Umam me!

December 1, 2024 7:59 PM

I’ve been craving intensely salty or umami snacks. Crispy Cheetos are my usual go-to, but I’m wondering if there’s anything a bit healthier?

Other salty snacks I love:
Cheese, especially baked into toiles
Pasta with anchovy breadcrumbs
Caviar
Smoked fish
Ramen
Spam musubi
Chex mix
McDonald’s and Taco Bell

I especially like salt when it’s accompanied by fat. All suggestions welcome, although I’m not crazy about pickles. What should I be eating?

posted by nouvelle-personne to Food & Drink (29 answers total)

Nori snacks?
posted by Rube R. Nekker at 8:05 PM on December 1, 2024 [9 favorites]

Crispy chickpeas? You can make your own with whatever spice blend you're feeling but there are also great commercially available ones. Yes, you're spending more but whatever.

Popcorn! All the flavors of popcorn! Again, pop your own and add your flavors or buy pre-made popcorn. "Healthy" is a relative term there but ...

I really like The Good Crisp Company's line of products.

Kale chips (once again, make your own or buy them) can also fulfill that salty snacky desire while they're still something you can pretend are healthy.
posted by edencosmic at 8:11 PM on December 1, 2024

Murukku (indian crisps). I know them by this (Tamil) name and it's basically salty spiced fried crisps and nuts. Technically, it's these spiral shape ones but depending on how it's popularly known, it includes other kinds too. For those kinds, I've seen it referred elsewhere as "Bombay mix".
posted by cendawanita at 8:14 PM on December 1, 2024

I don’t think it’s particularly healthy, but I bet you would like latiao, the spicy Chinese gluten snack.

Popcorn made at home and topped with grated Parmesan and/or chili powder.
posted by mskyle at 8:37 PM on December 1, 2024

Texture tends to be a big part of the craving for me - could it be for you too? Here are my favorite salty fatty snacks arranged in order of creamy to crunchy:

- Smashed avocados with lime
- Hummus
- Brie with sliced tomatoes
- Olives marinated in flavored olive oil
- Boiled peanuts (takes 30-40 minutes in the microwave, and more water than you think) - once boiled, mix with finely chopped onions and tomatoes, some salt, and a squeeze of lemon for a BOMB snack
- Pumpkin seeds (roasted and salted)
- Roasted and salted pistachios (or cashews, or peanuts, or ...)
- Parmesan crisps
posted by MiraK at 8:39 PM on December 1, 2024 [1 favorite]

Just today, a friend made some popcorn that she seasoned with nutritional yeast and those liquid aminos that I've never really paid attention to before. This was a snack of Pure Umami Power!
posted by Dr. Wu at 8:50 PM on December 1, 2024 [3 favorites]

Low tech and a a little prep, but. If you have access to Marmite, Vegemite, Promite, or similar salty yeast spread... lightly toast a slice of bread. Then spread *mite very, very thinly. Then put thin slices of cheese on top. You can grill until browned, or you can do what I do which is carefully microwave until the cheese goes crisp.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 8:57 PM on December 1, 2024

a friend made some popcorn that she seasoned with nutritional yeast and those liquid aminos that I've never really paid attention to before. This was a snack of Pure Umami Power!

Seconding this
posted by knobknosher at 9:51 PM on December 1, 2024

Miso soup? You can make it or buy it.
posted by paduasoy at 10:13 PM on December 1, 2024 [2 favorites]

And vegetable crisps, make or buy.
posted by paduasoy at 10:16 PM on December 1, 2024 [1 favorite]

Just before I read this, I made myself a little sandwich of crisp bread with goat cream cheese and smoked salmon. It's a little more demanding than opening a bag, but a lot more healthy. (My doctor has told me to eat more protein).
Also seconding the vegetable crisps, they are very moreish.
posted by mumimor at 5:48 AM on December 2, 2024

Trader Joes Sweet & Salty Umami Crunch Crackers maybe? Rice crackers have to be better than whatever Cheetos are made of.
posted by bluesky78987 at 6:56 AM on December 2, 2024

A Chinese friend turned me onto what he called "horse beans" but which are also known as fava beans. I don't know how healthy they are but they're cheap and crunchy. You can sometimes find a spicy version too.
posted by zadcat at 7:04 AM on December 2, 2024

Smashed cucumber salad. Or if you're supremely lazy like me you can just bite the top off a cucumber to make a concavity and stand in front of the fridge dripping soy sauce directly from one of those kikkoman bottles onto each bite.
posted by lucidium at 8:12 AM on December 2, 2024 [1 favorite]

Dulse!
posted by Text TK at 8:41 AM on December 2, 2024

Flavoured almonds? I really like smoked almonds or the Blue Diamond Wasabi and Soy Sauce ones.
Do you like truffle flavour? Truffle salt or oil on popcorn would be very umami, in my opinion.
posted by velocipedestrienne at 8:54 AM on December 2, 2024 [2 favorites]

From Maangchi: Stir-fried dried anchovies and peanuts (myeolchi-ttangkong-bokkeum 멸치땅콩볶음).
posted by Lexica at 10:05 AM on December 2, 2024

Seaweeds like nori or kombu get used a lot to add umami and salt to recipes. You could get nori snack packs or try putting furikake seasoning on popcorn.
posted by fifthpocket at 10:20 AM on December 2, 2024

umeboshi [eatingwell]
posted by HearHere at 10:27 AM on December 2, 2024

Seasoned sunflower seeds are great if you’re ok with the salt levels.
posted by music for skeletons at 10:45 AM on December 2, 2024

Garlic broad beans are available in most asian groceries. They're shelf-stable and easy to eat like Cheetos but are much closer to a whole food, fried but not otherwise processed. Very tasty, filling, and high in fiber.
posted by eraserbones at 11:12 AM on December 2, 2024

I love all Indian snacks but wouldn’t consider any of them a healthy alternative to Cheetos. Maybe a fun swap but for taste and not health.

I am on mobile but if you search David Chang msg spray you’ll find his recipe for creating a water based solution full of msg he swears is the best upgrade to crudite. Raw fresh veg plus umami? You’re a fatty dip away from solving all (most) of your issues. . .
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:10 PM on December 2, 2024

Ranch and raw veg! Something like hidden valley ranch that contains lots of msg. I make my own version with half mayo, half sour cream, dried (or fresh), garlic powder, salt, and msg. Buy a big cheap bag of msg from an Asian store or online. Some yogurt can be subbed in, a splash or so of buttermilk to thin. So many veg options - peapods either flat or puffy are a favorite.
posted by RoadScholar at 2:13 PM on December 2, 2024

Locatelli Pecorino Romano cheese, in small slices on very salty crackers. Even basic saltines work here. It's pure umami.
posted by JoeZydeco at 9:00 PM on December 2, 2024

How do you feel about jalapeno poppers? I'm also someone who can't get enough salty & savory, and I am extraordinarily fond of jalapeno poppers with ranch dip/dressing. I make my own (with and without a breading) or buy the frozen breaded kind, and I often make my own ranch dressing but sometimes use one of the two storebought ranch dips that are good (Dean's or Daisy), and it's creamy savory salty goodness all the way.
posted by rhiannonstone at 9:22 PM on December 2, 2024 [1 favorite]

Rosemary or Tamari or any other number of savory almonds from TJs.
posted by lalochezia at 4:43 AM on December 3, 2024

I have terrible migraines. Today I warded off it with eating Trader Joe's pate with a small dessert spoon and some of their version of pringles.
posted by yueliang at 7:54 PM on December 3, 2024

Response by poster: Oooh so many great ideas, thank you!
posted by nouvelle-personne at 1:07 AM on December 7, 2024

Oh! One more salt-bomb snack I love is dill pickle potato chips with french onion dip (or sometimes ranch dip). It's salty enough to kinda make my mouth hurt a bit if I go through a lot at once. I know you said you're not super fond of pickles, but I figured I'd suggest it in case you're good with the flavor and it's the texture/format you don't like.

For maximum salty goodness go with store-bought, commercially-made French onion dip, or the kind you can make at home by stirring a packet of powder into sour cream. Homemade or store-bought french onion dip made with real caramelized onions is going to be on the sweeter side and lack that the extra salt.
posted by rhiannonstone at 2:06 PM on December 7, 2024