Try this homemade granola on top of a smoothie, with your greek yogurt, or by itself as a snack!
I love granola in the morning with some Greek yogurt. It fills me up with lots of plant-based protein and healthy fats. But I've struggled to find the right brand of granola at the grocery store. Some brands boast healthy ingredients, but their nutrition facts don't live up to the hype. The added sugar content may surprise you. And, while healthy fats do call for higher calorie counts, I don't need to eat an entire day's worth in a small cup of granola for breakfast!
So, I decided to make my own granola in order to better mediate the ingredients, exclude preservatives, and minimize sugar levels. Below is a basic foundation for my gluten-free granola. You can add more or change out any of the ingredients to better suit your mood.
- 4 cups gluten-free rolled oats
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup avocado oil or coconut oil (or a mixture of both)
- 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, maple syrup, oil, and cinnamon. Let it sit for about 2 minutes and then stir it together once more.
3. Scoop the mixture onto a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil and press firmly down with the back of your a spatula. You want to spread the raw granola out, creating an even layer. The better you pack it down, the better the your granola will cluster together in the oven.
4. Place the cookie sheet in the oven for 20 minutes.
5. Once baked, remove the granola from the oven and let it cool for about 20 minutes.
6. Break the granola into clusters and store it in a sealed container in the fridge to best preserve it. You can store the granola in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to three months.
- Coconut flakes: Add them on top of your granola halfway through baking so they don’t burn.
- Chocolate chips or Cacao nibs: Sprinkle these on top once the granola has cooled down.
- Dried fruit (cranberries, apricots, blueberries, dates): Add on top after cooking.
- Nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios, cashews, pumpkin seeds, and/or sunflower seeds): Add in with all of the other ingredients.
- Vanilla extract: Add in with all of the other ingredients.