Gluten free, grain-free, refined sugar-free paleo granola. This simple recipe incorporates nuts and seeds, plus – bonus points – you end up with huge granola clusters!
Do you ever get such a massive hankering for something crunchy that it can’t be contained, quenched, or satisfied with anything other than granola?
This happens to me regularly.
I go about my business eating my veggies and rice and salmon on a weekly basis, then all of a sudden, BOOM!
Mega need for something hard to chew on.
When these savage cravings occur, I head to the bulk bins at the store and buy up all the nuts and seeds to make my own paleo granola that is free of refined sugar and grains.
I love making homemade paleo granola because I have the ultimate control of how much sugar goes in. Plus, I enjoy experimenting with various nuts, seeds, and flavors.
So here’s my go-to paleo granola.
It’s super straight-forward, incorporating ingredients you can buy in bulk from any grocery store.
I love eating it with a splash of almond milk and fresh seasonal fruit. If you’re fine with dairy, this paleo granola makes for an amazing topping to yogurt!
This granola has the perfect crispy crunch, plus you achieve huge granola clusters.
Largely-sized clusters are a major highlight of granola.
Tips For Preparing This Recipe
- Use a variety of nuts and seeds. Raw walnuts, cashews, almonds, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seed…toss it all in!
- Use dried fruit and unsweetened coconut flakes. Both add natural sweetness and flavor without having to add processed sugar. Just be sure to use juice-sweetened dried fruit in order to keep this recipe paleo-friendly.
- Give your ingredients a good chop or run through the food processor. This will create itty bitty granola bits that make for great granola-ing.
- Use natural sweeteners. I used coconut sugar in my Walnut Granola Cluster recipe, honey in my Walnut & Date Granola recipe (and this one), and have also used pure maple syrup. Natural sweeteners a good granola make.
- Use an egg white and water. I know, it sounds strange. But it helps hold all of the ingredients together, and makes for a crispy granola with large clusters. We want the biggest clusters we can get.
How to Make Paleo Granola:
Whisk together the egg white and water in a bowl. Gather your paleo granola ingredients, you granola gathering fool 😉 .
Add the nutty and seedy ingredients to a blender or food processor (I use my Food Processor), and process for just a couple of seconds, grinding some of the nuts finely, and leaving many of the nuts chopped or whole.
Spread this granola mixture out on a parchment-lined baking sheet, creating an even layer, and bake.
Allow the granola to rest at least 30 minutes before breaking it into clusters using a spatula or wooden spoon. Be sure you let the granola sit when it’s out of the oven, as this is when the clustering magic happens.
You know the drill. It’s crunch time!
My cookbook, Paleo Power Bowls, is now available! CLICK HERE to check it out. Thank you for your support!
If you make this gluten-free granola recipe, please feel free to share a photo and tag @The.Roasted.Root on Instagram!
More Healthy Gluten-Free Granola Recipes:
- Grain-Free Tahini Granola
- Cinnamon Raisin Paleo Granola
- Walnut Granola Clusters
- Pumpkin Spice Granola
- Cherry Maple Almond Granola
The BEST Paleo Granola
Ingredients
- 1 egg white lightly beaten, see note*
- 2 tablespoons water see note*
- 2 cups raw walnuts
- 2 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds pepitas
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup dried cranberries see note**
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil see note***
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup or honey****
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Whisk together the egg white with the water until bubbly and slightly foamy in a small bowl.
- Add all ingredients, including the egg white/water mixture EXCEPT for the cranberries to a food processor. Pulse until well chopped and combined, but leave mixture nice and chunky.
- Spread the granola mixture evenly on the parchment-lined baking sheet into an even layer and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden-brown and crispy.
- Remove granola from the oven and allow it to sit at least 20 minutes without stirring it – this is where the clustering happens, so be sure to not skip this step!!
- Use a spatula or wooden spoon to break the granola into clusters.
- Once cool, store the granola in a 2-quart sealable glass jar or zip lock bag.
- Eat granola with your favorite non-dairy milk or yogurt and fruit
Notes
Nutrition
I haven’t made granola in months, like a lot of months. It’s a sad situation. Thanks for helping me turn this trend around….super excited to give this crunchy paleo version a try!
Hope you try it! Paleo granola is awesome because of how flavorful and crunchy it is. Love me some oats, but an all-nut granola is amazeballs. 😉
This looks so tasty! Kind of like Quaker Harvest Crunch that my fella loves so much. I’ll be trying this our for sure. I love impressing him with homemade versions of things that taste soooo much better than the store bought. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Oh yeah, your hubby definitely needs to lay mouth on this granola. It’s super crunchy and the perfect amount of sweetness. He’ll be making doe eyes at you in no time 😉 Hope you had a fun weekend, Sharon!
You read my mind. We need to make another batch of granola and this recipe will jazz up my go-to recipe. Thanks for the inspiration lady!!!
Heeeeeeeeeeeell yes! Let me know if you try it – it’s seriously the best granola I’ve made to date! 🙂
i wish i had this while doing whole30…eitherway it looks sooo good.
Ah yeah, it’s definitely a good one if you’re going on a paleo stint!
Okay now. I knew the egg white trick but I didn’t know the water trick! This is one gorg granola, my deary. Love all the nuts and natural sweeteners and coconut and everythaaaaang!!!
I’m sure it works marvelously without the water too, but I’ve never tried it without 😉 This granola has your name written all over it. Dessert hummus meets paleo granola?? Don’t mind if I do!!
Granola high five! I love your little blender trick. And since I’m happily blendtec-ing my life up right now…exsqueeze me while I pulse up all those nuts.
Wait….
I’ve heard amazing things about nut granolas! Definitely have to try this–it looks so crunchy and delicious! Also–the egg white trick is genius. I’m always picking out the clusters, so this will be life-changing.
Crunch factor = 11 ! I can’t believe I’ve never made homemade granola…pshhh gotta change that asap, I love the coconut and cranberries.
Yum! This looks so good! I’m addicted to granola, but I’ve never tried a grain free version!
It has been waaay too long since I’ve made granola! Your photos have me ready to go make a double batch right now.
But seriously. Those clusters. My heart goes pitter patter.
we have been making no-bake granola lately but i must admit i miss the serious crunchy munch of baked granola on occassion! must make this asap =)
Your method for making paleo granola is amazing, and I can’t wait to try it out! I’ve always hand chopped the nuts when I make granola, but your blender method is going to revolutionize my granola endeavors!
Oh my yumminess!!!
This is a pour from the jar, straight into my mouth kind of granola!
YES! Mamby Pamby Granola need not apply in my books. My hubs LOVES granola and he came home with a big box of store bought, sugar and oil laden crap the other day. I was like 🙁
Now I am makin’ him some ‘o this healthy crunchy stuff. Pinned!
This is absolutely a crazy recipe. I am trying it tonight. I love granola. Thank you for not adding sugar or agave. Yuck!
The cranberries go in the oven not mixed afterwords? Do you think this would be okay with nut substitutions?
Hi Roxana, I put the cranberries in the oven and they stayed nice and mushy and didn’t turn rock solid. Probably because this granola is baked at a lower heat than usual and there’s a ton of it. If it were spread out and/or cooked at a higher temp, the cranberries would probably dry up. Anyway, you can add the cranberries in at the end if you’d like 🙂
What were you thinking of using to replace the nuts? Since this recipe is almost entirely nuts, I’m thinking it’d be best to look at a different recipe rather than trying to replace all the nuts with something else. Let me know if you try the recipe and thanks for your interest!!
I just don’t like cashews and was going to use almonds- think that’s ok? Going to make tonight will let you know how it goes- thanks!
Oh I see, I thought you meant taking the nuts out altogether 😉 My bad! Yup, substituting cashews for almonds will work just fine 🙂 Hope you enjoy!!
Any chance you have other options for walnuts and cashews? I just found out that I am allergic to those 2. I’m guessing almonds? But what else would be wonderful with almonds? Thanks!
Pecans!! 🙂
Hi Ronica,
You can definitely do almonds, and as Monique mentioned, pecans are awesome in granola! Although I’ve never tried them in granola, I think pistachios would be a fun one, too. 😉 Hope you enjoy!! xo
I made this today – so tasty and that crunch factor… wow! I added in some chopped almonds and dates for even more flavour. And the cluster thing really worked. Loving it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Sheridan! My favorite part about the granola is how ridiculously crunchy it is without being hard…nice and crispy without the risk of breaking a tooth, lol! Thanks so much for your feedback, dear!
It’s still in the oven, but if it tastes as good as it smells…woah!
Yaaaay! I’m so glad you’re trying out the granola, Kiki! It’s seriously addicting! Let me know how you like it! 🙂 xoxo
We have recently went grain free and were missing the crunch on our yogurt so we saw your recipe and tried it. Wow! This was exactly what we were looking for! We have tried a few other recipes but this one is the only one we will be using from now on. Thank you for posting it!
do I need to refrigerate this granola?. I’m only asking because There are egg whites in it.
what do you find the shelf life to be?
Hi Michael, I didn’t refrigerate it, and I kept it for about 10 days. If you’re concerned about it, I’d say make a smaller batch and use it in a few days or refrigerate it. The last thing I’d want is for you to get sick!!
Sure is yummy good. Very filling. I might try the recipe without the egg white so I don’t have to worry about it perishing.
I tend to make large batches of granola once every month or so rather than every week just because it’s hard to find the time sometimes.
So…if it tastes as good cooked as it did putting it on the pan…I am in serious trouble!!!
Isn’t it crazy amazing? Hope you enjoy!!!
Followed the directions to the “T” and burned the trail mix. I’d suggest only going 30 minutes. Smells delicious, definitely be trying it again.
Oh no! Sorry to hear that, Brandon! I’m wondering if it’s because I live at high elevation that my granola took longer to cook. I’ll make a note of this in the recipe. I hope it works out for the next go-round, and my apologies again.
how long and how do I store this? Fridge or ? Thank you
I skip the egg whites to avoid shelf stability issues. Use blender chopped almonds, cashews, filberts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, walnuts, ground flax, shredded unsweetened coconut, honey or maple syrup and water. Lots of Cinnamon. Bake it until really dry. Then in container in pantry for 2-3 weeks.
nuts have short shelf lives too. the delicate oils in them can go rancid in a couple of weeks in warmer temperatures. i say add the egg white because it creates better clusters, then store your granola in an air tight container in the fridge, which i would recommend doing even if you didn’t add the egg white.
OMG… In the oven. Of course I tasted before I put it in and my eyes rolled back in my head! I substituted 1/2 cup of nuts with hemp and somehow missed the 2tbs. Of water… So we’ll see how it sticks together… But it will be eaten… Tastes amazing!
awesome! I added almonds to the recipe, and its delicious!
I’m so glad you like it, Ronda! Almonds are definitely a winning addition! 😀 xo
I assume you are aware that your cup of dried cranberries contains up to 90g of refined sugar, slightly less if sweetened with apple juice concentrate. Just sayin’.
OMGosh! this is the first time i’ve read you’re blog and i’m in love w/you already. i laughed out loud like 10 times! we are DEFINITELY on the same page w/the crunch factor. i say things should be so crunchy they almost hurt your jaw. my mom doesn’t get this…
now i must go to the store to get my granola ingredients…idk how we’ve run out of cashews and pepitas…oh that’s right, i love crunch and i eat them!
thx so much for sharing this recipe. can’t wait to enjoy it later tonight after it cooks for forever. 😉
Ohhh Michele, I’m so happy to hear you’re interested in making the granola and got a good chuckle out of the post! I hope you enjoy the crunch, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions! 🙂 xoxo
Hello, I can’t eat eggs so is there a good sub for the egg white?
Thanks
Hi James, You can make a flax egg by combining one tablespoon of ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons of water. Simply mix the flax seed and the water in a bowl and allow it to sit for 10 minutes or so. After this amount of time, the flax will thicken to an egg-like consistency. Mix this in with your granola, and you should be good to go 🙂
Wow — so good. Thanks for a great example of using eggs in place of tons of sugar to glue stuff together.
Can you use ground flax seed and water as a substitute for the egg white? We just found out our daughter is allergic to egg whites, milk and wheat…. But she loves granola every morning with her yogurt
Hi Allison! Yes, you can use ground flax and water to replace the egg. I’d just do 1 tablespoon of flax seeds and 3 tablespoons of water. You can also check out a vegan version of this recipe here: https://www.theroastedroot.net/coconut-walnut-sunflower-seed-paleo-granola/ Hope you enjoy!
Thanks so much, Julia, for this wonderful recipe!!! It smelled like heaven as I was making it, and tastes absolutely delicious. WOW. If this is what Paleo life is like, then I’ll join the club!
P. S. I’ll reiterate what someone said above about variable cooking time depending on oven strength. My granola almost burned 28 minutes in, at 300 F. So make sure to check it regularly.
P. P. S. Interesting how the sweetness goes away once baked. At first I thought: wow, this is gonna be pretttty sweet (I *may have even tasted a spoonful of this deliciousness as I was making it). But this was not the case at all at the end. To keep in mind…
You’re so welcome, Alexandra!! I’m happy you love the granola – it’s seriously one of my favorite breakfasts and snacks. I made another note in the recipe regarding bake time, as I’ve noticed honey has a quicker burn time than maple syrup. Whenever I use maple syrup in granola, I end up baking it longer than when I use honey. It is funny how the sweetness kind of dissipates during the baking process! I always end up eating the granola with lots of banana and/or honey to add some sweet to it 😀 Thanks so much for your feedback!! xoxo
Yes, fresh banana with it is delicious!
Also, I should mention my boyfriend tasted it today and almost fainted 🙂
Thanks again for the amazing recipe & best of luck with everything! xoxo
Wahooooo! You’re so welcome and thank YOU for the sweet words! 😀
Were your cranberries sweetened? I can never find unsweetened dried cranberries except for Trader Joe’s freeze-dried cranberries, so not the right texture. I find that other dried fruit is easier to get unsweetened. If you’re really keeping a paleo diet, though, you should be aware of how sugar-laden those dried cranberries are. Otherwise, looks delicious!
I’ve made this recipe twice. Only difference is substituting the pumpkin seeds for sunflower seeds. However, it never seems to come out crunchy like it was described. I’ve left it in longer.. let it sit longer.. and it ended up the same. Any clue?
Hi Alexandra, Did you make any other substitutions besides the pumpkin seeds?
Nope. Just the pumpkin seeds.
This granola is awesome! I’ve made many versions over the years but having recently switched to a paleo-ish diet this is great. And the best granola I’ve ever made 🙂 Thanks!
Yipppppy!!! Thanks, Alicia! xoxo
We LOVE this! Its our new go to granola!
My granola stuck to the baking paper and was hard to get off, any suggestions?
Just made this granola and it is absolutely delicious! I used dried cherries because I had them on hand and used the coconut oil. I think it would be fun to try some different combination of nuts/dried fruits, as well! Excellent (and super easy) recipe.
OOH, dried cherries sound awesome! So happy you like the recipe and yup, I bet a variety of other nuts would be awesome, too! 😀
What size is the pan you use?
I spread the entire mixture on a 14×16 cookie sheet and baked at 300ºF and ended up baking for 30 minutes. Only achieved great clusters around the outer edges. The inner portion had a layer of golden brown mixture with small clusters but underneath was not baked well at all.
I removed as many clusters as possible, spread the mixture more thinly and baked for another 10 minutes. Never really achieved more large clusters and had another layer of under-baked mixture beneath the golden brown. Seems obvious that I had far too much mixture for the size pan I used.
So again I ask. What size pan are you using?
Thanks for the recipe!
kr
Hi Kevin,
I use a parchment-lined 12″ x 18″ baking sheet which means I end up with a thick layer of granola, too. I find it works well to leave the granola in an evenly-spread thick layer on the sheet rather than to spread it out. The granola along the edges does get a little crispier than the granola in the center, but I haven’t gotten the same result as you with un-baked granola in the center. It makes sense that you didn’t get large clusters after spreading the granola out, since you need the thick layer for the granola to bind together and form the clusters. The key is to turn the granola once during the baking process and leave it un-touched for a while after it comes out of the oven. I’m a firm believer the “clustering” happens after the granola is out of the oven. Also, exact bake times and temperatures vary depending on elevation. I’ve found it takes my granola roughly twice as long to bake as those who live at sea level. Hope this helps!
Can I use oatmeal as I do not have all of the nuts. I have sunflower seeds some pecans.
Hi Patty, You can definitely use rolled oats to make granola, although I would suggest looking up a different recipe, as I’m not sure what would need to be adjusted based on the amount of oats you use. Best of luck!
Thank you for this recipe! This is soooooooo good! I have made it many many times now and it has also become my new go to as a hostess gift in a pretty jar. Everyone I have given it to has asked for the recipe and then has actually made it for themselves. I eat it everyday for breakfast with Greek yogurt and some fresh fruit.
I usually get lazy and leave out the egg whites, although they do make it crunchier. I always add sunflower seeds and a handful of sesame seeds and I use melted coconut oil and maple syrup. Have tried other nut combinations, but always come back to the ones in the recipe as the best. Dried cranberries are good and easy to find, but my favorite is dried wild blueberries but then added only right after the granola is out of the oven (not baked with it).
Thank you thank you!!!
This recipe looks lovely! However I was wondering how long it lasts if I were to store some and how would you recommend storing it? Thanks! X
Hi Sophie,
The granola keeps very well! I’d recommend storing it in a large glass jar and keep it sealed. You can also store it in a zip lock bag. I usually leave mine in the pantry, but if you’re concerned about the egg white in the recipe, you can definitely keep it in the refrigerator. Hope this helps! 🙂
does anyone know the amount of carbs in this recipe? I’d like to make this for my son who is following the keto diet. Thank you
nuts and seeds are pretty low carb foods. you might want to sub out the honey, however. try is with stevia. i might actually try doing this in my next batch. but if you want to find out exactly how many carbs are in this just go to caloriecount.com, which give you a full nutritional breakdown for any and all foods. then you’ll have to add up the amounts and calculate the carbohydrates yourself.
my only issue with this granola is its through the roof calorie content. i made a batch and did the math. about a 1/3 cup (or 32 grams) has almost 200 calories and this recipe makes about thirty 1/3 cup servings. so if you’re using this granola as a topping for your whipped coconut cream or paleo banana pancakes, you’re easily pushing 400+ calories and i, personally, like to keep my breakfast below 400 calories, 300 to 350 is ideal. anyway, unless you are getting shredded in daily crossfit classes or workouts that burn a few hundred calories at a time it makes it hard to eat a satisfying amount of this stuff. perhaps my complaint stems from how delicious it is and how badly i want to eat it by the handful. i must restrain myself.
This looks wonderful! About how many servings would you say this ends up making?
What could I use besides shredded coconut?
Thanks!
Hi James, you can eliminate the shredded coconut altogether 🙂
Thanks! I’m going to sub almonds for cashews and try some smoked Maine sea salt.
About 12 1/2-cup servings:)
I’m going to try egg whites
I love the egg white idea and the blender to create those crunchy clusters. I think this is my new favourite granola recipe!
Thanks for the great post! 🙂
I am always looking for ways to use up almond pulp leftover from making almond milk, so I started replacing 1 cup of the nuts in this recipe with 1 cup of almond pulp. I was finding that the granola would come out of the oven crunchy, but then get soft in my glass jars. I’ve found the solution! Now I bake it about 15 minutes at 350 degrees, stir and then reduce the heat to 170 (lowest my oven goes) and continue to dehydrate it in the oven, stirring every 20-30 minutes until done. This keeps it from burning/browning too much and turns out some serious crunch factor! Thanks for the great recipe.
Thank You for the recipe! I made it with the addition of hemp seeds for protein, swapped almonds for cashews, and used coconut oil for extra coconut flavor! So delicious with some yogurt and berries! My batch took more like 40-45 mins with frequent stirring to reach desired brown-ness. I was concerned when it came out of the oven that it still seemed soggy but was happy to find it crisped up as it cooled! Yay! Just a questions though, did anyone else find that their granola seemed to lose its sweetness after it was baked? I tasted the granola before I baked it and thought it was sweet enough with the amount of honey I used, but when it was all baked and ready it tasted like I hadn’t used any sweetener! Anyone have the same issue? Thanks!
Hi Audrey, thanks for all your feedback! I find the granola to be not very sweet either, so I typically eat it with a drizzle of honey or pure maple syrup on top. I usually eat it with almond milk or yogurt. Hope this helps and thanks so much for taking the time to share your experience! 😀
Just found this little gem of a recipe and followed it exact. All I can say is I am NEVER buying granola in the store again! Absolutely amazing! I recently (about 2 months ago) turned to the paleo way of eating (although I do add some cheese here & there), and this recipe was just what I needed to satisfy my need for CRUNCH! Thanks a ton!
Wahooooooo SO happy to hear it! And you’re very welcome! 😀
LOVE this stuff so much! It has great flexibility with the nuts that you can add. I have made it before as written, and today I am making it for a Crossfit baby shower. I added 1 cup each of: cashews, almonds, walnuts, and pecans. I also used dried cherries instead of cranberries! So good! Thanks for a great recipe!:-)
Thanks for the post. Good ideas for breakfast. Keep post Julia
Delicious! Such an easy and amazing recipe. Thanks so much, Julia!
You’re very welcome! I hope you love it!
Yesss, tried this today as I was looking for another grain free breakfast option. I substituted almonds and pecans for the other nuts and added in an additional cup of hazelnuts and raw buckwheat. I upped the oil (a blend of extra light olive oil and avocado oil) slightly but decreased the maple syrup to 1/4 cup, added in dried unsweetened cherries and raisins and baked for about 26 minutes. It is absolutely perfect!! I will add it to homemade almond milk yogurt or almond milk for more of a cereal 🙂 .
Hi Stef, I love the sound of all of your adaptations! I love that you took creativity into your own hands – so awesome! Thank you so much for the kind note! xo
Hi, do you have the nutritional information for this recipe? 🙂
This is so delicious! Wondering if this would freeze well? I don’t want any to go to waste!
Hi Liz,
I think it would freeze well, although I’ve never tried. I think it would be worth a shot! 😀
Hi, would this work without any added sweetener? I have chronic SIBO and have been told to avoid even naural sweeteners ? maybe some extra vanilla would do the trick?
Hi Jennifer,
You can definitely omit the sweetener as long as you’re okay with the granola not being very sweet. As someone who doesn’t consume very much sugar myself, I find things like unsweetened granola to still taste sweet, because my taste buds are used to it now. I hope you enjoy the granola, and good luck fighting SIBO! I know first hand how difficult it can be, yet how rewarding it is to be rid of it!
This recipe is amazing. I never made granola before this and it turned out perfect. I can’t eat eggs, so I added more honey and omitted the cocoanut flakes (personal preference). I think next time I’ll make it the same but try a little less honey. It’s not super sweet which I am ok with. I also threw in Himalaya Sea Salt (coarse) and it added a perfect balance!
I’m so happy you like it, Debra! I prefer my granola less sweet too…I figure I can always add some honey or pure maple syrup when I’m looking for something sweeter. Thanks so much for your sweet note! xo
I rarely write comments however this recipe is so good that it deserves attention. This granola is the best I have ever had. It is just as described, crunchy and delicious. Once you have made it once you will find it easier to make the next time. I used 1/4 maple syrup and that was enough. I baked it for double the time suggested, it was a dark golden. I store it in a ziplock bag and it lasts my hubby and I 4 days. We have it with almond milk and a banana. It is filing and satisfying.
Delicious! And easy! I don’t have a big food processor, so I use my immersion blender and put everything in a deep bowl. Works fine to switch out nuts and seed, keeping the volume of ingredients the same. By the way … when to the cranberries get added?
Hi Sharon! I’m thrilled to hear you enjoy it! I’ve added the cranberries before baking the granola (so with the rest of the ingredients) and I have also added them after. I feel it tastes great both ways, but I think I prefer adding the dried cranberries after baking so that they stay chewy rather than drying out 🙂