Hey chefs,

Fall food is cozy food. We want creamy soups, tender squash, buttery potatoes, soft breads, braised meats, baked pasta, and basically anything that makes the kitchen smell amazing.

But there’s one little problem with all that coziness:

Everything can start to feel a little… soft.

One of the easiest ways to make a fall dish taste more exciting is to add contrast—and very often, that means crunch.

Think about texture, not just flavor

When we build a dish, we tend to think about salt, sweetness, acidity, richness, and spice. Texture deserves a spot on that list too.

A spoonful of creamy butternut squash soup is delicious. A spoonful with a few crisp sage leaves and toasted pepitas? Suddenly there’s something happening.

Mashed potatoes are wonderfully soft. Add crispy shallots and you get little bursts of crunch between bites.

Even a simple salad gets more interesting when the tender greens and juicy pears are interrupted by toasted walnuts.

The crunchy element doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, it usually shouldn’t be.

Raid your kitchen for something crisp

A few of my favorite fall finishing touches:

• Toasted nuts and seeds: pecans, walnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, pepitas, or sunflower seeds
• Crispy herbs: sage is especially wonderful fried briefly in butter or oil
• Toasted breadcrumbs: even better when cooked with butter, garlic, Parmesan, or herbs
• Crispy onions or shallots: excellent on soups, potatoes, casseroles, vegetables, and savory pies
• Croutons: not just for salad—try them over creamy soups or alongside braised dishes
• Fresh apples or pears: thin slices or matchsticks can provide a completely different kind of crispness
• Crispy cheese: Parmesan frico, browned cheese edges, or little shards of baked cheddar
• Roasted chickpeas: especially good when you want crunch with a little more substance

Add the crunch at the end

This is important.

If you make something beautifully crisp and then let it sit in a steamy pot of soup for twenty minutes, congratulations: you have made it soft again.

Crunchy garnishes generally belong on the plate, not in the pot.

Keep breadcrumbs, croutons, nuts, fried herbs, and crispy onions separate until serving whenever possible. That way the first bite gets the texture you intended.

Soft + crisp is only the beginning

Once you start paying attention to texture, you’ll notice this idea everywhere.

Creamy + crunchy.
Tender + crisp.
Chewy + creamy.
Flaky + saucy.

Great food isn’t always about adding another flavor. Sometimes the salt is right, the acidity is right, and the seasoning is right—and the dish still feels like it needs something.

Before you reach for another spice, ask yourself:

Does this just need a little crunch?

Because in a season full of soups, sauces, braises, casseroles, and mashed everything, sometimes a handful of toasted breadcrumbs is doing far more work than you think.

    Brennah Van Wagoner
    Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2025
    Email the author! brennah.oaks@gmail.com