This crunchy mix makes a fantastic topping for your favorite salad. A protein-packed blend of nuts, seeds, and unsweetened coconut flakes tossed in a savory season mix packs a great flavor punch. You’ll never buy those prepackaged toppings again!
Move Over Croutons!
This crunchy combination of seasoned nuts and seeds is simply delicious. It’s incredibly easy to make and when added to a salad the result is an irresistible side with tons of flavor.
Along with the crunch and flavor, you’ll get the added benefits of all the healthy fats and protein from this powerhouse mix of ingredients.
Gone are the days of needing those hard croutons or those store-bought bags of carby salad toppers. Who needs those anyway?
If you are on a healthy eating journey as I am you will want to avoid those packaged toppings for multiple reasons that we’ll talk about next.
I love that I can use a scoop of these Savory Salad Toppers and enjoy the amazing flavors and extra protein it adds to any salad without compromising my dietary needs!
Why It is Best To Make Savory Salad Toppers Vs. Buying Them
Of course, there are tons of prepackaged options for topping your salads at the supermarkets, but when I look at the package and read over the ingredient list, I’m often turned off by what I see.
One of the ingredients I avoid the most in foods is added oils like vegetable or canola oil. These oils are not ideal for our bodies and really should be avoided.
By making my own salad topper I can add only the ingredients that will provide me with optimal nutrition like protein without any of those undesirable oils, MSG, or unwanted processed carbs.
Don’t let the idea of making your own intimidate you because this entire recipe takes less than 20 minutes and it has simple easy-to-find ingredients. I promise you that you won’t miss buying them!
This recipe is simple enough for even the beginner cook to make and keep on hand for a healthy topping option not to mention that you can easily modify a homemade recipe to meet your dietary needs or taste preferences
Be sure to check out the suggestions for variations of this recipe at the end of the post right above the recipe card!
How To Make Savory Salad Toppers
As I mentioned above this recipe comes together super quickly and with only a handful of ingredients and species.
Along with your ingredients for the recipe, you only need a large baking tray for toasting the salad toppings and an airtight container that you’ll use for storing the salad toppers (we’ll talk more about these in the next section).
Once you have all your ingredients the only step that remains is adding all the ingredients to a baking tray with raised sides.
Then top with the oil and all the seasoning and toss it together before placing it into a preheated oven and toasting the nut and seed mixture up to perfection.
Be careful you don’t walk about during the cooking process because due to the nature of the ingredients in this salad topper recipe, it can burn quickly.
After it has toasted up and is a nice even golden brown remove it from the oven and let it cook completely before putting it away for storage.
You’ll find a full and detailed recipe card at the end of this blog post. It is easy to print off for easy access the next time you want to make a batch.
How To Store Savory Salad Toppers
Once your salad toppers have toasted in the oven and cooled completely you’ll be ready to store them away until you are ready to use them.
The most important part of storage in this recipe is making sure the mix is kept airtight. If the mixture isn’t stored in a container with an airtight lid it will not remain crispy.
There is nothing more disappointing than having a soggy and chewy topping when you were craving that nice crisp crunchy on your salad.
I love to store my salad toppers in cute food storage jars like these jars on Amazon but if I don’t have any extra empty, then I just grab a quart-size mason jar with a lid and ring.
The mason jars will work great for keeping the salad toppers airtight so they stay crunchy and fresh. I have not had success using just a storage baggie. The salad toppers just seem to go stale much to fast.
If kept in an airtight container like the ones I recommended this salad topping mix will last and stay fresh for a few weeks.
Possible Variations for This Savory Salad Toppers
To add a bit of sweetness or dept of flavor you could have a dried fruit like unsweetened cranberries.
Want to spice these toppers up more? Try a drizzle of Chili Crunch Oil or even add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper to the mix before toasting it in the oven.
If you want to stick to a traditional flavor profile for a salad you could flavor the nut and seed mix with your favorite homemade ranch seasoning.
If you don’t like coconut swap out the large unsweetened coconut flakes with sliced almonds.
To bulk up the mixture you could also use additional nuts sugar as walnuts or pecans depending on your preferences.
If you need totally nut-free options leave out the nuts and add more seeds such as hemp or flax seeds to get more healthy fats without the nuts.
To lower the fat simply dry roast the mixture in the oven but watch it carefully as it will burn quickly.
Crunchy Salad Topper Mix
This savory salad topper mix contains crunchy and chewy ingredients like unsweetened coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds. This savory season topping adds the perfect kick to any salad.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of unsweetened large flaked coconut
- 1 cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds, the shelled variety
- 1/2 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds, the shelled variety
- 1 tablespoon of coconut or avocado oil
- 1 tablespoon Nutritional Yeast (optional)
- 1 teaspoon season salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Add the coconut, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds to a bowl and drizzle over the oil. Toss well.
- Next, add in all the spices and stir or toss the mixture well until all the toppings are coated in oil and seasoning.
- Then pread the mixture out onto a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper and place in a preheated oven at 350 degrees.
- Bake the mixture for 6-8 minutes then pull it out and stir it around a bit to expose the ingredients that haven't been browned beore baking for another 5-6 minutes or until it reaches your desired brownness.
- Remove the salad toppings from the oven and let them cool completely before storing them in an air-tight container for keeping. If these are kept air tight they will last several weeks out on the counter or in the pantry.
Nutrition Information
Yield
25Serving Size
1-3 tablespoonsAmount Per ServingCalories 53Total Fat 4gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 2gCholesterol 0mgSodium 216mgCarbohydrates 5gNet Carbohydrates 2.5gFiber .5gSugar 2gProtein 1g
I am not a nutritionist. If you have strict dietary needs I always recommend using an online nutrition calculator to calculate your totals using your exact brands you're using in this recipe as values may vary per brand.
I am a southern girl through and through that loves to laugh, cook, read and spend time with family. My passions outside of home schooling my son are ministering to those in need and creating art in the kitchen! Every day is an adventure in our little house and I wouldn’t trade it or the chance to share here with you for anything!
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