Why You’ll Love this Grain-Free Granola Recipe
- Gluten-free, dairy free, and refined sugar-free recipe
- None of the extra ingredients or added sugar like the store-bought kind
- An easy and different variation on granola
- Great for adding to milk, yogurt, or a smoothie bowl for a quick breakfast
- Filled with nutritious ingredients, fiber, and healthy fats!
I love adding granola to my smoothie bowls. Try it in this coconut smoothie bowl, mocha protein smoothie bowl, or green smoothie bowl.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cashews: Raw, unsalted cashews are best. You can buy raw nuts in bulk from nuts.com or Thrive Market!
- Pecans: Use unsalted and raw pecans. You could swap this for almonds or walnuts if you prefer.
- Coconut flakes: Make sure you get the unsweetened flakes. We really like Bob’s Red Mill.
- Nut Butter: Any kind of nut butter like cashew butter or almond butter is good. Just note that if you use peanut butter it will still be grain free, but it won’t be paleo.
- Seeds: We’re using a combination of flax seeds and chia seeds. They’re full of fiber and healthy fats.
- Maple syrup: There’s only a little bit of maple in this recipe, but if you want a completely sugar free recipe, just omit this.
- Coconut oil: This helps the recipe get chunky and adds even more healthy fats.
- Cinnamon: The richness and warmth this adds to the grain free granola brings so much flavor.
- Vanilla and salt: Kosher or sea salt helps balance the flavors and add subtle vanilla to deepen the flavor.
How to Make This Grain-Free Granola Recipe
- Whisk together the wet ingredients including melted coconut oil, maple syrup, cashew butter, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and salt. Add the dry ingredients including cashews, pecans, chia seeds, flax seed, and coconut flakes, and mix well to completely coat.
- Bake. Spread the mixture evenly onto a prepared baking sheet in an even layer and bake at 300°F for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to avoid burning.
- Cool and serve. Once the granola is golden brown and is done cooking, remove it from the oven and let cool completely to get crisp.
How to Serve Grain-Free Granola
The best part is that there are so many ways to eat this simple paleo granola! Here are a few things I like to eat with paleo granola:
- On top of dairy-free yogurt (i.e. coconut yogurt) or Greek yogurt. My favorite way to have it is with a drizzle of raw honey and fresh fruit overtop
- Your favorite milk (I use oat milk, cashew milk, almond milk, or coconut milk!)
- Plain in a ziplock bag as a snack on the go. Add dried fruit, raw pumpkin seeds, chocolate chips, different nuts, or unsweetened coconut flakes next time.
- On top of a smoothie or our favorite smoothie bowl, the easy pitaya smoothie bowl recipe.
- On top of a banana with cashew butter (the best healthy snack!)
Storage
Store in an airtight container. (Our favorite jars to use are Weck Jars.) Let the granola cool to room temperature before storing so that it doesn’t retain moisture and will last longer. Store at room temperature for 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
If you make this healthy granola recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. You can also tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
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Grain-Free Granola Recipe
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut oil melted
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup creamy cashew butter (or other nut butter)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups cashews roughly chopped
- 1 cup pecans roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons flax meal (or flax seed)
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a large-rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil, maple syrup and cashew butter, cinnamon, vanilla and salt. Add the cashews, pecans, chia seeds, flax seed, and coconut flakes and mix well to completely coat.¼ cup coconut oil, ⅓ cup pure maple syrup, 1/3 cup creamy cashew butter, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 2 cups cashews, 1 cup pecans, 2 tablespoons chia seeds, 2 tablespoons flax meal (or flax seed), 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- Pour and spread the mixture evenly onto a large baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to avoid burning.
- Once the granola is visibly browned and done cooking, remove from the oven and let cool completely to get crisp. Enjoy it plain, on top of yogurt, or with a bowl of almond milk.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
FAQs
Grain-free granola is a delicious breakfast option because it’s full of healthy fats, protein, and fiber. It also delivers minerals like magnesium. Bonus points because it doesn’t include any ingredients that tend to cause inflammation in the body (gluten, dairy, sugar).
Yes! Swap nuts for a larger ratio of seeds (pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp hearts) and use sunflower seed butter or tahini instead of cashew/almond butter. Be mindful of texture, though. Seed butters can be thinner, so you may need a little less of it to bind.
Stored in an airtight jar at room temperature, it will stay fresh for about 1 week. For longer storage, keep it in the freezer (up to 3 months) in a sealed container. Thaw at room temp for 10–15 minutes before serving.
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I can’t use honey or maple. Can o it these or do I need to find an appropriate substitute?