

Optional Sprouting Step

The above photo is of lentils that were soaked for 12 hours in spring water, then drained and allowed to sprout in the jar for 24 hours.

Flavor Variations

Add one or a few of the following to boost and change the flavor of these crackers:

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1–2 teaspoons everything bagel seasoning

Adding some flaky salt on top before baking also tastes great.

Serving Ideas for These Lentil Crackers

These homemade lentil crackers pair well with both savory and sweet toppings.

Try serving them with:

• hummus (try this Pizza Hummus, Olive Hummus or Sesame-Free Hummus)
• guacamole (like this AIP Guacamole)
• spinach dip
• dairy-free cheese spreads like Sunflower Seed Cheese or Almond Feta
• nut butter or seed butter like Pumpkin Seed Butter or Sunflower Seed Butter
• soup
• chili
• tuna salad
• egg salad
• olive tapenade

You can also break them into pieces and use them like croutons on salads or soups.

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How to Store Lentil Crackers

• If the crackers soften, re-crisp them in a low oven for a few minutes.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 4–6 days.
• For longer storage, refrigerate for up to 1–2 weeks.
• Freeze for up to 2 months in a sealed container or freezer bag.

Baking Surface Options

While you can use whatever nonstick baking surface you like, I typically use uncoated parchment paper for these crackers. See this post about silicone safety for more information.

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Recipe Notes

• Nut-Free Variation: Substitute ½ cup organic brown or organic white rice flour for almond flour and increase coconut oil to 6 tablespoons. Bake at 325° F (160° C).
• Low-Carb Grain-Free Variation: Substitute ½ cup (packed) almond flour for the buckwheat flour. Instead of 6 tablespoons of ground flaxseed, use 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoons organic ground chia seed. Reduce coconut oil to 4 tablespoons. The dough will be soft and will not need any water added. Bake at 300°F (150° C).
• De-Gas Beans: Make sure to use de-gassing methods for the lentils if you're not sprouting them.
• Sweetener Alternatives: You can use a pinch of stevia (see how to use stevia) instead of honey for a lower-carb option.
• Vegan Notes: For strictly vegan crackers, use maple syrup instead of honey or omit the sweetener entirely.

These crackers would be great with either sweet or savory partnerings.

Think cheese (or vegan cheese like this sunflower seed cheese or almond feta), sesame-free hummus, homemade nut butter and jam or honey.

What would you eat these homemade crackers with?

This recipe was originally contributed by Julia of Swirls and Spice and has since been extensively updated by Adrienne at Whole New Mom with new photos, expanded notes, and revised content.