Gluten-Free Seed Crackers (Norwegian Crispbread)
Whether you call these Gluten-Free Seed Crackers or Norwegian Crispbread (Knekkebrød), these golden, crispy seed crackers are a dream, both to make and to eat! 5 different varieties of seeds come together with the help of a little water and cornstarch to create one of the best homemade gluten-free crackers you'll ever have the pleasure of eating.
And the good news is that the process for making them couldn't be easier! I'm talking no more than 10 minutes of hands-on time here. Grab ALL THE SEEDS, a bowl and a sheet pan and let's get started.
Scandinavians eat a lot of crispbread, Swedes boasting the highest consumption, closely followed by Norway. It is considered a form of bread, not just a cracker, and serve it for breakfast, lunch, dinner and as a snack in between meals. It is often made with rye flour but can also include wheat, oats or barley and/or a variety of seeds such as flax or sunflower.
Norwegian Crispbread (Knekkebrød) is often made as a hearty seed cracker that is bound together with rye flour. This recipe is quite simply a gluten-free version which substitutes corn starch for the rye flour.
Ingredients
- The stars of the show here are the seeds: Pumpkin (pepitas), sunflower, flax, sesame and chia. We've got them all!
- Cornstarch helps bind the crackers together and keep them light and crispy. In the UK, Europe and Australia, cornstarch is often sold as cornflour. Be sure to use the fine white cornflour, not yellow cornmeal or course corn flour.
- Vegetable oil (or any other neutrally-flavored oil such as Canola) helps them brown and crisp in then oven.
See recipe card for exact amounts and detailed instructions.
Variations and Substitutions
- Garlic and Herb: Add ½ teaspoon garlic powder and a teaspoon of dried rosemary or thyme to the dry mixture.
- Everything Bagel: Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons Everything Bagel seasoning over the top prior to baking in place of the sea salt.
- Arrowroot Starch: You can replace the cornstarch with arrowroot starch if you prefer. It is a 1:1 substitution with other changes needed to the recipe.
Special Equipment Needed
- Parchment paper
- 13x18 Rimmed baking sheet
- Small offset spatula (not essential but helpful)
How To Make Gluten-Free Seed Crackers (Norwegian Crispbread)
- Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Put all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the boiling water and oil. Stir until well mixed. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes (it will thicken as it sits).
- Scrape the dough out onto the prepared pan. Spread into a thin layer (this is where the small offset spatula comes in handy) that reaches nearly to the edges of the parchment paper.
- Sprinkle with sea salt and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 90 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
- Allow the baked cracker to cool on the sheet pan until just warm. Transfer the parchment paper with the cracker on top to a wire cooling rack and let it cool completely.
- To serve, either break into randomly-sized pieces for a rustic look or use a serrated knife to cut into squares.
Expert Tips
Expert Tips- Take your time spreading the dough into a thin, even layer. This may take a few minutes so be patient. If you are having trouble, you can always dampen the spatula with water to help smooth things out.
- Score the crackers half way through the baking time for clean edges on the crackers rather than a more rustic look.
- Rotate the pan occasionally if the crispbread is browning unevenly. Oven temperatures can vary from one corner of the oven to another. Rotating the pan helps everything become evenly golden brown.
FAQs
Yes, they are vegan.
They keep well stored in a tightly sealed container at room temperature for at least a couple of weeks.
Yes! These crackers freeze very well. Simply place in a freezer bag or similar container, seal tightly and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Make sure you are baking them for the full amount of time suggested as they need to dry out completely in the oven. If the center still feels a little soft when the baking time is up, turn off the oven and leave the door cracked open for 10-15 minutes to let the residual heat draw out remaining moisture.
If the crackers softened after storage, simply pop them back into a 300°F oven on a parchment lined baking sheet for 5-7 minutes to re-crisp them.
Cornstarch yields a lighter, shatteringly crisp texture whereas psyllium husk will create a slightly chewier cracker. I much prefer the cornstarch variation but if you want to use psyllium husk, replace the cornstarch with 1 - 1 ½ tablespoons of psyllium husk powder. The psylliium powder will absorb instantly so spread the dough onto the baking sheet immediately rather than waiting 10 minutes.
What to Serve with Seed Crackers
The options are endless! Sliced cheese and/or cured meats, herring (embrace your inner Norwegian!), hummus, goat cheese, tapenade, hard-boiled eggs, jam.....let your imagination go wild. Here are some of my favorite toppings:
- Mashed avocado, olive oil, salt, pepper flakes and a squeeze of lemon
- Creamy Egg Salad with Dill and Capers
- Tarragon Chicken Salad
- Roasted Beet Hummus
- Creamy Split Pea Hummus
- Goat cheese and Nordic Summer Herb Sauce
- Cream cheese and Apple Compote, Blueberry Cardamom Compote or Roasted Pear Compote with Cardamom, Vanilla and Ginger
- Almond butter and sliced apples
They are also quite nice alongside cozy soups and stews.
Related Recipes
Ready to try your hand at a few other Scandinavian crispbread or flatbread recipes? Give these a try:
If you tried this Seed Crackers (Norwegian Crispbread) recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
Recipe
Gluten-Free Seed Crackers (Norwegian Crispbread)
Ingredients
- â…“ cup sesame seeds
- ½ cup flaxseeds
- ½ cup raw pepitas pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup raw sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- â…“ cup cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ tablespoons canola oil
- ¾ cup boiling water
- Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 275° F. Line a 13x18 rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Stir the seeds, cornstarch and salt together in a large bowl. Add the oil and boiling water. Stir to combine. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes.
- Spread the batter into a thin layer on top of the parchment paper (a small offset spatula really helps this along). Sprinkle the top with sea salt.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for about 90 minutes or until golden brown and crisp, rotating the sheet pan as necessary to encourage even browning. Once it is cool enough to handle, move the parchment paper with the cracker on top to a wire rack to cool completely. To serve, break the crispbread into pieces for a rustic look or cut into squares using a serrated knife.
Video
Notes
- Take your time spreading the dough into a thin, even layer. This may take a few minutes so be patient. If you are having trouble, you can always dampen the spatula with water to help smooth things out.
- Rotate the pan occasionally if the crispbread is browning unevenly. Oven temperatures can vary from one corner of the oven to another. Rotating the pan helps everything become evenly golden brown.
- Score the crackers half way through the baking time for clean edges on the crackers rather than a more rustic look.
- To Store: Place in a air tight container and store at room temperature for up to two weeks. Freeze for longer storage.
So easy, so tasty and much cheaper than buying these from grocery store
While this recipe is delicious, I found spreading in the pan took some time, too much time. I now put the mixture in a long heap along the centre of the long axis of the pan, put a piece of parchment on top and even it out with my hands. Any excess that climbed up the side of the pans I use to fill in thin spots with the offset spatula. Much faster.
Delicious! Low calorie yet abates the salty crunchy crave!!
Love these crackers! Love, love, love them.
So happy to see a gluten free option on your site, too!
I made the recipe exactly as written and the crackers are crisp and very tasty.
I'm going to try the tip to cover with parchment paper and roll very thin with my next batch.
Thank you!
Thanks so much, Linda! Glad you love them as much as I do. They are a house favorite and I love how easy they are.
Kristi
Delicious and easy make. Be sure to score the dough for easy separation of crackers.
Great recipe and easy.to follow. Baking times not too accurate. I read the reviews and followed some of the tips. I baked for about 70 minutes and tastes overdone. I did rotate once. I also took out after 60 minutes and cut. It was crispy on the edges and should have not baked more then but wasnt sure about the middle. I counted the carbs for mine 3g per piece 20 pieces. Next time will rotate at 20, cut at 45 and stop at 60.
What I could peel off was delicious, but majority of it stuck to the wax paper. Any thoughts on fixing that problem?
Hi Paul,
Are you using wax paper or parchment paper? Parchment paper is what the recipe calls for and definitely will prevent sticking. I'm guessing that is was wax paper that might have caused the sticking. I would get some parchment paper and try again!
Kristi
Thank you Dear for this most tasty cracker recipe. I followed the instructions down to using the offset spatula for spreading onto the parchment paper. My results were delicious! I wish you and your family the best.
Absolutely too delicious!
I can never leave a recipe alone…I used a mixture of brown rice, tapioca and potato flours instead of the cornstarch. I didn’t have any sesame seeds so used raw quinoa instead. I didn’t have canola oil so used EVOO. Worked great
Thank you so much for sharing
Hi Lu,
Love all of your substitutions! Thanks so much for leaving a comment. Glad you liked the crackers!
Kristi
Absolutely too delicious!
I can never leave a recipe alone…I used a mixture of brown rice, tapioca and potato flours instead of the cornstarch. I didn’t have any sesame seeds so used raw quinoa instead. Worked great
Thank you so much for sharing
It’s great, but I did reduce the corn starch to 1/4 and oil to 2 tbls
Great recipe! I used to buy these at the store but now I can make them at home and switch up the spices and recipe! I used arrowroot powder and olive oil, I took them out 20 minutes early and they’re definitely done and super crunchy. I find them a bit oily so I may fiddle around with the oil amounts/different oils. I used a slightly smaller pan and a wide rubber spatula to flatten, worked wonderfully. I took a tip from another reviewer and cut with a chef knife after 30 minutes, then returned to the oven. Very easy to have uniform crackers that way, they all broke from each other perfectly. Many thanks for the recipe! It will be a staple for sure! I can imagine giving them as gifts in a basket or bringing to brunches and parties with spreads or hummus.
why are you using canola oil?
For neutral flavor. Feel Free to use any oil you like!
Love this recipe! I have made many batches and sometimes the crackers come out chewy. One half will be crisp and crack and the other half will be tough and chewy. Any tips on why? Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Hi Jo,
I'm not sure! As long as you are spreading them evenly in the pan, the only thing I can suggest is that you rotate the pan a few times during baking. That should help even things out. Thanks so much for your feedback!
Kristi
Faboulous recipe! Came out perfect the 1st time. Crunchy and tasty, excellent alternative to commercial crackers. Thanks!
You are welcome! Thanks for your feedback!
Kristi