Golden, crunchy, very clumpy Tahini Granola with lots of dried fruit and toasty nuts and seeds. Easy to make with an amazing, almost cookie-like texture, and perfect for breakfast or snacking by the handful!
If you love granola, be sure to try my vegan granola and pumpkin seed granola recipes too!
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FEATURED COMMENT:
"Absolutely delicious. I'm always on the lookout for new granola recipes and have never made one with tahini, which I love, so I couldn't wait to make this. It was everything I hoped it would be - only problem is that I made it specifically for breakfast times and I'm having a really hard time not devouring a mouthful every time I see it!" - Nicky ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ More reviews →
Delicious Tahini Granola with a rich, toasty sesame flavour and a really lovely crunchy, uber-clumpy, almost cookie-like texture!
This vegan and gluten-free granola recipe is naturally sweetened with pure maple syrup and packed with nutritious ingredients like nuts, seeds, oats, and dried fruit. It makes the perfect healthy, crunchy, satisfying, and delicious breakfast or crunchy snack!
Mr AVV has been eating it for breakfast every day for weeks and has officially given it the thumbs up, so now it's time to share it with you too.
Ways we have been enjoying this Tahini Granola:
- By the handful! The big clusters are perfect for snacking on!
- With vegan yogurt or on smoothie bowls for breakfast.
- Over chia pudding. This flavour in particular is lovely with my blended chocolate chia pudding.
- With milk, cereal style. I love it with cold almond milk!
- Sprinkled over applesauce, baked apples, or stewed fruit of any kind for a make-shift very yummy fruit crisp dessert-type situation.
- On a baked sweet potato that has been split and drizzled liberally with peanut butter or almond butter...I have definitely done this and highly recommend!
Mel x
Tahini Granola Ingredients
Here is what you need at a glance, along with some important ingredient notes & substitution ideas:
- Oats - The backbone of your granola. Use certified gluten-free oats if you need your granola to be gluten-free.
- Tahini - For lots of delicious sesame flavour, texture and healthy fats. Use store-bought or try making your own homemade tahini!
- Nuts & seeds - Use whatever nuts and seeds you have in your pantry. Granola is a great way to use up all of your odds and ends! If you need it to be nut-free, use a combination of pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.
- Dried fruit - You can use any dried fruits, although the flavour of this tahini granola really lends itself to dates and apricots.
- Maple syrup - This must be pure maple syrup and not pancake syrup. It sweetens the granola, adds delicious maple flavour, and helps create clumps. You could use brown sugar or coconut sugar instead.
- Olive oil - For healthy fats and texture. You can use regular olive oil or extra virgin if you enjoy the flavour. Avocado oil also works well. This granola has a wonderful cookie-like texture thanks to the oil. You won't get the same texture without it.
Let's Make Tahini Granola!
Can't wait to make it? The full printable recipe is below, but first, let me walk you through the steps to set you up for success in your kitchen. I recommend watching my recipe video if you're more of a visual learner:
Mix the oats, nuts and seeds in a large bowl.
Combine the tahini with the maple syrup/sugar, oil, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. If your tahini is runny and you are using maple syrup, they should be easy to combine. If the tahini is really thick or lumpy and/or you are using sugar, you will need to warm them gently to combine well.
Mix the two together, then spread out on a lined baking tray. It's important to really compact it tightly. That's how you get clumps.
Bake until dry and golden. Allow to cool completely on the tray.
Break into clumps, then add the dried fruits before transferring to jars for storage.
Dried Fruit Tip
After making homemade granola for decades, I've found that when dried fruit is added to the granola before it bakes, it can get a bit tough, hard, and sometimes even burn around the edges. That's why I always recommend baking the granola without the dried fruit and then adding it in after baking. That way it retains its pleasantly chewy texture, flavour, and colour.
Recipe FAQs
If your granola tends to burn, your oven may run a little hotter than it should, or the baking tray you are using may be poor quality. Dark/black baking trays also cook quicker than light baking trays (this recipe was tested on a light-coloured aluminum USA Pan baking tray). Try investing in a better-quality baking tray or turning your oven down a little next time.
Recipe
Tahini Granola
Author:WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Ingredients
- 3 cups (300 grams) rolled or old-fashioned oats (certified GF if necessary)
- 2 cups (170 grams) raw nuts or seeds, such as walnuts, pecans, almonds, sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
- ¾ cup (180 ml) tahini
- ½ cup (120 ml) natural maple syrup, or brown sugar
- ½ cup (120 ml) olive oil, or avocado oil
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt (if you use table salt instead, you will need to use less)
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1½ to 2 cups (225 to 300 grams) dried fruit, such as dates, apricots, raisins, sultanas, cranberries, or tart cherries. Chop larger ones into small pieces.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat your 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 mixing bowl, add the oats and nuts/seeds. Stir to combine.
- Check your tahini. If it is runny and lump-free, add it to a small mixing bowl along with the maple syrup, oil, salt, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix to combine.
- If your tahini is thicker or lumpy and/or you are using sugar instead of maple syrup, then add the tahini, maple syrup/sugar, oil, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla to a small saucepan. Warm gently over a low heat to melt it all together, stirring frequently. Once it's smooth, remove from the heat.
- Pour the wet mixture into the oaty mixture and stir until all of the oats and nuts are coated.
- Tip onto the prepared tray. Spread out evenly, then compact it down as hard as you can with a spatula or wooden spoon (the secret to good clumps).
- Bake for 20 minutes. Rotate the tray and bake for about another 15 to 20 minutes until golden and toasty (if using a light-coloured baking tray). It will feel soft while hot, but if you lift an edge and check underneath, it should be nicely golden. If using a dark/black tray, it won't take quite as long, so check a few minutes earlier.
- Remove from the oven and cool completely on the tray undisturbed.
- Once cool, break the granola into big bite-sized pieces. If you break it up and find you accidentally took it out of the oven a little too soon and it isn't quite dry, you can return it to the oven at 350°F (175°C) to crisp up and dry out further. Keep an eye on it and remove it as soon as it's dry and crunchy.
- Sprinkle over the dried fruit and mix gently with clean hands before transferring to airtight containers. I find that granola keeps longest in glass jars (about 2 months).
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Nicky says
Absolutely delicious. Im always on the look out for new granola recipes and have never made one with tahini, which I love, so I couldn’t wait to make this. It was everything I hoped it would be - only problem is that I made it specifically for breakfast times and I’m having a really hard time not devouring a mouthful every time I see it. Thanks Mel for another great recipe.
Melanie McDonald says
Ha ha! I must admit to eating it mostly by the handful, too. So pleased you're enjoying the recipe!
Susan says
How about subbing plant butter in stick form for olive oil? Would it change the texture?
Thank you,
Susan
Melanie McDonald says
I've never tried it, but oil is pretty much 100% fat, so it's better at crisping than vegan butter, which has quite a high water content. It might work, but it would probably need a longer, slightly lower bake time, and it still might not end up with the intended texture.