I love cheese and whether it's real cheese, or cheese flavored things I find it hard to stop eating them once I start. Cheez-Its (and the Japanese equivalent Cheeza) are a particular weakness of mine, and it's not a stretch to polish off an entire bag in one sitting. While they're not quite as junky as some snacks, they're not exactly wholesome either. This is where I got the unusual idea of making these granola cheese crackers.
It may sound a bit weird at first, but there's nothing new about savory granola, and by adding enough cheese, it not only gives these a blissfully cheesy flavor, but it also holds them together.
They're as cheesy as Cheez-Its but with a texture that has multiple layers of crunch. The first layer comes as you bite into a piece and the crisp cheese gives way, crumbling into the constituent components. Chewing gives you the crisp crunch of the rolled oats and the supple crunch of the pumpkin seeds. As you continue to chew, the crisp chia seeds pop in your mouth followed by the sesame seeds, which burst with nutty flavor. While the fireworks display of textures is going off in your mouth, the cheese flavor crescendos from mere aroma to a full onslaught of cheesy goodness.
Needless to say, these have now been added to the snacks we keep around the house. So here's how I made them.
Savory Granola Components
Granola normally has three main components:
- Filler - Usually this takes the form of rolled oats combined with other things such as nuts, seeds, coconut, bran, etc.
- Binder - This is what helps hold everything in the filler together to form clumps (or bars). In the case of sweet granola, this is usually sugar or syrup.
- Flavoring - This is what gives the granola flavor, such as dried fruit, extracts (vanilla, almond, orange, etc), and powders (cocoa powder, strawberry, etc). Additionally, there is usually some oil added, such as butter or coconut oil, which helps the filler ingredients brown more evenly, enhancing their flavor.
For my savory granola, I used a base of rolled oats mixed with pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, and black sesame seeds. These wouldn't be out of place in sweet granola, but I thought the smoky pumpkin seeds and nutty sesame would play nicely with the cheese. You could have a lot of fun here and adapt the filler ingredients depending on what you have in your pantry at the moment.
Binding Savory Granola
I waffled back and forth on how to bind my savory granola. One option I considered was using egg whites, but I wanted an ultra cheesy flavor and figured if I added enough cheese, it would crisp (like the crispy cheese you get on the edges of a grilled cheese sandwich) and hold the whole thing together. The cheese is not only the primary flavoring for this granola, but it also serves as a binder. As a bonus, cheese has a ton of oil, so the granola will brown and crisp evenly without adding any additional oil.
The first time I made this, I used a 50:50 mix of Cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano, but the problem is that Parmigiano-Reggiano is a dry cheese and does not melt as Cheddar does. This means it doesn't bind the ingredients together very well, and the bars fall apart easily. I ended up increasing the amount of Cheddar to compensate, which gives it the perfect balance of cohesiveness and flavor.
If you substitute other cheeses, be sure to use enough cheese that melts (e.g., Cheddar, Gruyere, Comté, Emmental, Gouda, etc.) so that everything holds together. I also wouldn't recommend using a soft cheese such as camembert or brie because their water content is too high.
Savory Granola Bars or Clusters
Once baked, the cheese melts and crisps, holding the whole sheet pan of savory granola together. It's still a little malleable while hot, so this is the time to shape it how you want it. If you want clusters, you can break the sheet up with your hands (be careful not to burn yourself). You can also use a knife to cut the sheet into rectangular bars, square crackers, or triangles. They're edible as soon as they cool, but I've found that they taste better after resting for at least a day; this allows for a more robust cheese flavor to develop. It also makes them a perfect make-ahead snack for parties and potlucks.
How to Enjoy Savory Granola
These cheesy granola crackers make for a delicious yet wholesome snack as is, but they can also be used as a base for something fancier. Spread a little honey ricotta on top and garnish with edible flowers for a canapé, or just top with some fig preserves for a sweet and savory snack. The savory granola crumbles left over when you slice them is the perfect topping to add a bit of texture to salads and pasta.
Finally, I haven't tried this yet, but I'm wondering if these could be turned into a savory granola crust for quiche, or a savory cheesecake. If anyone tries this, I'd love to hear how it goes in the comments.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 200 grams rolled oats
- 50 grams pumpkin seeds
- 50 grams chia seeds
- 20 grams black sesame seeds
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 250 grams Cheddar cheese (coarsely grated)
- 100 grams Parmigiano-Reggiano (finely grated)
Instructions
- Put your oven rack in the middle position and preheat to 350 degrees F (175C)
- In a large bowl, toss the rolled oats, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder together.
- Add the Cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano to the mixture and toss to coat evenly.
- Spread the mixture onto a non-stick jelly roll pan (10.5 x 15.5 inches) and press down to make everything stick together.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cheese has crisped and the granola is golden brown.
- Remove the pan from the oven and while the granola is still hot, transfer it to to a cutting board and cut into squares or bars. Let them cool completely and store in an airtight container.
- These savory granola bars taste best when left to rest for a day or two.
Chelsea says
I love the taste of these but I ended up with maybe 40% of the ingredients just being dry crumbs in the bottom of the pan. It definitely seemed like it was missing butter or oil or something to help it stick together or maybe to soak the chia seeds or something first. The cheese alone didn't seem to be enough. I will definitely try again though with this in mind.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Chelsea, sorry to hear your granola didn't stick together. It is a rather dry mixture and I avoided adding extra oil because the cheese contains ton of milk fat which comes out as the cheese melts and then crisps. The most likely culprit for why yours didn't stick as well as mine is differences in the type of cheese you used. Cheddar and Parmigiano Reggiano that's been aged for longer tends not to melt as well which could be the culprit. Another possibility is if you used pre-grated cheese these have often been treated with anti-caking agents that tend to make them not melt as well.
If you want to try and change the recipe to make everything stick together better, I'd recommend using beaten egg whites. Just beat an egg white in a bowl and then drizzle it evenly over the mixture before folding it in. This will bind the pieces together.
Katy Codella says
I was a huge fan on Kashi Quinoa Corn & Roasted Pepper savory bars. They stopped production years ago, but they are still on my mind. I'd love to make them and plan on trying your recipe. I purchased freeze dried corn/peppers/etc that I would like to have incorporated in the bars. I noticed on the recipe with fruit, you didn't bake the fruit. Is it safe to bake the veggies in, or will they burn? Do you have a recipe using egg whites instead of cheese? If I use quinoa, or other grains, should they be cooked first? Thank you!
Marc says
Hi Katy, I've never had Kashi Quinoa Corn & Roasted Pepper bars so I'm not sure how to replicate them. Regarding egg whites, they will work to bind the bar together, but any freeze dried veggies you add will absorb the water from the egg whites and will lose their crisp texture. Cheese would work better because it has a relatively low moisture content and high fat content that should in theory keep the veggies from going soggy. The only problem with this approach is that they will burn easily, so you'll probably want to reduce the oven temperature and bake it for longer. As for quinoa, I'm pretty sure you have to cook it first (as you normally do with water) and then bake it to dry it out and crisp. Otherwise they will end up very hard. Another option is to puff the quinoa, but this requires very high temperatures, so it would be best to dry roast it in a pan until they puff (like popcorn). Hope that helps!
Lauren says
I haven't tried this yet but in the middle of it now and saw this comment. At lease for sweet granola, you don't need to cook the quinoa first (although the recommendation is always to toast it because "raw" it has asbestos on it). Cooking it is enough to make the grains "pop" and they work perfectly like that.
Stacy Luton says
What would the shelf life be on these? Would they have to be refrigerated, because of the cheese?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Stacy, they're baked until there's very little moisture left, so they're fine at room temperature (as long as your room isn't too hot). I've had them sitting around for a few weeks. The oils in the cheese will eventually go rancid though so I wouldn't keep them around for more than a few weeks.
Molly B says
They never last that long in my house! However, I’ve had luck with freezing in serving sizes...slows me down a little!
Stacy L says
Thank you Marc. What if I added an humectant, would that make them last longer at room temp?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Stacy, you actually want the opposite to preserve it (i.e. storing them with a packet of desiccant), as moisture will make these go stale. The other thing that's going effect shelf-life is the temperature, the warmer it is, the faster the oils from the cheese will go rancid.
Stacy Luton says
Ok, so one more question. Lol How many weeks would you say is a few weeks?
Marc Matsumoto says
They get eaten before they go bad in our household, so I honestly don't know. I think we've had them around for as long as 3 weeks though.
Erika says
These are great. I make them every few weeks now. Only problem is mine don't hold together as well as I'd like and I don't get that really crispy toasty cheese thing going on. I'm wondering if this is because I'm substituting grana padano for parmigiano. What do you think?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Erika, I'm happy to hear you've been enjoying these. They are pretty brittle, but I don't think swapping Grana Padano for Parmigiano would cause them not to hold together. One possibility I can think of is how finely you grated the cheddar. My cheese grater only has small holes so it gets grated pretty small, this probably helps the cheese get distributed more evenly which helps everything stick together. Another possibility is that you might need to bake it for a little longer. The cheese should be browned and crisp. If you don't mind using eggs and really want this to hold together you can mix in an egg white. But you'll need to bake it for longer to evaporate all of the moisture from the egg.
Erika says
Thanks for responding. I made another batch last night and I think I've solved it. More cheese! Which can never be a bad thing. LOL And I baked it a bit longer and got a more toasty cheese flavour. Sooo delicious!!
Marc Matsumoto says
That's great to hear! And yes, more cheese is never a bad thing😆