Granola
I love gluten free granola; sweet and crunchy, it always satisfies a good snack attack.
I also get a kick out of using the term “granola” to ridicule my Boulder brethren. However, when I’m feeling earthy, dousing myself in patchouli (which my husband dislikes to no end) I can easily apply the term to myself –even though I’m more of a yuppie than a hippie. I guess that would make me a yippie.
Alas, I digress. Several years ago when I first encountered the live food diet, I created this recipe for a crunchy live gluten free granola. Even though he’s not a hippie, yippie or yuppie, my husband really likes it and so does my younger son. The little guy eats it with yogurt, which makes for a tasty and filling snack.
Granola
- 2 cups almonds
- 1 cup macadamia nuts
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- Place nuts and seeds in a large bowl, cover with water and soak overnight
- Place raisins in a separate bowl, cover with (½ to 1 cup) water and soak overnight
- Place the raisins, along with their soaking water in a food processor
and puree until smooth
- In a fine mesh metal strainer, drain and rinse the nuts and seeds and discard the soaking water
- Add nuts and seeds to raisin puree in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, to the consistency of granola, then add vanilla, cinnamon and salt and pulse briefly to incorporate these final ingredients
- Transfer mixture onto two large parchment lined baking sheets
- To make live granola, place in the oven on the lowest setting (usually 135°) for 24 hours
- For instant gratification, bake 45 minutes in the oven at 250°; for this more decadent treat, I sometimes drizzle agave over the granola, or add shredded coconut, currants and other dried fruit
- Serve
Serves 12
Enjoy this nutritious power packed, grain free, gluten free, healthy raw granola recipe with fresh fruit, plain yogurt or as I do, simply by the handful.
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Can you drizzle the gourmet add-ons over the live granola too?
Oakling- yes, I often add agave or dried fruit to the live granola.
Hi Elana,
How much water do you use to soak the raisins in? I’m in the process of making this granola and have had to keep it in the oven (at 250 F) for over 2 hours now.
Any suggestions?
Hi Wendy,
I cover the raisins with just less than a cup of water. I will make a note in the recipe above for future bakers. Thanks for pointing this out to me.
Elana
I just made this recipe, it is yummy! I was under the impression that for something to be considered a “raw” or “living” food it can not be heated higher than 110-120 degrees? So this is technically not a “raw” food? Is that right?
Jessica -From what I have read raw food is anything “cooked” below 118 degrees. The lowest setting on my oven is 135; more live enzymes survive at this temp than at 250 degrees, though yes, you are correct, the live food people would not consider this raw.
Thanks for the great recipe, Elana! Where does the raisin puree get reincorporated?
Also, I wonder if you couldn’t “bake” this in a crockpot on low (I think this is usually about 200ºF), possibly with a chopstick or wooden spoon to let the steam out, for slightly less than 24 hours. It would use much less electricity, allow you to leave the house, and not heat up the entire kitchen in the summertime. These are the reasons why I use my crockpot to poach chicken breasts for salads (without propping, for 3 hours on high). Here is an idea of what I mean by propping: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/05/crockpot-crunchy-roasted-garbanzo-beans.html
As always, take care!
~M
Hi ~M -Thanks for your comment. The raisin paste does not leave the food processor. I added a couple of words to the recipe above to make this more clear as the way I had it written didn’t quite do the job.
Love the crockpot idea for this recipe. Not sure how it would work since I haven’t ever tried it this way. If you do it, please stop back by and let us know the results. The one issue I could see is that the granola would not crisp if it is not laid out on a flat baking sheet, evenly exposed to the heat. However, still might be worth a try in the crockpot. xo Elana
Yeah, you’re right that the oven works much better, though I did eat the crockpot version. This is fabulous with coconut milk…maybe one day you’ll make coconut milk from scratch too.
I also sometimes add black sesame seeds as part of the nuts/seeds…they taste great (but check your teeth! :) )
Hi Elana – How do you store your granola (and power bars)? How long do they keep? We’re heading out on a 2 week road trip with our 2 year old and I’m looking for easy to store snacks. We’ll have a cooler with us. Thanks!
Jessica-
I store my granola in a glass mason jar. For my power bars I use a glass pyrex with a plastic lid or a glass anchor brand dish with a glass lid.
If you go to the right side navigation of my site and look for “purchase” then “elana’s pantry store” you will find many of the items that I use.
Hope this helps and glad you like the granola.
Elana
I have a huge craving for your granola right now! I am so bored with the un-fortified gf cereals that I’ve taken to eating homemade chicken soup for breakfast!
Another great breakfast: pancakes with coconut flour! They are so fluffy and filling! I used the recipe on the back of the Bob’s Red Mill package with some tweaking, and hemp milk + apple cider in lieu of buttermilk. I’ve made them 2x, and they win rave reviews by my mom, fiance, and even picky younger brother. I’m willing to bet you could make them Elana-friendly by using your Honeyville blanched almond flour instead of the recommended white rice flour and baking soda instead of the baking powder (perhaps adding more acid in the form of apple cider vinegar) and using arrowroot for the cornstarch.
Anyways, are you using raw or roasted almonds here in your granola recipe? Also, are they whole almonds, slivered, or sliced? I think I actually have each of the above types described. :) Take care!
Hi ~M,
Those pancakes sound great!
I use whole raw almonds in this recipe.
Elana
Hi Elana,
I’m a newby to RAW – do you have to soak the seeds and nuts before you make granola ?
Thanks
Helene
Helene,
Feel free to experiment and make it any way you wish, the soaking activates enzymes in the nuts and gets them to just barely begin a sprouting process.
Best,
Elana
Hi elana I absolutely love your website! Question… If we are killing most of the enzymes @ 135 and all of them @250 is the soaking of the nuts really necessary? Just wondering. Thanks for all your “deliciousness”!
This is a GREAT recipe.
I have made three variations:
* as posted
* using dried cranberries instead of raisins
* using dried mango and cashews (macadamia nuts seem to be lacking from the four stores I tried)
They are all so nice. Thank you!
Onelasttime,
Yum! Amazing.
Elana
Hi Elana,
I read in your book that you recommend organic fruit spread (jam) due to the concentrated nature of the product. Would that also be true for something like raisins (or dried fruit in general)? Thanks!
Does the granola have to be “dry” when you take it out of the oven?? Mine’s been in for almost an hour and it’s still pretty wet…
I used to have this problem of wet granola, but implementing some of these changes helped a lot and now we love our granola! If the granola is still wet after the recipe’s baking time, I recommend letting it bake for maybe 10-15 minutes longer. Then, shut off the oven, and keep the door closed with the granola inside. By the next day, it should have dried out considerably. (In my incredibly arid apartment, I might be able to leave the granola on the baking sheet on the kitchen island with the same effect).
If you hydrated your raisins with 1 cup of water, next time I suggest using only 1/2 cup of water. Since I’ve been using only 1/2 cup of water, my batches come out much better, though I still dehydrate them further by leaving them in the closed oven overnight. Another option is to soak your nuts for a bit less time; I used to soak for 24 hours or so, but now for around 12 hours.
I do *not* recommend raising the temperature beyond 250ºF or your nuts will burn.
Good luck!
How long does the granola last?
Hi Elana,
I love love your website and your recipes. They are so yummy. I’ve made a few of your recipes with great results.
Just made your power bars and granola and oh my goodness so yummy however how a few questions. My friend and I are both very very active( running, hiking, biking, etc) and I was excited to find a healthy protein filled snacks however I found the granola and power bars to be very crumbly. And the granola on the wet side. I followed the recipes exactly didn’t change a thing. Do you have any suggestions so it will be less crumbly so we can take it on a runs and not have crumbs??
Thank you!!
KK
Hi KK,
Thanks for your comment. To get the granola to be less on the wet side I would suggest leaving it in the oven until crispy.
Can you let me know specifically which power bar recipe you are talking about? Actually, if you could leave a comment on the power bar recipe you are referring to that would be really helpful.
Elana
This is one of the few online recipes I have made (and loved!) as written, with no adjustments! My whole family enjoyed it so much that I started a second batch before the first was all gone. In fact, my mother just visited for the first time since we went grain-free, and she was really impressed. She liked this granola better than my regular oat based granola that she used to rave about. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Oh. my. goodness. I have missed granola so much since giving up gluten and grains. I can’t wait to go home and make this and eat the entire batch.
Hi Elana,
Thank you so much for the work you do publishing awesome gluten-free recipes. Both my daughter and I are gluten intolerant, and your recipes and photos have inspired us to no end. Here’s a gluten-free granola recipe I made after I read the method you describe here. It’s delicious!
http://rikishore.com/2011/05/gluten-free-granola-yogurt-parfait/
Thank you again!
Riki
Thank you for this fab recipe Elana! Being grain and sugar free (among other things!) means granola has been a thing of the past. Until now! I just made a double batch and will be taking it along on a 7day/6 night wilderness whitewater trip. What’s left, that is, since I can’t keep from nibbling at it. YUM
Is this granola good used as a breakfast cereal with milk? We have been doing a grain free diet now for a few months and my 2 year old and 3 1/2 year old are doing GREAT with it! The only thing they still ask for though is cereal in the morning and I’ve yet to find a replacement for that :(
I made it yesterday and ate it with almond milk like cereal! so much fun to eat Cereal again…. we are totally grain free as well! ( I get sick!)
So yehaaw! for some cereal again!
I discovered homemade granola as a teen when I worked at a B&B. There’s no going back to the store bought stuff. Especially if your gluten intolerant. This version looks delicious, will have to add to my repatoir.
Thank you for an innovative approach to granola!
I tried a variation and it turned out awesome!
1 cup of pumpkin seeds
1 cup walnuts
1 cup cashews
1 cup pecans
half cup of wild blueberries + half cup of raisins
After soaking – I pureed the berries and raisins. Then poured them into a big bowl with the drained nut mix. I added the salt, vanilla and cinnamon and stirred it all together with a big spoon. Then scooped about a cup at a time into my vitamix. This blended/chopped the ingredients better.
End result was awesome! My 4 and 2 year old gobbled it up!
Great recipe! I made it last night using slivered almonds, pecans and cashews with pumpkin seeds. After baking, I added a mix of dried bananas, pineapple, cherries, cranberries, dates and dried ginger. Very delicious! Thanks for the gluten-free version, Elana!
Can I use a dehydrater and still get the same effect as I would with the oven??
Alysia Smith
I made this in a dehydrator, and it worked great!
Hi elana,
I made this once and think I over cooked it. My oven only goes down to 170 instead of 135. I cooked it for the 24hrs and it tasted kind of burnt/sour…lost it’s flavour. So I am wanting to try it again, how long do you recommend me cooking it for in a 170 degree oven?
thanks,
Julie
I have made this recipe twice now, and though it wasn’t as crunchy as I wanted (should have read the comments sooner!), we all still love it. My hubby is not a big nut or granola fan but he had a bowl of this for breakfast with some milk. I also had a bowl with some almond milk for breakfast.
Actually, I just pulled a second batch out of the oven, might be time for a snack :)
Thanks to all those who commented on how to get the granola more crispy!
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for a sweetener free granola recipe! I was literally thinking today how I should make one up, but sometimes it really is nice when someone has already done it :) I have recently had to go sugar/honey/agave free so this is great!
Thanks Elana!
Made this over the weekend and wanted the nuts to remain truly raw so i dehydrated at 105 (F) in the dehydrator for 24 hours – it was fantastic! The texture was perfect and the flavor was great! My twins LOVED it – ate it for breakfast this morning over some raw yogurt. Thank you for sharing this fantastic recipe!!
What a great recipe. BTW you’re not a yippie, that’s a member of the Youth International Party.
Hi,
I was wondering if you have the carb count for this recipe available?
Thanks,
Melannie
good to know, will try this in my dehrydrator, sounds good, must try, thx
I’m in Denver,Colorado visiting my daughter and wondering if I bake cookies, muffins, etc. do I need to make any alterations due to altitude?