Paleo Granola

Gluten free, grain-free, refined sugar-free paleo granola recipe. 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!

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 have been making this homemade paleo granola recipe since because 2014! I have the ultimate control over how much added sugar goes in, plus, I enjoy experimenting with various nuts, seeds, and flavors.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe:

• It’s super straight-forward, incorporating ingredients you can buy in bulk from any grocery store.
• Virtually all nuts and seeds work here! Use this as a base recipe for all your homemade granola recipes.
• We end up with huge granola clusters with the perfect crispy crunch! Largely-sized clusters are a major highlight of granola.
• ​Sweetened with a natural sweetener (pure maple syrup) for a refined sugar-free option.

I love eating this grain-free paleo granola with splash of almond milk or coconut milk and fresh seasonal fruit. 

Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for paleo granola!

Paleo Granola Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients: Egg white, avocado oil, pure maple syrup, and pure vanilla extract. The purpose of the egg white is to help the ingredients stick together for large clusters. 

Dry Ingredients: Cashews, walnuts, shredded coconut, pumpkin seeds, ground cinnamon, dried cranberries, and sea salt. Change these base ingredients for any combination of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. You will need 6 cups total.

Optional Customizations:

• For sweeter granola, add more pure maple syrup or mix in some coconut sugar. For me, this is just the right amount of sweetness, but I imagine others may prefer sweeter.
• Melted coconut oil or olive oil work as replacements for avocado oil.
• Make it egg-free by swapping the egg white for 3 tablespoons of almond butter.

Tips For Preparing This Recipe

1. Use a variety of nuts and seeds. Raw walnuts, pecans, cashews, almonds, macadamia nuts, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, flax seeds…toss it all in!
2. 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.
3. Give your ingredients a good chop or run through the food processor. This helps the ingredients stick together easily.
4. 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.
5. Don’t swap out the pure maple syrup for honey. Honey burns at a relatively low temperature and causes the ingredients to get too crispy or even burn.

How to Make Paleo Granola:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together the egg white and water in a bowl. 

Add the walnuts, cashews, pumpkin seeds, and shredded coconut to a blender or food processor, and process for just a couple of seconds. The goal is to grind some of the nuts finely, and leaving many of the nuts chopped or whole.

Transfer the nutty mixture to a large mixing bowl with the egg white mixture. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the avocado oil, pure maple syrup, vanilla extract, ground cinnamon and sea salt until combined.

Pour this mixture into the mixing bowl with the rest of the granola ingredients and mix everything together until well combined.

Spread the granola mixture out on the prepared baking sheet, creating a relatively thick even layer. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.

Allow the granola to rest at least 30 minutes before breaking it into clusters using a spatula or wooden spoon. This is what causes large granola clusters, so don’t skip this step!

​Break the grain free granola into large chunks using your hands! Enjoy your homemade granola with fresh fruit, yogurt, or any kind of milk.

Other Variations:

• ​Cinnamon Raisin: Add another teaspoon of cinnamon and swap the dried cranberries for raisins.
• Blueberry: Use dried blueberries instead of dried cranberries.
• Chocolate Chip: Mix chocolate chips in with the granola after it has finished cooling completely.
• Lemon Poppy Seed: Add 2 tablespoons of poppy seeds to the granola base. Stir 2 tablespoons of lemon zest into the finished granola (after cooling).
• Cranberry Orange: Keep the dried cranberries as is and mix 2 tablespoons of fresh orange zest into the finished cooled granola.

Storage Options:

1. Room Temperature: Store grain free granola at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
2. Refrigerator: Refrigerate in an airtight container (such as a mason jar or a zip lock bag) for up to 2 weeks.

Ideal for meal prep, this easy paleo granola recipe is a great way to replace breakfast cereal. It makes a big batch, so you’re set for days on end! If you aren’t strictly grain-free, also try my Homemade Muesli recipe!

Drop a comment below letting me know which wholesome ingredients you use in your own granola!

More Healthy Gluten-Free Granola Recipes:

• Walnut Granola Clusters 
• 5-Ingredient Healthy Granola Bars  
• Grain-Free Tahini Granola
• Coconut Sunflower Seed Paleo Granola