Za’atar Bread Crumbs

These Za’atar Bread Crumbs are an easy to make copycat recipe for one of Sweetgreen’s tastiest salad toppings. All you need is bread, olive oil and za’atar seasoning.

If you like salads that have a little crispy crunch to them, you’ll love adding in these za’atar bread crumbs.

You’ll need to make these bread crumbs if you are trying to make a Sweetgreen copycat salad — such as their Hummus Crunch Salad, Buffalo Chicken Salad or Pesto Parm Salad.

And if you are really into making Sweetgreen copycat recipes, you’ll want to make some of their other essential salad ingredients, such as their Warm Roasted Sweet Potatoes or their Wild Rice.

However, these bread crumbs make a great salad topping for any other type of salad too!

Jump to:

• Recipe Highlights
• Ingredients & Substitutions
• Step By Step Instructions
• Expert Tips
• Recipe FAQs
• 📖 Recipe

Recipe Highlights

• Easy To Make — These za’atar bread crumbs are incredibly easy to make with only three ingredients. They take just a few minutes and you can make a large batch to use throughout the week.
• Sweetgreen Copycat — Sweetgreen uses za’atar bread crumbs in several of their salads, but this topping is not something you can buy pre-made in a store. This recipe is a really close Sweetgreen copycat which you’ll need if you’re trying to make Sweetgreen salads at home!
• Crunchy & Flavorful — Once baked in the oven, these bread crumbs are just the right amount of crispy to give your salad a nice crunch. The za’atar seasoning also adds in some delicious flavor to really take your salad to the next level.
• Uses Up Stale Bread — If you have some bread lying around that is going a bit stale, this is the perfect recipe to use it up!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Bread: You can use any type of bread you like for this recipe. It is best if the bread is 1 or 2 days old at least so it has started to get a bit hard. However, if you only have fresh bread, you can toast it before hand so it becomes a bit stiffer.
• Olive Oil: You’ll need a small drizzle of olive oil to coat the bread crumbs with. You can replace this with another type of oil, such as avocado oil, sunflower oil or vegetable oil.
• Za’atar Seasoning: You should be able to find za’atar seasoning in any large grocery store or Middle Eastern grocery store. If not, you can order some online, or even make your own za’atar seasoning at home, using thyme, coriander, cumin, sesame seeds, sumac and aleppo chili flakes.

Step By Step Instructions

Step 1: Pulse the bread in a food processor until it breaks down into a crumb-like consistency. Don’t over blend the bread, otherwise it will become too fine.

Step 2: In a large bowl, sprinkle the olive oil and za’atar seasoning over the bread crumbs. Toss the crumbs to evenly coat them with the seasoning. Line the bread crumbs evenly on a baking sheet and bake at 350F for 5 to 10 minutes, until they are golden brown.

Expert Tips

• Don’t over blend the bread crumbs. When food processing the bread crumbs, only pulse them a few times to turn them into crumbs. Don’t blend them too much or they will become a powder.
• Watch the bread crumbs closely when baking. These bread crumbs can burn quickly. Watch them closely when you put them in the oven and take them out as soon as they turn golden brown.
• Store bread crumbs in the fridge. Store the za’atar bread crumbs in an air tight container in the fridge for up to a week.

Recipe FAQs

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📖 Recipe