I love granola – but the problem with most of the store-bought variety is all the preservatives, unnecessary refined sugar and unhealthy vegetable oils like palm, rapeseed and canola. The good news is that it’s a snap to make at home and you can easily change up the ingredients depending on what you’ve got on hand and your preferences. Just make sure to keep the same proportion of wet/dry ingredients. Here is the ultimate go-to recipe, which I am completely addicted to. The spices are typical of the ones you would find in Chai and it’s quite the hit at our house. It’s also highly addictive so be careful.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats (not the powdery quick-cooked oatmeal)
- 1/2 cup almonds/hazelnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup pecans/walnuts, chopped/halved
- 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp coconut nectar or maple syrup
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 4 cardamom pods – seeds only, crushed finely with a mortar and pestle
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp ginger powder
- 1/3 cup of dried cherries (or other dried berry)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F
- Mix oats, almonds, pecans, coconut, cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl
- In a small saucepan, add coconut oil, maple syrup and stir for 1 minute over medium heat until it forms a uniform syrup. Mix in the vanilla.
- Pour over the oat/nut mixture and combine until all the dry ingredients are coated with syrup.
- Transfer on a cookie sheet and in an even layer.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once it gets dark golden and starts smelling really nice, it is usually ready. The granola might still be a little moist.
- Remove from the oven and toss in the dried cherries and remaining spices: cardamom, cloves and ginger
- Once cooled, it is usually quite dry and crunchy.
- Serve with milk or on top of fruit/your favorite yogurt
- You can store in an air-tight container at room temperature for 2 weeks
