Tahini Granola with Orange

A bit like olive oil granola, this isn’t particularly sweet – it’s verging on savoury, the way I think granola should be. If you prefer a sweeter snack or breakfast, add that with the toppings (it’s an easy way to control added sugar).

Try mixing this with frozen blueberries for a really simple breakfast or snack. I like to serve with oat milk or coconut yogurt (in my cookbook, pg. 228), and, of course, with extra orange slices if you have it.

Why You Should Try This Recipe

This is a wonderfully cosy winter granola, with the orange juice and added cinnamon. It’s not a combination you’re likely to find in the shop and making it at home means you can easily control what’s going into it – not a bad thing for a breakfast recipe.

• It’s low sugar: with about a teaspoon of date or maple syrup per serving, it’s lower in sugar than most granola. The orange juice adds a bit extra, but it’s not too sweet.
• No expensive nuts: this is a nut-free granola as is (though you could add them if you’d like) and uses seeds instead to bulk it out.
• It’s a one-bowl recipe: everything is mixed in one bowl, so you have less dishes.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Rolled Oats: use certified GF if needed. Quick cook don’t work as well well here, and steel cut can’t be used.
• Seeds: any seeds or nuts can be used in place of sesame and sunflower. I like the pairing of sesame seeds with the tahini.
• Spices: simply cinnamon and salt – see below for a note on added salt. More spices could be added (the original recipe used cardamom and sumac).
• Date Syrup: or maple syrup. Use honey in a pinch but it does make the granola rather sweet.
• Orange: both zest and juice. This adds a bit more sweetness, sub at your own risk.
• Olive Oil: other liquid oils can be substituted but I haven’t tried with butter (vegan or otherwise).

Step by Step

1. Whisk: add the wet ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk well to combine.
2. Mix: add the dry ingredients to the same bowl and mix very well.

3. Spread: in an even layer onto a baking sheet.
4. Bake: for about 30 minutes at low temperature.

If you can’t see the accompanying video, watch it here.

Recipe Notes

I cannot stress enough that you must like the tahini you use. Black, brown, or white, it doesn’t matter, as long as you like the taste. You will taste it!

Regarding the amount of salt added – if the tahini is salted, you’ll probably want to reduce the extra salt by half. Do this based on your personal preferences.

If you want to add dried fruit, mix it into the granola after fully cooling. It can’t be baked as it will burn in the oven. This is not a very clumpy granola.

How to Store

Storage: keep it in a sealed container at (cool) room temperature for a couple of weeks, or refrigerate for up to a month.

Freezing: granola can be frozen! 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

• Keep an eye out: this granola is quite dark to begin with, so keep a close eye to make sure it doesn’t burn. The colour doesn’t change so much after baking and it’s better to watch the time than look for golden colour for this recipe.
• 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.
• 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.

More Easy Granola Recipes

Almond Butter Granola (GF, V)
Almond Date Granola (GF, V)
Grain Free Granola (GF, V)
Cinnamon Hazelnut Granola (GF, V)

If you make this Tahini 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 originally published in January 2018. It has been updated with some slight improvements to the recipe, new pictures, and a video, as of January 2022.