This granola recipe features a tasty mixture of toasted rolled oats, coconut, and dried fruits and berries. Notably missing in this recipe are any nuts or whole seeds which are often found in granola. This is intentional. For anyone who, for any reason, cannot consume nuts or whole seeds, this Nut-free Granola is especially for you!
Granola is an oat-based cereal. Typically, the base ingredients will include:
- rolled oats (use the ones that have large flakes; easily customize the recipe to be gluten-free by using gluten-free oats),
- some kind of sweetener (e.g., brown sugar, maple syrup, or honey),
- an oil (e.g., coconut, vegetable, or olive),
- dried fruits and/or nuts, and
- flavoring (such as vanilla and a medley of spices that often include cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamon).
Granola is very versatile and is so much more than a cereal served with milk for breakfast, although that is quite lovely. Here are some ways I like to use granola:
- topping for yogurt parfaits,
- snack food (like a trail mix),
- ingredient in muffins, cookies, and bars,
- crushed/ground and used to bread chicken pieces or as a topping for casseroles,
- sprinkled over salads, or
- mixed with toppings for a baked fruit crisp
It’s very easy to customize granola to suit your taste. If you want to add some nuts or chocolate chips to the granola, for example, swap out an equal amount of dried fruit or berries. Or, if don’t like raisins, exchange them for an equal amount of another ingredient such as dried blueberries, cranberries, cherries, or apricots. The important thing is to keep the proportions of ingredients in the recipe.
If you can turn on an oven and heat a mixture in a saucepan on the stove, you can make granola! The sweetener, oil, and flavorings are heated in a small saucepan on the stove top just until they are warmed and well blended. This syrup gets poured over the oats and stirred to ensure the oats are coated. The oats are then spread on a large cookie sheet and baked in the oven for 35-45 minutes until they turn golden brown. They are then cooled and tossed with the mixture of dried fruits and berries.
It’s very important to pay attention to the oats as they bake because they can easily burn. The oats need to be turned 3-4 times as they bake to ensure that they toast evenly on all sides. As soon as they start to turn a deep caramel color and begin to get a bit crispy, they are done.
[Printable recipe follows at end of post]
The Bistro’s Great Nut-free Granola
Ingredients:
3 cups large flake rolled oats
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 cup dried cranberries, cherries, or blueberries (or a combination of two or three)
1 cup sultana raisins
½ cup hemp hearts
¼ cup chopped dates
½ cup dried pineapple
½ cup dried papaya
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp cardamom
Pinch nutmeg
Pinch salt
½ cup flaked coconut
Method:
Preheat oven to 300°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil. Spray lightly with cooking oil.
Combine rolled oats and ground flaxseed in large bowl.
In separate large bowl, combine cranberries, cherries, and/or blueberries along with the raisins, hemp hearts, dates, pineapple, nd papaya. Set aside.
In small saucepan, combine coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, spices, and salt. Stir over medium-low heat until mixture is well blended and heated. Do not boil.
Pour hot syrup over oats and toss to coat. Spread oats evenly on baking sheet. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until oats are a deep caramel color and start to get crispy. Stir oats every 12-15 minutes, turning them over with a spatula, so that the oats toast evenly. Add coconut to oats during the last 5-7 minutes of baking. Remove from oven and cool for 20-30 minutes then transfer toasted oat mixture to the large bowl containing the dried fruit. Stir well to combine all ingredients.
Store granola in airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days or store in refrigerator for longer use.
Yield: Apx. 7½ – 8 cups
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For other great granola recipes from My Island Bistro Kitchen, click on the links below:
Clumpy Almond Butter Granola
Pumpkin Spice Granola
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A tasty nut-free granola made with a wonderful blend of dried fruits and berries
Ingredients
- 3 cups large flake rolled oats
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 1 cup dried cranberries, cherries, or blueberries (or a combination of two or three)
- 1 cup sultana raisins
- ½ cup hemp hearts
- ¼ cup chopped dates
- ½ cup dried pineapple
- ½ cup dried papaya
- ½ cup coconut oil
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cardamom
- Pinch nutmeg
- Pinch salt
- ½ cup flaked coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300°F. Line large rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil. Spray lightly with cooking oil.
- Combine rolled oats and ground flaxseed in large bowl.
- In separate large bowl, combine cranberries, cherries, and/or blueberries along with the raisins, hemp hearts, dates, pineapple, and papaya. Set aside.
- In small saucepan, combine coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla, spices, and salt. Stir over medium-low heat until mixture is well blended and heated. Do not boil.
- Pour hot syrup over oats and toss to coat. Spread oats evenly on baking sheet. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until oats are a deep caramel color and start to get crispy. Stir oats every 12-15 minutes, turning them over with a spatula, so that the oats toast evenly. Add coconut to oats during the last 5-7 minutes of baking. Remove from oven and cool for 20-30 minutes then transfer toasted oat mixture to the large bowl containing the dried fruit. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Store granola in airtight container at room temperature for 5-7 days or store in refrigerator for longer use.
- [Copyright My Island Bistro Kitchen]
