These beet crackers are my absolute favorite homemade crackers– made with a hearty helping of beets! Even beet-haters will like these (trust me, I live with one). The beet flavor is very muted and these crackers don’t have a strong beet taste… which I appreciate because I wouldn’t call myself a beet lover either. More like a beet-tolerater. I do like adding beets to my diet for their variety and nutrition, and these crackers are a great way to do that!
WATCH THE VIDEO TUTORIAL FOR HOW TO MAKE SEEDY BEET CRACKERS HERE!
If you’ve never made homemade crackers, this particular recipes is incredibly easy and comes together quickly. The crackers have a ton of flavor from the pumpkin, sesame, and poppy seeds. A little bit of cornmeal in the dough helps give them a fantastic crunchiness!
This recipe was originally published in my book, Freeze Fresh. I love to grow and freeze beets every year, and my preferred method is to steam them, peel, then pureé in a food processor. I freeze the beet pureé, and there it sits ready in the freezer for making these crackers whenever I want. For more unique and interesting ways to freeze your produce, check out my book!
Of course, you don’t need frozen beets for this recipe, but you will need steamed, pureéd beets, and I’ve included the instructions for that here as well. You can use yellow or red beets for this recipe; both are excellent!
How do you make pureéd beets for this recipe?
Remove the beet greens, leaving 1/2-inch of stem still attached to the beet. Small beets can be left whole, but those larger than a baseball should be cut in half. Steam until fork-tender, about 30 minutes. While still warm, use a paper towel to rub off and remove the skin. If the skin is thin and doesn’t come off easily, feel free to leave it on. Process in a food processor until a smooth pureé has formed, about 30 seconds.
Ingredients and substitutions:
Gluten-Free Flour: If you are gluten-free, these crackers turn out very good using a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. My favorite brand is Pamela’s –> get it here.
All-Purpose Flour: If you are not gluten-free, you can use any type of all-purpose flour that you like.
Pepitas: Pepitas are tender green pumpkin seeds and they’re absolutely delicious! These pumpkin seeds are also important to include because they are a natural rolling guide, and make rolling out the cracker dough quick and easy. Here’s a great brand –> Pepita Pumpkin Seeds.
Sesame and Poppy Seeds vs. Everything Bagel Seasoning: Sometimes instead of adding sesame and poppy seeds, I add a heaping tablespoon of everything bagel spice to the dough instead… which might actually be my favorite way to make these crackers. Just make sure to incorporate it into the dough; do not simply add it on top or it will burn. Use the one from Trader Joes, or Here’s a great brand –> Everything Bagel Spice.
Flaky Salt: I love a salty cracker, so in addition to adding my regular sea salt into the dough, I also sprinkle flaky sea salt on top. I love tasting the big crunch salt crystals! If you don’t have this, you can use a smaller amount of regular sea salt. Here’s a great brand –> Flaky Sea Salt.
Seedy Beet Crackers (gluten-free or regular)
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend
- 1/4 cup finely ground cornmeal
- 1/4 cup pepita pumpkin seeds
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
- 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup cooked pureed beets (see note)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt
Instructions
- Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, pepitas, poppy seeds, sesame seeds, and sea salt in a large bowl.
- Add the beets and stir until well combined, then stir in the oil; the dough will be thick. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes to allow the cornmeal to hydrate.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
- Divide the dough in half. Cut four pieces of parchment paper to the size of an 18×13-inch baking pan (you will need 2 pans for baking). Roll each portion of dough between two pieces of parchment paper until it is a uniform 1/8-inch thickness. The pepitas are a natural rolling guide– don't press so hard that you crack them.
- Slide the dough, still sandwiched between the parchment paper, onto the baking pans, then peel off the top layer of paper. Use a pizza cutter (or fancy crinkle cutter if you have one) to score the dough into cracker-sized pieces, making sure to cut all the way through the dough. Sprinkle the top of the dough evenly with flaky salt.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the dough starts to brown around the edges, rotating the pans halfway through baking for a more even doneness.
- Let the crackers cool, then break apart and store in an air-tight container.
Notes
The post Seedy Beet Crackers (gluten-free or regular) appeared first on Whole-Fed Homestead.