Quick and easy Vegan Granola with delicious crunchy, toasty, oaty clusters! Enjoy for breakfast with some dairy-free yogurt or a splash of cold plant-based milk, or snack on it by the handful!
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"A thousand thumbs up for this absolutely YUMMY GRANOLA....I made a batch yesterday with plans to take it to our upcoming family reunion. After seeing and tasting the results I'm making the same amount today because it will simply DISAPPEAR in no time flat and I want everyone to get some. CRUNCHY DELICIOUSNESS! BTW they are like crunchy granola bars if you don't break them up small :) I'd give this 10 stars if that was an option!" - Lorna ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
Vegan granola makes a wonderful breakfast or snack and it's so ridiculously quick and easy that I honestly don't know why we aren't all making it instead of buying it. Storebought granola is expensive too. You can save yourself some dollar bills if you make it yourself and it's so good for meal prep because it lasts for weeks and weeks in an airtight container.
We're talking gorgeous clusters of crunchy, oaty, oil-free granola wholesomeness. that is so good with a huge dollop of creamy vegan yogurt or a splash of ice-cold plant cashew milk. Maybe a tumble of fresh berries or sliced banana too?
It's so easy to make. Simply mix everything except the dried fruits together in a large bowl, spread out on a large sheet pan, and bake. Once cool crumble into clusters then gently mix in any dried fruit additions. Done! It keeps well for months so is great for gifting in a nice jar.
Mel x
Ingredients
The great thing about making your own vegan granola at home is that it is so flexible. Keep the base recipe as it is and add whatever nuts, seeds, dried fruits, flavorings, and spices you like. Just keep the total quantities roughly the same.
Here's what I like to use in this super tasty, naturally oil-free granola:
- Oats - The main ingredient. Heart-healthy and super filling. Rolled oats or old-fashioned oats are the best types to use for granola. Don't use quick oats or steel-cut oats. Quick oats are too small and dusty and steel-cut oats are too hard and chewy. Use certified gluten-free oats to keep this recipe gluten-free.
- Nuts and/or seeds - The beauty of homemade granola is the ingredients are so flexible. Use any raw nuts or seeds you like. They must be raw because they are being baked and could end up bitter or too dark if they aren't. You can use almonds (whole or slivered), walnuts, pistachios, cashews, pecans, peanuts, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
- Puffed rice - This ingredient is entirely optional but highly recommended! It provides even more texture to the granola and really makes it special. It's light, delicate, and crunchy, with a different mouthfeel to everything else. Try it once and you'll be hooked! I use Nature's Path Rice Puffs which are easily available in a lot of grocery stores.
- Nut or seed butter - For flavor, its sticking/clumping power, and healthy fats. You can use any type you like such as tahini, peanut butter, or almond butter.
- Syrup - Either maple syrup or brown rice syrup. Don't use pancake syrup! I prefer to use brown rice syrup when I make granola. It is really thick and sticky and will give you nice, big, chewy, clumps. If you use maple syrup your granola won't be as clumpy. Most stores carry Sweet Dreams Brown Rice Syrup. You'll usually find it in the baking aisle near the molasses.
- Mix-ins - Any dried fruit you like or chocolate chips and even some coconut flakes. Or a mix of all of them. Use your favorite or what you have already at home. These get added right at the end after baking. Dried fruit can get really unpleasantly chewy if you bake it with the other granola ingredients, and obviously chocolate chips would melt.
Love chocolate? Give my Chocolate Coconut Granola a try!
Granola Success Tips
- Make sure you line your baking tray. This granola will stick like crazy if you don't.
- Don't spread the granola out on the baking tray too thick or the underneath won't crisp up. It should be about ¾ inch thick and no more.
- Pack the granola down hard into the tray after stirring halfway through cooking time. This helps produce great big clumps.
- Use the bottom rack of your oven so the granola is closest to the heat. This helps it crisp up more.
- Make sure you allow the granola to cool completely on the tray before breaking it up. It's even fine if you leave it overnight. Just cover it gently with a clean dish towel.
What To Eat With Granola
When you're not snacking on it by the handful, try serving crunchy vegan granola with:
- Creamy vegan yogurt and fresh fruit
- A splash of ice-cold dairy-free milk such as cashew milk or almond milk.
- Smoothie bowls, nice cream, oatmeal, caramel chia pudding, banana chia pudding, or ice cream
- Stewed fruit, grilled nectarines, baked apples, or baked sweet potatoes
Recipe FAQs
Yes, this recipe can easily be made nut-free. Use seed butter instead of nut butter and use seeds and/or more dried fruit instead of nuts.
I wouldn't recommend freezing granola. It keeps for months if you store it correctly anyway so there's really no need. Freezing it and then defrosting it will affect the texture too.
Store-bought granola can be a bit hit-and-miss. Some are vegan and some aren't. Honey is the most common non-vegan ingredient you see but there can also be milk and butter, so be sure to keep an eye out for it while checking. Always be sure to check the labels carefully before purchasing it, or just make your own vegan, honey-free, and dairy-free granola then you don't have to worry.
Recipe
Vegan Granola
Author:Ingredients
- 2 cups (180 grams) rolled or old fashioned oats , use certified gluten-free for gluten-free granola
- 1 cup (85 grams) raw nuts of choice , almonds, pecans, walnuts etc (or more pumpkin or sunflower seeds for nut-free)
- ½ cup (80 grams) shelled pumpkin, sunflower or hemp seeds , or a mix of all 3
- ½ cup (25 grams) puffed rice (optional) (adds fantastic texture - If you don't use it make up the quantity with more oats, nuts or seeds)
- 6 tablespoons creamy nut or seed butter of choice
- ¾ cup (180 mls) brown rice syrup or maple syrup , brown rice syrup will give you bigger clusters
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt , note that if you use iodized (table) salt instead, you will need to use less
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dried raisins, sultanas, cranberries, tart cherries or chocolate chips , or any other dried fruit (chopped if it's something like apricots or dates)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175 °C), and position an oven shelf on the lowest level.
- Line a large baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- To a large bowl, add the oats, nuts, seeds and optional puffed rice. Stir to combine.
- To a medium bowl, add the nut/seed butter, syrup, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Whisk together to combine.
- Pour the wet mixture into the oaty mixture and stir together really well with a wooden spoon or spatula until everything is combined, damp and sticky.
- Tip onto the prepared tray and spread out evenly so it's about ¾ inch deep.
- Bake on the lowest oven shelf for 10 minutes then remove from the oven and stir it up with a spatula so it cooks evenly. When you've finished stirring it, press it down all over hard with the spatula or the bottom of a mug. This helps stick it together and will form lovely big clumps when you crumble it later.
- Return to the oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until golden on top and smelling toasty.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle the dried fruit/chocolate chips over, then let it cool down completely on the tray. The granola will harden as it cools.
- Using your hands, break the granola up into chunky pieces and transfer it to an airtight container. It will keep for 6 to 8 weeks.
NOTES
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Susan R says
Melanie - This recipe was, bar none, the best I’ve ever tried. I can’t stop eating it! I followed your directions (x3) to make a large batch so it didn’t fit as well on the cookie sheet as it could’ve. Other than that, it was perfect! I used WOW butter (toasted soybean) as my nut butter, I wasn’t sure if it was going to work but did it ever. YUM! The combination of maple syrup, cinnamon and pure Mexican vanilla just made it better. Thanks so much, I’ve been hoping to find a new way to make granola, and now I will only vary the nuts and dried fruits, but not the “wet stuff.” Thanks again. Susan
Melanie McDonald says
So pleased you enjoyed it, Susan! Have fun playing around with different combinations!
Sue says
Thanks, Melanie. Your granola recipe is delicious. This is exactly what I'm looking for to take the place of store-bought cold cereal. Perfectly crunchy.
Lorna McLeod says
A thousand thumbs up for this absolutely YUMMY GRANOLA....I made a batch yesterday with plans to take it to our upcoming family reunion. After seeing and tasting the results I'm making the same amount today because it will simply DISAPPEAR in no time flat and I want everyone to get some. CRUNCHY DELICIOUSNESS! BTW they are like crunchy granola bars if you don't break them up small :) I'd give this 10 stars if that was an option!
Melanie McDonald says
Yay! I'm really pleased you are loving it so much Lorna! This with vegan yogurt and berries of some kind is one of my favourite breakfasts.
Carol says
This is delicious! I want to try it with a sugar that is better for you according to Dr. Greger.
So I may try it with date syrup next time. But it is awesome, and I had to hide it from me so I wouldn't munch on it!
Thanks for a great recipe! I give it a 10!
Carol