I was not much of a granola fan until very recently. Shop-bought granola is always full of dried fruit, and I have a pet hate for the overly sweet, squishy stuff. I would never go for dried fruit when I can have it fresh!
I fancied granola the other day so I decided to make it myself. I had a few tablespoons of it before it even went in the oven, and kept burning my tongue on a tablespoon of the sweet stuff whenever I was giving it a stir as it was cooking. It lasted five days and I was not sharing it!
I have been experimenting ever since and I came up with this very nutty, super healthy granola. It is so easy to make I will never buy ready-made granola, no doubt about that! I have it for breakfast with Greek yoghurt or on its own as a snack to keep my energy levels up after nursing Wriggly.
I am a bit of a nut addict, especially at the moment, so my star ingredients are hazelnuts, pistachios, almonds and cashews.
Porridge is not my cup of tea but oats fill you up for longer than bread or cereal and when I am breastfeeding, I need to eat an awful lot to feel full. After making Sally’s recipe, I realised I really enjoyed oats freshly toasted, which was a bit of a revelation.
Quinoa has many health benefits and is often referred to as a ‘superfood’. It is supposed to reduce cholesterol, has a high content of fibre, is full of antioxidants and is a rich source of magnesium. I have been using quinoa flakes cooked in coconut milk for Jumpy’s breakfast instead of oatmeal and she loves it, so I decided to add it to my granola.
Vicki over at Free From Fairy inspired me to use the chia seeds I have had in my cupboard for nearly a year and only used once as an egg replacer for Jumpy.
I love using coconut oil in cooking and Tiana is the one I always go for as it is organic and fair trade.
Very Nutty Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups certified gluten free oats 180g
- 1 cup quinoa flakes 85g
- 1/3 cup chia seeds 60g
- pinch salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup flaked almonds 100g
- 1/3 cup pistachio kernels 50g
- 1/3 cup hazelnut kernels 45g
- 1/3 cup cashews 45g
- 3/4 cup maple syrup 185ml
- 1/3 cup melted coconut oil 70ml
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to gas mark 3 (170 degrees Celsius / 325 degrees Fahrenheit) and lining a large baking sheet with baking paper.
- In a large bowl, mix the oats, quinoa flakes, chia seeds, flaked almonds, salt and cinnamon.
- Put your pistachios, hazelnuts and cashews in a sealed plastic bag and roughly chop them by bashing them with a rolling pin.
- Add the nuts, maple syrup, melted coconut oil and vanilla extract to the bowl and stir until all ingredients are coated and look moist.
- Spread the mixture on the baking sheet and distribute evenly.
- Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to ensure the granola crisps evenly.
- Let the granola cool completely before storing it.
- It can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for approximately two weeks.
I love homemade granola, I always use Nigella Lawson’s recipe but this one looks like it’s worth a try too.
I have never tried Nigella’s. Is the recipe online? x
Your granola sounds amazing and I really love the combination of nuts you have used. I’ve been meaning to make granola for ages so I’ll give your recipe a go. x
Thanks Julie! Let me know what you think if you do. x
Your granola looks delicious Mel! Thank you for all the kind words, I’m so happy you read my blog and that my recipe inspired this one.
Thanks for popping by, Sally! It is always a pleasure to read your blog.
Oh yum!!! Glad I inspired you to chuck those little chia seeds in…thanks for the mention! I make granola too although try not to too often because I can’t stop eating it! Having said that I was given a packet of Nature’s Path granola at the allergy show and boy was it good!!! It needs to be out of the house or I have a feeling I will eat the lot! 😉
You were right, they do not alter the taste at all, so if they happen to have some goodness in them: great! I didn’t go to half the stalls on Saturday and missed Nature’s Path! Next year, hey!
Oh yes! Always next year…although you will find in the supermarket too in the freefrom aisle. Althought I would stay away if I were you unless you want to scoff the whole bag! But then you could cos you have an excuse 😉
I will keep making it I think… it is so lovely, but it is always nice to know they sell nice stuff for ’emergencies’ in the shops as well. x
I love granola, but have never tried making it. This looks lovely, I love nuts so this is perfect
Let me know if you have a go at making it!
That sounds delicious, but I’m quite lazy when there are more than just a few ingredients – maybe I’ll get Hubs to make it for me….or maybe you’ll do home deliveries? Yes? As you can’t be busy at all with 4 children including a newborn 😉
No home deliveries, sorry! If you forget about the chia seeds and quinoa flakes, you can replace them with oats, and go for just one or two types of nuts.
I do love granola, but find it difficult to find one that only has ingredients that I like in it, I might have to try and make my own 🙂 #TastyTuesdays
Definitely worth making your own. It is quick, easy and you know what is in there!
Love granola but nuts hate me, will make this for my husband though! Looks delicious! Thanks for linking up to #tastytuesdays
You could have dried fruit instead of the nuts, then both of you could enjoy it! x
Sounds perfect to me, I love dates in my granola x
I had also pinned Sally’s recipe, but this will also make it to my ‘breakfast’ board – thanks.
Brilliant!
I just linked it! Sorry, I always forget about Google+… Thanks for the reminder!
Bet this is tastier than shop bought granolas. Yum! #recipeoftheweek
It is; and the beauty of making it at home is you choose exactly what goes in it… yum!
yum, i can never go past a good bowl of granola for breakfast. love it!
Just had mine and it will keep me going for hours.
Wow you’ve had a wonderful week and managed to fit so much in. I love the snow photo and love that your children are into photography and using a “big” camera. They look like they love the park too.
Ami xxx