Savory Granola

Try this savory granola recipe for a spicy savory version that is perfect as a soup or salad topping, or even all on its own!

We are big granola lovers in this house.  Crunchy, pretty healthy, what’s not to love?  

And usually our granola is the sweet variety that is usually the first thing you think of when you are thinking of granola (what, you aren’t constantly thinking of granola??), but every once in a while we like to shake things up around here and go for a savory version.  

One that is a little salty and peppery instead of sweet.  It’s a fine fine thing to snack on with a glass of wine, but it can also be sprinkled onto all sorts of things.  

More on that later – first let’s talk savory granola!

What is savory granola?

Savory means salty or spicy (or both) rather than sweet. I think of myself as a savory person…I will almost always go for the potato chips over the chocolate.

And the same is true for granola – a savory granola skips the sweet flavors in favor of spices and a salty, peppery vibe.

And I am in dire need of savory tastes at the moment, because while some characters got nothing but savory treats in their Easter baskets this weekend…

…most of us got an explosion of sweet treats.

Yes, that one with the bottle of wine is mine, and boy do I have a story behind why the Southern husband scored that cheese shirt, which I will save for the next time I discuss Parmesan cheese.

But I had plenty of sweetness throughout the day (which I thoroughly enjoyed) including a chocolate dipped Peep.

And a slice of chocolate chess pie that the Southern daughter made from my own recipe, which always makes it extra sweet for me.

So now I need to pivot back to my old savory ways, and one of my favorites is to spice up my granola!

How to make savory granola

Savory granola is made pretty similarly to sweet granola – you mix up a whole bunch of crunchy things like oats and nuts and seeds.

But! Instead of using molasses or honey to bind it, you are going to use a beaten egg white, and instead of brown sugar and cinnamon you are going to use salt and pepper and maybe even some cumin or red pepper for zing.  

Stir everything up until it is nice and coated with the egg white, spread it in a single layer on a rimmed baking pan and bake it up into crispy crunchy goodness.  

Let it cool and then break it apart.  

And mmm, mmmm, mmm is it good all on its own as a little snack, but it is also wonderful sprinkled into salads instead of croutons, over thick winter soups, and my personal favorite, as a topping for this….

A mason jar filled with sautéed baby spinach, then a poached egg, then a tower of savory granola.  I like to eat this one with an iced tea spoon so I can dig deep.

This recipe can be varied endlessly – you need to always use the oats, but you can vary the nuts and seeds and herbs any way you like, and if you want a little more heat, add 1/4 teaspoon of cumin and/or red pepper!

Now go spice up your granola!

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Updated (and made even more delicious!) from a previously published Framed Cooks post!