I bought a big bag of whole hazelnuts at the market a few days ago. I thought it might be less expensive to buy them still in the shell and then crack them myself – turns out the hassle is not worth the tiny savings (since you’re also paying for the weight of the shells).
It took Graham and I over an hour to shell a kilogram, and I ended up with just enough for this recipe and snacking. I recruited him after my hands starting hurting, ha.
This vegan cinnamon hazelnut granola is another recipe that was made with minimal pantry ingredients, with the exception of the hazelnuts. Including the spices it has just seven ingredients. If you like crispy, clustered granola, this is for you – the chia seeds and coconut oil help the granola form into clusters, and it stays crunchy for a long time.
It’s not particularly sweet but I think the cinnamon helps to make it seem a little sweeter than it really is. The maple syrup, cinnamon, and hazelnuts go really well together and taste like autumn. If you can’t have nuts, try my grain free granola recipe instead.
I made baked apples and topped them with this granola and some grated dark chocolate and it was excellent, so I recommend trying that if you try this granola. The apples I have from my omi’s trees exploded in the oven so I decided against taking pictures, but all you have to do is wash and core a couple of apples and bake them until they can be easily pierced with a fork.
We had them with the granola for breakfast a few times and it was perfect. I convinced omi that baked apples can be a breakfast food despite her arguments against it, but she ate it. She was skeptical at first, and then she polished off two whole baked apples. For breakfast. Scandalous.
Otherwise, granola is granola and you can eat it with your favourite milk, yogurt, fruit, or just plain. I love this hazelnut granola with some oat milk (my go-to) for breakfast or as a midday snack. This recipe is naturally gluten free and vegan. I have tried it with honey in place of the maple syrup and found it too sticky and sweet, so I don’t recommend it.
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Vegan Cinnamon Hazelnut Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup hazelnuts roughly chopped
- ¼ cup chia seeds
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder
- ⅓ cup coconut oil melted
- ¼ cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, hazelnuts, chia, cinnamon, and vanilla. Pour the coconut oil and maple syrup into the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon or your hands (hands are best) until the oat mixture is fully coated.
- Place the granola mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it evenly. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until it turns golden and doesn't feel sticky when touched.
- Cool the granola completely in the pan before removing and storing in a sealed jar or container for up to a month in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Brittany at I Love Vegan says
Uggh, this granola sounds delicious (and your pictures are AMAZING – I'm in love!) Do you make your own oat milk or do you have a favourite brand? I don't remember trying it but I'd like to!
Alexandra Daum says
Thanks, Brittany! I usually make my own, but I also like the oatly brand. I'm not sure if that's available in Canada though (I had never seen it at my local supermarkets at home). To make it I just soak a cup of oats overnight, then rinse and blend with 3-4 cups of water in the morning, depending on how creamy I want it. I strain it just with a regular mesh strainer and use the leftover oat pulp in bread. You don't need to strain it if you have a really high powered blender or if you don't mind a bit of a toothsome milk, though. I love how cheap and easy it is to make!
Carrie Hardy says
Oh my goodness, your pictures are amazing!! This granola looks and sounds like the perfect snack / breakfast! We love granola and hazelnuts, so this is the perfect recipe for us to check out!
Hilary says
I'm so impressed you opened your own hazelnuts for your granola- now that's dedication! 🙂 I'm always looking for new granola recipes, so I'll have to give this one a try!
Traci | Vanilla And Bean says
Ooooh the hazelnuts…. well at least you know now, right? I love this granola, Alexandra and it's simplicity. I've not tried chia in granola, but will have to give it a go.. I love the look of it and the added texture it gives. Agreed on honey. Seems as maple is the way to go! Beautiful photog and I love seeing you crackin those hazelnuts! Beautiful work my dear! xo
Alexandra Daum says
Thanks, Carrie! I can't stop eating this stuff, no matter what time of day it is! I hope you like it 🙂
Alexandra Daum says
Ha, I guess you could call it that! I hope you like it, Hilary 🙂
Alexandra Daum says
Exactly, it was a learning experience! I'm a big fan of low-ingredient granola because who wants to mess around with 20 ingredients for something so simple? I think you'd love the chia! Ha Graham has been sneaking pictures of me working/photographing lately 😉 Thank you sweet Traci!