Gingerbread Granola [vegan, gluten-free]

This Gingerbread Granola is super simple to throw together and only takes 30 minutes! Giant clusters, vegan and gluten-free.

Yes, this is happening. But are you really surprised? Let’s be real.

Ever since my first granola recipe, I’ve become slightly obsessed with creating any kind of flavor concoction and texture combination I can think of to keep my granola arsenal loaded. And with Thanksgiving upon us this week, #pumpkinspiceeverything will no longer be #trending. (Okay, enough with the hashtags.) And since we all know what seasonal flavor comes next, it’s safe to assume gingerbread will be around for a while. At least in the blogosphere. Plus you know what I love about gingerbread? It goes great with chocolate. Any seasonal flavor and spice that pairs well with chocolate, I’m SOLD.

I didn’t put chocolate in granola this go around, sadly enough. But I DID use the traditional flavors of gingerbread and create a fairly simple granola for you all. I left out the protein powder this time (shocker, I know) and kept the recipe super basic by just using oats as the main ingredient. No nuts, coconut, or seeds this time. Just straight up OATS.

And you can’t do gingerbread without some of GRANDMA’S MOLASSES. <I say (type) in my old Western voice>

And then obviously GINGER, duh.

Now of course you can bypass this step and just use ground ginger instead. But I thought it’d be fun to add some fresh ginger to amp up the flavor a bit. (I kind of really love spices…)

And then naturally, as per my other two granola recipes, you must use maple syrup and almond butter. Almond butter acts as a great binder and helps in the cluster-making processes. And the  maple syrup helps get that crunch we all love (and are addicted to). I just added all the wet ingredients in this handy dandy little mini processor after I processed the ginger. Obviously you can also use a small bowl to combine everything. (But this tool* is super great! It’s great for making dressings, chopping veggies, making guacamole, etc. And the immersion blender attachment is perfect for mashing bananas into puree << that’s me foreshadowing for you.)

Anyways, you really just can’t beat homemade granola.

And the clusters. OH the clusters.

Make sure to read the directions in full if you want all the clusters!

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

How to Make...

Gingerbread Granola [vegan, gluten-free]

This Gingerbread Granola is super simple to throw together and only takes 30 minutes! Giant clusters, vegan and gluten-free.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, gluten-free
• 1 cup quick oats, gluten-free
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 cloves
• 1/8 tsp all spice
• 1” cube of ginger, grated (or 1.5 tsp ground)
• 1/4 cup raw almond butter (I like Woodstock)
• 3 TBS grade B maple syrup
• 2 TBS molasses
• 1 TBS coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 TBS chia seeds*
• 3 TBS water

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300F degrees and line large baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat.
2. In a small bowl, combine chia seeds with water. Set aside for a few minutes so “gel” can form while preparing rest of ingredients.
3. In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, quick oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and all spice. (Add ground ginger here if not using fresh.) Set aside.
4. Using a mini food processor, process ginger into fine pieces. (You could also grate the ginger.)
5. Add your almond butter, maple syrup, molasses, melted coconut oil, and vanilla extract to the food processor bowl and process until well combined.
6. Add the almond butter/molasses/ginger mixture to bowl of oats and stir until almost combined. Then add your chia seed gel and mix until oats are fully coated. Use your hands to fully mix and get the clusters ready.
7. Spread mixture evenly on prepared baking sheet. You should have clusters of granola already from working the mixture with your hands.
8. Bake granola in increments for a total of 30-35 minutes, flipping* the granola with a large spatula gently after 10-12 minutes. Check granola again at 20 minutes, stir slightly if browning too quickly. Bake for another 10-12 minutes.
9. Remove granola from oven and allow to cool completely, do NOT stir again. While the granola cools, the air will help set the crunchy texture.
10. Allow granola to cool completely on baking sheet until storing in airtight container. Granola should stay fresh up to 3 weeks.

Recipes Notes:

Granola will make about 8 servings, about ½ cup each.
*Using a mixture of old fashioned oats and quick oats helps create the clusters. But feel free to use all old-fashioned if you prefer.
*Not stirring the granola as much will get you more clusters. I use a big spatula to “flip” the granola, rather than stirring. I also “sprinkled” the mixture on the pan, which resulted in more clumps from the beginning, then only flipped the granola gently to maintain the clusters.
*If not worried about keeping vegan, you can also use one large egg white as binder

Nutrition Information:

• Serving Size: 1/2 cup
• Calories: 230
• Sugar: 10
• Fat: 7
• Carbohydrates: 34
• Fiber: 5
• Protein: 7

And then you eat with some greek yogurt for a super awesome filling brekkie.

What is your favorite way to eat granola? Me? I typically like it with yogurt… but if I am going for a pre-workout snack (or as soon as I wake up and my face is in the pantry…) it’s by the handful

Have you made granola from scratch yet?

Who plans on gifting homemade granola this year?!

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