Oats Chivda (Oats Mixture)
By Swasthi on August 2, 2022, Comments, Jump to Recipe
Oats Chivda is an Indian savory trail mix made with rolled oats, spices, nuts, roasted gram, coconut and curry leaves. This healthy and delicious snack is gluten-free and vegan. You can also make it nut-free by leaving out the peanuts. Oats Chivda keeps good for 2 months at room temperature. You can serve it as a snack any time of the day.
Chivda is a traditional Indian Snack usually made with Poha, (flattened rice), spices, nuts and herbs. Here in this oats chivda version we replace some of the poha with rolled oats. Replacing all of it with oats won’t give you a crispy and crunchy snack.
However if you do not prefer to use poha you may replace the same quantity with corn flakes (cereal) or crispy puffed rice.
This Oats Chivda is easy to make and makes for a guilt-free snack as it is pan fried and not deep fried. In this post I have shown making it in a pan on the stovetop. However you can also make it in the oven.
To make oats chivda use the best quality organic oats because we don’t rinse them for this recipe. Also use thick rolled oats and not instant oatmeal. Choose the thickest kind as your chivda is going to taste really good with it.
You may also like to check these oats recipes
Oats ladoo
Crispy oats dosa
Oats pancakes
Oats chilla
How to make Oats Chivda (Stepwise photos)
Preparation
1. Dry roast ¾ cup oats on a medium flame.
2. When they turn slightly golden, Set them aside to a plate. They won’t turn crispy.
3. In the same pan, roast 1 cup poha/ beaten rice. If using cornflakes or puffed rice, just skip this and the next step. Add puffed rice or cornflakes at the last step.
4. When poha turns light in texture, transfer them aside to the plate.
Tempering
5. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in the pan, add ½ tsp mustard and ½ tsp cumin. When they begin to crackle, add 3 to 4 tablespoons peanuts or cashews and 1 broken dried red chili.
6. Fry the peanuts till golden and aromatic. Add 3 to 4 crushed garlic, 1 sprig curry leaves and 1 to 2 slit green chili. You can add more or less chilies to suit your taste. Fry all until the garlic is roasted well and curry leaves turn crisp.
7. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons fried gram and 2 tablespoons chopped dried coconut (copra) pieces (optional). Roast until the coconut smells good. Make sure peanuts are roasted well by now. Switch off the stove.
8. Next add ½ teaspoon red chili powder, 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon turmeric and half teaspoon salt. Mix every thing well. At this stage if you feel your tempering is too dry, you may pour a bit of oil.
9. Add poha and oats to the pan.
10. Mix everything well.
When oats chivda cools completely, I sprinkle little more salt if needed and add 2 tsp of extra virgin olive oil. It adds good flavor and prevents chivda from being dry.
Just before serving: 2 tbsp of chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, chopped coriander leaves and a bit of lemon juice can also be added to each serving of chivda. Serve immediately else the mixture turns soggy.
Related Recipes
Recipe Card
Oats Chivda Recipe (Oats Mixture)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- ¾ cup rolled oats
- 1 cup poha or cornflakes or puffed rice
- 1 to 1½ tablespoon oil (more if required)
- 3 tablespoons peanuts or cashews
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 dried red chili broken
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 to 2 green chilies slit
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 2 to 3 tablespoons fried garm or roasted gram or putani
- 2 tablespoons dried coconut (copra) thinly sliced & chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt (adjust to taste)
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to taste)
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon turmeric (adjust to taste)
- 1 pinch asafoetida (hing)
Instructions
How to Make Oats Chivda
- Dry roast oats until slightly golden. They will not turn crisp. Set them aside to a plate.
- Next roast poha in the same pan. Keep stirring and roast until crisp and light. Set them aside.
- Heat oil and crackle mustard, cumin and red chili. Roast peanuts until golden & aromatic.
- Add garlic, green chili and curry leaves.
- When the garlic begins to smell good. add coconut and fried gram.
- Fry until the coconut smells good.
- Add turmeric, chili powder and salt. Switch off the stove.
- Transfer poha and oats. Mix everything well.
- When the mixture cools down, add more salt if needed and pour little coconut or olive oil. Toss them.
- Store oats chivda in a air tight jar and use within 2 months.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills.
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Is there any substitute for fried gram please?
leave them out from the recipe
I just made it today. It came out so delicious 🙂
Thank you
Which brand’s rolled oats did you use? They look nice like poha, because in my experience some brand’s rolled oats are too broken, they don’t look nice whole rolled oats, and that makes it difficult to roast them without burning the small broken pieces.
Hi May,
I use regular rolled oats from Anzen brand or Extra thick rolled oats from Bob’s Red mill. Like poha we get these in thick and thin. Yes What you said is right, it is hard to roast evenly. I think you can get it easily online. Thanks for rating the recipe.
🙂
It turned out awesome.. Thank you so much ?
Hey Iwanted to ask which poha tobe used is it kande pohe or chivda poha.plz rpy I wanted to try it.
Hi Gauri
You can use medium poha used to make kanda poha and thin poha used for chivda. If using thin poha roast it for lesser time.
Do not use thick poha used for idli dosa, they turn very hard.