I very rarely eat granola, but when I do, I make it at home.

Why you ask? Well, more often than not granola is high calorie for a pretty small serving. I’d rather have those calories from a high-volume food. So I usually have it as a snack sprinkled on fruit or yoghurt.

holistic daily by raashi - the ritual coffee

Why go through the trouble of making it at home?

Store bought granola is often high in sugar (refined or otherwise). It also tends to have less of the good stuff like nuts & seeds, and more of the cheaper stuff like oats and raisins. When you make it at home you can up the good fat for the same cost. A fair trade for the extra work I would say.

Here are some ideas on how to enjoy this Grain-free Granola:

  • Pair it with coconut milk + pomegranate pearls.
  • Top your oatmeal with it for some crunch.
  • Grab a handful before your cardio session.
  • Sprinkle over plain Greek yoghurt to amp up the flavour.

Tips

  • While this granola is healthy & packed with good fat, ensure you control portion sizes since granola is high on calories. ¼ cup a day is a good thumb rule to follow.
  • Don’t shy away from playing around with the dry ingredients. You can replace the walnuts with more almonds, watermelon seeds are a more pocket friendly alternative to sunflower or pumpkin seeds, oats can also be added in place of the coconut if you don’t like coconut & like your grains. I also use coconut chips in place of the desiccated coconut when I can find them.
  • To make the recipe Keto, eliminate the honey.
  • For a vegan version, swap the honey with 30gm coconut sugar melted in 15ml water.

Grain-Free Granola

INGREDIENTS:

  • 50gm cup desiccated coconut
  • 75gm almonds, roughly chopped
  • 75gm walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 75 gm flax seeds, raw
  • 75gm pumpkin seeds, raw
  • 75gm sunflower seeds, raw
  • 2 tsp powdered cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt (optional, but recommended)
  • 125ml coconut oil
  • 30gm nut butter of choice (I used almond)
  • 30gm* honey (optional. Sub for stevia to taste if keto)

METHOD:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 160°C.
  2. Place all the dry ingredients in a bowl – coconut through to salt.
  3. Mix thoroughly with a spoon, or your hands, till well combined.
  4. Measure the ghee/coconut oil & add in nut butter + honey if using. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry till everything is well coated with the liquid.
  5. Line a baking tray with parchment paper or foil & spread the granola mixture evenly.
  6. Bake in the pre-heated over for 15-20 mins or until the coconut flakes are golden brown. (cooking time can differ based on ovens, so keep an eye out as granola burns easily.)
  7. Remove from the oven & let it cool completely before transferring to an airtight container.
  8. Store in the fridge. Stays well up to 3 weeks.
  9. Warning: your entire house will smell divine while baking, & you may not be able to keep your hands off it!