Gluten-Free Walnut and Date Granola with oats. Made with coconut oil and pure maple syrup for a healthier granola recipe.
I get a lot of flack for my granola-making habit.
Granola should be toted around like an accessory (if my boyfriend reads this sentence, he may seriously re-consider his living arrangement. Erroneous).
It should be consumed fresh out of the oven on yogurt with blueberries and honey. Then, it should then be placed in a zip-lock bag and toted around like an accessory.
Walking down the street, munching on granola. Driving in the Subaru, munching on granola. Passing by the kitchen…stopping…hand in bag of granola…munch, munch, munch. Granola. It’s a fashion statement. It’s your statement to your health.
In spite of the fact that fruity pebbles are really tasty for breakfast, too: granola. In spite of your boyfriend erroneously reconsidering his living arrangement every time you make granola: granola. Tell him it’s an accessory. Tell him your girlfriends would understand. And tote it around in a zip-lock baggy.
Walnut & Date Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup walnuts coarsely chopped
- 3 fresh medjool dates pitted and coarsely chopped
- 2 teaspoons vanilla powder or a teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup coconut oil or oil of your preference
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Add all dry ingredients (excluding the chopped dates) to a mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add coconut oil and pure maple syrup to a small bowl and microwave (or heat on stove top) for 10 seconds or so or until melted. Pour the maple/coconut oil over the oat mixture and use a spoon to stir until everything is coated.
- Pour the granola mixture onto a baking sheet and form a rectangle so that ingredients aren’t spaced out. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes on the center rack of your oven or until granola is crispy and golden brown.
- Half-way through baking, mix granola around on the baking sheet with a spatula so that it bakes evenly. Remove from the oven and allow the granola to cool at least 10 minutes – this is where the clustering magic happens! Add the chopped dates before serving with yogurt, milk and/or fruit!
OMG – I love homemade granola! However, I have been making it with a million ingredients… I used your recipe and am so thankful I did! I really needed to find a way to make granola with less ingredients – thank you!
This turned out delicious! I used less honey because I used raw – blackberry honey. Yum and yum. Also, you and I are now best friends. Please come visit Alaska whenever you please!
My family has food allergies. I have some picky eaters too. But just by substituting the walnuts for ground sunflower seeds – to accomodate a nut allergy – this granola was a hit with my kids. My fifth double batch is in the oven now. It’s now a breakfast staple. I am so glad I now have a homemade with few ingredients and that delivers on taste and nutrition for my little people. Thanks Julia.
Wow, I’m so happy to hear the sunflower seed substitution worked! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback!! xx
Thanks for this recipe!! It’s the perfect staple granola recipe. However, I found that my granola was almost burnt after only about 29 minutes baking. Any recommendations or ideas as to why this may have happened??
Hi Liz,
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear that! I’ve found certain types of honey burn quickly, so you can either lower the oven temperature and decrease the bake time, or you can swap out the honey for pure maple syrup. xo
Hi.!
Your granola looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it.
Quick question, dont the dates go bad if stored for a long time?
Hi Tasneem,
Truthfully, the granola has been eaten too quickly in my home to test whether or not the dates go bad…I’d say if you think you won’t be able to eat it within a few days, you should store it in the refrigerator 😀 Hope you love it!
Lovely recipe but mine also burnt to a crisp after 25 minutes and I used pure maple syrup.. maybe reduce time but otherwise I’m sure it’s delish