Last Updated on February 18, 2026 by Deliciously Organic Editor
5-Ingredient bell pepper and seed crackers are one of my favorite snacks. Five ingredients and very little hands-on work make them an easy snack to keep on hand.
It’s best to use soaked and dehydrated or sprouted sunflower seeds for this recipe. Raw sunflower seeds contain phytic acid which can rob the body of minerals and are also difficult on the digestive system. So, eating the seeds that have been traditionally prepared is best.
They are so, so good with some organic butter on top (such as Organic Valley Pastured Butter). They’re also great with a thin slice of cheese!
PrintGrain Free Bell Pepper and Seed Crackers (Gluten-Free)
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 hours
- Total Time: 10 hours 25 minutes
- Yield: Makes 1 large baking sheet of crackers
- Category: Side, Snack
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Units
- 1 1/2 cups sunflower seed kernels (I used soaked and dehydrated seeds, or sprouted sunflower seeds)
- 2 roasted red, orange or yellow bell peppers*
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
- 1 cup shredded Pecorino Romano cheese (omit for Paleo and dairy free)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 170ºF and adjust rack to middle position. Place sunflower seeds in the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground. Add bell peppers, Italian seasoning, sea salt and cheese. Process until smooth.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon mixture onto baking sheet and spread using an offset spatula until it’s about 1/8” thick. Dehydrate in the oven overnight (about 7-10 hours depending on how much humidity is in your area) until crisp. Cool to room temperature. Break apart into large crackers and store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- *To roast the peppers: Preheat the broiler. Place the whole peppers on a baking sheet and put under the broiler. Cook until the skins are just turning black. Using a pair of tongs, turn the peppers so the black skin is facing down. Repeat until all sides of the pepper are turning black. Place peppers in a deep bowl and cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Let the peppers sit for 10 minutes (the steam will loosen the skins). When the peppers are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and remove the seeds inside the pepper.
That is so awesome that your kids get to go to the same camp you went to! I’m sure they’re having a fabulous time!
Thanks Carrie – our son went to camp last year with five days worth of food. At the time we weren’t sure how to treat him, but the best we found was no sugar, no wheat so this mama bear spent a week planning and preparing many of your recipes for him to take along. I contacted the camp for a meal plan for the week and was appalled at what the kids would be eating. Pasta, pizza, tacos were staples. So were pancakes, french toast, cereal and lots of bread. So, I packed chicken tenders for a few meals (your recipe I substituted almond flour instead of regular), ranch dressing (your recipt, too), yogurt, cheese sticks, and a few gluten free snacks like nuts, etc. Fruit and veggies were provided and they scrambled him eggs in the morning at his request. He did really well. Most of his buddies and even the counselors were jealous, they wanted what he was eating.
It’s great to hear that he did so well! I love that the other kids and counselors were a bit jealous. 🙂 I can’t wait to talk to my youngest and hear how the week went! 🙂
we have a severe allergy to sunflower seeds, are there any other options?
Pumpkin seeds (pepitas) are a great substitution.
Oh these look and sound AMAZING!!!!! Can’t wait to try them. Thanks for giving us oven directions…I don’t have a dehydrator. My mom makes a raw vegan cracker…hers she calls pizza crackers and are similiar in ingredients but have a few other things added. They are SO good, but I think are more complicated. These sound simple!!
Thanks Denise! 🙂
I would love to try these with a slice of flavorful cheese. Mmmm!
These look incredible. I would never think to make crackers like this- but am inspired! I also am so in awe of how perfectly nutritious that lunch is. I have to get my children eating this cleanly- kudos Carrie!
I had forgotten about your coconut cake recipe – I’m glad you linked it! It’ll be a perfect summer dessert. On the cracker recipe, could you dehydrate them in a dehydrator as well? The highest temp on mine is 155F.
A dehydrator is a great alternative. The crackers will probably take a bit longer to dehydrate – maybe about 12 hours.
They turned out delicious! We used Parmesan cheese instead, but other than that substitution followed the recipe exactly. It ended up taking 11 hours in the dehydrator, set at 155F (but we also live in a really dry climate). Thankful for another great snack recipe – thanks for posting!
Thanks for the feedback! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Thank you so much for such wonderful recipes. You are an inspiration, and I am excited to try this out.
Denise
Sorry to hear your little gal has a gluten intolerance. These look like a tasty alternative!
I love the cracker recipe. My only problem with homemade crackers is that they seem to get soft easily, even in airtight containers. Any additional tips?
Sometimes I leave the corner of the dish open so the moisture doesn’t build up inside.
These crackers look so delicious!!
We spent the last 4 years of Boy Scout summer camp doing just what Carrie did. The camp cook sent me the weeks menu and I cooked up replacement meals. It got easier as the years went. Now my Eagle Scout know the drill and is responsible for his meals away from home. Yah, he gets joshed around but after 5 years he takes it like a man. I am glad to know we are not the only ones.
I sent my daughter to 4H camp. Not one parent in her 4H group did. I told her she had to stay two days and if she was miserable I would come get her. I made sure to send her a postcard EVERY DAY. Do you know at this camp if you get mail you have to do something silly in order to get your mail. Boy my daughter was not too happy with me. But, she stayed and has gone every single year. She has some great friends from around the US. My decision to make her go, against all advise, was the best thing for her. She has memories that you cannot even imagine. She could not wait to go every year. Parents, SEND YOUR KIDS to camp. I love how they let you send food. One of the reasons I sent her may have been selfish but I knew she just had to go. My parents would not let me go to camp. My parents would not let me join the girl scouts. I want to make sure my kids can try everything and then pick and chose what they really like to do. (Yes, my kids chose 4H over girl scouts) Love your blog
What a great summer experience! Sounds like the perfect packed meal! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
It looks like you made them amazing food. How lucky they are. You can pack my lunch anytime ;>)
Made these this past weekend and WOW! The hubs and kids and myself are gobbling them up. The flavor is great and I love that I can sneak some vegetables into the kids. I will be making up a triple batch next time, and hope they last longer! A great delicious alternative to the blah rice crackers we have been eating.
Hi,
I’m following the blood type diet and coconut or coconut flour is not suggested for me. Any idea what i could replace it with?
Thanks,
Beth
This recipe doesn’t contain either ingredient so you should be good! I usually replace coconut oil with butter in some recipes (but it doesn’t always work in every recipe) and unfortunately I don’t have a grain free substitution for coconut flour.
This recipe doesn’t contain any coconut flour and would be a great cracker to eat. You can usually substitute the coconut flour with almond flour, but if the recipe calls for all coconut flour, the substitution won’t be 1:1. But, for instance, in my apple cake (just post this week) you could just use all almond flour, but know that the cake will be a bit softer and might not hold up as well. But it will still taste great! Or, for a savory dish, you could use garbanzo bean flour. That’s a nice one!
I made these last night and they are delicious! They didn’t crisp up like I thought they would. They are pretty chewy. Do you have any idea why? Thanks.
If they didn’t crisp up then they didn’t bake long enough in the oven. I’ve had this happen before on more humid days, so I leave them in for an additional hour or until they get crispy.
I can’t do night shades, any suggestions for a substitute for the roasted peppers? I have been trying to find a dehydrated cracker recipe that is GAPS, paleo and nightshade friendly!!
I haven’t tried it, but I think zucchini might work well in this recipe. I would shred it, put it in a colander and generously season with sea salt. Let it sit for 20 minutes. Pour zucchini onto a clean dish cloth, fold cloth around zucchini and wring to remove the excess water. Then proceed with the recipe. If you give it a try, let me know how it goes! 🙂
My oven doesn’t go low enough to dehydrate anything. Any ideas about just backing these?
I haven’t tested it, but you could bake them at 200 for about 5 hours until crispy.
These look great & can’t wait to try! I’m just a beginner when it comes to learning how to find/make non-processed, wheat free bread products; (due to eczema). At the same time, I’m also trying to maintain a low sodium diet. My doctor recommends omitting salt on table, in any homemade recipes, and of course, avoid processed foods . So my question is: since there are only five ingredients in this recipe, will it hurt to drop the salt? I don’t see a nutritional value displayed for this recipe, so I’m not sure how much sodium there is per serving. I realize “Celtic” sea salt is a trendy, “natural” fad right now, but every cardiologist will tell you- salt is salt & is worse for the body then any fat, sugar, gluten, calorie, etc. out there.