This easy dark chocolate paleo grain free granola is gluten free, dairy free, and packed with all the things you love about granola without any grains. Easy to make and so freaking delicious. I know it’s going to earn a fast spot in your heart and in your kitchen!
Okay y’all. It’s the weekend. Let’s talk granola.
Love it? Hate it? Have a favorite brand? Ever tried making it?
Sorry that was a lot of questions. Hope I didn’t scare you away. Bear with me! This topic is worth a chat.
Homemade granola is something I make on a super regular basis for the family that I work for. It’s one of those pantry essentials that’s as necessary to have stocked as milk and eggs. So I’ve really gotten the whole granola making thing down, and trust me, it’s not half as hard as you think it is.
If granola is on my counter, I’m gonna eat it every morning for breakfast. Either straight up with almond milk and some fresh berries, or sprinkled over my smoothie (so good. go try it.) Especially if it’s this easy dark chocolate paleo grain free granola.
what is grain free granola?
In short, grain free granola is granola without any grains! (duhh of course you knew that) Let’s get a little bit more specific.
While granola has kind of become synonymous with oats, this version subs in nuts and seeds creating a deeply satisfying alternative. It’s held together and sweetened with almond butter and maple syrup, and spiced up with some vanilla extract, cinnamon, and chocolate.
homemade granola vs storebought
Once you get the basic recipe formula and technique down, homemade granola – grain free or otherwise – is really super easy to make.
But no matter how easy it is to make, buying it at the store is probably easier, right? So why even bother?
Well, like anything, when you make it at home, YOU get to make it all your own.
Which means you can customize to add all the things to it that YOU want… like umm CHOCOLATE.
Because chocolate always wins.
how to make this easy dark chocolate paleo grain free granola
All that’s standing in between you and this easy dark chocolate grain free granola is some simple ingredients, a baking sheet, a warm oven, a big bowl, a spoon, and 30 minutes.
The wet ingredients get mixed together first, after which you add the dry ingredients and stir to thoroughly coat. The whole chocolate-y mixture is spread in a thin even layer on your baking sheet and popped into the oven for 15 minutes.
At that point you’ll want to take it out and stir it, moving the granola that’s on the edge of the pan into the center and vice versa, and bake it for another 10 minutes. Take it out and do the same thing one more time, and then return it to the oven for a final 5 minutes.
It won’t be super crispy until it cools, so give it a little time to chill on the counter before digging in.
Store it in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week (although I highly doubt it will last that long)!
Easy Dark Chocolate Paleo Grain Free Granola {paleo + vegan}
Description
This easy dark chocolate paleo grain free granola is gluten free, dairy free, and packed with all the things you love about granola without any grains. Easy to make and so freaking delicious. I know it’s going to earn a fast spot in your heart and in your kitchen!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup almond butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (you can add a little more if you’re really into salty/sweet combos)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup cacao powder
- 2 cups large coconut flakes
- 2 tablespoons brown flax seeds
- 2 tablespoons raw sesame seeds
- 1 cup raw walnut pieces (either roughly chopped or just sort of broken into smaller pieces with your fingers)
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 2 tablespoons cacao nibs (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 310 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix together almond butter, maple syrup, sea salt, vanilla extract, cinnamon and cacao powder until thoroughly combined.
- Add coconut flakes, flax seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts, sunflower seeds and cacao nibs if using and stir to coat with a stiff spatula or wood spoon.
- Spread in a thin, even layer on a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes. Stir again and return to the oven for another 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool on the baking sheet until dry and crisp.
- Store in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week!
Carmel Goneau says
Hi, Nyssa! – This looks delicious. What would be a serving size? And do you know the calories? I think I’m going to try it.
Nyssa Tanner says
Hello! I would say a good serving size is about 1/2 a cup. No nutritional info to report but there’s lots of websites available where you can enter the ingredients and it will provide those details 🙂