Easy Vegan Granola
Who doesn’t love granola! Crunchy, tasty and super flexible in the flavour combinations – its makes the perfect breakfast and snack!
HOWEVER, most store bought granolas or cafe bought granolas are in fact NOT VEGAN as they are made with honey – a revelation indeed.
Therefore, I started to play with different syrups and oils to find the perfect combination for a crunchy taste sensation with no animal by-products! This recipe for easy Vegan Granola is perfect for any occasion.
Keep reading…
Maple Syrup Granola
Naturally, the first sugar I started to use was Maple Syrup. Delicious and full of health benefits, maple syrup makes the perfect substitute to honey, however, it comes at a price. Most good maple syrups are in the range of £7.99 a bottle – and you use almost half a bottle at a time – which means the overall price of the granola can come in about £10-12 (with all the nuts and seeds).
If you do choose Maple Syrup, I like to choose a grade B and make sure you get the real deal. Like with all syrups – companies realise they can make more money by substituting quality with a lower class mix.
Granola with Date Syrup
I started to look for alternatives and then discovered an unopened bottle of Beloved Date Syrup. Costing £3 a bottle from supermarkets and also a natural vegan sugar this was naturally my next choice for the sugar source in my granola.
What oil is best for Granola?
The next part of the granola I started to test out was the oil. Did I want Coconut? Rapeseed? Argan?
The oil needs to be able to withstand 150-160c heat. I skipped with the rapeseed and tried two granolas: one with coconut and one with argan.
The blend with argan (I used arganic) and maple syrup was incredible – almost too naughty but the final product was delicious. Coconut and date syrup was delicious also, deeper in colour and flavour, it gave an alternative change when one type gets monotonous.
How to make Granola
Right, the next bit is easy! Preheat your oven to 150-160c. Grab a bowl for your dry ingredients, measuring cups, an electric whisk and long tray covered with parchment paper for baking. Easy Vegan Granola should take only 40-45minutes total of your time!
Ingredients:
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 3/4 cup pecans roughly chopped
- 3/4 cup other nuts roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup of melted coconut oil or cold-pressed argan oil
- 3.4 cup maple or date syrup
Now to make it your own: (any of the below)
- 1/2 cup flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup sultanas
- 1/4 cup of seeds (pumpkin, sunflower)
- 1/4 cup of chopped dates
Instructions:
- Mix all dry goods in a bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk together the oil, syrup and vanilla. Whisk until completely blended and smooth.
- Pour the wet mixture over the oat mixture and stir until fully combined.
- Spread the mixture evenly onto the parchment paper on the baking tray. It should be a very thin layer in order it gets evenly cooked.
- Bake in the oven, check every ten minutes and stir – try to avoid breaking up the clusters.
- When golden, remove from oven and leave on the side to completely cool. The trick here is not to cook it until crunchy, as it gets harder when it meets the cold air.
- Once completely cool – store in an air tight glass jar.
The perfect crunchy granola
Voila! Enjoy with your favourite alternative milk or simply on its own! My favourite at the moment is Rude Health Hazlenut milk! Easy Vegan Granola anytime of the day!
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