Wholesome Granola is of course sweetened with applesauce and made with oats, nuts, chia seeds, and dried fruit. Serve it as a snack or a scrumptious topping in your favourite smoothies and yogurt bowls. Better of all, it bakes in simply half-hour!
I might be mendacity if I stated I wasn’t just a little bit obsessive about this More healthy Home made Granola. It’s wholesome, satisfying, simple to make, and tremendous customizable. Whether or not you want your granola candy, salty, nutty, fruity, or crunchy, that is the form of dish which you could tweak to suit any craving.
This wholesome granola recipe is definitely my favourite granola recipe I’ve tried to date. It’s made with easy, healthful components that style superb and make you are feeling nice. I like munching on this by the handful or including it to Greek yogurt bowls.
Retailer-bought granolas are typically extremely misleading, with a great deal of hidden sugars and synthetic components. Nonetheless, it can save you cash and make a a lot more healthy model by making granola at house. This scrumptious granola is sweetened with applesauce and constituted of components that you almost certainly have already got in your pantry.
Granola can be excellent for meal prep. You may make a giant batch on Sunday and retailer it for breakfasts and snacks all through the week. Sprinkle it on high of yogurt bowls and smoothies, combine it right into a bowl of contemporary fruit, or add almond milk for a wholesome cereal. The choices are limitless!
Why You may Love This Wholesome Granola
- Sweetened with applesauce: As an alternative of being full of sugar like conventional granola, the key to creating a lighter however nonetheless candy granola is to make use of applesauce. It provides sweetness and a scrumptious apple taste that’s excellent for fall.
- Customizable: Make this granola with all of your favourite mixtures of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, chocolate chips, coconut, spices, and extra. The choices are limitless.
- Excessive protein choices: Conventional granola is normally low in protein, however this recipe can simply be personalized so as to add protein.
Key Elements
To make this 30-minute wholesome granola, you will want the next key components:
- Old style oats: Additionally known as rolled oats, these are a unbelievable supply of protein and fiber. They’re additionally the principle ingredient in nearly any granola recipe! Be certain to quaint rolled oats and never fast cooking, instantaneous, or metal reduce oats.
- Nuts: For tons of wholesome fat, be happy to make use of any type of nuts you like. A few of my favourite selections embody almonds, pecans, walnuts, and pistachios.
- Chia Seeds: These tiny seeds are stuffed with useful vitamins, omega-3s, fiber, and protein, making them an exquisite addition to our do-it-yourself granola. You might additionally add flax seeds.
- Applesauce: Unsweetened applesauce is a unbelievable supply of soluble fiber and helps to take care of wholesome blood sugar ranges. It additionally provides a scrumptious, naturally candy taste!
- Coconut oil: Not solely is that this an exquisite supply of wholesome fat, however it additionally helps the remainder of our granola components stick to one another. Be happy to swap in olive oil.
- Maple syrup: This pure sweetener provides the right contact of sweetness to boost the flavors of our granola components. Be happy to swap it out for honey or agave, if wanted.
- Dried fruit. That is the place it will get enjoyable! You’ll be able to add any type of dried fruit you want. A few of my high selections embody cranberries, blueberries, cherries, shredded coconut, dates, apricots, and pineapples.
- Spices: Dried spices are an effective way so as to add taste to do-it-yourself granola. Add cinnamon, dried ginger, cardamom, pumpkin pie spice, nutmeg, or chai spice.
Methods to Make Home made Granola
Comply with these steps to make crunchy, scrumptious granola each time.
1. Put together the Moist Elements
In a small saucepan over medium warmth, mix the applesauce, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla. Prepare dinner for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring often, till clean and properly mixed.
Tip: Keep away from boiling the combination—simply heat it sufficient to soften the coconut oil and mix the components.
2. Combine the Dry Elements and Mix with Moist Elements
In a big bowl, toss collectively the oats, nuts, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt. Pour the applesauce combination over the dry components and stir till every little thing is evenly coated.
Tip: Use a spatula or your fingers (as soon as cooled) to make sure thorough mixing.
3. Unfold the Granola and Bake
Unfold the granola evenly onto the ready baking sheet in a layer about ½ inch thick. Bake for 25 to half-hour, till frivolously browned and aromatic.
Tip: Stir midway by way of for even toasting, or depart it undisturbed for chunkier clusters. Watch the perimeters as they brown quicker.
4. Let It Cool and Add Dried Fruit
Let the granola cool on the baking sheet for a minimum of half-hour to harden and turn out to be crispy. As soon as absolutely cooled, break it into chunks and toss with dried fruit like raisins or cranberries.
Tip: Don’t stir whereas cooling to assist type these crunchy clusters.
5. Retailer Your Granola
Switch the granola to an hermetic container, the place it can keep contemporary for about two weeks.
Tip: Freeze for as much as three months and thaw earlier than serving for longer storage.
How do I preserve my granola crunchy?
Sizzling temperatures trigger nuts, oats, and seeds to burn earlier than they’ve an opportunity to get good and crispy. In case you’re having bother retaining your granola crunchy, attempt baking it at a decrease temperature and stirring it usually.
Additionally, be sure you’re letting your granola cool solely earlier than consuming. Nearly all granola comes out of the oven on the softer aspect, however it can proceed to crisp because it cools.
Including Protein to Granola
Incorporate protein-packed nuts, corresponding to almonds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, pepitas, walnuts, or cashews, and seeds, corresponding to pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, or hemp hearts. These not solely increase protein but additionally add crunch and wholesome fat.
Tip: Add the nuts and seeds to the dry components earlier than baking to make sure they roast evenly and turn out to be additional crunchy.
2. Combine in Nut Butter
Stir peanut, almond, or cashew butter into the moist components. This provides protein and helps bind the granola, giving it a wealthy, nutty taste.
Tip: Warmth the nut butter barely with the moist components so it combines easily earlier than mixing with the dry components.
3. Use Protein Powder
Combine protein powder into your dry components earlier than combining them with the moist components. This ensures the powder is evenly distributed all through the granola. If the protein powder tends to be chalky, add it to the moist components so it absolutely dissolves.
Tip: If utilizing whey protein or different delicate powders, bake at a decrease temperature (round 300°F) to stop the protein from denaturing or giving the granola a burnt taste.
4. Add Quinoa
Pre-cooked quinoa provides a crunchy texture and further protein. You’ll be able to combine it into the dry components or sprinkle it over the granola earlier than baking.
Tip: Be certain the quinoa is absolutely cooked and dry earlier than including it to keep away from sogginess.
5. Incorporate Greek Yogurt After Baking
Serve your granola with a dollop of Greek yogurt. This protein-packed deal with pairs completely with the crunchy texture.
6. Stir in Collagen Peptides
Collagen peptides are a tasteless protein supply that dissolve simply. Stir them into the moist components for a protein increase with out altering the feel.
7. Add Pulsed Lentils or Chickpeas
Roasted, pulsed lentils or chickpeas add a stunning quantity of protein and crunch to granola. Merely pulse them frivolously in a meals processor and blend them in with the oats.
Tip: Roast the chickpeas or lentils individually earlier than including to the granola to make sure they’re crispy and never mushy. Or use store-bought crunchy chickpeas.
8. Toss in Protein-Wealthy Grains
Grains like amaranth, buckwheat, or teff comprise extra protein than oats alone. Combine these into your granola to spice up its protein content material.
Tip: Toast the grains frivolously earlier than including to the combination to boost their taste and crunch.
Wholesome Granola Recipe Suggestions
Listed below are a few of my high ideas that can assist you make the perfect do-it-yourself granola:
- Make it clumpy: My favourite elements of granola are all the huge clumps of scrumptious oats and nuts. So, to make sure this dish comes out additional clumpy, mix the oat combination right into a single cluster about 1 inch thick. Bake for about quarter-hour, then break the cluster into smaller, chunky clumps and proceed baking.
- Wait so as to add your fruit. Nothing will break a batch of granola quicker than a mouthful of crispy, burnt fruit. In case you stir your dried fruit into the granola after it’s cooling, it can keep smooth and chewy.
- Give it time to chill. I understand how tempting it’s to begin munching when your granola comes out of the oven. Nonetheless, it can proceed to crisp because it cools, so that you’ll need to depart it alone for about quarter-hour. It will be certain that your granola seems additional crispy and further scrumptious.
- Add chocolate chips. Do I really want to elaborate on this one? Let’s be sincere, chocolate makes every little thing higher.
- Don’t skip the salt. Salt is the important thing to enhancing this dish’s different flavors, so don’t depart it out. Sea salt is my most well-liked choice or kosher salt.
Methods to Serve Wholesome Granola
I like this dish due to how versatile it’s. Listed below are a few of my favourite methods to take pleasure in do-it-yourself granola:
Home made Granola Storage Suggestions
This wholesome, do-it-yourself granola dish is the right make-ahead recipe. As a result of it’s really easy to make, I extremely suggest doubling the batch and saving the remaining for later. To retailer, enable your do-it-yourself granola to chill fully, then seal it in an hermetic storage container.
- On the counter for as much as 2-3 months.
- Within the freezer for as much as 3 months.
I don’t suggest refrigerating your do-it-yourself granola, because the moisture could cause your granola to turn out to be soggy.
