Chocolate Granola - Healthy Homemade Granola Recipe! (2024)

FAQs

What ingredient makes granola clump together? ›

Clumpy Granola Method: Add Egg White

About this method: According to Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen, “Nothing glues like protein.” While there are many granola recipes that include an egg white, I got this tip from the Big Cluster Maple Granola recipe in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook.

It tastes great with milk, or by the handful, but is also super tasty when sprinkled over lemon or blueberry yogurt for a burst of flavor. There's also Coconut Spice Granola, which is made with whole grain oats, real maple syrup, coconut and wholesome seeds.

Not only can you transform that soggy, chewy granola back to being blissfully crunchy, but it's easier than you might think. All it takes is spreading the granola in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and heating it in a 400 degree oven for five minutes — essentially re-baking it.

Once you try homemade granola, you won't go back to store-bought granola. It's so much better! This granola recipe is also a far more healthy granola option, since it's made with whole grains, unrefined oil and naturally sweetened.

Nut butter is a super flavorful fat that serves multiple purposes in granola. It acts as a binding agent—along with additional coconut oil and whatever natural sweetener I've chosen—helping to pull the dry ingredients together into a wet, sticky mass for baking.

The binder is what helps the base ingredients clump together into clusters. Traditionally this is usually a sugar syrup, but it's possible to use any ingredient that has the power to bind. Egg - Egg whites are a great binder for granola if you are trying to avoid sugar.

Which One Is Better for Breakfast? Both oatmeal and granola make for a healthy, nutritious breakfast, but the winner for us is granola—the added nuts, seeds, and dried fruits give you a source of fiber and healthy fats that oatmeal can't quite compete with.

Yes. "Granola does contain important nutrients, and if you enjoy it, eating some every day is probably fine as part of a balanced diet," says Harris-Pincus.

Smoothie with Granola

Try adding it to your favorite smoothie to give it an extra boost of fiber from the whole grains, healthy fats and added flavor. It's also an easy way to increase calories in a smoothie. Personally, I think it would be a delicious addition to my Strawberry Peanut Butter Smoothie!

Added Sugars. Natural sugars from ingredients like dried fruit are okay. But, the added sugars used to sweeten granola can be harmful. It's important to limit how much of these we consume.

Why does my homemade granola taste bitter? ›

Most granola recipes add the nuts in the beginning and the nuts just cook too long and become bitter. Also cooking at a low temperature means there is no constant stirring like most recipes. You only stir when you add the nuts and coconut.

Granola may prompt weight gain if eaten in excess, as it can be high in calories from added fats and sugars. What's more, sugar is linked to chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

“These certifications can be costly to obtain and maintain. Plus, you may also see the pricier granola have a higher concentration of nuts, seeds, and dried fruits to provide more nutrients and flavor, which can be costly compared to grain-based ingredients.”

Less added sugar: Many store-bought granolas contain a lot of added sugars (think: white refined sugar, brown sugar syrup, tapioca syrup, high-fructose corn syrup), which can impact your health and weight loss goals if eaten in excess. By making your own granola, you have the power to sweeten it the way you like.

I aim to let it hit room temperature, whatever that may be; the real point is to give it ample time to shed excess heat and steam. This should take about 45 minutes; if left out indefinitely, the granola can turn sticky or soft, so do try to put it away as soon after cooling as you can.

While there are several different sticky ingredients that you can use, we've found that the binding agent that works the best is honey! When added to your homemade granola bars, honey acts as glue that sticks all the pieces together.

Make sure that whichever granola recipe you use, it calls for some liquid, typically oil of some kind (I recommend olive oil for a subtle earthy, floral flavor, or melted unrefined coconut oil for subtly coconutty flavor). The liquid will help the chia seeds to gel, ensuring the granola sticks together.

We've also noticed that clumpier granola seems to have a higher percentage of oats to other ingredients. Oats stick to each other much easier and more firmly than they do with other, heavier ingredients. If it seems like your mix doesn't have a lot of oats, try adding another cup or two of rolled oats before cooking.

But really, add a beaten egg white -- make sure it's foamy and frothy -- to your granola after you've mixed it all together. The protein in the egg will help bind the oats together, creating addictive morsels. (Shhh: it's the secret to Deb Perelman's Big Cluster Maple Granola.)