Originally posted on April 23, 2009
Granola can be very expensive. Have you ever wondered how to make it? It’s quite easy. You need the right ingredients, a big bowl and a rimmed sheet pan. That’s it. Oh, I suppose a good recipe helps, too.
Granola is a great snack. It can be used with yogurt and fruit or even on top of vanilla ice cream. When you make your own, you save money and can control how much sugar and fat goes in. Granola can be packed with fiber, vitamins, and nutrients. And you can use whichever ingredients you like. Oats are the main ingredient in granola. You add sweet for flavor and fat for crispiness. Nuts are a nice accompaniment along with the cinnamon and sunflower seeds.
It’s not always easy to find gluten free granola. When you do, it can also be very expensive and some times it might have other ingredients you might not be able to have (this was the case when my daughter had food sensitivities). Making your own with the ingredients you like and/or can tolerate seems like a good idea.
The key to gluten-free granola is buying gluten-free ingredients like the oats and seeds. Oats do not have gluten inherently but it’s can be contaminated from other grains processed on the same machines. Some companies now harvest oats on separate machines which keeps the gluten out. That’s great news for folks with celiac disease or anyone with gluten intolerances.
I keep most of these ingredients on hand so when I decided I wanted my own granola, it was done in about an hour. Ok, not counting the time I took to take the pictures and the time my daughter decided to help me. I like this recipe so much, it’s going in the cookbook! Another bonus is that this granola has no refined sugar and lots of healthy ingredients like flax seeds and pecans. I hope you’ll like it, too.
Homemade Gluten-Free Granola
Makes about 8 cups
- 4 cups old-fashioned gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/2 cup flax seeds
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (both the cinnamon and ginger are for flavor only; you can use any spices you like)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
- 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 1/3 cup avocado or plain coconut oil
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- Heat oven to 275F with rack in the center. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment or foil for easy clean up.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flax seeds, cinnamon, ginger, sunflower seeds, walnuts or pecans, and coconut.
- In a small bowl, mix the molasses, maple syrup, oil, and water to combine. Pour over the oat/nut mixture and stir until it is well coated. Spread evenly in one or two rimmed baking sheets.
- Bake, stirring every 15 minutes, until dry and lightly browned – about 40 minutes. Let granola cool to room temp, then add raisins and cranberries.
- Store in an airtight container at room temp for up to 1 month.
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