Homemade Granola with No Refined Sugar Added, a fantastic breakfast recipe that is full of goodness. My granola is made with lots of nuts, seeds and dried fruit, and it's deliciously crunchy and perfect for a good start of the day.
I am a firm believer that refined sugar has no place at the breakfast table. While I do enjoy sugary treats too, they are only reserved for dessert time.
Breakfast has always been one of the most important meals of the day for us, so I make sure that the fuel our bodies get is the best kind.
No, I am not saying that the food has to be tasteless, that's the thing, sugar doesn't translate better taste, just more problems. And there are plenty of other ways to sweeten your food without refined sugar.
My favourite way of sweetening breakfast goodies is using ripe bananas. My banana waffles, banana pancakes or banana muffins all use mashed banana for a natural sweetness - and that also helps get a nice fluffy texture.
But for my homemade granola I used honey to sweeten it up and that gave the perfect level of sweetness without compromising on the texture or taste.
It's hard to find good granola in supermarkets, even the big brands offer a rather poor quality granola that is either full of sugar or so hard that can easily break your teeth. Whereas the homemade one is crunchy not not super hard and it's divinely delicious!
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Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients overview
- rolled oats - not the fine porridge oats!
- seeds - I used pumpkin and sunflower seeds, but anything else goes
- nuts - I used walnuts, hazelnuts and cashew nuts, but any others work too
- dried fruit - I had goji berries and mixed dried fruit, but again, whatever else you have around
- honey - or agave nectar
- vegetable oil
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit, 140 fan oven)
- in a large mixing bowl, add the oats, nuts and seeds
- pour over the honey and oil and mix well
- in a non-stick roasting pan, spread the oat mixture in one even layer
- bake for 20 minutes, add the dried fruit, mix well again, and bake for a further 10 minutes
- leave the granola to cool down completely before adding it to an air-tight container
Expert tips
I do not recommend adding the dried fruit right from the beginning, as even on a low heat, they tend to burn easily and become bitter. I find that they work best if they are added towards the end, or even as soon as the granola comes out of the oven.
Do not be tempted to increase the oven temperature at any point, as this will make the granola burn or turn way too crunchy - we want the good kind of crunch!
What to serve with granola
I find that the best way to enjoy granola is with yogurt - we all love plain Greek yogurt, but anything else goes. You can either serve it with extra honey or syrup, fresh fruit like bananas, apple slices, berries or any other seasonal fruit.
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Homemade Granola with No Refined Sugar Added
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- ¼ cup chopped nuts ( I used walnuts, hazelnuts and cashew nuts)
- ¼ cup dried fruit ( I used raisins and goji berries)
- ¼ cup seeds (I used sunflower and pumpkin seeds)
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Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius (320 Fahrenheit, 140 fan oven).
- In a mixing bowl, add the oats, honey, oil, seeds and nuts and mix well.
- Transfer the mixture to a non-stick baking tray and arrange it in one single layer.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then add the dried fruit, give everything a good stir, and bake again for a further 10 minutes.
- Remove the mixture from the oven and leave it to cool down completely to crisp up before adding it to an air-tight container.
Video
Notes
- I do not recommend adding the dried fruit right from the beginning, as even on a low heat, they tend to burn easily and become bitter. I find that they work best if they are added towards the end, or even as soon as the granola comes out of the oven.
- Do not be tempted to increase the oven temperature at any point, as this will make the granola burn or turn way too crunchy - we want the good kind of crunch!
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