Savoury flapjacks with vegetables, nuts, seeds & cheese
My first experiment with savoury flapjacks turned out even better than expected. These quickly and easily made squares, packed with courgette, onion, carrots, nuts, seeds, oats and cheese, flavoured with sage, are great for a snack, picnics and packed lunches. I’ve also discovered they can be eaten as a satisfying vegetarian main course that knocks the socks off boring old nut roast.
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I’d had the idea of savoury flapjacks in my mind for some time. While I do love the occasional sweet cake, biscuit or scone, I really am more of a savoury sort of person. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to reach for an ultra processed crisp or cracker, so I wanted something that tasted good but wasn’t a complete no-no in health terms. I remembered how successful my sweet Carrot Cake Oat Bars were, and decided to look at making a savoury version.
SAVOURY FLAPJACKS
Cheese is the obvious contender for a savoury flapjack, and a do love a nice cheesy snack. Cheese Scones are one of my favourite homemade savoury treats but I didn’t want just an oaty version of those. So, while I decided I would include some cheese, I wanted it as more of a background flavour rather than the main feature.
I try to pack as much veg in my diet as possible. So why not include veggies in a savoury flapjack? But I wanted a recipe without too much faff, so I decided on vegetables that didn’t require precooking: grated courgette and carrot plus finely chopped red onion.
I knew that the rolled oats would give a good chewy texture, but I wanted some crunchy accents too. I always keep a wide range of nuts and seeds in the cupboard, whole, chopped and some finely ground. For these flapjacks I used ground flaxseed, pumpkin and sunflower seed, plus hemp hearts and chopped almonds. But just about any nuts and seeds will do, so use whichever you like or happen to have.
I thought these veggie, nutty, cheesy flapjacks would benefit from a herby touch, so I included a little dried sage. Again, adapt the recipe to include your own favourite herb, but I think sage is a great partner to onion and cheese.
I think butter is an important flavour in flapjacks, so in went melted butter along with salt, pepper and a couple of large eggs.
EASY
Flapjacks are so easy as there really is very little to do. Just put everything in a big bowl, give it a good stir so everything’s nicely combined then spread it out in a buttered baking tin. I use my 20cm square tin which gives me 12 savoury flapjacks.
In a preheated oven, the flapjacks will take 30-35 minutes to cook, after which they should be golden, slightly risen and smell fantastic. I like mine with a well browned top so left them until they were slightly crunchy on top.
When the flapjacks are done, remove from the oven but leave them in the tin. It’s easiest if you mark out your flapjacks with a knife while they’re still hot, but don’t attempt to remove them from the tin until they’re completely cold. They firm up as they cool and are much easier to handle if you can resist.
Stored in a covered container, in the fridge if you like, the flapjacks will keep for 3 days and are fine to freeze.
MORE THAN JUST A SNACK
I started out making these flapjacks thinking they would be a good alternative to ultra processed savoury snacks like crisps and crackers. And I was right.
But, tasting them, I was reminded of the bakes and roasts I first made 30 years ago when I was vegetarian (before becoming vegan and subsequently, omnivore again). I’d mix up cooked onions, herbs, sometimes nuts, beans or lentils, sometimes grains like bulgur or buckwheat, with eggs and cheese and bake it to eat with potatoes and veg or salad. This was my version of the ubiquitous ‘nut roast’ and I still occasionally make something like that.
I have to say though, that with the food knowledge and practice in the kitchen I’ve gained in the intervening 30 years, my Savoury Flapjacks knocked the socks of any nut roast I’ve ever had.
I still eat vegetarian or vegan for 2-3 of my evening meals every week and I think these Savoury Flapjacks will fit wonderfully well into that pattern. Especially when I develop new flavours by varying the vegetables, nuts, seeds and herbs used.
All I need to do now is think up a new name for them.
UPDATE: SAVOURY OAT BAKE
Since writing this post, I’ve made a slightly amended version of Savoury Flapjacks which I think works great as a main course rather than a snack. I call it Savoury Oat Bake but the only difference is that I’ve upped the amount of vegetables and added another egg.
The result is slightly more risen and I love it with lots of green veg on the side on chillier days or salad in Summer.
The one you see below is served with cabbage, leeks and broccoli which have been roasted. I topped them with a warm dressing of olive oil shallot, Balsamic, honey and mustard which I bubbled together until reduced.
I’ve added details of the Savoury Oat Bake to the Notes in the Recipe card.
If you’ve made my Savoury Flapjacks or Savoury Oat Bake, leave a comment to let me know how it went.
Savoury Flapjacks with Vegetables, Nuts, Seeds & Cheese
Wonderful as a healthy, savoury snack, in packed lunches or for picnics, these tasty flapjacks can also form the basis of a satisfying vegetarian main meal with the addition of salad or fresh vegetables (see Recipe Notes for variation).
Ingredients
- 50 g butter plus extra for greasing
- 150 g rolled/porridge oats
- 75 g mature Cheddar grated
- 225 g mixed courgette, carrot, red onion grated courgette & carrot, finely chopped red onion
- 1 tbsp ground or chopped seeds, e.g. flax, pumpkin, sunflower
- 1 tbsp whole seeds, e.g. hemp hearts, sesame
- 30 g chopped nuts, e.g. almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts
- 0.5 tsp dried sage
- 2 large eggs
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 180C / 160C Fan / Gas 4.
Butter a 20cm square baking tin.
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Put all the ingredients except the butter in a large bowl.
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Melt the butter in a small saucepan and pour it over the ingredients in the bowl. Stir well to combine.
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Transfer the mixture to the greased tin and press down evenly, smoothing the top down well.
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Bake in the oven until cooked through, slightly risen and golden brown (approx 30-35 min).
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Remove from the oven and cut into 12 pieces while still hot, but leave in the tin to cool.
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When completely cold, carefully remove the flapjacks and store in an airtight container. Should keep for 3-4 days.
Recipe Notes
Savoury Oat Bake To make a slightly more risen version suitable as a main course with veg and/or salad: increase the amount of vegetables to 280-300g and add 3 instead of 2 eggs. Bake as for the flapjacks and divide into 4 or 6.
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Another great recipe. I have tried similar in the past from other website/ books and found that they have not held together well. These absolutely did. They are moist and filling and make a welcome alternative to sandwiches. They froze and defrosted perfectly. Thank you Moorlands Eater.
Thank you for the lovely feedback! So pleased you enjoyed my recipe 🙂.
You seriously need to get this recipe in toddler cookbooks. This is my go-to snack for my 1 year old when we’re out and about. I’ve been individually wrapping them and keeping them in the freezer, then pop them in the nappy bag in the morning to defrost by snack time. He loves them, and the ingredients are so healthy. The only thing I change is I run all the nuts and seeds through a food processor to avoid choking hazards. These are leagues above all the sugary and processed snacks on the market today. Thank you for posting the recipe!
How lovely! Not being a parent, I have to admit that the suitability of my recipes for toddlers isn’t something I’ve ever considered, but it’s great to learn that my savoury flapjacks are a hit with you and your one-year-old. Thanks so much for your 5-star rating and great comments!
I love this recipe, tweaked by adding marmite with melted butter. Takes it to another level.
Thank you!
Not usually a fan of Marmite, but I do think it enhances cheesy things – I add some to my Lentil Mushroom & Cheese Bake 😋 https://moorlandseater.com/lentil-mushroom-cheese-bake/
This is my new go to favourite lunch recipe, I have tweaked it using different fruit, veg, seeds, etc on each occasion and I am delighted to have found a really lovely recipe. Thank you so much for sharing
Thank you for your lovely feedback!
Just made and tried these today. Oh. My. Goodness! Delicious. Going to use them mainly for hiking/camping trips since they store well out of the fridge (also going to share the recipe with my Mum). Thanks for a great recipe.
You’re most welcome, Amy! Thank you for the lovely feedback 😊
How would u make vegan? I make sweet ones with ripe banana which does away with the need for butter or oil. I have the vegan egg replacer and vegan cheese. Anything else to consider?
Sorry Livvy, but converting baking recipes to make them vegan isn’t really my area of expertise!
From other people’s comments, I see that creamed corn and even hummus have been used successfully to replace ONE of the eggs, but I’m not aware of anyone making them vegan.
If you do have a go, do come back and let us know how it went – I’m sure others would find it useful!
You can soak chia seeds as egg replacement.
About 2 teaspoons in water to replace 1 egg.
you could use coconut oil instead of butter which reduces the sugar content
Could you use drained crumbled firm tofu in this dish?
Hi Katherine,
Thanks for your interest in my recipe, but tofu is not something I cook with so I’m afraid I can’t help on this one.
Hopefully someone who does will come along and answer!
Wow! Made these this morning and had to be VERY strong and not try them until lunchtime. They are delicious! I gave some to my neighbour for her husband as he’s diabetic and couldn’t have the sweet flapjacks I made last week 🙂 My local supermarket sells bags of mixed seeds which I thought would be better to try than having to buy lots of individual bags, As the seeds were whole I used up some ground almonds I had instead of chopped nuts. I also used dried Italian seasoning as I didn’t have any dried sage. Can’t wait to try the feta version, and I’m thinking about trying a mushroom, spinach and blue cheese version too. Have shared recipe and photos of my effort today with my friends too. Thank you, thanks you, thank you.
That’s so great to hear, Rebecca!
Thanks so much for taking the time to give feedback and rate the recipe.
Hope you love the feta version just as much!
Made these this morning, there are only two left! They are amazing! I only had pecan nuts so used them and added fennel seeds and dried thyme instead of sage. I could make these every day, easy to make, fairly healthy and so yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi Lucy,
Pecan, fennel & thyme sounds great!
So glad you love these as much as I do & thanks for taking the time to comment and rate the recipe. 🙂
Can’t wait to make these, but could I use oil instead of butter?
Hi Claire,
I’ve never made them with oil as I think butter is an important flavour in flapjacks – although I often do the opposite with recipes which include oil, i.e. substitute butter!
I honestly couldn’t say how the flapjacks would work with oil instead of butter, but I suspect you’d need less oil to stop them being too greasy: oil is 100% fat while butter is 70-80% fat. I’d be tempted to reduce by 20-25% and, if it seemed too dry, maybe add some liquid e.g. milk.
I’d be interested to know how you got on if you do try it!
These were delicious – thank you for sharing the recipe! I’ve been searching for a good savoury flapjack for a while – this is by far the tastiest I’ve tried. I only had one egg so used creamed sweetcorn to bind and it worked! I also fried the veg in the butter to make them as tasty as possible. I used whatever nuts and seeds I could find, it was great and I’ll be making them again.
Thanks for the great feedback, Abi. So glad you enjoyed the savoury flapjack recipe.
I’m always impressed by how inventive people are: I never would have thought that creamed sweetcorn could substitute for an egg in these!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment.
What amount of sweetcorn Ani please?
“Lockdown adaptations”: made do with what I had, so I substituted cauliflower for courgette, added extra nuts as I had no seeds, and I only had one egg left, so mixed it with some left over home made hoummous to help bind the mix……They are really yummy! Thank you so much for the recipe
I love the sound of your inventive substitutions, Clara. I would never had thought of using hummus to bind the mixture!
Glad you liked the recipe & thanks so much for taking the time to rate and comment.
How well do these keep and do the need refrigerating? I would assume so but checking.
I’m looking for something to replace sweet flapjacks but don’t want to hog the whole fridge.
Hi Robin,
So long as the room isn’t especially warm, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature. I’ve said 3-4 days in the recipe, but they may well be fine a couple of days longer than that – ours are never around long enough to find out though!
You can also freeze them, just taking out as many as you might need the day before, allowing the flapjacks to defrost and come back to room temperature before eating.
Hope you like them!
I’ve made this twice now, it is really tasty, I’ve had it with hot veg and also with salad. I’ve generally got all the ingredients to hand, and it’s super simple to make.
Another plus is you can add some variety with extra ingredients. A big 5 star from me. Thank you for the inspiration.
Pleased you liked them, Catherine! Many thanks for rating the recipe and giving feedback 😀
I’ve been looking for a good savoury flapjack recipe for years but they’ve always been too soft. This has the perfect balance of softness and crunch, and it’s utterly delicious.
Thank you, Beth! So glad you enjoyed them!
DELICIOUS!!! Perfect healthy, savoury food on the go. Thank you!
So glad you liked them Antonia! Thanks so much for your feedback 🙂
I haven’t even made these yet but have scored them at 5 stars anyway because they sound delicious. Husband says ‘I’ve been wanting a cheese flapjack recipe for ages!’ Will definitely be trying these.
Thanks Corinne! Hope your faith is justified when you make them! These with feta, roasted peppers & olives are lovely too https://moorlandseater.com/vegetable-feta-flapjacks-with-nuts-seeds/
Ooh, what a lovely idea. These sound sooooo good. I was a veggie for 12 years and sometimes I crave a nutroast. That was all that was ever on offer in pubs for Sunday lunch at one point! Putting these on the to-do list… Jenny x
Let me know how you get on if you make these, Jenny. I’m planning on making another batch next week, but varying the flavours. I’m thinking feta cheese, olives, sun-dried tomatoes…
I’ve been looking forward to Moorlands Eater posting this recipe as these flapjacks looked scrummy so I was delighted when the post went up yesterday. As it happened, I had most of the ingredients in the cupboard so I set to with gusto! Prep was super easy and super quick, particularly with the food processor to grate and chop, took no more than 10 minutes. For seeds I used half sesame and half fennel, and for the nuts I used half walnuts and half almonds. The fennel gave a lovely subtle flavour.
I have a slightly temperamental oven and it’s sometimes hard to get the temperature right so I slightly overcooked mine. Slightly dark brown that golden brown. They also didn’t rise much, but I think I know where I went wrong. I flattened the mixture into the dish possibly a little too much. But otherwise, these are delicious to eat! As soon as they cooled, husband was nosing round the kitchen waiting to try them. They have his seal of approval! I had one for breakfast this morning and despite not being huge pieces, it kept me going until lunchtime.
For those interested, each slice works out around 150 calories.
Thank you for this recipe Lynne. I shall definitely be making them again, perhaps trying some variations too!
Many thanks for taking the time to write such detailed feedback, Angela. Glad you liked them and will be making again – I will be stealing your idea of adding fennel seeds!
These flapjacks do only rise slightly, I think because they are packed with so many goodies. If you want a lighter, more risen flapjack then perhaps experiment with fewer nuts, seeds & veg?