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This Paleo Granola is loaded with healthy nuts and seeds. It's also crazy delicious, and you won't believe how easy it is to throw together!
"Paleo Granola?" "No thank you." That's probably what I would have said, not long ago.
Do you ever have to eat your words? How about your thoughts? Just wondering... cause I never have that problem.
Oops, excuse me, I might have to stop writing this post because, well, I can't see the screen anymore; my nose is growing. Really long...
Okay, to be honest, I do have that problem occasionally quite frequently.
For example, there was "Google". I remember my son, Nick talking excitedly about Google. It seems like it was a hundred years ago (I mean really, who remembers life before Google?), but it was only about fourteen or fifteen. "What in the world is Google?" I asked him, "That is probably the dumbest word I ever heard".
Then here's a really embarrassing one. When my daughter, Cait announced seven or eight years ago, that she was going to start a blog, that was another dumb word. "Blog?" I mean really, who dreams up words like that?
I'm the dumb one here! Not only do I now have my own blog, but I'm infamous in our family as, "The Google Queen". In fact, a few paragraphs ago, I googled "When did Google start?", so I wouldn't sound so dumb when I told you how many years ago it was that I thought Google was dumb. Sheeeesh!
I have to admit, the same thing occurred when I learned about the "paleo" diet, which promotes "Returning to the diet of our early (paleolithic) ancestors.", meaning lots of lean protein, seeds nuts, berries, fruit, etc. There's nothing wrong with this concept, in fact, we should all be eating more of these healthy foods. There are, however, lots of restrictions with the paleo diet. The exclusions include all refined and processed foods, most grains, legumes (beans and peanuts), dairy, fruit juice, tubers (sweet and regular potatoes) and salt.
I would describe our dietary philosophy here at The Café more along the lines of "balance". We eat healthy for the most part, with a few fun indulgences thrown in. But we do enjoy most of the things that are on the "no-no" list for paleos. We love whole-grain breads and oatmeal, eat lots of Greek yogurt and peanut butter, enjoy fresh orange juice, use all kinds of potatoes (both sweet and regular) and absolutely love bean soups, chilies and all kinds of international cuisines that have legumes (beans) as a staple. And then there's sugar (a refined food product). Although we try to limit our intake, my nose would be crashing through my computer screen, yet again, if I said we didn't enjoy sweet treats (quite obvious in my last post - Best Ever Chocolate Pound Cake).
All this to say, I haven't really given recipes labeled as "paleo" a whole lot of attention, thinking they would be a little too extreme for my more middle-of-the-road style of cooking, and probably not super tasty either. Until now, that is.
Last week I found myself eating my words/thoughts (once again!). My sister, Annie sent me a recipe for Paleo Granola. My first thought was, "Hmmm, probably not." But Annie is one of the most wonderful cooks I know, and in her email, she said, "It's really delicious. I like it better than our fabulous granola recipe."
To myself: "Better than our old standby granola we've been making for a zillion years? Really?"
So I tried it. "Oh, my word!" is what flew out of my mouth when I snitched a little handful right off the sheet pan. It's crunchy, sweet and utterly delicious! I've made it a couple more times, and each time, I adjust it just a bit. The original recipe calls for 3 teaspoons of cinnamon which was a lot for our taste. I reduced the cinnamon to 1 teaspoon and added a pinch of cloves and ginger. I added some extra seeds and nuts and also reduced the coconut oil slightly, with great results.
We've been enjoying this paleo granola on yogurt and oatmeal as well as snacking on it right out of the jar. And speaking of snacking, try this: slice a banana in half, lengthwise. Smear it with peanut or almond butter and scatter a handful of this paleo granola over the top. It's fantastic, and also makes a delicious, quick, and very satisfying breakfast-on-the-run. This same little technique is also great on crisp apple slices.
So there you have it, probably the best granola you've ever had the pleasure of meeting. And, dumb me, I would have turned my nose up at it, if it hadn't been for my sister. Thanks, Annie! I'm truly "eating my words" because I have a feeling that this recipe will go into our "All-time favorites" folder. But you know what? I really don't mind eating my words, if it involves something as crazy delicious as this Paleo Granola.
Now, if I could just figure out a way to keep this nose of mine out of trouble! Hmmm..
Café Tips for making this Paleo Granola...
- Feel free to experiment with different types of nuts and seeds. Keep the total proportion about the same, but have fun with your favorites. A favorite combination of ours is 2 cups sliced almonds, 2 cups slivered almonds, 1 cup broken up pecans, 1 cup sunflower seeds and ½ cups sesame seeds.
- The spices are quite flexible. We like this combination, but you could also use nutmeg, allspice, pumpkin pie spice or apple pie spice in amounts to suit your taste.
- Sometimes I make it with no spices, just a little extra vanilla, it's wonderful that way too!
- One last thing, if you like your granola more clumpy, don't stir it right after it comes out of the oven. Just let it cool on the sheet pan and then break it apart.
- If you like it looser, give it a good stir when it comes out of the oven and again after about 10 minutes.
- 2 cups blanched sliced almonds
- 1 cup pecans
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 cup pepitas shelled pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- ¼ cup ground flax seed or flax seed meal you can also use almond meal in place of the flax
- ¾ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- ½ cup honey
- 6 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ to 1 cup dried cranberries raisins or other dried fruit
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Preheat oven to 275˚F. Lightly grease a sheet pan or, for easy clean up, line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil. If you use foil, lightly grease it.
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Combine all the nuts and seeds as well as the coconut in a large bowl.
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Over low heat, combine honey and coconut oil until heated through. (You can also heat the honey and coconut oil in the microwave on high heat for 90 seconds.) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, cinnamon and cloves, ginger and salt.
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Pour over nut/seed mixture and mix well. Be sure to scrape all the good honey/oil mixture that's left in the bowl. Spread mixture onto prepared baking sheet.
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Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden brown (may take longer, depending on your oven), stirring every 15 minutes to keep granola at the edges of the pan from burning. Watch carefully after 30 minutes as ovens vary. Once the granola is a nice golden brown, remove it from oven and allow to cool.
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Add dried fruit after granola has cooled.
Terry trammell says
Made this today, added rolling oats to it, easy to make, turned out great, very addictive!
Marci says
I've been using this recipe for about 8 months now, making all kinds of combinations from whatever I had on-hand. Its so yummy! Im chomping on some right now on top of my yogurt. This week's combination is pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts, coconut flakes and TJ's dried berries added after baking. Thanks for sharing!
Mendy says
I'm enjoying this granola without the dried fruit, both alone or with milk. I'm wondering just how many servings you think this makes up and at what serving size (1/4 C., 1/2 C.) as the recipe dictates. Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Mendy, I use about 1/4 cup servings.
Kim says
I have been paleo for 5 years. Today I made a double batch of your recipe, having faith in your ingredient list. Real food ingredients are not cheap, so recognizing the recipe will turn out, and having family actually eat it is sometimes quite difficult. I changed the nuts based on what I had on hand, and I used four different types of dried fruit. My family can tolerate butter, so if anyone is wondering, the flavor is a fantastic accompaniment to your list of ingredients. I like clumped granola so I didn't stir it at all. I also added the dried fruit before baking, and it turned out wonderful. I cooked the first batch for the full 60 minutes. Which was too much. Fifty five minutes was perfect. I'm eating a bowl with fresh cow's cream as I write this, absolutely wonderful. Thank you for the recipe. It's easy and just as good as it looks!!!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and for your great suggestions. So happy you enjoyed it Kim! Now you're making me want to whip up another batch 🙂
Jess says
How long is this good for? And should I store in fridge?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Jess, I make it and, after it's cool, transfer it to pint or quart size jars. If it's just Scott and I, I use pint size jars but if I'm having guests, I'll use a larger jars. I keep one out and freeze the rest. When my jar in the pantry is running low, I bring out another one from the freezer. That way it's always fresh. Nuts can get rancid so I don't like to keep it in the pantry longer than 7-10 days.
STWN says
Hi, can I replace honey w/ maple syrup?
Chris Scheuer says
Yes, that should work just fine.
Alana says
Could I use cashews instead of almonds as I'm allergic to almonds?
Chris Scheuer says
I think that would be delicious Alana!
Randy Dauchot says
I just made this and it is wonderful. I put it in our acai bowls along with fresh fruit and it was so good! One quick question....how do you store it, refrigerator or pantry? Thank you for this fabulous new favorite.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Randy,
I store most of it in the freezer and keep about 5-7 days worth in the pantry. So happy you enjoyed it!
lisa wagner says
I am sorry but I have a question. Can you make these into bars? If so, when would I add the fruit?
Thank you so much. I am looking forward to trying these.
Chris Scheuer says
Ha! I'm one step ahead of you! 🙂 Enjoy!
http://thecafesucrefarine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Dried-Cherry-and-Almond-Energy-Bars.jpg
Marci says
thank you for sharing this recipe. I modified it to use what i had on-hand (nuts, fruit) it was SOOOOOO awesome.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for your wonderful comment Marci! We think this is the best and use it all the time!
Natalie says
hi, I started making this recipe a few months ago and it's one of my favorite things! however, I recently started using my fitness pal and plugged it in and was absolutely astounded with the results. a single serving has 629 calories and 52 grams of fat! even though some of the fat is mono/polyunsaturated, more than 10 grams are saturated fat. I'm only commenting this because if anyone is trying to watch their macros (or fat intake in general), I would caution you to be vigilant about how much of this super yummy granola you have. for some people (me included) 52 grams of fat is more than my daily fat intake, and you could easily blow it all in a snack! even though it's not UNhealthy, it doesn't sound like the healthiest snack choice either.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for your comment Natalie. Yes,nuts are innately high in calories. We have this granola most mornings, but only a small (couple tablespoons) amount. Control and common sense are always the watch words with anything that tastes this good, right?
Anna says
I was never a big cereal eater before I went grain free and started eating healthier. Man oh man I cannot get enough of this granola in a big bowl drowned in raw milk! I followed the recipe you put in the notes and it's so delicious! Even kept me going on my drive from Wisconsin to Montana, and back.
Chris Scheuer says
It truly is addictive Anna! So glad you enjoyed it!
anne rutherford says
that's cool.i am happy not to be published.i dont have a web site and i misspelled my name.sorry.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Anne!
anne ruthrford says
my name is anne and i have lived in australia for 32 years.i come from nz but dont like the cold.i wanted to thank you for your fabulous recipes.i like to make things that i fling together and my daughter calls them,mums concoctions.sometimes they dont turn out so well but are still edible.your recipes are easy and dont seem to be expensive.i am so glad that i clicked into one of them on pinterest as i would never have found you otherwise.thanks a lot.
Chris Scheuer says
Anne, Scott and I are so glad you found The Café! Welcome! Much of the reason that we began blogging five years ago was because our grown up kids kept asking for a record of my concoctions!
Becky says
Just out of pure laziness I am wondering if you or anyone has done up the nutritional info this? I could/probably will go through and add/divide but if someone already had it done that would be so great. I just made this last night and it is SO GOOD. I added some oats and didn't have any pecans. I added dried cranberries, golden raisins, and dried papaya. YUM! Thanks 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Becky, I haven't but I know that you can plug the info into Fitness pal for that information.
Sarah says
Hello, I was wondering if you have a suggested serving size for this?? Its hard not to just eat this all day long!
Chris Scheuer says
I know Sarah! We try to limit it to two tablespoons on our yogurt with fresh fruit in the morning.
Dee Pruitt says
This stays in my cabinet I have it everyday and I make it for my married kids too. Love it Chris thank you for another awesome recipe.
A Robinson says
I just tried this and I'm already sneaking my spoon in before it gets cool. It's delicious already. I'm going to tear this up. Thanks for this recipe!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks A! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Sarah @ SimplyScrumptiousbySarah says
This looks so yummy! I usually have plain yogurt and cereal for breakfast but this is a great alternative!
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Sarah, I think you'll love it!
Najwa says
I made this last night. It is very good. Just make sure not to over cook it. I felt like mine was I little over cooked at the 45 min. Watch for its colour. Don't let the wetness of it fool you. When it cools it will dry and harden nicely.
Chris Scheuer says
Great tips Najwa! Everyone's oven is so different, you have to really watch baking times and temps, don't you?
Shirley says
This recipe sounds wonderful!!! I'm definitely going to make this one. Do I need to store this in the refrigerator ? How long does the granola keep fresh before it goes stale?
Chris Scheuer says
Shirley, I store mine in the freezer for as long as a couple months. I also keep a jar in the pantry and that is usually good for a week or so.
Hannah says
Thank you of sharing this recipe! My granola turned out perfectly. I plan to put some in small mason jars and give them away as gifts so I added white mini-chocolate chips for a more festive appearance.
Chris Scheuer says
Sounds like a great idea Hannah! My pantry isn't complete without a jar of this stuff - so delicious!
Fiona Kemp says
Made this yesterday however next time taking the pepitas out. They took over the taste of the granola and gave a funny after taste which was unfortunate as I loved all the other flavours and ingredients. This recipe was so quick to do as well.
natalie says
I have been searching for a granola mix, this was amazing. I made a few adjustments such as macadamia nuts and extra coconut instead of pecans and walnuts and I didn't have any ginger in. I also didn't have any sesame in but overall delicious, you need to watch it though, it was in for 60 mins and I checked at 45 it was fine, 60 its a little burnt, still tastes good but would only of needed the 45-50 mins 🙂 thanks so much, I have missed cereal.
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks for your feedback Natalie, I've adjusted the recipe a bit to take different ovens into consideration. So happy you enjoyed the granola, we're having some this morning for breakfast! 🙂
Kellie says
I am wondering how long it keeps and where do you store it? It's in the oven now. Smells amazing.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Kellie! I keep a small jar in the cupboard and the rest in the freezer. It’s fine in the cupboard for up to a week or so. When the jar is empty, I just pull some more out of the freezer at night and it’s perfect by morning. Hope you enjoy it!
Leslie M says
Hi Chris. I am planning to make this delicious sounding granola. Just one question - at what point do you add the flaked coconut? Maybe I missed it, but I've read the recipe through and I don't find it. Thanks!
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Leslie,
You add the coconut along with the nuts and seeds. I’ve corrected the recipe to make this clear. Thanks for noticing that and letting me know! Hope you enjoy it!
Chris Scheuer says
Thank you Kelsey, I'm so happy you like it!