Healthy Almond Vanilla Granola
All the good stuff and none of the bad. A perfectly healthy way to enjoy oats in the morning!
Healthy Almond Vanilla Granola
Filling, delightfully crunchy granola that is oil-free, date-sweetened, and gluten-free! Packed with fiber from oats and omega-3s from walnuts, it's the perfect addition for a child's breakfast, a snack on the trail or the slopes, or a post-workout meal with your favorite fruit. Ready in under 1 hour.
Healthy Almond Vanilla Granola
ingredients:
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/2 cup almonds, slivered
- 1/2 cup craisins
- 1/4 cup coconut flakes, unsweetened
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1 cup pitted dates (soaked in boiling water if not soft- see notes)
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tsp vanilla
- cinnamon, to taste
- salt, to taste
instructions:
How to cook Healthy Almond Vanilla Granola
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, craisins, and coconut flakes.
- In a high powered blender, combine the pitted dates, almond butter, water, and vanilla. Blend until smooth.
- Add the date mixture to the mixing bowl and stir very thoroughly to combine. Clean hands worked best for me.
- Add salt and cinnamon to taste.
- Cover a large baking pan with parchment paper. Dump the granola mixture onto the baking pan and press flat.
- Bake granola mixture for 30 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the oven and carefully break apart into crumbles. Then bake again for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. The granola may still feel soft when you take it out of the oven (and that's okay). It will crisp up as it cools.
- After baking, allow to completely cool in the pan on a cooling rack. Then store in an airtight container.
Calories
494.88Fat (grams)
23.09Sat. Fat (grams)
2.87Carbs (grams)
64.73Fiber (grams)
10.76Net carbs
53.97Sugar (grams)
24.65Protein (grams)
13.28Sodium (milligrams)
97.80Cholesterol (grams)
0.00
About the recipe:
The first time I made granola at home, I felt like I’d discovered a hidden secret: the thing I bought at the store for $10/pound could be made in my own kitchen at a fraction of the cost! I happily followed a super “healthy” recipe I’d found, dousing my oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit in ½ cup of canola oil, and topping it with over a cup of honey. That’s nearly 2,000 calories JUST from oil and honey, but it’s okay because it’s healthy! Right?! Then I happily ate my “healthy” granola with yogurt for breakfast throughout the week (if my gallon sized ziplock bag of candy- I MEAN GRANOLA- lasted that long).
When I went WFPB, I put my “breakfast candy” days behind me. But I still missed granola! It’s more flavorful than oatmeal, it has better texture than cereal, and, just like a smoothie, you can serve it with different fruit everyday to keep things interesting. So I wanted to make a granola recipe without all the processed junk.
I chose the healthiest sweetener around (homemade date syrup) and wanted to incorporate walnuts to get those Omega 3s. All the nut varieties I included can be swapped out for your preference of nuts or seeds. Obviously, this recipe contains no oil. I do add a little salt as it brings out the natural sweetness of the dates. Because this recipe is sweetened by a whole food and not a refined product, it is not as sweet as store-bought. I find that it is the perfect amount of sweet, especially when served with some fresh berries and a splash of plant-based milk. If you taste the uncooked mixture and think it needs more sweetening, try adding a drizzle of pure maple syrup.
RECIPE NOTES:
There are only a few things you’ll need to know about this recipe:
Make sure you use soft dates in your blender. I just bought some at Costco that are hard as a rock. To soften them, I soaked them in boiling hot water for about 20 minutes. Drain the water, then add them to the blender.
The most important thing about this recipe is to let your granola cool before storing it! The more it cools, the crispier it gets!
Did you make this recipe? I want to know! Tag me on instagram @notlikemama. I love to see your versions of my recipes!
By hand or by bowl, may this recipe bring your mornings all of the joy of granola with none of the bad stuff.
Happy Cooking,
Courtney