Baked “Cheese” Crisps {Vegan}

Are you a salty or a sweet snacker?

Or maybe you could go either way, depending on your mood?

When a salty craving hits in the evening (because even though we try not to be, so many of us are evening snackers, right?) we need a healthy alternative. As a default, I like air-popped popcorn with a drizzle of coconut oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.

If I have a little bit of extra time though, these Baked “Cheese” Crisps are always worth the effort to whip up. (And I promise it isn’t even that much extra effort required – these come together in less than 30 minutes from start to finish!)

These delicate crisps might look like crackers, but they are actually much closer to potato chips in texture. Even though you might not guess because of their cheesy flavor, these crunchy bites of perfection are vegan; their cheese-like flavor comes from a bit of nutritional yeast. I think they taste like a cross between Fritos and Cheez-Its, and truth be told, are more than a little addictive when it comes to snacking.

Plus the recipe is easy to double if you want to serve them at a party. (Hello, Super Bowl!)

Baked “Cheese” Crisps {Vegan}

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 12 mins

Total time: 27 mins

Yield: About 40 to 50 small crackers, or 2 to 4 servings

Ingredients

½ cup (56 g) almond meal
1½ teaspoons nutritional yeast
¼ teaspoon sea salt
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
⅛ teaspoon smoked paprika
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon water (slightly more or less as needed)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F and get out a large baking sheet.
Whisk together the almond meal, nutritional yeast, sea salt, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the olive oil and then enough water so it comes together as dough (about 1 tablespoon of water).
Carefully roll the dough out between 2 large sheets of parchment paper until it’s a paper-thin circle about 12 inches in diameter. Remove the top piece of parchment paper and use a wheel pizza cutter to cut the dough into 1½ to 2 inch squares.
Leave the dough on the parchment and place the whole sheet of parchment on the half sheet pan. Bake until the crackers are light golden and crisp, about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the tray once. Cool completely before removing from the tray and serving.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.