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Maple Walnut Cinnamon Granola

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This Maple Walnut Cinnamon Granola is easy to make and goes with everything! Gluten-free, vegan, and it makes your house smell amazing... this recipe

This Maple Walnut Cinnamon Granola is easy to make and goes with everything! Gluten-free, vegan, and it makes your house smell amazing…

Wow it’s been a hot minute since I’ve shared a granola recipe with you all! But today’s granola recipe is actually super special because…

Maple Walnut Cinnamon Granola! Easy, homemade deliciousness. Gluten-free and vegan!

Lynn of Fresh April Flours is hosting a virtual baby shower for Leah over at Grain Changer, and I couldn’t be more excited to help celebrate. To backtrack a little bit, I “met” both Leah and Lynn when I first started my blog back in the summer of 2015. When I realized we were all living not too far from one another on the Eastern side of Pennsylvania, it was an instant connection.  Sadly enough we never quite got the opportunity to meet in person while I was still there. However it’s still fun keeping up with them on their blogs.

It truly is amazing the connections you can make over the interwebz. Sometimes I find myself getting caught up in the downside of social media, i.e. feeling like you have to be “plugged in” all the time. I know I get annoyed a little bit with how often we rely on social media and technology to stay connected with each other (yes, I said it, coming from a blogger). But on the other side of that you have this opportunity to connect with people all over the world that wouldn’t really be possible without technology, staying in touch via different social channels.

So in honor of Leah’s first little babe arriving,  we are showering her with all of the granola! Because, granola is Leah’s favorite.

I decided I’d share a simple granola that you can enjoy with anything and everything:

Maple Walnut Cinnamon Granola

Easy, vegan, gluten-free friendly Maple Walnut Cinnamon Granola.

What you need

  • rolled oats
  • quick oats
  • walnuts
  • sunflower seeds (optional but the added texture is nice!)
  • cinnamon
  • maple syrup
  • almond butter
  • coconut oil
  • vanilla
So many clusters and chunks!! This cinnamon granola is so easy.

So have you made your own granola at home yet? It really is quite simple and it makes your house smell amazinnnggg.

Oh, and if you’re a cluster fanatic (who isn’t?) the key to getting those clustery chunks is to avoid stirring the granola on the pan, but instead *flipping* the granola with a large spatula in between the baking times. Also, I like to mix the ingredients together at the end with my hands to really blend it all in.

But really this cinnamon granola goes great with everything. It’s a simple, classic flavor that pairs well with yogurt (my personal favorite), on top of smoothie bowls, with oatmeal (double oats, yes) or straight up by the handful.

Maple Walnut Cinnamon Granola. Gluten-free, vegan and so easy! -This cinnamon granola seriously goes great with everything.
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Maple Walnut Cinnamon Granola

Maple Walnut Cinnamon Granola. Gluten-free, vegan and so easy! -This cinnamon granola seriously goes great with everything.
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

This Maple Walnut Cinnamon Granola is easy to make and goes with everything! Gluten-free, vegan, and it makes your house smell amazing…

  • Author: Ashley
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 TBS chia seeds* + 3 TBS water
  • 2 cups gluten-free old-fashioned rolled oats**
  • 2/3 cup gluten-free quick oats
  • 1 cup raw walnuts
  • 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 TBS ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup all natural almond butter (or favorite nut/seed butter)
  • 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 TBS coconut oil
  • 1/2 TBS vanilla extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325F 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 add rolled oats, quick oats, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and ground cinnamon. Stir until combined and set aside.
  4. In a small bowl, stir together almond butter, maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. (If almond butter is very thick, microwave with maple syrup and coconut oil for about 15-20 seconds.) Add almond butter mixture and chia seed gel to large bowl of dry ingredients, stir with large spoon until the dry mixture is well coated. Then, use your hands to fully mix and get the clusters ready.
  5. Spread/sprinkle the mixture evenly on prepared baking sheet. You should have clusters of granola already from working the mixture with your hands.
  6. Bake granola in increments for a total of 35-40 minutes, flipping the granola gently at 15 minutes, then again at 12 minutes, then again at 12-15 minutes***
  7. 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.
  8. Store in airtight container. Granola should stay fresh up to 3 weeks.

Notes

–Granola will make roughly 6-8 servings, about ½ cup each.

*You can also use one large egg white as binder, or same ratio for milled flaxseed + water if you don’t have chia seeds.

**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. Watch granola after each time flipping to make sure it is not getting too dark, adjust time accordingly, as every oven is different!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/8th
  • Calories: 376
  • Sugar: 10
  • Sodium: 52
  • Fat: 23
  • Saturated Fat: 5
  • Unsaturated Fat: 14
  • Trans Fat: 0
  • Carbohydrates: 36
  • Fiber: 7
  • Protein: 9
  • Cholesterol: 0

Keywords: homemade granola, granola clusters, how to make granola

Congrats to Leah and family <3

Don’t forget to check the rest of the party and all of the amazing granola recipes!

Chai Spiced Granola — Fresh April Flours

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Granola — Flippin’ Delicious

Tropical Hemp Seed Granola — A Clean Bake

Coconut Granola — The Emotional Baker

Oat-Free Granola — There is Life After Wheat

Lemon and Blueberry Granola — Thoroughly Nourished Life

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About Ashley

"Ashley Walterhouse is the founder of Fit Mitten Kitchen, based in the Greater Lansing Area of Michigan, AKA “the Mitten.” Ashley grew up as a picky eater but later discovered that eating healthy was actually easy and fun. She started FMK in 2015 as a way to share her newfound love of developing healthier recipes for all to enjoy."

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  1. Allie @ Miss Allie's Kitchen says

    Waiittt get out, you’re in PA??! I’m in Schuylkill County, but I’m from Montgomery County! EEEEEkkk, yay! Also, I love a good granola! Going camping this weekend so this may have to go on the (growing) food list.

    Reply

    • Ashley says

      Oops, I lived in PA for a short while but I am back in MI now. Sorry for the confusion Allie! lol
      Oh but have fun on your camping trip! We went on the house boats on Raystown a couple summers in a row and had the BEST time. One of my favorite memories there! Where will you be camping!?

      Reply

  2. Megan - The Emotional Baker says

    Oh my gosh!! I just want to pick those clusters right off the screen 😉 This granola looks so delightful. If I made a batch, I’d be stealing handfuls all day!! On another note – you are so right – the Internet and social media have many positives, as well as negatives. Today I’m all for it because I get to see this lovely granola and celebrate Leah with you 🙂 So happy to be a part of this granola party!

    Reply

    • Ashley says

      It’s so hard not to grab handfuls here and there! Especially when shooting.
      – So happy we got together for this! Thanks Megan 🙂

      Reply

  7. Leah @ Grain Changer says

    THANK YOU sooooooo much for joining in on the celebration of our baby boy!!!! I LOVE how the interwebz connects us all – so amazing! Hopefully one day soon you’ll be back in the area and you, Lynn and I can all get together 🙂 This granola looks absolutely INCREDIBLE too. Just what I’ll need to power me through those sleepless nights that I hear are coming my way 😉 CAN’T WAIT to try this out. xoxo.

    Reply

    • Ashley says

      From what Lynn tells me those nights are a real treat 😉 <3 You'll do great though! You'll have to get your hubby to help make batches of all this granola to have on hand as a midnight snack.

      Reply

  8. Amy @ Thoroughly Nourished Life says

    I love finding new friends on the internets. That’s how I connected with Lynn and Leah even though I live on the other side of the world! And it’s super fun to collaborate on projects like a baby shower for our fellow bloggy friends 🙂
    I can’t wait to try this delicious granola recipe. I am WAY into clumps, and I love that this has almond butter in it too! Delicious!

    Reply

    • Ashley says

      The internet really can do wonderful things. It was so fun getting together for this and glad we all connected! <3

      Reply