Hearty, rustic, crackers with delicious savory flavor. Made with gluten-free, protein-rich, chickpea flour. JUMP TO RECIPE
I consider crackers a pantry staple but I’m not crazy about most of the choices at the grocery store as many of them contain not-so-healthy ingredients like refined oils, potato starch, and added sugars. That’s why, when I have time, I prefer to make my own and this recipe for Chickpea Parmesan Crackers is probably the one I turn to most. These are hearty, rustic crackers with a firm bite and delicious savory flavor. They’re beautiful on charcuterie boards, taste divine dipped in hummus, and, when broken apart are a fantastic gluten-free substitute for salad croutons. I’m not gonna lie – they’re a little labor intensive to make but are definitely worth the effort! So, make yourself a cup of tea, put on some music or a podcast, and get to work making these scrumptious crackers. You won’t regret it!
As you may have guessed from the recipe title, the main ingredient in Chickpea Parmesan Crackers is chickpea flour, also known as garbanzo bean flour. I was initially drawn to chickpea flour as a gluten-free alternative to wheat flour but have come to appreciate it for many others reasons. It’s simple to use and can be successfully substituted for all-purpose wheat flour in a wide variety of recipes without the addition of other gluten-free flours, starches, or gums. It’s also inexpensive, especially when compared to other gluten-free flours like almond flour. But the best reason of all to use chickpea flour is that it’s one of the most nutrient dense gluten-free flours available. It’s high in protein and fiber, and packed with vitamins and minerals.
The only thing that’s a little tricky about making Chickpea Parmesan Crackers is that the dough must be rolled out very thin (1/16th of an inch) otherwise the crackers will be tough and chewy instead of crispy with a nice “snap” when you bite into them. The easiest way to roll the dough out as thinly as is needed is to use a rolling pin like this one. This unique rolling pin is one of my favorite kitchen tools. It comes with plastic washers that correspond to various dough thicknesses. The washers are screwed into the ends of the rolling pin so that dough can be rolled out to an exact, perfect, even thickness – an essential step for these crackers to cook evenly.
If you make Chickpea Parmesan Crackers don’t forget to snap a pic and tag me over on Instagram @QueenofMyKitchen. I’d love to see your creation! And check out these other healthy, gluten-free crackers recipes: Herbed Sesame Sunflower Seed Crackers, Sweet Potato Flax Crackers, and Red Lentil Lobster Crackers.
- 2 cups (240 grams) chickpea flour, plus extra for rolling out dough
- ⅓ cup (50 grams) finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup warm water or more, if needed
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the chickpea flour, Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and salt. Add the oil, maple syrup, mustard and water, stirring until a smooth, stiff dough forms. (Add more water if needed until the mixture comes together.)
- Divide the dough into quarters. Dust a surface with chickpea flour and roll the out dough very thin - to 1/16th of an inch. Stamp out crackers using a 2½ inch cookie cutter and place on the baking sheets. Poke decorative holes in the dough if desired.
- Repeat with remaining dough.
- Bake on bottom racks of oven for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown around the edges, rotating baking sheets halfway through the cooking time.
- Cool completely before removing from the baking sheets.
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They look yummmmmmmmm!
1/4 what avocado oil? 1/4 cup? 1/4 teaspoon?
1/4 CUP avocado oil. Thanks so much for pointing out that typo – I’ve fixed it! When you do all your own editing it’s hard to catch everything. Hope you like the crackers. They’re my favorite.