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Home » Recipes » Breakfast

Homemade Gluten Free and Nut Free Granola

Published: Apr 26, 2022 by Lexi

8 shares
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If you have food allergies, or if you just like delicious granola, our homemade gluten free and nut free granola is the perfect salty, sweet, and crunchy treat.

It's perfect for breakfast (on a smoothie bowl) or as a snack (by the handful), and is the perfect base recipe for making your ideal nut free granola! It's also a lot cheaper than store-bought and is made with nutritious ingredients.

Front view of a scoop of gluten free and nut free granola.
Brown sugar and maple syrup help to make crunchy clusters.
Jump to:
  • Why We Love This Recipe
  • Ingredients
  • Ingredient Notes
  • Step-by-step Instructions
  • How to Customize Your Granola
  • Expert Tips and FAQs
  • Some more nut free breakfast ideas...
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Reviews

Why We Love This Recipe

  • Salty, sweet, and crunchy: Even though this recipe contains no nuts, it gets an awesome sweet/salty contrast from brown sugar and a touch of kosher salt, and a nice crunch from sunflower, pumpkin, hemp, and sesame seeds.
  • Easily customizable: Everyone has different preferences, so feel free to sub ingredients in and out to make your perfect granola!
  • Peanut and tree nut free: You won't find any peanuts or tree nuts like almonds, walnuts, or pecans in this recipe. It's the perfect granola recipe for those with nut allergies.
  • No gluten either: As long as you make sure to use certified gluten free oats, this recipe also contains zero gluten.
  • Versatile: it's delicious on top of yogurt, with milk, on chia pudding, smoothie bowls, overnight oats, ice cream, by the handful....you name it!

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this nut free granola:

Overhead view of nut free granola ingredients, including sunflower seeds and oats.

Ingredient Notes

  • Oats: Be sure to use old fashioned whole rolled oats, and not instant or quick-cooking oats. Rolled oats will provide the best texture and flavor. For those with celiac or a severe gluten allergy, be sure to use certified gluten free oats.
  • Seeds: For the best possible granola texture, we like to use a mix of seeds (we find that just using one variety makes it a bit boring). In this recipe, we use pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, hemp seeds and sunflower seeds. Each one brings a different flavor profile, texture and nutritional value! Feel free to swap in your favorite seeds.
  • Sweetener: We like to use a combination of brown sugar and agave or maple syrup. While you may be temped to skip the sweetener or cut down on it, it is the key to a super crunchy granola, so be sure not to omit it completely if you're modifying!
  • Olive oil: We used olive oil, and since we're cooking at a fairly low temperature (300˚F), olive oil is a good choice. You could also use melted coconut oil or another neutral flavored oil to make your granola.
  • Spices: We went for a simple combination of cinnamon, salt, and ground ginger. You can swap your favorite spices in and out, but be sure not to skip the salt, which helps to balance out the sweetness of this recipe. Nutmeg, cloves and/or cardamom would all be great additions.

Step-by-step Instructions

(1) Preheat your oven to 300˚F / 150˚C. Stir together oats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds and sesame seeds in a large mixing bowl.

(2) In a smaller bowl, whisk together the olive oil, agave or maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.

On the left: dry ingredients being stirred together. On the right: wet ingredients stirred together.

(3) Pour the wet mixture over the dry and stir well to combine.

(4) Divide the granola half and move it to two large rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and spread into an even layer.

(5) Bake for 30 minutes, stirring twice (every 10 minutes) during baking to ensure even cooking. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

On the left: wet and dry stirred together. In the middle: granola spread out on a baking tray. On the right: granola after baking.

How to Customize Your Granola

  • Dried fruit: Add in raisins, cranberries, dried cherries, dried mango, etc after the granola is finished cooking. Freeze dried fruit is also delicious in this nut free granola (check out this raspberry hazelnut granola or this blueberry lemon granola for inspo!).
  • Other spices: Pumpkin pie spice, chai spice mix, nutmeg, cloves, etc would all make for a delicious granola.
  • Coconut: You can add in some unsweetened coconut flakes before baking, which adds a little extra sweetness and crispiness. Don't use desiccated (shredded) coconut, which burns easily.
  • Chocolate chips: You can add some chocolate chips in once the granola has cooled (like in this banana bread granola). We love the additional crunch and sweetness that this provides.
Overhead view of a bowl of nut free granola with a scooper.

Expert Tips and FAQs

  • Let it cool completely before breaking up: This is the most important step if you want crunchy granola with big clusters. The sugars will melt down in the baking process, and then solidify when the granola has cooled.
  • Smooth it out in the pan: Be sure to spread the granola into an even layer after transferring to baking pans. This will ensure even cooking and crunchiness throughout.
  • Parchment paper: Lining your baking tray with parchment paper helps cut down on the oil usage, and makes for a mess-free cleanup.
  • Celiac: If you have celiac disease or are extremely gluten sensitive, make sure to use certified gluten free oats. You can never go wrong with Bob's Red Mill.
  • Storage: Store granola in an airtight container (like a large mason jar), and it will stay fresh for about a month.
  • Freezing: You can freeze this granola, and it will keep for 2-3 months.
  • DIY gift: This nut free granola makes for a great gift for a host/hostess! Simply package it in a pretty glass jar, seal, and tie a ribbon/tag around the top.
How long will granola stay fresh?

Stored in an airtight container, granola will stay fresh for up to a month.

How do you keep granola from burning?

The key to perfectly crispy (yet not burnt) granola is a relatively low oven temperature of 300°F. It's also important to give the granola a stir a few times to ensure even cooking on all sides.

What should I do if my granola has become stale?

Simply add it back to a baking tray, and put it back in the oven at 400˚F / 204˚C for 5 minutes.

Overhead view of nut free granola with a scooper resting on top.

Some more nut free breakfast ideas...

  • Tacos on a plate garnished with avocado.
    Scrambled Tofu Breakfast Tacos
  • overhead view of vegan savory quinoa breakfast bowl with tofu, avocado and mushrooms.
    Savory Quinoa Breakfast Bowls
  • Vegan Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash
  • Vegan Southwest Breakfast Skillet

Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.

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Front view of a scoop of gluten free granola.

Homemade Gluten Free and Nut Free Granola


★★★★★

5 from 1 reviews

  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 35 minutes
  • Yield: 10-12 servings 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

If you have food allergies, or if you just like delicious granola, our homemade gluten free and nut free granola is the perfect salty, sweet, and crunchy treat. 


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 4 cups old fashioned whole rolled oats*
  • ¾ cup raw, unsalted sunflower seeds
  • ¾ cup raw, unsalted pepitas
  • ¼ cup hemp seeds
  • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
  • ½ cup + 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup agave or maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon powdered ginger
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 300˚F / 150˚C. Stir together oats, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, and sesame seeds in a large bowl.
  2. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the olive oil, agave or maple syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
  3. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and stir well to combine.
  4. Divide the granola half and move it to two large rimmed baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and spread into an even layer.
  5. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring twice (every 10 minutes) during baking to ensure even cooking. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before breaking up.

Notes

*Gluten free oats: If you have celiac disease or are extremely gluten sensitive, make sure to use certified gluten free oats. 

Let it cool completely before breaking up: This is the most important step if you want crunchy granola with big clusters. The sugars will melt down in the baking process, and then solidify when the granola has cooled.

Smooth it out in the pan: Be sure to spread the granola into an even layer after transferring to baking pans. This will ensure even cooking and crunchiness throughout.

Storage: Store granola in an airtight container (like a large mason jar), and it will stay fresh for about a month.

Freezing: You can freeze this granola, and it will keep for 2-3 months.

  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 329
  • Sugar: 11.6 g
  • Sodium: 130.4 mg
  • Fat: 14.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 41.7 g
  • Fiber: 4.1 g
  • Protein: 6.9 g

Keywords: homemade gluten free and nut free granola

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Reader Interactions

Comments

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Alexa

    April 29, 2022 at 9:18 am

    Loved this recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

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