Healthy Vegan Gluten-Free Granola Recipe

Name: Healthy Vegan Gluten-Free Granola Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: ½ cup maple syrup; ½ cup almond butter ((see note)); 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ¼- ½ teaspoon sea salt; 2 cups oats (, gluten-free if needed); 1-3 teaspoon cinnamon (, optional); ½ cup sliced almonds (, optional); ½ cup chopped pecans (, optional); ½ cup sunflower seeds (, optional); ¼- ½ cup dried fruit (, like blueberries cherries or pineapple); ¼- ½ cup shredded coconut

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This vegan granola recipe is healthy, gluten-free and can be used in so many ways. Perfect to have on hand and so easy to make!

Granola in a glass jar sitting on a grey plate in front of a glass of milk

I love texture in my food along with loads of flavor. This healthy granola hits all the marks. Plus its super customizable so everyone will be happy!

Ingredients

The key with homemade granola is to have a great base recipe. From there, you can add all the flavors you want through mix ins, seasoning, etc!

Here is how I make my base so that it is healthy and easy:

Rolled oats
Maple syrup
Almond butter
Vanilla
Sea salt

Different color bowls filled with ingredients to make homemade granola

In order to make sure this is gluten-free you need to get certified gluten-free oats. While oats actually don't contain gluten themselves, they are grown with other gluten containing grains so there is a lot of cross contamination. Gluten-free oats are grown with extra caution.

This recipe is made without oil. I found that with the whole food fat from the almond butter, oil is not needed at all. I still get an amazing crunchy result!

If you need this nut free, just use sunflower seed butter. Or another nut free butter of choice!

How to Make Granola

Here are the easy steps to make your granola at home:

Mix the almond butter and maple syrup to make a thick caramel like base.
Add in the oats, seasoning and any add ins.
Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake, break apart and eat!

Mix in ideas

You can easily customize your granola in any way you want! Here are some of our favorite things to add:

Any dried fruit (blueberries, pineapple, cherries, etc)
Any types of nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans, etc)
Any types of seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, etc)
Shredded coconut
Seasonings to match flavor (cinnamon, pumpkin spice, ginger, etc)
Chocolate chips
Peanut butter chips
Butterscotch chips
Yogurt chips
Fresh citrus zest

Flavor combo ideas

Here are a few yummy combinations we've tried and loved!

Coconut, pineapple
Blueberries, raspberries, cherries
Blueberries, pecans
Coconut, apricots (chopped), cherries
Chocolate chips, pecans, cherries
Pumpkin spice, pecans
Dried banana slices, chocolate chips, pecans

Ways to use granola

We love using this healthy granola in SO many ways! Here are a few ideas:

Yogurt, try this homemade vegan yogurt
Oatmeal, this easy creamy oatmeal is the best
Ice cream topper, this vegan chocolate ice cream is so good
Over pudding, try this delicious vegan cheesecake pudding
As a pancake topper, we put it over these vegan buttermilk pancakes all the time
As a topper for these frozen banana popsicles
Top healthy baked apples

Tips and Tricks

This is a pretty full proof recipe, but here is some info to help you along the way!

Using parchment will help the granola get crispy.
You want to spread it out enough so it gets crispy but not too far apart because if the mixture doesn't touch it won't stick together to make clumps.
You can easily double this recipe to batch make it for the week, just make sure to use a big enough sheet or put it on two sheets.
Make sure it cools completely before breaking into pieces
Store in an air tight container on the counter so it doesn't get stale.

Common Questions

Is granola vegan friendly?

As long as it doesn't contain animal products you are good to go! Watch for honey as well.

How long is granola good for?

The longer you keep it, the less crispy it will be. But it will last for a while and still be safe to eat. Ideally you want to store it in an air tight container no longer than a month.

Why is granola so bad for you?

While granola has gotten a bad rap from some sources, it's actually a great snack. The oats are full of fiber and great for filling out up. Also, the almond butter brings in great whole food fat.

What can you add to granola?

Along with all the ideas given above, you can also sub the maple syrup for honey if you prefer. To make this even healthier, add some dried fruit (just watched for the added sugars in them because this has plenty of sweetness).