This Paleo granola is made of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit flavored with maple syrup and a hint of cinnamon. Clusters of crunchy, grain-free goodness!
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Why we love this recipe for Paleo granola
A lot of people really miss cereal once they start eating Paleo. I’m not actually one of them, since I’ve always preferred a hot breakfast over a bowl of cereal with milk.
But this paleo granola is a different story: I can’t stop eating it! It’s great for breakfast with almond milk and fresh berries, or by the handful for a snack.
I even find myself choosing this over bacon and eggs on many a morning. If you’re new to the Paleo diet, you’ll be thrilled to realize that this is even tastier (and much more nutritious) than your favorite boxed cereal.
The base of this granola is a trifecta of nuts: almonds, pecans, and cashews. We chop them roughly in a food processor to get lots of little pieces along with a few bigger chunks and a bit of finely ground powder.
This gives the finished granola a nicely varied texture. Pepitas add another layer of crunch and nice pops of green. They're just the right size, so they don’t need to be chopped at all.
To hold the granola together, we whip an egg white until it holds soft peaks. Then, simply mix in the pure maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla, and a couple of warming spices. The egg white helps form a light but crispy layer of flavor around the granola, and the sticky maple syrup allows it to develop clumps.
The granola bakes for forty minutes in a low oven, and needs to be stirred a few times. After it comes out, it must sit undisturbed for ten minutes so the clusters can form.
Once it’s rested a bit, we stir in dried fruit and if desired, cacao nibs—they add a hint of chocolate flavor and yet another layer of crunch. On top of being easy and fun to make, this granola will make your house smell wonderful.
This recipe also makes a nice big batch. You'll have plenty of Paleo granola for breakfast as a cereal stand-in, or for eating plain. It's also great for topping smoothie bowls, or for whatever else you can think of!
Paleo Granola
Equipment
- food processor
- Handheld mixer
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (170 g) raw almonds
- 1 ½ cups (175 g) raw pecan halves or pieces
- 1 ½ cups (175 g) raw cashew halves or pieces
- 1 (50 g) egg white
- ⅜ cup (126 g) pure maple syrup
- ¼ cup (56 g) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (112 g) pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
- 1 ½ cups small dried fruit (raisins, goji berries, dried cranberries, dried blueberries)
- ¼ cup cacao nibs (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside.
- To the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, add the almonds. Pulse briefly a few times. You want most of the almonds in small pieces, with some larger pieces and a bit of fine powder.
- Transfer the almond to a small bowl.
- Repeat with the pecans and then the cashews.
- In a separate large bowl using a handheld mixer, beat the egg white until foamy and holds soft peaks.
- Add the maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and salt and beat to combine.
- Add the chopped nuts and pepitas to the bowl and mix well to coat thoroughly.
- Spread the mixture into an even layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Place in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven, stir the granola and spread back into an even layer.
- Return the baking sheet to the oven and continue to baking, stirring every 10 minutes, for about 30 minutes more or until golden brown all over.
- Remove the granola from the oven, and allow it to sit for 10 minutes undisturbed. Once it’s rested, add the dried fruit and optional cacao nibs, and mix by hand, breaking up the granola into manageable chunks.
- Serve right away with almond milk and fruit or store in an airtight glass container at room temperature.
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Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Marysherwood says
Sounds great! So many granola recipes have oatmeal which doesn’t agree with me. Can this recipe be modified into a granola bar for more portability? Also, how about adding a protein powder? Love your blog! Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
Hi, Marysherwood, I’m afraid a granola bar would be an entirely different recipe. I don’t know about a protein powder, but I don’t think so!
Christie @3wholepeas says
This looks amazing and we love that it includes pumpkin seeds. Hope to make a batch real soon, thanks for sharing!