Grain Free Granola

While this grain free granola might not be your typical morning cereal, its intriguing flavor profile and super crunchy texture will no doubt win you over!

I initially created this Grain Free Granola with the sole intent of making it a 30-Day Clean Eating Meal Plan exclusive and honestly had no intention of ever publishing the recipe on the blog. But then, something happened: I fell in love head over heals with this unique and intriguing cereal so I decided that I wanted to share the love with as many people as I possibly could.

Plus, I wasn’t that big a fan of the fact that, in the clean eating meal plan, the recipe had been scaled down to fit the requirements of the challenge…

Truth is, this stuff is so crazy addictive, you’re not going to regret making the full recipe. And if you’re gonna go through the trouble of making it, you might as well make a full batch. Cuz even if you were following the program, the finished granola keeps for a while so you’d be able to enjoy any potential leftovers once your challenge was over.

Now, this grain free granola really isn’t your typical morning cereal, but its totally unique and intriguing flavor profile, as well as its unparalleled soft-slash-crunchy texture will undoubtedly win you over and shatter any doubts that you may have!

Unlike most grain free granola recipes out there that call mainly, if not strictly, for nuts, I tried to include a variety of other gluten free, low carb yet protein filled ingredients in mine. For starters, I thought that chickpeas would make for a really fantastic addition. Yep, you read that one right: chickpeas! Oh, you may find it weird to be adding chickpeas to your morning cereals, but trust me, it totally works.

Of course, you’re gonna have to plan on cooking the chickpeas in advance, or at least soak them the previous night. And then, once they have been cooked and drained, you’ll want to give them a while to cool also, so you can handle them safely. Ideally, I say you should plan on cooking your chickpeas the previous day and let them cool in the fridge overnight.

Or, if you were in a pinch, you could always go with canned; just be certain that you drain, rinse and dry them well before you use them.

Once you have your chickpeas ready and you’re all set to start making some granola, you’ll want to preheat your oven to 425°F and line a 13″ x 18″ baking sheet with parchment paper.

Then, grab 2 cups of the chickpeas, chop them coarsely with a knife and put them in a bowl along with 1 tbsp of melted coconut oil, 1 tsp ground cinnamon and ¼ tsp of salt. Toss that until the chickpeas are fully coated and then spread the chickpeas onto the prepared baking sheet.

Bake them in the preheated oven for 20 minutes – be careful not to overcook your chickpeas as they will be returning to the oven with the rest of the granola later.

While the chickpeas are roasting, combine the following ingredients in a large bowl:

• ¾ cup toasted unswseetened coconut flakes
• ½ cup chopped dry roasted cashews
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• ½ cup sliced almonds
• ½ cup pumpkin seeds
• ¼ cup hemp seeds
• ¼ cup sesame seeds
• 3 tbsp raisins

In a separate bowl, combine these:

• ¼ cup almond butter
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix well with a whisk until well combined and pour over reserved granola mixture.

Note that this grain free granola really doesn’t taste sweet or sugary at all. Personally, I absolutely adore it this way: I’ve never been a fan of sugary cereal. The coconut, cinnamon and raisins alone bring plenty of sweetness for me, but if you think that you’d prefer yours to be a tad on the sweeter side, you could very well add one or two tablespoons of liquid honey to your almond butter mixture at this point. 

Mix gently until all the ingredients are well combined and evenly coated in the almond butter mixture.

Once the chickpeas have been in the oven for 20 minutes, decrease oven temperature to 325°F and take the chickpeas out; allow them to cool for a few minutes, until you can handle them safely.

Add them to granola and toss delicately until they are well mixed in.

Transfer this mixture to the baking sheet, spread evenly and return to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes without stirring, until slightly golden, then remove from the oven and let your granola dry and cool completely before storing it in airtight containers, where it will keep in the pantry for up to several weeks.

Honestly, though, I totally doubt that you’ll be able to keep it that long!

Print Recipe Rate this Recipe

5 from 3 votes

Grain Free Granola

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

While this grain free granola might not be your typical morning cereal, its intriguing flavor profile and super crunchy texture will no doubt win you over!

Servings: 16

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Part I

• 2 cups cooked chickpeas, * (see note)
• 1 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt, I use Himalayan salt

Part II

• 3/4 cup toasted unswseetened coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup chopped dry roasted cashews
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 3 tbsp raisins

Binder

• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 425°F and line a 13" x 18" baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Coarsely chop the chickpeas and place them in a bowl along with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of salt; mix to coat the chickpeas well and then spread the chickpeas onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes - be careful not to overcook your chickpeas as they will be returning to the oven with the rest of the granola later.
• While the chickpeas are roasting, combine the toasted coconut shavings, chopped cashews and walnuts, sliced almonds, pumpkin, hemp and sesame seeds as well as the raisins in a large bowl. Mix well and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, combine the almond butter, coconut oil, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Mix well with a whisk until well combined. Pour over reserved granola mixture and mix until well combined and evenly coated.
• Once the chickpeas have been in the oven for 20 minutes, decrease oven temperature to 325°F and remove the chickpeas; allow them to cool for a few minutes, then add them to granola and mix delicately to incorporate them well.
• Transfer this mixture to the baking sheet, spread evenly and return to the oven.
• Bake for 25 minutes, until slightly golden. Remove from oven and let granola dry and cool completely.
• Store in an airtight container for up to several weeks.

Notes

*You could also use canned chickpeas; just be sure to rinse, drain and dry them well before using.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup, Calories: 229kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Sodium: 97mg, Potassium: 196mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 15IU, Vitamin C: 0.2mg, Calcium: 69mg, Iron: 2.1mg

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Author: Sonia! The Healthy Foodie

If you’ve tried this recipe, please take a minute to rate the recipe and let me know how things went for you in the comments below. It’s always such a pleasure to hear from you!

You can also FOLLOW ME on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and TWITTER for more delicious, healthy recipes!