I was SUCH a cereal kid growing up. Frosted Flakes, Honey Bunches of Oats, and Lucky Charms were my go-to’s. It’s been a long time since my cereal days now that I’m so much more conscientious about buying products that are low in sugar and made with healthy, high-quality ingredients… but man, those were the days! I’ve since replaced those cereals with healthier granolas, but I have to say, I’ve had to scour all my favorite grocery stores to even find a couple brands that are actually healthy (although they usually come with a big price tag). Most store-bought granola is typically super high in sugar and carbs and is often made with poor-quality oils – even a lot of the brands that are supposed to be “healthy” are still using canola oil! So I decided it was time to create my own. A grain-free granola that’s truly healthy and would pair perfectly with almond milk for my cereal cravings, could be used as a topping on my smoothie bowls or yogurt, and let’s be honest, it has to be delicious enough to eat by the handful! Spoiler alert… this recipe meets all of that criteria and more!
The first step in creating this recipe was to use all of the best ingredients possible! I wanted to skip out on using oats here, which happen to be in every traditional granola, but since glyphosate is such a huge concern now, I said no to the oats. Instead, we’d use a whole bunch of nuts to create a grain-free granola. I went with my favorite nuts: almonds, cashews, and pistachios. To that, I added coconut shreds for some texture and hemp seeds for added protein. Then we needed something to hold it all together and give it plenty of flavor. Almond butter, a touch of pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, and Cocavo coconut and avocado oil was the perfect mix! It brings all the ingredients together and helps create those yummy granola clusters that we all love!
I’m a huge fan of this new brand from New Zealand, Cocavo, which makes really high-quality avocado and coconut oil blends. Their raw extra virgin cold pressed coconut and avocado oil is dairy-free, vegan, and gluten-free and it’s perfect in this recipe! Their products are also great for cooking thanks to their high smoke point. The taste is really mild and lends itself to a wide variety of cooking styles. They also have flavored blends like Turmeric & Lemon which I can’t wait to try in a curry dish for a ton of extra flavor. All of their products are officially available in Walmarts nationwide.
Back to the granola! You guys are going to go nuts (no pun intended) over this deliciousness. I couldn’t help but add a couple chocolate chips in there, and I swear it tastes like chocolate chip cookie granola. So good! Plus a sprinkle of flaky sea salt gives it that salty-sweet that just brings everything to the next level. Here’s how to make it!
Ingredients
2/3 cup cashews, roughly chopped
2/3 cup almonds, roughly chopped
1/3 cup pistachios, shelled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp hemp seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 tbsp chocolate chips (I used this brand which is stevia-sweetened to keep it lower in sugar)
1/4 cup natural almond butter
2 tbsp pure maple syrup
2 tbsp Cocavo original coconut and avocado oil blend, melted
1 tbsp vanilla extract
Sprinkle of flaky sea salt
Yields 2 cups of granola
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the almond butter, maple syrup, melted coconut/avocado oil, and vanilla extract.
- Chop the nuts or pulse them through a food processor to roughly chop.
- Add all dry ingredients to the bowl with the almond butter mixture. Stir well to combine and make sure everything is evenly coated.
- Pour onto the parchment paper and pat down to pack the mixture together. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
- Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, then gently move the mixture around with a spatula, careful not to break up the clusters too much, and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until golden.
- Allow the granola to cool, then break up with a spatula for delicious clusters.
- Store granola at room temperature or in the fridge (I recommend in the fridge!)!
Enjoy with almond milk, as a topping for you smoothie bowls, sprinkled on yogurt, or by the handful! YUM!
This post is in partnership with Cocavo. All content, opinions, and words are my own, and I only promote products that I truly LOVE. Thank you so much for supporting the brands that support Weeknight Bite!
