Vegan Crackers with Macadamia Cream Cheese
Learn how to make your own vegan tomato and herb crackers and a delicious macadamia cream cheese that makes the perfect spread.
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There’s something so satisfying about making your own food from scratch. It means you know there aren’t any weird ingredients hiding in there somewhere and it can often be much cheaper, too.
These delicious crackers are made by dehydrating tomatoes, nuts and herbs to create a crispy, crunchy base for your cheese but with all the goodness and flavour. The vegan cheese in this recipe is simple and straightforward to make, without any added fats or artificial flavourings.
Is dehydrating foods healthy?
Dehydration is one of the oldest ways of preserving food. It’s a great way to extend the life of everything fruit, vegetables and herbs, which is good news for food waste!
Traditionally, foods might have been left to dry in sun (hence the term ‘sundried’) or in the air (left in the shade), but other methods include drying in the oven at around 140 degrees C or using an electric dehydrator.
But is it healthy to remove the moisture content from our foods? Yes! Many of the vitamins, minerals and enzymes are preserved when foods are dehydrated. In fact, some studies have shown that dehydrated fruits contain twice the antioxidants as fresh versions!
Enjoy making this delicious, whole food plantbased recipe – it’s perfect for lunch, an afternoon snack, picnics or Christmas parties!
Top tip: These crackers will store well in an airtight container for up to two weeks.
Total Time: 8 hours
Prep Time: 8 hours
Servings: 6
Rating:
Total Time: 8 hours
Servings: 6
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 6)
- For the crackers
- 50 50 g flax seeds
- 120 120 ml water
- 10.833333333333 10.833333333333 g pecans
- 9.1666666666667 9.1666666666667 g sun-dried tomatoes
- 0.5 0.5 cloves of garlic
- 0.33333333333333 0.33333333333333 tbsp onion powder
- 0.33333333333333 0.33333333333333 tsp sea salt flakes
- 0.16666666666667 0.16666666666667 tsp chilli flakes
- 0.16666666666667 0.16666666666667 tsp black pepper
- small bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped
- small bunch fresh chives, freshly chopped
- For the cream cheese
- 15.833333333333 15.833333333333 g macadamias
- 20 20 ml water
- 0.16666666666667 0.16666666666667 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 0.33333333333333 0.33333333333333 tsp lemon juice
- 0.16666666666667 0.16666666666667 tsp sea salt flakes
- To serve
- 2-3 ripe tomatoes
- fresh basil leaves
- extra virgin olive oil
- freshly cracked black pepper
Method
- Measure the flax seeds and water into a large bowl and mix well to combine. Set aside for around 45 minutes, until the water is absorbed and the mixture has become viscous and sticky.
- Place the pecans and sundried tomatoes in two separate small bowls and cover them with warm water before setting aside.
- When the flax seeds have finished soaking, add the tomatoes and pecans, along with their soaking liquid, to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped but not puréed. Mix this into the flax seeds.
- Add all the other ingredients to the flax mixture and stir well to combine.
- Line dehydrator trays with Teflex sheets and spread the flax mixture out over the surface, to a thickness of around 5mm. Then dehydrate for 5 hours.
- After the 5 hours, lift the Teflex sheets out of the trays and flip them so that the crackers are directly sat on the trays. Score into individual crackers at this point, to make breaking them easier. Return to the dehydrator for another 2 hours or until crisp.
- To make the cream cheese, place all the ingredients into a high-speed blender and blend until very smooth. Pour the mixture into a nut milk bag and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Discard the liquid and scrape the solids into a bowl. Chill until ready to serve.
- Serve by spreading a thick layer of cheese on each cracker and top with tomato slices and fresh basil leaves. Add some cracked black pepper and a drizzle of good olive oil, if desired.
For each 200g serving of crackers:
Calories 374, Fat 30g, Saturates 2.7g, Sugars 1.6g, Salt 0.43g
For each 41g serving of cream cheese:
Calories 126, Fat 12g, Saturates 2g, Sugars 0.8g, Salt 0.25g
Are you still feeling peckish? Have a go at making these quick and easy vegan courgette crostini!
