Nut-Free Chocolate Coconut Granola Recipe

This six-ingredient nut-free granola recipe with chocolate and coconut is sweet, crunchy, coconutty and insanely addictive! Packed with fiber and flavor, our Coconut Granola with vegan dark chocolate is a tropical mood-booster that is a healthy, filling treat on the go.

Granola recipes are turning up everywhere as the must-have take-along snack for people on the go.  Eaten dry with fruit, blended with probiotic yogurt, or mixed with almond, soy, or other non-dairy milk or juice; granola, it seems, is back for good!

 

Our six-ingredient chocolate coconut nut-free granola recipe is one you’ll make again and again for its combination of exotic flavors.  Just 5 or 6 ingredients will transport you to a faraway voyage to a tropical rainforest -- oats, sweet dark maple syrup, coconut oil, shredded coconut, and salt.   If you're more adventurous, add in high-quality vanilla, dark mini chocolate chips, and sunflower seeds or pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for added protein -- now, that's deep, dark, and delicious!

How to make nut-free granola

1. Mix the liquid ingredients, oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract in a large bowl

2. Add oats, coconut, and salt and mix well until they are well coated

3. Bake at 275F, stirring every 15 minutes, so this nut-free granola cooks evenly, for about 45 minutes.  You will know the granola is done when your house smells like a bakery...

4. Add chocolate chips when the granola has cooled

5. Store in an air-tight container, we like using glass jars

Tips on how to make great granola at home:

• Start by using the same amount of fat as sweetener and then adjust it to your taste.  We tend to use more fat than sweetener.
• Use old fashioned oats, not quick oats.
• Use a liquid fat like vegetable oil we like grape seeds, avocado or melted coconut oil.
• Use a liquid sweetener like honey, maple syrup, agave, etc.  Using a liquid sweetener allows the oats to get evenly coated.
• Use raw nuts, like pecans, walnuts, pistachios, almonds, hazelnuts, etc since they will toast in the oven.
• If you want to make nut-free granola use seeds like sesame, sunflower, pumpkin, chia, etc instead of nuts.
• Always add dried fruit after the granola is cooked, if not they will get tough and possibly burn.
• Bake granola at a low temperature (275F) for 45-55 minutes stirring every 15 minutes so it cooks evenly and doesn't burn.
• Watch your granola carefully while in the oven, it can go from done to burnt in a couple of minutes.
• Store in an airtight container, we love to use glass jars.
• Granola freezes really well, it can be kept in the fridge or on the counter if planning to finish it within a week or less

Our nut-free granola recipe works because it's

• Easy
• Versatile ( add dried fruit such as pineapple, mango or papaya, after baking)
• Customizable ( add seeds like chia, sesame, sunflower or pumpkin for additional crunch)
• Nut-free
• Vegan
• Gluten-Free ( make sure you use gluten-free oats)
• Nutty
• Crunchy
• Satisfying
• Chocolate -ty

How to use our nut-free granola recipe with chocolate and coconut:

• As a topping for ice cream
• Layered into fruit-yogurt parfaits
• Sprinkled on top of traditional oatmeal
• Added to hot chocolate
• As a topping for smoothies bowls
• Sprinkled on top of thick veggie soups (omit chocolate) - Check out our savory granola
• Eaten as a breakfast cereal
• Little snack bags or container for a school lunch
• Take to work as a mid-afternoon energy pick up

If you love granola, you’ll want to try some of our other granola recipes like:

• Basic Homemade Granola
• Quinoa, Pistachio, & Apricot Granola
• Spiced Savory Granola
• Chocolate Chip Coconut Granola Bites
• Tahini, Turmeric, & Date Vegan Granola Bars
• Cinnamon Raisin Quinoa Granola
• Gluten-Free Passover Pina Colada Granola
• Tahini Date Turmeric Granola Bars, or  Cinnamon Raisin Quinoa Granola.

This week, why not place a big batch of coconut granola on the breakfast table, surround it with various bowls of fruit, yogurt, and non-dairy milk alternatives, and watch as your family reaches for second and third helpings!    Who said breakfast has to be boring?

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