Homemade granola is one of the best way to start your day in a healthy way. You can have it with almond milk, as a small snack if you don’t have a big breakfast, or sprinkled on a breakfast bowl.
Store-bought versions are usually full of refined sugar and various oils, and therefore not so much on the healthy side. I don’t know about you but I find that the amount of granola you get in the package is always disappointing !
When you make your own granola, you know exactly what goes in there and you can mix the flavours, nuts, seeds, and dried fruits, for a portion of the price you would have paid in the shop. Not only is it easy and healthy to make your own granola, you are also saving money.
Oats
The base of granola is usually oats, and this is what I am using in this recipe. If you want to make a gluten-free version of this homemade granola, make sure to choose gluten-free oats.
Oats are naturally gluten-free in their original state, but they are often grown next to other grains that are not gluten-free. Seeds can be spread from one field to another, or after harvest they can be stored in a warehouse with gluten-containing grains. So be mindful when choosing your oats if you have some sort of allergy or intolerance.
You could also use buckwheat, but I like oats because they’re high in fibre which is great for your digestion and feeling full for longer. It’s ideal if you don’t want your stomach to growl with hunger for a whole hour before lunch – I have been there, and silly me, I always find it embarrassing.
Oats are also good for your heart health, to increase your immunity and are full of minerals. All of these benefits just for breakfast, I find that pretty cool, and it sets you up for the day, don’t you think?
The flavour factor
In this homemade recipe I added cacao powder because I wanted a rich chocolatey flavour for the days when I need my cacao dose. And extra chocolate chips after it’s all baked, because you can never have too much of it, right?
I had to try the peanut butter in this recipe because chocolate and peanut are a match made in heaven so I added a biiig tablespoon in the mix.
As for the nuts and seeds, they add extra protein to feed your muscles and brain, ideal again to start the day. Hazelnuts and chocolate go hand in hand so I put a whole cup of it, and in the oven they get even crunchier and force you to chew well.
Chewing our food is terribly under-rated but oh so important. It helps break down your food – you could have guessed this one – but also it helps release saliva which contains the digestive enzymes. They will help your stomach do the work in there and make digestion easier. Remember to chew !
As for the oils and the sugars I mentioned earlier, select carefully yours. I use unrefined coconut oil, coconut sugar and maple syrup. I steer clear of refined oils and sugars as much as possible, and so should you. We’re here to eat good and healthy food to enjoy our life as long as possible, while looking fabulous. At least we try.
Do you have granola for breakfast? Have you tried making your own already?
Do you love it as much as me?
Let me know in the comments if you have tried my healthy homemade granola recipe and what you thought !
Healthy Homemade Chocolate & PB Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups Jumbo oats
- 2 tbsp cacao powder
- 2/3 cup hazelnuts chopped
- 1/3 cup sunflower seeds
- 1/4 cup coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 1 tbsp peanut butter heaped
- 1 cup chocolate chips vegan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at150*C.
- In a mixing bowl, add the oats, the cacao powder, the coconut sugar, the hazelnuts and the seeds. Mix well until everything is coated in cacao.
- In another bowl, mix the coconut oil, the peanut butter and the maple syrup until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well. The whole mix should be a bit wet, which means it will crunch in the oven. (Is "crunch" a verb you can use like this? Hmm not sure but you know what I'm saying).
- Spread the granola on a large baking tray, and put in the oven for an hour, stirring every 20 minutes.
- Once it is all cooked, let cool on the side, then add the chocolate chips and mix well so they're well spread in the overall mixture.
- Keep in an airtight container for up to 4 weeks.
