Since we don’t eat a lot of grains, I’ve had to get pretty creative to find alternatives to eggs for breakfast. We’ve donecottage cheese crepesandchia seed pudding. This coconut granola recipe was created in an attempt to find something new. If you’ve been looking for a healthy “cereal,” this is a good option.
Granola Without Grains?
Granola and I have had a love/hate relationship over the years. I hated it when I was younger and it was just some weird health food my mom liked. Then I liked it in college when I thought it was a health food. Once I realized that grains and my stomach didn’t get along so well, granola was on the bad list again.
As a result, we haven’t had granola or any other type of breakfast cereal in the house in years. This recipe was created at the request of my kids to eat something besideseggs for breakfast. (Fun fact: I was originally trying to make granola bars, but the first few tries flopped. The crumbly result was perfect as cereal.)
I wanted it to be nutrient dense, grain free, and relatively easy to make. So I started experimenting.
The Solution: Coconut Granola!
After giving it some thought, I decided to use unsweetened coconut flakes as the base for my granola. Coconut flakes are wider and flatter than shredded coconut. Kind of like the difference between fettuccine and angel hair pasta. It’s usually pretty easy to find coconut flakes in health food stores or co-ops. Try the bulk section for a great price.
I toss the coconut flakes together with some nuts and dried fruit and drizzle a mixture of honey, coconut oil, and vanilla over it, and bake it until crispy.
Keep a close eye on it though. It’ll go from golden brown to burned in seconds. And keep in mind that it’ll get crunchier as it cools, so don’t worry if it seems a little soft when it’s still in the oven.
This isn’t an everyday food, but I don’t mind my kids eating it with raw milk or homemade coconut milk, or evenhomemade yogurta few times a week.
Customizing Your Granola
The beauty of granola is that it’s so easy to customize it to precisely suit your mood and available ingredients.
Sometimes I like to add nuts, sometimes dried fruit, and sometimes it just feels like we all need a little chocolate (just don’t add the chocolate until the granola is cooled!).
During the summer months when fresh berries are in season, I leave out the dried fruit and toss in a handful of raspberries or blueberries before eating. Or serve it with sliced mango. Mmm. So many possibilities.This posthas some interesting ideas.
Coconut Granola Recipe
A coconut based granola recipe that is easy to make and is a grain-free sub for regular breakfast cereals.
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 20 minutes mins
Total Time 25 minutes mins
Calories 515kcal
Author Katie Wells
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Servings
6
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup maple syrup (or honey)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup nuts (such as cashews, almonds, sunflower seeds, or barukas)
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup chia seeds (or raisins or other dried fruit of choice, optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil with the maple syrup or honey.
Heat until it is starting to bubble and simmer.
Stir in the vanilla.
In a large bowl, mix together the coconut chips, nuts, cinnamon, and dried fruit and chia seeds.
Pour the honey/maple syrup/coconut oil mixture over the dry ingredients and mix well. The consistency will vary some depending on the honey, coconut chips, and coconut oil you use. If there is not enough of the honey mixture to lightly coat all of the ingredients, add slightly more melted coconut oil and honey in equal parts.
Spread on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 until starting to brown. Keep a close eye on it to prevent burning.
Remove and let cool, then crumble in to granola pieces.
Store in an air-tight jar and use within two weeks.
Nutrition
Nutrition Facts
Coconut Granola Recipe
Amount Per Serving (0.5 cup)
Calories 515Calories from Fat 396
% Daily Value*
Fat 44g68%
Saturated Fat 26g163%
Sodium 17mg1%
Potassium 385mg11%
Carbohydrates 28g9%
Fiber 12g50%
Sugar 10g11%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 128mg13%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Notes
There are endless ways to make this granola by changing up the kind of nuts, dried fruit, and sweetener that you use.
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Granola: Love it or hate it? Weigh in below!
