This vegan granola recipe is crunchy, healthy, and infused with orange and vanilla. It’s a simple-to-make breakfast or snack that requires only pantry staples. The best part is how easy it is to customize to suit your preferences!
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❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
- Healthy: This vegan granola recipe is packed with heart-healthy nuts, seeds, and oats. Plus, it’s refined sugar-free!
- Simple: You’ll be surprised at how simple it is to make your own granola. You don’t need to be an expert in the kitchen to make a delicious recipe.
- Customizable: Change the flavors and textures by swapping in different nuts, seeds, or dried fruits. It’s incredibly versatile!
- Quick: You’ll have vegan granola ready to eat in under 30 minutes. Just wait for it to cool, then dig in!
If you love vegan granola, you should really check out our pumpkin banana muffins, high-protein overnight oats, and vegan baked oatmeal.
🥣 What is granola?
Granola is a popular breakfast (or snack) that usually consists of rolled oats, nuts, sweeteners, and dried fruit. Once everything is mixed together, it’s baked until golden brown, crisp, and toasty.
Typically, the end result resembles a clustery cereal consistency. In this granola, we went for an infusion of sweet vanilla and zesty orange! We also mixed in some dried cranberries and chopped almonds for good measure. It’s absolutely irresistible!
🌱 Is granola vegan?
At first glance, you may think granola is vegan-friendly. However, there are a few sneaky ingredients to watch out for when making your own or buying it from the store.
- Sweetener: The most common sweetener found in granola is honey. This is due to its sticky nature, which helps bind everything. Many store-bought granolas contain honey, but it’s equally as delicious sweetened with maple syrup or agave.
- Dairy: Granola is commonly served with milk or yogurt, but did you know a lot of brands list milk solids in their ingredients? That’s why homemade vegan granola is the best option for keeping it 100% plant-based.
🛒 Ingredients & substitutions
- Oats: You’ll want old-fashioned rolled oats for vegan granola as they have the ideal balance of chewy and structured textures. If you are sensitive to gluten, make sure to double-check that your oats are certified gluten-free.
- Shredded coconut: Adds a tropical and toasty element. We add unsweetened coconut shreds, but you can add coconut flakes as well.
- Ground flaxseed: Helps bind the granola together while providing healthy omega-3 fatty acids in the form of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA).
- Cinnamon: Make sure to use Ceylon (true) cinnamon for a balanced sweet and warming flavor.
- Sea salt: Enhances the other ingredients in this almond vanilla granola. Don’t skip the salt!
- Dates: We recommend Medjool dates, but any variety will work. Don’t forget to soak them until they are quite soft. This will help create a smooth wet mixture.
- Coconut oil: Gives the granola a crispy texture and rich taste. We love unrefined coconut oil, but feel free to use refined (flavorless) coconut oil if the flavor is too much for you. You can also use olive oil for a more heart-healthy option.
- Maple syrup: Make sure it’s 100% pure maple syrup! If you prefer, use another liquid sweetener like agave, coconut nectar, or brown rice syrup.
- Orange: Adds bright, citrusy notes and natural sweetness. Use both the juice and the zest for the most intense flavor.
- Vanilla: The combination of orange and vanilla reminds us of a creamsicle! We always recommend splurging for real vanilla extract as it really does make a difference.
- Nuts and fruit: We like to add dried cranberries and chopped almonds, but you can use any dried fruit or nut (find more options in our variations section).
For a complete ingredient list and step-by-step guide, scroll down to our recipe card.
📝 How to make vegan granola
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients
Preheat the oven and line two baking pans with parchment paper. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, coconut shreds, flaxseed, cinnamon, salt, and chopped almonds.
Step 2: Blend the wet ingredients
To a high-speed blender or food processor, add the soaked and drained dates, coconut oil, maple syrup, orange juice, zest, and vanilla extract. Blend into a smooth consistency, scraping down the sides as needed.
Step 3: Transfer to the pans
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients, mixing until well combined. Transfer the granola mixture to the prepared pans, spreading it out evenly.
Step 4: Bake the granola
Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway. Once the granola is golden brown, remove the trays from the oven. Let it cool for 30 minutes, then mixed in the cranberries. Happy eating!
If you have questions about this vegan granola recipe, check out our FAQs or leave a comment down below!
🫐 What to serve with vegan granola
You can enjoy almond vanilla granola as a snack of its own, or turn it into a more complete meal. These are some of our favorite ideas:
- Served on top of coconut yogurt.
- Paired with fruit like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, bananas, kiwi, mango, or papaya.
- With dairy-free milk such as soy, cashew, coconut, or almond.
- As a smoothie bowl topping.
- For a crunchy baked sweet potato topping with drizzled almond butter or peanut butter.
🌡️ Storage
We encourage prepping a double or triple batch of this almond vanilla granola to keep on hand for easy breakfasts and snacks. Just follow these storage tips:
- Room temperature: Keep vegan granola in an airtight container for up to 2-3 weeks. It’s best to store it in a cool, dry, and dark area (like a cupboard).
- Freezer: To extend the shelf life, transfer it to a freezer-safe bag or container. It will stay fresh for up to 3 months in the freezer.
♻️ Variations
- Nuts: Try walnuts, cashews, pecans, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pistachios, peanuts, or Brazil nuts.
- Seeds: If there are nut allergies, swap the nuts for pepitas (pumpkin seeds), sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, or hemp hearts.
- Fruit: Experiment with other dried fruits like raisins, cherries, apricots, apple chips, bananas, blueberries, etc.
- Candy: For a fun and unique twist, mix in sprinkles or dairy-free chocolate chips (white, milk, or dark) once the granola is cooled completely.
- Seasonings: Use spices like nutmeg, ginger, pumpkin pie spice, or cloves.
- Grains: Instead of (or in addition to) the oats, try barley, quinoa, or rice flakes.
🧑🍳 Top tips
- Rolled oats: Make sure you’re using rolled oats and not quick oats. Old-fashioned rolled oats create a final texture that’s chewy and robust.
- Let it cool: The key to perfect granola clusters is letting the granola cool. Let it sit for at least 30-60 minutes so the clusters form.
- Extras: If you’re adding dried fruit or chocolate, wait until the granola is completely cooled to add it. You want to avoid burning and melting precious ingredients!
- Crowd the pan: You want the granola to be fairly crowded on the pan to help form clusters but not so crowded that it doesn’t cook evenly.
- Press the granola: Before baking, press the granola firmly into the tray with a large spatula. This also helps the ingredients stick together.
- Bake until golden: Bake until the granola just turns golden brown. Watch the edges more closely toward the end of baking.
💬 FAQ
We don’t think there is a one-size-fits-all approach to eating. For that reason, we don’t think one is healthier than the other. Granola is more calorie-dense than oats, so it’s easier to overeat. Just be careful with portion sizing, but both offer health benefits.
The best way to store granola is in an airtight container in a cool, dry, and dark place. Wait until the granola is completely cool before storing it. If it’s not cool, it will steam and lose its crunchiness.
Yes, it’s much cheaper to make granola from home than to buy it at the store. Not only that, but you can also customize it to suit your taste and adjust the sweeteners.
🍴 More breakfast recipes
If you enjoyed this vegan granola recipe, be sure to check out some more breakfast options like these:
- Mexican Oatmeal: A healthy breakfast sweetened with piloncillo sugar.
- Blueberry Pie Oatmeal: Blueberry pie wrapped up in a nutritious breakfast.
- Bionicos: Mexican fruit salad bowls paired with cashew cream and granola.
- Mini Pancakes: Tiny pancakes that pack big flavors!
📋 Recipe
Best Vegan Granola
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Food processor
- Baking pan
Ingredients
Dry
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- ½ cup coconut shreds (unsweetened)
- 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- ½ tablespoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Wet
- ½ cup pitted dates (soaked)
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil (melted)
- 5 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 navel orange (juiced and zested)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Add-ins
- ⅓ cup almonds (roughly chopped)
- ¾ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F and line two baking pans with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, coconut shreds, flaxseed, cinnamon, salt, and chopped almonds. Set aside for now.
- To a high-speed blender or food processor, add the soaked and drained dates, coconut oil, maple syrup, orange juice, zest, and vanilla extract. Blend into a smooth consistency, scraping down the sides as needed.
- Add the wet ingredients to the bowl of dry ingredients, mixing until well combined. Transfer the granola mixture to the prepared pans, spreading it out evenly.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway. Once the granola is golden brown, remove the trays from the oven.
- Let it cool for 30 minutes, then mix in the cranberries. Serve vegan granola with dairy-free yogurt or milk, berries, or any other toppings you enjoy. Happy eating!
Notes
- Rolled oats: Make sure you’re using rolled oats and not quick oats. Old-fashioned rolled oats create a final texture that’s chewy and robust.
- Let it cool: The key to perfect granola clusters is letting the granola cool. Let it sit for at least 30-60 minutes so the clusters form.
- Extras: If you’re adding dried fruit or chocolate, wait until the granola is completely cooled to add it. You want to avoid burning and melting precious ingredients!
- Crowd the pan: You want the granola to be fairly crowded on the pan to help form clusters but not so crowded that it doesn’t cook evenly.
- Press the granola: Before baking, press the granola firmly into the tray with a large spatula. This also helps the ingredients stick together.
- Nutritional information is a rough estimate and should not be taken as health advice.
Nutrition
Note: We've updated this post to include new information and helpful tips about the recipe.
jacquie
hi - Can i leave out the dates for a less sweet version? Plus i don't really like so don't have them in my place. thanks.
Mitch and Justine
Hi Jacquie,
You can probably omit them, but we would recommend replacing them with some nut butter or more coconut oil to hold the granola together. Hope that helps!