Cinnamon Almond Crunch Granola

My friends, I hate buying granola! Yet I find myself doing it far too often.

It's so expensive for a TINY amount. My husband and I go through an 8 oz box in 2 days, tops! And it never tastes great. It's either loaded with added sugar or tastes like cardboard. "There's gotta be a better way!" Right?

It's so much cheaper AND tastier to make granola at home with simple ingredients. I'm sharing my go-to LARGE BATCH recipe. It makes at least 12 servings and will stay fresh for 2-3 weeks in an airtight container! It's also easy to make with only about 10 minutes of active time! 

One of my January goals is to stay consistent with MAKING my favorite staple items. Granola, overnight oats, almond milk + butter, salad dressings, sauces and toppings, etc. I'm off to a good start this week! Want to join? Start with this delish and nutrish (I'm making it a word, guys) Cinnamon Almond Crunch Granola! It will make you want to get out of bed in the morning! 

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Cinnamon Almond Crunch Granola 

Serves: 12-14 (makes ~6 cups)

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30-35 minutes

Total Time: 40-45 minutes 

{Vegan + Easily made gluten free} 

Created by: The Variant Veggie 

Ingredients

4 cups rolled oats (gluten free, if preferred)

1 1/2 cups raw almonds, roughly chopped

1/2 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

2-3 TBSP date sugar

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil

4 TBSP chai spiced almond butter (recipe below), or your favorite store-bought almond butter

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Recommended toppings: fresh berries, banana slices, shredded coconut, chia seeds, etc. 

Method

Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.

Add dry ingredients (oats, chopped almonds, pepitas, date sugar, cinnamon, and sea salt) to a large bowl, mix together with a fork.

Add coconut oil to a saucepan over low heat. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in almond butter, maple syrup, and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to the dry. Mix until the oats are completely coated.

Spoon onto prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes, remove and stir granola, place back into oven to bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until oats begin to look light golden brown.

Allow granola to cool completely on the baking sheet, about an hour, then add to an airtight container. It will keep for 2-3 weeks at room temperature while sealed. You can also freeze for 3-4 months!

Notes:

Chai Spiced Almond Butter

Serving suggestions: Enjoy with any non-dairy milk or yogurt, use as topping for oatmeal (try with my pumpkin-apple overnight oats!), even make it a dessert over baked apples or non-dairy ice-cream. 

Make it nut-free: Sub sunflower seeds or additional pepitas for almonds, sub sunbutter for almond butter. 

Nutrition: 

Serving Size: ~ 1/2 cup  Calories per serving: 339  Total Fat: 21 g

Sodium: 77 mg  Potassium: 27 mg  Carbohydrates: 29 g

Fiber: 6 g  Sugar: 7 g  Protein: 9 g

Calcium: 7%  Iron: 12% (Percent Daily Value)