Homemade Gluten Free and Nut Free Granola

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:

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.

(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.

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.

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.

Some more nut free breakfast ideas...

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