Vanilla Almond Granola

This vegan recipe for homemade Vanilla Almond Granola is made without refined sugars. Serve this granola with milk or yogurt for a delicious and healthy breakfast.

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This easy to make gluten-free Vanilla Almond Granola is made with pantry staples and includes oats, crunchy almonds, almond butter (though it can be omitted) and is lightly sweetened with pure maple syrup.

You'll find this crunchy granola is so simple to make at home that store-bought ready-made granola will no longer be needed on your shopping list.

How to Make Homemade Vanilla Granola

As long as you have all the ingredients available, this recipe for almond granola can be prepared, baked and ready to eat in less than an hour. Below is an image and list of the ingredients you'll need with substitutions you can make and step-by-step images for making this granola.

Ingredients Overview:

• Old fashioned rolled oats. For a gluten-free granola, be sure to use certified gluten-free oats.
• Almonds. Sliced or slivered almonds. Or you can roughly chop some raw whole almonds. Feel free to use other raw nuts. Cashews, chopped walnuts or pecans are all great choices.
• Almond butter or natural nut butter of your choice.
• Maple syrup or honey. Though you will want to stick to maple syrup for vegan granola.
• Grapeseed or other light-tasting oil. Melted coconut oil is also a good choice and tastes delicious in this granola.
• Vanilla extract
• Almond extract
• Ground cinnamon and salt

Steps Overview:

To make this Vanilla Almond Granola, add all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Add the wet ingredients into a medium bowl, whisk the wet ingredients together and then pour over the dry ingredients.

Stir to combine and make sure to coat all of the oats and almonds well with the almond butter mixture.

Spread the granola on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Press the granola down into an even layer (like pictured below), this step will help form clusters of granola.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, stir the granola and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until the granola is fragrant and golden in colour.

Tip: To keep some clusters of granola, I flip small sections of granola over with a spatula instead of stirring it.

Remove the granola from the oven and let it cool on the baking tray before storing it. The granola will crisp up as it cools.

Variations:

• For a nut-free granola you can simply omit the almonds or you can use pumpkin or sunflower seeds instead.
• Add dried fruit. I love adding dried blueberries, cranberries, raisins and coconut. Make sure to add them after having baked the granola and it has come to room temperature. Large flaked coconut can be added to the main granola ingredients and baked.
• You can vary the spices to suit your preferences. Try adding a bit of nutmeg or ground ginger.

Serving Suggestions

The simplest way to serve granola for breakfast is with milk. In fact, this granola reminds me of my favourite almond cereal.

You can add fresh fruit to your bowl of granola. Fresh blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are all delicious. You can also add sliced strawberries and bananas.

If you enjoy smoothie bowls for breakfast you can top it with a handful of granola.

Enjoy granola on its own as a snack, I will occasionally grab a handful to snack on while I'm working.

You can serve granola with yogurt. Add half a cup of yogurt to a bowl and top it with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of granola.

Granola Parfait: Build a yogurt and granola parfait by layering yogurt, granola and fruit, or a fruit sauce such as this homemade Peach Sauce in a glass or small mason jar. Not only is it delicious for breakfast but it also makes a healthy dessert!

Storing Instructions

Store this Vanilla Almond Granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks. Granola can also be frozen for up to three months in a freezer bag. Thaw granola at room temperature before serving.

Enjoy!

More Breakfast Recipes

• Homemade Maple Pecan Granola with Dates
• Homemade Muesli
• Homemade Coconut and Seed Bars
• Quinoa Breakfast Bowls