Granola is a genius breakfast - it tastes absolutely delicious, and if you make a big batch of it you can have an instant healthy breakfast any day of the week. I’ve been having it lately either on its own with some nut milk for a quick breakfast, or using it to top my smoothie bowls which takes them to another level by adding a crunchy texture!
But the shop-bought versions of granola are nearly always made with a surprising amount of oil and can be way too sickly sweet. So I wanted to experiment with making an oil-free version to make it much healthier and at the same time reduce the calorie content, but make sure it still tastes incredible. Turns out adding oil to granola isn’t necessary at all! And the sugars in this oil-free vegan granola come naturally from the dates, cranberries, and a touch of maple syrup. If you like it a little sweeter you can always replace some of the water with additional maple syrup.
Give this a go and don’t forget to tag me on Intsagram if you do @Tj_waterfall - I’d love to see your recreations of this oil free vegan granola!
Vegan Oil Free Granola Recipe
Ingredients (serves 8):
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup chopped dates
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup maple syrup
Method:
Preheat the oven to 150C
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl (oats, walnuts, dates, cranberries, seeds, cinnamon. Then mix in the water and maple syrup o thoroughly combine everything.
Spread the mixture out onto a baking tray, and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes until it’s golden brown all over. You should take the granola out every 10 minutes and give it a stir (it may require breaking up a little to ensure it’s nice and crumbly).
When it’s golden, take it out of the oven to cool. It may feel slightly soft while it’s still warm but don’t worry, it’ll get nice and crunchy as it cools.
You can store in an airtight container for up to 3-4 weeks.
Nutrition (per serving):
Protein: 7.0g (Women: 14.0% / Men: 12.7%)
Iron: 2.0mg (Women: 13.5% / Men: 23.0%)
Calories: 306 (Women: 15.3% / Men: 12.2%)
Sugar: 19.8g (Women: 22.0% / Men: 16.5%)
Total Fats: 15.5g (Women: 22.1% / Men: 16.3%)
Saturated Fat: 1.5g (Women: 7.5% / Men: 5.0%)
Salt: 0.1g (Women: 1.7% / Men: 1.7%)
Fibre: 4.9g (Women: 16.3% / Men: 16.3%)
See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.