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Hello and Happy New Year! I decided to kick off January 2019 with a series of healthy breakfast recipes, beginning with this healthy cherry vanilla granola recipe. December is usually filled with hustle and bustle in addition to loads of decadent food galore. Not that there’s anything wrong with the occasional decadent delicacy, but usually by January folks are looking for healthier options. I am happy to oblige with this delicious and easy breakfast recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 cups uncooked oats not quick oats
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds raw
- 1/2 cup crunchy cereal nuggets, like Post® Grape Nuts
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds raw
- 1/2 cup liquified coconut oil
- 1/3 cup agave syrup
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 1-1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup dried cherries
This cherry vanilla granola recipe uses healthy alternatives for the fat and sweetener. Coconut oil is a healthy fat because it:
- promotes fat burning. It might be counter-intuitive that eating fat actually helps you lose fat, but in this case it does!
- improves heart health because it increases good cholesterol levels.
- helps with brain function and memory.
In addition, this recipe uses low glycemic agave syrup. I love this sweetener because it:
- is organic and all natural.
- has a low glycemic index meaning that it is slowly absorbed by the body and prevents sugar spikes in the blood stream.
- is 25% sweeter than sugar meaning that you can use less of it to get the same flavor benefit.
Instructions with Photos
Not only is this granola healthy, but it’s super easy to make. You simply mix everything up in a couple of mixing bowls and bake in a low temp oven for about 45 minutes. Once cooled, you stir in your mix-ins (dried fruit and/or nuts). That is really all there is to it!
Step 1. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, almonds, cereal nuggets, and sunflower seeds.
Step 2. In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine oil, syrup and vanilla.
Steps 3 and 4. Pour liquid mixture over dry mixture and mix thoroughly.
Step 5. Sprinkle nutmeg over mixture and combine.
Step 6. Line a 15×10-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Add mixture and spread out to cover bottom of baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until mixture is toasted and golden brown.
Step 7. Allow to cool and then crumble mixture into large bowl
Step 8. Stir in cherries.
Ingredient Substitutions
Some people are sensitive to oats. If that is the case, you can substitute quinoa flakes, wheat flakes, rice bran, or gluten-free old fashioned rolled oats.
You can also substitute pumpkin seeds or pine nuts for the sunflower seeds, and whatever nuts you have on hand for the slivered almonds. You will want to slice or chop them first.
If you cannot find Post® Grape Nuts cereal, you can double up on the sunflower seeds. This will give your granola extra protein! You can also substitute Kellogg’s® All Bran cereal. You may need to break it up into smaller pieces using a food processor.
Homemade Granola FAQs
Homemade granola is easy to make. In general, it consists of some type of grain (oats, cereal), fat, sweetener and mix-ins (e.g., dried fruit, nuts). You simply mix the grains, fat, and sweetener together in a bowl and spread the mixture on a cookie sheet and bake at a low temp (250 degrees F (121 degrees C)) for 45-55 minutes. After baking, break the mixture up into a bowl, leaving some clumps, and stir in your chosen mix-ins.
For the fat, this recipe uses healthy liquified coconut oil. Coconut oil has many health benefits, including increased fat burning and better brain function. Source: Healthline In addition, this recipe uses natural low glycemic agave syrup which is slowly absorbed by the body preventing sugar spikes in the bloodstream.
That really depends on your individual taste. This recipe calls for a mixture of sliced almonds and sunflower seeds to be mixed in with the grains. You could vary that by using your favorite chopped nuts like pecans, macadamia, cashews, peanuts. Whatever you like. Also the sky’s the limit when it comes to mix-ins. Any kind of dried fruit and nuts would be great. It’s all up to you.
Serving Suggestions
This cherry vanilla granola is so versatile. Here are a few suggestions for serving it:
- In a bowl with milk and drizzled with honey
- Yogurt topping
- Ice cream topping
- Pudding topping
- Layered into a parfait or trifle
Storage
You can store your homemade granola in an airtight container in your pantry for up to one month.
Related Recipes
- Breakfast Couscous
- Homemade Blueberry Almond Granola by She Likes Food
- Cinnamon Raisin Granola by Live Well Bake Often
Cherry Vanilla Granola
Ingredients
- 4 cups uncooked oats not quick oats
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds raw
- 1/2 cup crunchy cereal nuggets like Post® Grape Nuts
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds raw
- 1/2 cup liquified coconut oil
- 1/3 cup agave syrup
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 1-1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 cup dried cherries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (121 degrees C).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, almonds, cereal nuggets, and sunflower seeds.
- In a separate medium mixing bowl, combine oil, syrup and vanilla.
- Pour liquid mixture over dry mixture and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle nutmeg over mixture and combine.
- Line a 15×10-inch baking sheet with parchment paper. Add mixture and spread out to cover bottom of baking sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until mixture is toasted and golden brown. Allow to cool and then crumble mixture into large bowl and stir in cherries.
- Store in an airtight container. Can also be frozen.
