Simply THE BEST Nut Free Granola Recipe

4.38 from 8 votes

Simply THE BEST Nut Free Granola Recipe

This simple and easy granola recipe is nut free, but loaded with nutritious flavor thanks to the sweet honey, chewy dried fruit, and buttery coconut. Best of all, the crunchy, chunky granola is ready for the oven in about 10 minutes!

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Keyword Crunchy Granola Recipe, easy granola recipe, Nut Free Granola

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Cooling Time 1

Total Time 30

Servings servings (1/4 cup each)

Calories 223kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

4 c. old-fashioned oats
¾ c. wheat germ
1 t. salt
¼ c. brown sugar
½ c. honey
½ c. coconut oil, canola oil, or avocado oil
½ t. cinnamon
½ t. vanilla extract
¾ c. dried cranberries or other dried fruit of your choice
½ c. shredded, sweetened coconut

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Prepare a rimmed baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together oats and wheat germ.
In a small saucepan, whisk together salt, brown sugar, honey, oil, cinnamon, and vanilla. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. Once the honey mixture boils, remove from heat.
Pour honey mixture over the oats and stir until the oats are completely coated. Add cranberries and coconut and stir to combine.
Spread oat mixture evenly onto prepared baking sheet. I like to use a wooden spoon to gently press together clumps of the oats to get those great crunchy clusters at the end!
Bake for 15-20 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Remove from the oven, press oats gently again with a wooden spoon to form those clusters, and allow to cool completely before storing granola in an air-tight container. The granola will continue to get crispier and crunchier as it cools.

Notes

Recipe Variations:

This granola recipe is made with honey, but you can substitute with maple syrup if you prefer.
I've used dried cranberries here, but you can swap them out for your favorite dried fruit. Try raisins, chopped dried apricots, or chopped dates!
If you have tree nut allergies, omit the coconut and substitute a different oil in lieu of the coconut oil.
We prefer the sweet taste of the sweetened shredded coconut, but unsweetened coconut also works.
I used coconut oil here, but you can also use canola oil or avocado oil.
No nut allergies? You can stir in some chopped pecans, walnuts, or almonds during the final few minutes of baking! Just don't add them at the beginning, because they will probably burn.

NOTE: If you are dealing with nut allergies, make sure that all of your ingredients are not processed in factories that also process tree nuts or peanuts. While there are no nuts in this recipe, some ingredients can be cross-contaminated if they are processed alongside nuts. This can cause problems for folks with very sensitive nut allergies.

Nutrition