If you are someone with a lot of allergies or trying to address gut issues, cereals and granolas can be one of the first foods you kick to the curb. Finding one that is both affordable and checks all your boxes can be difficult. Lots of store bought grain-free granola (that were non-existent 5 years ago and still difficult to find in a lot of cities) is extremely sweet (raging that sugar monster) or contains something you might be trying to avoid. Making it at home is the way to go if you have the time and a little patience. This recipe I have been making for about 5 years and it is a staple in our home. I make it pretty much every other Sunday and it has gotten me through a lot of food ruts which are common on a meal plan with more limited options. It was a go-to for me when a lot of foods seemed unappetizing during my pregnancy, needed an easy snack while nursing a newborn or as a busy mom just didn’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen making breakfast. It can be eaten plain, like cereal with a milk, or my favorite, crumbled over dairy free sugar free yogurt and topped with fresh or frozen blueberries. If you are looking for a lightly sweet, almond and grain free granola, I’ve got you.

• 1 1/2 Cup unsweetened Coconut chips (some brands will come with huge slivers and ill break those up a little with my hands)
• 1 1/2 Cup Cashews
• 1 1/2 Cup Pecans
• 1 Cup unsweetened Shredded coconut
• 1 Cup Hemp Hearts
• 1 Cup Chia seeds
• 3 TBS Coconut oil (We have used this brand for several years – no coconut smell)
• 1/3 Cup + 1 TBS Honey
• 1 TBS Vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt to taste
• 1/2 TBS Cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 300°

In a food processor, chop your pecans and cashews for about 30 seconds on the pulse setting. It is okay to have some larger chunks remaining. (Note: My toddler enjoys these as well, so I try to make sure there are no larger nut pieces. If it is well processed with the exception of a few, I will break those with my fingers at the end to keep it from getting over-processed.) If you process for too long, you will get a flour like consistency which you don’t really want.

Move the pecans and cashew to a bowl and add your hemp hearts, chia seeds, shredded and chipped coconut. Stir to combine.

In a saucepan over low heat or in a microwave for 15 second increments, combine your vanilla, coconut oil and honey. Stir and pour over the granola mixture while stirring until well incorporated. Add your salt and cinnamon and stir well.

Spread into a thin layer about a 1/4 inch thick on a Silplat or similar cooking silicone cooking mat (this is critical to avoid sticking to your pan, you could also use parchment in a pinch, but would need to adjust the cooking time to avoid burning). Sprinkle a little extra cinnamon on top. Bake for 10 minutes then rotate the pan and bake another 10 minutes. Watch these carefully to avoid burning. If they aren’t golden brown, add extra time in 2 minute increments. On a second sheet, lay out the second half and repeat baking process. Allow both pans to cool completely before breaking up the granola. Keep these in sealed mason jars or air tight ziplock bags. They keep for several weeks but will lose some crispness over time.

Substitutions: You can swap or add ingredients as long as you use similar same sized pieces and the same measurements. Substitutions and additions include: Pepitas (lightly chopped), Slivered Almonds, Chopped Walnuts, or flax seeds. If you decide to add additional ingredients, you will need to increase the coconut oil and honey mixture, a minimum of 1TBS of honey & 1tsp of coconut oil per each cup of additional ingredients.

Note: If you prefer a granola that is even more resilient to breaking and closer to a granola bar in texture, you will need to add more honey. You might prefer it even sweeter. I actually prefer it much less sweet and will use less than this recipe calls for but the granola will not “cluster” in the same manner. I’m OK with that for my yogurt topping to keep my sugar consumption down. The ingredient list above is our snacking and “company’s coming” recipe. 😛

So that’s our grain free granola recipe. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!