Berry Granola

This crunchy homemade berry granola comes together easily in a few simple steps. Filled with rolled oats, nuts, seeds, and freeze-dried berries, this berry granola is perfect as an easy breakfast over a bowl of yogurt, a smoothie bowl, or even as a quick snack!

I love granola! It’s simple, delicious, and filling. Catch me snacking on it by the handful when I’m feeling peckish. This crunchy berry granola is my current favorite and I have a feeling you’ll love it as much as I do!

 

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It’s easily customizable. Not a fan of tahini? Swap it out for more almond butter. Want to use different freeze-dried fruit? Go for it. Have different nuts or seeds on hand? You can use that instead!
• You know exactly what’s in it. Sometimes store-bought granola has more sugar than I prefer and sometimes I want a different ratio of oats, nuts, seeds, etc. So, making homemade granola gives me more control over the recipe.
• It’s so easy to make. Mix your dry and wet ingredients separately, then combine them and bake!

Ingredients You’ll Need

• rolled oats — make sure you are using old-fashioned rolled oats. This will make up the base of the homemade granola and provide the best texture and flavor compared to using instant or quick cooking oats.
• nuts — I use a combination of equal parts pecans, walnuts, and almonds, but feel free to play around with the nuts you like.
• seeds — I’m using pumpkin seeds (pepitas), but feel free to use your favorite. Sunflower seed is another favorite.
• salt — a pinch of salt helps balance out the flavors.
• cinnamon & nutmeg — I love the warmth that ground cinnamon and nutmeg adds to the granola.
• almond butter — I’m using almond butter but cashew or peanut butter is a great alternative.
• maple syrup — for added sweetness. Make sure you use real maple syrup and not pancake syrup.
• olive oil — oil helps the granola to turn golden and crisp when baked. You can also use unrefined coconut oil if you prefer.
• tahini — I like the toasted sesame seed flavor that tahini adds to the granola. If you don’t, you can use more nut butter in place of it.
• vanilla — just a bit.
• freeze-dried fruit — it’s very important to note that this berry granola uses freeze-dried fruit and not regular dried fruit. You can find freeze-dried fruit online as well as at Target and Trader Joe’s. I’m using freeze-dried strawberries, blueberries, and passionfruit.

How to Make Berry Granola

• Heat the oven to 350F and line a half-sheet pan.
• In a bowl, mix together the rolled oats, nuts, pepitas, cinnamon, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

• In another bowl, combine the almond butter, maple syrup, olive oil tahini, and vanilla extract.

• Pour the dry ingredients into the almond butter mixture and mix to combine.
• Transfer the granola mixture to the parchment-lined half-sheet pan. Press it flat with your spatula to create an even layer.

• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes then let cool completely for around 15 to 20 minutes.
• Using your hand (or another spatula), break up the granola into small pieces or large clusters. Transfer it to a bowl or airtight container and toss with the freeze-dried fruit.
• Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 to 2 weeks.

Recipe Tips and Notes

• If the granola looks a little soft coming out of the oven, not to worry, it’ll firm up as it cools.
• I use a half-sheet pan so when the granola sets, you can create relatively large clusters. If you prefer more crispy and small pieces of granola, you can use a regular-sized sheet pan and spread the granola out more. You might also have to stir it a couple of times on the sheet pan so the granola cooks evenly and doesn’t burn.
• Make sure not to add the freeze-dried berries until the end. If you want to use regular dried berries such as cranberries, cherries, blueberries, etc, that’s fine as well but it may not last as long due to the moisture in the dried fruit.

Make Ahead Tips

• Meal prep: once cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in a cool, dry area.
• Freezer: you can freeze homemade granola and it will stay fresh for up to three months. Allow the berry granola to cool before transferring a freezer-safe airtight container and freezing.

More Breakfast Recipes to Try

• Kefir Overnight Oats
• Kefir Chia Pudding
• Homemade Unsweetened Applesauce
• Applesauce Oatmeal
• Matcha Overnight Oats
• Gingerbread Oatmeal

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