Hi everyone! I thought I’d kickstart this week (and your mornings!) with a versatile and flavoursome granola recipe! Today’s recipe is really fun to make and entirely customisable. Read on to see my take on this tasty breakfast granola and how it’s made!
Oat so fun granola!
Like any granola, rolled oats provide the perfect foundation for this breakfast cereal. There are numerous other ingredients to experiment with, so what exactly can you use? I like to incorporate some spelt puffs. If you’ve ever had Honey Puffs or Sugar Puffs, then you understand the taste and texture of spelt puffs. They add a wonderful sort of chewy and crunchy aspect to the granola that tastes amazing!
Unfortunately, spelt puffs are not gluten-free. However, you can absolutely substitute them with puffed quinoa, puffed rice or puffed amaranth! I am using unsweetened spelt puffs as the sweet tahini mixture that we’re going to make will add all the sweetness we need. We’ll be using soft brown sugar in this recipe rather than granulated brown sugar. Soft brown sugar will dissolve into the mixture, whereas granulated sugar will give the granola a gritty texture. If you don’t have soft brown sugar, you could substitute with caster sugar or a bit more maple syrup, if you prefer!
Free-From Ethos
Some of the other breakfast ingredients that I’ve included in this granola are: sunflower seeds, desiccated coconut, banana chips and dried blueberries. This combination provides antioxidant-rich benefits as well as some added sweetness and texture. As my mum is allergic to nuts, I’ve naturally excluded using any nuts in this recipe. However, I have added things like sunflower seeds and the tahini to add a bit of nutty flavour. If you can eat nuts, then feel free to add them in at the pre or post-oven stage – if you add them pre-oven then the nuts will toast slightly, if that’s what you’re after.
Almond slices, pecans, hazelnuts and brazil nuts all go nicely with granola. You can also add any dried berries or other fruit you like, such as dried pineapple or sour cherries. The recipe below is basically a blank canvas for you to turn into your favourite granola ever! If you’re adding dried fruit, I would add it after the granola has come out of the oven and cooled down as dried fruit is likely to burn in the oven due to its sugar content. If you like, you could also add some mini (vegan!) marshmallows or chocolate shavings for a fun twist!
Dreamy Tahini
Tahini imbues this granola with a delicious nutty flavour that also binds the ingredients together really well! If you’re curious, tahini is just a paste made from toasted sesame seeds. You’ve probably had tahini in Baba Ganoush, Hummus, Halva, and generally as a dressing. In fact, the flavour of this recipe is quite reminiscent of halva. Halva is a sweetened tahini treat that looks a little like nougat. Loads of countries have their own version of halva (also called halvah or halwa), from countries in the Middle East, Central & South Asia, among other places. I’ve used maple syrup as the main sweetener in this recipe, but feel free to use agave nectar or date syrup, or maybe a combination of both!
I really love sharing recipes that allow for lots of creativity! Also, I particularly like recipes where you get to customise them and make them into exactly what you like. I think breakfast cereals can sometimes contain hidden ingredients and if you happen to have any allergies, then navigating the ingredient lists can become quite scary. So, a recipe like this granola allows you to control what’s going inside so you can feel safe about what you’re eating and make the food that you love!
Let me know if you give this recipe a go! What flavour combinations have you tried out? What are your favourite toppings?
If you’d like to cook along with me then head over to our Instagram stories to view this recipe as a video!
Homemade Granola
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl x2
- Whisk
- Spatula or Wooden Spoon
- Baking Sheet
- Airtight Container
Ingredients
- 160 g Rolled Oats
- 35 g Desiccated Coconut (optional)
- 25 g Sunflower Seeds or Pumpkin Seeds
- 1 tbsp Flaxseeds
- 30 g Unsweetened Spelt Puffs or Popped Amaranth or Quinoa (optional)
- 45 g Soft Brown Sugar *Not Granulated Sugar*
- 80 g Coconut Butter or Olive Oil
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 115 ml Maple Syrup or Agave Nectar or Date Syrup
- 120 g Tahini
Additional Ingredients
- 30 g Banana Chips
- 40 g Dried Blueberries
Instructions
- To begin, preheat the oven to 170°C/350°F.
- Line a large baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- Place the rolled oats in a large bowl.
- Add the desiccated coconut, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and spelt puffs.
- Stir the dry ingredients thoroughly and set aside.
- In another mixing bowl, add the soft brown sugar, coconut butter, vanilla extract, maple syrup and tahini.
- Whisk the ingredients thoroughly to create a smooth mixture.
- Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
- Stir until completely combined. The mixture should almost resemble a flapjack! This texture is ideal so that clusters of granola can be formed and crumbled apart later.
- Tip all the granola mixture onto the prepared baking tray and spread out evenly.
- Bake the granola in the oven for 20-25 minutes, or until it is golden brown. Every 5 minutes you should remove the granola from the oven and give it a good stir before placing back in the oven. This is to ensure the granola doesn’t burn and creates an even bake.
- Once baked, remove the granola from the oven and allow it cool completely.
- While the granola cools, carefully stir and break up the granola into chunks and clusters every five minutes or so. The granola will harden as it cools, so you’re better to do this while the granola is still in the cooling phase. Take care as it might be quite hot at first.
- Add any nuts or dried fruit of your choice. I’ll be adding in banana chips and dried blueberries. Stir together until all your additional ingredients are well dispersed.
- Serve with your favourite plant-based milk! Enjoy!