Homemade Granola with Chocolate and Coconut

Homemade granola is easy to make and tastes incredible! You can easily adapt it to your tastes by adding chocolate, coconut or any other favourites. This healthy vegan granola recipe only takes 30 minutes to make and it's delicious for breakfast, dessert or a snack. 

Homemade Granola

Like Cocoa Pops, this granola turns the milk a bit chocolatey so it's a real treat and we love it for breakfast or dessert. It's also great sprinkled on yogurt and my kids even eat it dry as a snack, like trail mix.

I love making granola at home. It's super easy and you can endlessly customize the flavors. For this one, I've taken my usual healthy granola recipe, and added chunks of dark chocolate and flakes of dried coconut to make it really special. 

The smell of granola baking in the oven is an absolute dream. It's almost worth making it just for that amazing aroma. But you're then rewarded with a tasty jar of deliciousness. Win win. 

I love making this recipe when I look in the pantry and see it overflowing with a random selection of nuts and seeds left over from other recipes. A few pecans, a handful of blanched almonds, a few pine nuts leftover from making pesto. Whatever nuts and seeds you have, just chuck them in!

Is granola healthy?

If you're wondering if granola is a healthy breakfast, then the answer isn't always clear. Store bought can be full of sugar, but this one is more healthy. For a lighter breakfast, serve it with fat free yogurt and piled high with healthy berries. You can also leave out the dark chocolate for a healthier granola.

This recipe is full of fibre and iron from the oats, while the nuts and seeds add protein and unsaturated fats, which are good for the heart.

Granola gets a bad rap, and while many store bought granolas have lots of hidden sugar, this recipe uses maple syrup, and not much of it. 

My recipe has a little dark chocolate in it. I love including the chocolate to make it really special, plus it has nutrients and antioxidants. Just a tiny amount means this granola becomes a real treat. I like to have it with a little hazelnut milk to make it taste like Nutella!

Homemade granola tips and tricks

• How long does homemade granola last? Up to two months.
• Is it cheaper to make your own granola at home? Absolutely. You can use up any ends of bags of nuts or seeds, plus oats are a cheap ingredient. If you don't have maple syrup you can swap in honey (not vegan) or other liquid sweetener.
• How to store homemade granola - keep it in an airtight container, not refrigerated, for up to 2 months. 
• Should granola be refrigerated? No, just keep it in a container in the cupboard.
• Can I freeze granola? Yes! Once the granola is made and cooled, store it in a sealed container (bag, tub, jar) in the freezer for up to six months.
• Make it vegan: this recipe is naturally vegan, dairy free, egg free and soy free (but check the chocolate for soy).
• Make it gluten free: use certified gluten free oats to make this gluten free (and check the chocolate for traces of gluten)
• This recipe is refined sugar free. 
• How many calories in homemade granola? This recipe has just 217 calories!
• Use whatever selection of nuts and seeds you have (chia, flax, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds etc..) 
• How much protein is in this recipe? 5g of protein.

How to eat granola

• This vegan granola recipe is great served with your favourite milk for breakfast. I love it with hazelnut milk (store bought or make your own) particularly so it tastes like Nutella!
• It's also great served as a dessert sprinkled onto a bowl of fresh or frozen berries which adds lovely texture to the fruit.
• Try making a parfait with this granola. Sprinkle a tablespoon into a glass, spoon in some yogurt, then berries and repeat until the glass is full.
• Sprinkle it onto vegan pancakes or vegan waffles along with some raspberry compote for a show-stopping vegan breakfast!
• For a tasty treat, whizz some frozen bananas in the blender until they're thick like ice cream, then serve sprinkled with the granola and a few berries. 

Get the Vegan Homemade Granola Recipe

Homemade Granola with Chocolate and Coconut

Kate Hackworthy | Veggie Desserts

Homemade granola is easy and tasty! This healthy vegan granola recipe only takes 30 mins and tastes amazing. Optional add ins of dark chocolate chunks and flakes of coconut make it extra special.

4.91 from 10 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 217 kcal

Ingredients

 

• 4 tablespoon maple syrup
• 3 tablespoon coconut oil
• 3 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups 200 g rolled oats
• ¾ cup 75g shredded coconut
• ½ cup 75g unsalted mixed nuts, roughly chopped
• 4 tablespoon mixed seeds I used pumpkin, hemp, sesame and linseeds
• ⅓ cup 50g dark chocolate, chopped into chunks (or chocolate chips)
• 4 tablespoon flaked coconut

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 150C / 300F. Line two baking trays with baking paper.
• In a small pan over a med/low heat (or in a microwave), melt the maple syrup and coconut oil together. Remove from the heat and stir in the cocoa powder and vanilla. Allow to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, add the oats, coconut, nuts and seeds and stir. Pour in the syrup mixture and mix it all together really well.
• Spread it all out in thin layers on the baking sheets and bake for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure that it cooks evenly.
• Leave the granola to cool - it will harden and crisp up on the tray. When it’s cool, stir in the dark chocolate chunks and flaked coconut. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Notes

• If you don't have maple syrup you can swap in honey (not vegan) or other liquid sweetener.
• Store in an airtight container, not refrigerated, for up to 2 months. 
• Once the granola is made and cooled, it can be frozen. Just store it in a sealed container (bag, tub, jar) in the freezer for up to six months.
• This recipe is naturally vegan, dairy free, egg free and soy free (but check the chocolate for soy).
• Make it gluten free: use certified gluten free oats to make this gluten free (and check the chocolate for traces of gluten)
• Use whatever selection of nuts and seeds you have (chia, flax, almonds, pecans, pumpkin seeds etc..) 

Nutrition

Calories: 217kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 5gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 5mgPotassium: 174mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 23mgIron: 1.5mg

The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.

Tried this recipe?Mention @kateveggiedesserts or tag #veggiedesserts! I love seeing your recreations.