Savoury Buckwheat Granola

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Say hello to your salad’s new best friend. This jar of mustardy granola has become a total game-changer in our kitchen. And if you are like us and often mix leftovers into quick salad bowls, you are soon going to realize its potential. The granola has the most delicious flavour and adds a superb crunch to all types of salads. We don’t see this as a salad topping but instead a filler that you can use instead of cooking a batch of rice, quinoa or millet or whatever you normally use to make something simple and green into a more substantial meal. The granola is also great with soups (perfect for gazpacho!) and on top of grilled feta cheese or on a savory yogurt bowl. There are doubtless lots of other uses that we haven’t tried yet, but we surely will during the summer.

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Savory granola might not be an entirely new concept, but it is a great one. And this recipe is a real winner with tones of mustard, orange zest, thyme and rosemary. It also has an incredible crunch from buckwheat groats, nuts, seeds, rolled rye and oats. So give yourself 10 minutes to mix the ingredients together, shove it in the oven and then use it on almost anything. You can thank us later

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To help you get started, we are also sharing a quick little baked feta cheese recipe and a crunchy green salad which both are optimal paired with the granola. The feta cheese is almost too simple. Bake a block of feta cheese for 10 minutes on 200°C / 400°F, then switch up the temperature to max and turn on the broiler for just a few minutes. Drizzle with olive oil, fresh herbs and a generous sprinkle of savoury granola. We usually serve the cheese as a side dish to share on the table. An extra drizzle of honey will make it even more special.

The salad is a bit of a mash-up between a salad and a slaw. Thinly sliced vegetables and pears are mixed with lettuce, drizzled with a yogurt dressing and then covered in granola. Win!

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Savoury Granola – Salad’s Best Friend
Makes 4 cups / 1 litre
You can of course add or replace any of the seeds, nuts or flakes with what you have in your pantry. If you are looking for a slightly lighter granola you can replace some of the oil with water. Dry spices could also be added instead of the fresh herbs.
Dressing: 
1/2 cup / 125 ml olive oil
2 tbsp grainy mustard
1 tbsp honey (or maple syrup)
zest from 1 orange 
1-2 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme (leaves only)
1-2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary (leaves only) 
salt and pepper 
Dry ingredients: 
1 cup / 100 g rolled rye flakes (or just oats, if you are sensitive to gluten)
1 cup / 100 g rolled oats
1/2 cup buckwheat groats 
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds 
1/2 cup sunflower seeds 
1/2 cup hazelnuts
Preheat the oven to 180°C / 360°F. Combine all of the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl. Use you hands or a spatula to toss the dry ingredients in the dressing until all is coated. Bake for about 20 minutes or until crunchy and golden, stirring the granola halfway through to prevent it from burning. We usually add some extra herbs after it is baked but this is of course optional. Store in an air-tight jar in room temperature for up to 4 weeks.
Fennel and Pear Salad with yogurt dressing
Serves 4
1 butter lettuce, leaves gently torn
1 cucumber, sliced into rounds
1 fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced 
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 romanesco or 
broccoli, thinly sliced
2 pears, thinly sliced 
2 tbsp olive oil 
Yogurt dressing
3/4 cup / 20o ml yogurt
10 basil leaves, finely chopped
1/2 lemon, juice
a pinch of salt and a generous grind of black pepper
Prepare all the salad ingredients and place them in a large salad bowl. It’s easiest to use a mandolin to get thin slices. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to combine. Stir together the yogurt dressing in a small bowl. Serve the salad on 4 plates, drizzle with yogurt and top with a generous scoop of granola.

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PS. In case anyone is wondering, the salad plate was a real bargain from a local ceramicist. Apparently it’s a bit uneven so we almost got it for free. A tip is to always ask for their “damaged goods” if you want unique pieces and are on a budget. The apron is from Stone Cold Fox. 

40 Comments

  • This sounds perfect! I just bought a ton of buckwheat groats for the first time so I'm excited to try this out. My husband and I love the crunch of granola on a salad, but we never thought to make a savory version like this specifically for that purpose. Can't wait to try it!
  • birgit
    i made it yesterday and it is sososo delicious and it doesn't soak so it's crunchy till the last bite today i bought rye flakes because this will become a staple in my kitchen lg birgit
  • EMilye
    Can't wait to try this. If I were to replace some of the olive oil with water, how much would you suggest aiming for, in terms of proportion? Thanks so much for this great recipe.
  • Never thought of granola as an addition to a savoury dish ... sounds like I have something to experiment with in the near future!
  • malin
    Hej! Är det hela bovetegryn eller bovetekross ni använder?
  • Lisa Mills
    Making this today! I have the raw buckwheat - but should I rinse and or soak it first, before toasting?
  • It may sound dull - but granola is my favourite food! I love making my own with a range of different seeds - pumpkin, chia and linseed are my favourite. I also often add a dollop of honey and bake it into granola bars! It means than if you wake up in the early morning and are not hungry enough for breakfast yet, you can take it in your bag as a breakfast bar. They are also so filling and often carry me right through till mid afternoon!
  • I just posted a granola recipe today :) I've never tried a savoury granola though! Thanks for the inspo x
  • Wonderful blog! I really like your recipe ! Thanks for sharing :)
  • this is such a winner of an idea. I do a savoury granola in my Gluten and Grain Free Class here on the farm with different combinations of herbs and spices but I think the one tossed with maple syrup and tamari is nearly always the favourite, great tossed with warm roasted cauliflower or layered on top of tomatoes and onions and baked as a savoury crumble. Love your work xx
  • Sylvie
    Hi! I made the receipe and at first I was sceptical about salted granola, but since I had everything on hands I thought I could give it a try. It is just delicious on salad! 😀 Happy I tried! Nice pics too!
  • Qué manera tan espectacular de comenzar la semana!! Siempre me sorprenden! Gracias!
  • Wow, I bet this makes your house smell so fragrant while it's baking- added bonus! I'm dying to try it with the baked feta...
  • looking good, luise! Thank you guys so much!!! I haven't had feta warm in SO long. Forgot how delicious it is.
  • I love the idea of a savory granola! I'm trying to incorporate more buckwheat into my diet and also playing with it a bit. Such a gorgeous ingredient! x
  • Virkelig god ide med sådan en granola til det salte køkken. Den opskrift skal jeg helt sikkert prøve. …og den skål er da virkelig bare et fund! SÅ fin :-)
  • It might not be a completely new concept in your eyes, but I would have never come up with toppings beyond 'bland' toasted nuts and seeds. So thank you for yet another inspiring idea David and Luise! Bring on salad season ;-)
  • gerti
    Hair!!!!!!
  • susanna
    is it Extra Virgin Oil or plain Olive oil? and if you dont have rye flakes, that makes it 200g of oats? thanks
    • Hi Susanna, you can use any oil you prefer. And, yes, you can replace the rye flakes with the same amount rolled oats.
  • This is great guys, as always! I've never tried baked feta, I wonder if it will work well with 0 fat feta as well. The savory granola is definitely something I'll be making!
  • suzanne
    Always delightful to get a new recipe from GKS! One question: Are the buckwheat groats added uncooked? Thanks!
  • Sophie
    Thank you for posting a savory granola!! I just discovered the notion a few weeks ago when I found a recipe for one made with tahini, miso, lemon, and nori. I've gone wild with the idea.
    • That sounds like a pretty delicious granola as well. You should definitely have a go at this. It's totally worth it! /D&L
    • Tina
      This IS a new discovery for me...mmh I can't wait to try it, just have to get a few more ingredients. Would you mind sharing where you found the other savory granola recipe, you refer to ...sounds yummy :)
    • Emilye
      tahini, miso, lemon and nori are all things i love - would you share the recipe for the savory granola you mentioned? thank you!
  • You guys are genius!this sounds amazingly good!
  • This is super interesting! I think this would be great on a soup, salad or even yogurt parfait! I would love to try it out as well!
  • Oh, I bet this would be great as a garnish to a creamy soup as well. I can't wait to try this and the baked feta.
  • What a game changer!! This is so unique and delicious sounding!
  • Definitly trying the granola, I really love buckwheat.
  • Lumi
    I love your ceramics! Where did you buy them? (I love your recipes too 😁)
  • I was just staring at that bowl, thinking it was crooked and wondering if it was a trick of the light. I'm a ceramicist and it was driving me crazy! This granola recipe is wonderful, thank you!
  • I love savory granola! I made one too for my upcoming cookbook, full of indian spices and using puffed brown rice...I'm sure that this recipe is as much delicious ^_^

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