Tamari Seeds: An Easy Crunchy Salad Topping Recipe

Add a savoury crunch to a simple green salad with this super easy toasted tamari seeds salad topping mix.  Quick & easy to whip up, gluten free and vegan, this tasty seed mix can also double as the perfect healthy snack.

TOTAL TIME INVESTMENT: 6 MINUTES

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, particularly my meal plans, you will know that “a simple green salad” features regularly on our menu.  Let pretend that this is due to the fact that our dinners are so delicious and complex that they require little more than a few green leaves for aesthetics rather than the truth, which is that by the time I have actually cooked dinner I am far too lazy tired to make anything elaborate to accompany it. 

There are weeks that I am supremely organised, and have managed to prepare all of the elements of my side salad ahead. And to help you out I have put all my tips for prepping salads ahead in an easy tip sheet that you can download immediately from the Resource Library. Simply click the link below or request the password at the end of this post.

Mostly though, my ‘simple green salad’ is little more than a few washed leaves thrown into a bowl.  If I’m feeling fancy, I will quickly whip up a batch of this toasted tamari seed mix to act as a crunchy salad topping.

This crunchy salad topping takes only minutes to whip up, and is so easy that I usually delegate the task of cooking it to The Princess.  Whilst I normally sprinkle it over salads, I may have been known to eat handfuls as a snack on those occasions I crave a savoury hit.

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Ingredient Substitutions for this Crunchy Salad Topping

With only a few ingredients, there is little wriggle room for substitutions in this tamari salad seeds recipe. Don’t ever let that stop you playing with a recipe to suit your preferences though.

• Switch up the seeds you use in the mix: Replace the sesame seeds with chia seeds or hemp seeds instead if you are battling family allergies. Or black sesame seeds in place of the white seeds if allergies are not an issue.
• Change up the quantities in the seed mix: The ratio of seeds is not important in this salad topping, so if you don’t like or have any of the seed varieties, use more of another. You can use all pumpkin seeds, or all sunflower seeds, and still make a delicious salad sprinkles recipe.
• Tamari is the Japanese version of soy sauce, and is slightly thicker, richer in flavour and darker than its Chinese counterpart.  If you don’t have tamari, substitute traditional soy sauce, although tamari will give the seeds a richer flavour. To ensure your salad topping is gluten free, make sure the tamari you use is also gluten free.

Frequently Asked Questions about Tamari Salad Sprinkles

Tamari Seed Mix: A Few Final Tips

One of my favourite things about this tamari seed mix recipe is that it can be quickly toasted on the stove, and I don’t have to worry about heating the oven. Which is obviously perfect at the height of summer when you don’t want to heat up the house.

And a few final thoughts for you:

1. This recipe is so easy that it is a great one to start the kids on in the kitchen. The seeds do need to be frequently stirred to prevent them burning, which is perfect for those kids that just want to ‘help’.
2. The seeds can burn in a flash, so keep half an eye on them. Frequent stirring should prevent the seeds catching on the pan.
3. Store the salad topping in an airtight container or glass jar.  The salt in the tamari attracts moisture, and the seeds will become sticky if left exposed to air for long periods. 
4. I store my seed mix in the airtight container in the fridge, although the coated seeds are perfectly fine in the pantry if used within a few weeks.
5. The seeds will last for months in the fridge, but are best consumed within two weeks of making them.
6. The seed mix can be frozen if preferred.

More Quick Salad Ideas

Using your own salad topping recipe is the fastest way to joosh up a salad and make it seem a little fancier than what it actually is. But if you are looking for other speedy salad ideas, why not try:

• Tomato & White Bean Salad
• Vegetable Couscous Salad
• Roasted Beetroot Salad with Goats Cheese & Walnuts.

Enjoy!

Made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below.

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Toasted Tamari Seeds Salad Topping Mix

Add a savoury crunch to a simple green salad with this toasted tamari seed salad topping. Quick & easy to whip up, it doubles as the perfect snack.

Course Salad, Snacks

Cuisine Australian

Keyword crunchy salad topping recipes, seeds for salad, tamari seeds

Prep Time 1 minute

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 6 minutes

Servings 3 /4 cup

Calories 98kcal

Author Tania @ The Cook’s Pyjamas

Ingredients

• 30 g (1/4 cup) pumpkin seeds
• 30 g (1/4 cup) sunflower seeds
• 40 g (1/4 cup) sesame seeds
• 20 – 40 ml (1 – 2 Tablespoons) Tamari

Instructions

• Place the pumpkins seeds in the base of a medium fry pan.
• Tip the sunflower seeds on top.
• Finally, add the sesame seeds.
• Warm the fry pan over a gentle heat.
• Once the fry pan has warmed, stir the seeds.
• Allow the seeds to cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often. The seeds will begin to pop and puff up as they cook, which is perfectly normal.
• When the seeds are a golden brown, add the tamari to the pan.
• Continue to stir until the seeds are dry. Be careful at this stage as the sesame seeds can catch on the bottom of the pan.
• Tip the seeds onto a plate or tray and allow to cool. When cool, store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Notes

1. The seeds can burn in a flash.  Frequent stirring should prevent the seeds catching on the pan.
2. Store the salad topping in an airtight container or glass jar.  The seeds will become sticky if left exposed to air for long periods. 
3. Store the seed mix in the fridge, although the coated seeds are perfectly fine in the pantry if used within a few weeks.
4. The seeds will last for months in the fridge, but are best consumed within two weeks of making them.
5. The seed mix can be frozen if preferred.

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Update Notes: This post was originally published on 1st July 2016. It was substantially updated on 26th March 2019 to include ingredient substitutions, FAQ’s, nutritional information and to improve the readability of the text.

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