Almond Butter Granola

An easy vegan and gluten-free one-bowl almond butter granola, this is a pretty basic recipe that goes with just about everything. With almond butter and chopped almonds, it’s pleasantly nutty, but not overwhelmingly so.

I often forget how much we love having granola in the house – it’s a lifesaver on busy days. A great breakfast, snack, or before-bed-treat, and I find this almond version especially filling. If you love it too but aren’t so fond of really sweet store bought granola, give this recipe a try.

Why You Should Try This Recipe

While granola is a great quick breakfast – we often eat it dry with frozen blueberries, no yogurt or milk – store bought versions are usually too sweet and rather expensive. Making it yourself gives you more options.

• It’s a one-bowl recipe: the less dishes, the better. Everything is mixed in one big bowl here for less mess.
• It’s very lightly sweetened: with just over a teaspoon of maple syrup per serving, it’s not very sweet and contains much less sugar than store bought.
• You can change it up: add dried fruit or chocolate chips, use different nuts or seeds, or add extra spices.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Rolled Oats: quick cook oats don’t work as well here. Make sure the oats are certified GF if for celiac.
• Salt: the amount listed is based on unsalted almond butter. If yours contains salt, reduce by half.
• Coconut Oil: there is no sub for this recipe – coconut oil solidifying at room temperature is what helps the granola clump properly.
• Almond Butter: the runnier, the better! Don’t use the last dry bit in the bottom of the jar.
• Vanilla: not adding extra spices really allows for the almond flavour to come through, but you could use cinnamon, nutmeg, or a spice blend that you like.

Step by Step

1. Mix: combine the dry ingredients, then add the wet ingredients.
2. Combine: use your hands for best mixing and make sure everything is well combined.

3. Spread: transfer to a baking sheet and spread into an even layer.
4. Bake: for about 20 minutes, turning the baking sheet halfway through if needed.

Recipe Notes

There are very few substitutions possible for this recipe, apart from those outlined in the ingredient list above. Honey for maple syrup, as always, and you can add to the granola as you like. Dried fruit and chocolate chips can be added after baking.

It’s important to cool the granola fully on the baking sheet before moving into a storage container. If you don’t care for clumps, then don’t worry about this – but it does help in keeping larger pieces to cool before lifting.

If your oven bakes very evenly, you probably won’t need to turn the pan halfway through baking. Otherwise a quick turn will help a lot for a nicely browned granola.

How to Store

Storage: this should keep for about two weeks in a sealed container at room temperature. If your home is very warm, you can refrigerate instead.

Freezing: place the cooled granola in an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw as usual to serve, or serve frozen (it thaws very quickly).

Expert Tips

• Check oven temperature: this is a common problem. Home ovens often run 10-20°C off from what they’re set at (I’ve had an oven that was often 50°C too hot!) so a small oven thermometer works wonders. If you find that your bakes are often failing despite following the recipe exactly, you may need to check this.
• Don’t worry about over mixing: it’s granola, and it’s gluten-free anyway, so really get in there and mix well. It really can’t be overdone.
• Use soft almond butter: the hard, dry bits at the bottom of the jar aren’t ideal for this recipe. It should be runny, or at least spoon-able, but definitely not dry.
• Use a food processor: if you have one, especially a smaller one, it’s very useful for chopping the almonds for this recipe. They’re annoying to chop by hand, and fly everywhere, so use a machine if available.

If you make this Almond Butter Granola or any other breakfast recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.

This post was first shared in December 2014. It has been updated with improvements to the recipe as of July 2021.