I grew up on homemade granola. My mom would bake big trays of it, and I can still remember how super fragrant the smell of sesame seeds were. This was the 70’s though, so granola had lots of everything in it back then; nuts, seeds, honey, butter, sesame seeds, and just enough oats to call it granola. It was delicious, but crazily enough, my young mind was always wondering why she wasn’t offering up Captain Crunch too. Here was my mom making me a healthy, wholesome breakfast, and I was crying for a box of sweet cereal. My mom firmly held her ground though, and thankfully my tastes and cravings have evolved over the years. Thanks mom!
The inspiration of my mom’s fragrant granola will always be deeply etched in my mind, although she now bakes up my granola recipes (which makes my heart skip a beat). When my husband and I had our bakery, I would make huge batches of granola, and have been slowly tweaking the recipe over the years. It’s now so much healthier, and uses a much smaller amount of oil in place of melted butter.
This recipe is adapted from my Diner Granola recipe in Vegan Diner. It’s got lots of toasted flavor, along with a nice crunch and dose of protein from the quinoa. The coconut adds another level of toasted flavor and crunch, giving you a roasty, toasty, maple-infused granola.
I used a trim-color quinoa from Bob’s Red Mill (this one), but you can use any one you like. You can also substitute millet for the quinoa, or a combo of both. Personally though, I am hooked on this oat and quinoa version.
If you love fruit in your granola, feel free to toss some dried fruit in after baking. I love this granola with almond milk and sliced banana, but it is also delicious eaten right off the baking sheet. I’ll be sharing more granola recipes soon, but in the meantime, let me know what you think of this one.
Lots of love! xo Julie
Maple Coconut Quinoa Granola
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This maple flavored granola is absolutely delicious! It’s also full of whole grain goodness with a punch of protein from the quinoa.
Ingredients
3 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
2 tablespoon melted virgin coconut oil
2 tablespoons sunflower or safflower oil
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon maple extract
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut chips or shredded coconut
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large half sheet-sized baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, quinoa, brown sugar, salt, oils, maple syrup, and maple extract. Using your hands, mix well so that the oats are well coated.
Spread the oat mixture in the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Open the oven, pull out the tray partially, and gently stir in the coconut flakes with a fork. Return to the oven and bake another 10 minutes or so, until the coconut and granola is nicely toasted and golden brown. Depending on your oven, you may need to flip the baking sheet halfway through, if the granola is looking too dark on one side.
Remove the pan from the oven and let cool completely. The granola will crisp up when it’s cool. If it’s not crisp enough, you can return it to the oven and bake another 5 minutes. Scoop up the cooled granola into a glass jar or airtight container and store at room temperature for up to a month.
Notes
Gluten-Free + Vegan (if you use gluten-free oats)
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