· gluten-free · nut-free · soy-free ·

There’s something about granola that already feels pretty Christmasy. Maybe it’s the oats, the dried fruit, the spices that are often associated with it. But what if you took regular granola and really amped up the Christmasiness of it?

That’s what we’re doing with this granola; it’s covered in cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg which give it that extra festive taste. Then we add dried cranberries, sour cherries, and apple slices for sweetness and acidity, and everything is topped off with orange zest which gives it that last Christmasy touch.

The best thing about this granola is that it’s completely nut-free, so it makes a great little gift that you can give to people for the holidays. Just put some in a jar, tie a cute ribbon around it, and done! Anyone would love to have some homemade granola to add to their breakfast, desserts, and more!

Scroll down for the recipe and video ↓

 

Nut-Free Granola

To make this granola nut-free, we’re using oats, buckwheat groats, and pumpkin seeds. Buckwheat is a pseudo-grain (it’s actually a seed) and is—despite the name—not related to wheat at all. This makes this granola gluten-free too! Just remember to buy certified gluten-free oats if you are looking to avoid gluten completely.

If for whatever reason you don’t want pumpkin seeds in there either, you could absolutely make this granola using only oats and buckwheat in a 50:50 ratio.

Scroll down for the recipe!

 

How to make sure your spices don’t get lost in the granola

With our many trials and errors of making granola, we’ve come to realize that as much spice you put into it before baking, it never really seems to taste like the spice. Most of the time, for example, we like to add cinnamon to our granola that we make on a monthly basis. But as much cinnamon as we put into the mix, it never seems to really taste like cinnamon. The flavor of the toasted oats and seeds always seem to take over.

After many tries, we thought what might be the problem is the heat. Maybe too much exposure to the heat in the oven causes the spices to lose their fragrance? Maybe they get lost in the mix of maple syrup and coconut oil? So we tried adding in the cinnamon after the granola was baked, and it made a difference! The cinnamon flavor was much more present in the granola and more fragrant.

So we discovered that this applied to all spices, not just cinnamon. That’s why now, we add spices to the granola after it’s been baked, while it’s still warm, and they shine more. And that’s what we’ve done with this recipe, so add your spices at the end and you’ll see the difference.

 

Watch the recipe video here:

 

Nut-Free Christmas Granola

Makes 3 cups | 550g

1 cup | 160g toasted buckwheat groats

1 cup | 86g rolled oats

1 cup | toasted pumpkin seeds

1/3 cup | 56ml maple syrup

1/2 tsp | 3g sea salt

1/4 cup | 38ml coconut oil

1/3 cup |70g dates, soaked in water overnight

1/2 cup | 17g dehydrated apples

1 tbsp | 5g ground cinnamon

1 tsp | 1.5g Ground ginger

3 pinches Freshly-ground nutmeg or ground nutmeg

1/4 cup | 33g dehydrated cranberries

1/4 cup | 40g dried sour cherries

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF. Place buckwheat groats, oats, and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl and stir to combine.

2. Place dates, maple syrup, salt, and coconut oil, in a high-speed blender and blend until a smooth and creamy sauce is formed.

3. Add date sauce to the dry ingredients and mix well to combine, making sure everything was coated evenly.

4. Transfer mixture to a large lined sheet tray and spread out evenly. It should spread out on to a thin layer. If your baking sheet is too small, use two trays or bake it in 2 batches if necessary. Be careful to not overfill the tray, as the granola won’t cook evenly.

5. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and check. Flip the granola so that what was on the bottom is now on the top. Return to the oven and bake for 20 more minutes.

6. Check the granola again. Mix it around again and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes, or until perfectly golden.

7. Remove from oven and transfer to a large bowl while still warm. Add cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cranberries, and dried sour cherries. Use a large spoon or spatula to stir and combine.

8. Transfer granola back into the lined sheet tray. Spread out evenly and set aside to let cool.

9. Once completely cool, store in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

 

Did you make this recipe? tag us on Instagram @eatogether.co so that we can see it!

 

You might also like: