Coconut almond chia granola
Homemade coconut almond chia granola
I honestly don’t remember the last time that I bought granola in the store. This recipe is so simple and quick to make that I always have a stash at home.
The toasty aroma of the almonds and the coconut that comes from baking the granola is insane. My whole kitchen just smells of a bakery when I make a batch of this granola!
This coconut almond chia granola has definitely become a staple in my pantry. I love this recipe because you can easily customize the ingredients and take out or add ingredients that you like.
In this recipe the almonds give a wonderful nutty flavor as well as the coconut flakes. The baked chia seeds give an amazing subtle crunchiness as well as the roasted oats. Paired with spices such as vanilla, cinnamon and cardamom gives it great flavor and a little bit more of depth.
I use maple sirup as the sweetener in this recipe but you could adjust it with rice sirup or agave sirup (you might have to experiment slightly with the sweetness as rice sirup won’t give you quite the same sweetness and the maple sirup for ex.) Agave you could substitute 1:1 and achieve pretty much the same sweetness.
Why you’ll love this granola:
easy and quick to make in one bowl
easily customizable with your favorite ingredients such as: nuts, seeds, spices, fruit. etc…
It is gluten-free and vegan
Has a long shelf life and can be kept for weeks-great for meal prepping
Ingredients you’ll need to make coconut chia almond granola:
(Scroll down for the full recipe card)
Rolled oats: I used thick oats but you can use a mix of both thick and thin
Sliced almonds: thinly sliced almonds or almond slivers
Coconut flakes: I used desiccated coconut in this recipe
Chia seeds
Maple sirup: you can also substitute it for another sweeter such as agave which has a similar sweetening power (if you use other sweeteners you will have to adjust the grams)
Coconut oil: I use a deoderized coconut oil but you can use a regular coconut oil
Vanilla powder: I used vanilla powder from “Vanilla Dream” use a really good quality vanilla
Cinnamon powder: use a good quality cinnamon
Cardamom powder: use a good quality cardamom
Salt: it’s important to add the salt to balance out the flavors. Regular table salt will do
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Melt the coconut oil
Start by melting the coconut oil on low heat just until it is melted. Set aside while you scale out the rest of the ingredients.
2. Mix the rest of the ingredients
Scale the rest of the ingredients into a large bowl and lastly add in the warm coconut oil. You want the oil to be warm so it evenly coats all the ingredients to achieve an even bake and distribution of the spices, etc.
Once everything is mixed, spread the granola evenly onto a baking tray lined with baking paper
3. Bake at 165°C
Once you have spread the granola evenly onto a baking tray, place it in the preheated oven at 165°C and bake for about 20-30 minutes mixing the granola every 10-12 minutes to ensure and even bake.
The granola should have a golden brown color. You can normally tell from the almonds when the granola is done. The almonds should have a golden brown color to them. That means they have achieve the perfect nutty flavor.
Once’s finished baking remove from the oven and allow to cooled down completely before storing in an airtight container.
Tips for making homemade granola:
1. Adjustable: Homemade granola is one of those recipe that you can easily get creative with and create different flavors according to your preference. In this recipe you can swap out the almonds and coconut for another type of nut or seeds and you can play around with different spices as well.
2. Baking: I like baking my granola on a lower heat ( around 160°C-165°C) so you get the crunchy texture and an even golden brown bake. You’ll get an even bake of the oats, nuts, seeds and avoid any bitter burnt flavors.
3. Customize: If you plan on making a fruit granola or a chocolate flavored one make sure to add these ingredients at the very end after baking or one it has cooled down. Adding fruit such as dried apricots for example before baking this will result in a very stale and chewy texture and not enjoyable to eat. It can also result in a bitter tasting granola as the fruit can easily burn. The same goes for the chocolate.
4. Stir: there’s a lot of different preferences on this method. Some like to bake it as one tightly pressed tray and not stir it while baking where as I do like to stir my granola a few times during the baking process. It gives a very even bake and very crunchy texture as all the moisture is able to be released.
5. Cooling: this may seem obvious but it is important to let the granola cool down completely before packing in an airtight container. If you do not do so the granola will become soggy and not have a very long shelf life as the rest moisture hasn’t had enough time to evaporate.
6. Batch making: Granola is a great recipe to prepare in big batches. It has a really long shelf life so you can easily make bigger amounts and store it for weeks.
FAQ:
1. How do I know when the granola is done baking?
Usually the color of the almonds is a good measuring key. When the almonds are a golden brown color-nicely roasted then the granola should be done baking. When the granola has a crunchy “dry” sound when giving it a stir in the oven then it is done.
But generally when the granola has a golden bake it is done.
2. Why isn’t my granola crunchy?
There can be a few reasons for this and the first one is usually that it wasn’t baked enough. There is still too much moisture left from the maple sirup and the coconut oil.
Another reason can also be is that the ration of wet ingredients (maple sirup and coconut oil) to the dry is out of proportion.
After baking you want to make sure to store it in an airtight container as it absorbs humidity and thus looses its crunchyness.
3. Can I make this granola gluten free?
Yes, absolutely. Just make sure the oats are gluten free but generally they are
4. Can I made this recipe without coconut oil?
Yes, you can substitute it for another oil such as sunflower oil, but I would reduce the amount slightly, but keep in mind that the texture and flavor will vary slightly. I have found that coconut oil works best for granola recipes and if you use a deoderized coconut oil, it won’t have the coconut flavor.
6. Can I reduce the sugar in this recipe?
Yes, you can reduce the amount of sugar in this recipe by reducing the amount of maple sirup or sweetener you add.