Time to upgrade your pantry, snack and breakfast routine, your grocery budget, and (by extension) your best munchie life with the very best Gluten Free Granola!
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5 Star Review
“I have been making this once a week for months now. It is SO delicious and better than any store bought granola. So simple to make, I love this recipe so much!”
— Kaela —
Granola used to lure me at the grocery store. Attractive, smartly packaged bags in assorted flavors promised that if I bought them (and casually ignored their less-attractive price tags), I’d be fit, healthy, and sure to live the kind of active life I associate with REI commercials.
One look at the back of those same bags reveals a different story. Most store-bought granolas contain an excess of added sugar and oil.
Sure, store-bought granola is delicious, but 99% of the time, when I choose to eat granola, it’s because I want to snack on something that is both delicious and healthy.
That’s where DIY gluten free granola comes in!
This recipe is a spinoff of my core, go-to healthy granola recipe.
This homemade gluten free granola recipe is:
- Ridiculously Easy to Make. Can you stir a few things together in a bowl, and then spread them onto a baking sheet? GOOD. You can make granola.
- Good for You. 100% whole grain goodness, plus healthy fats. This recipe is also refined-sugar free.
- Easy to Adapt to Any Diet. As written, this granola recipe is gluten free and dairy-free. I’ve also included notes to make it vegan. Need nut free granola? Just leave out the nuts, and add more seeds or other mix-ins of choice.
- OUTRAGEOUSLY DELICIOUS. Either plan to share it with everyone in the house or hide the container for yourself…I actually had to hide it from myself to get the batch to last more than a few days.
Key Ingredients
- Oats. I recommend rolled oats (also called old fashioned oats) for the best texture. Quick oats are more pulverized and not as conducive to giving your granola a fabulous, crunchy texture. Steel cut oats will be too tooth-crackingly hard. Rolled oats are the best for homemade granola.
- Flaxseed Meal. Hello, omega-3s and vital nutrients! Be sure to use GROUND flaxseed meal, not whole flaxseeds, as your body needs the flaxseed ground to absorb the nutrients (or you can grind it yourself).
- Pumpkin Pie Spice. In my baking lately, instead of individually measuring out cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and the other spices pumpkin pie spice contains, I’ve been using the classic blend. It’s a stellar shortcut that I wish I would have tried even earlier. This granola does not taste like actual pumpkin spice (it’s more classic). For a true pumpkin experience, check out my Pumpkin Granola recipe instead.
- Coconut. The secret to this gluten free granola’s addictive properties. When toasted with the oats, it’s obsessively good.
- Pure Maple Syrup or Honey. It was important to me that this be a gluten free granola with no sugar (the refined kind). If you are looking for the most budget-friendly option, gluten free granola with honey is less expensive. If you love maple, or you want the gluten free granola recipe vegan as well, use pure maple syrup.
- Coconut Oil or Light Olive Oil. If you don’t want to taste the coconut, make sure you are using refinded coconut oil instead of virgin; extra light olive oil won’t be detectible. Or you can swap avocado oil or canola oil.
- Egg White. My secret to using less oil and still ending up with delightfully crunchy granola with crispy clusters. (I’ve also included a vegan gluten free granola option in the recipe below.)
- Pure Vanilla Extract. A generous pour gives the granola warmth. It also gives a sense of sweetness without added sugar.
Best Gluten Free Granola Mix-ins.
Homemade granola is a great way to use up the odd bits of nuts, dried fruit, and other items you have lurking in your pantry. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Nuts. Be sure to use raw nuts, as they will toast in the oven with the oats, and you don’t want them to burn. A mix of almonds and pecans is my favorite.
- Dried Fruit. Wait to add this until the end so that the fruit doesn’t burn. If the fruit is small (like dried cranberries or raisins) you can leave it whole. If you are making gluten free granola with dates, or another larger dried fruit like apricots, chop the fruit into smaller pieces first.
- Seeds. Pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds are both sooooo yummy in granola. Add them with the nuts.
- Chocolate Chips. Obviously. Be sure to let the granola cool completely before adding them so that it doesn’t burn.
A Note on Gluten-Free Oats
- Technically, oats are gluten-free. The oat grain, on its own, does not contain gluten.
- What causes gluten issues with oats is cross-contamination in factories where the oats are produced. If you are making this gluten-free granola for someone who cannot have any gluten whatsoever (someone with celiac, for example), be sure you are using certified gluten free rolled oats like these
Ways to Enjoy Granola
- With Mix-and-Match Yogurt Parfaits for breakfast
- Sprinkled over Cottage Cheese Ice Cream for dessert
- Folded into Granola Cookies
- By the handful for yummy snacks
Storage Tips
One of the best things about making a big batch of granola is how long it lasts! If you can keep your hands off of it anyway.
- To Store: Your gluten free granola will keep for 1 to 2 weeks, if placed in an airtight container in a cool, dry spot.
- To Freeze: This granola can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Place it in a resealable freezer bag, and push out any excess air before placing in the freezer.
More Fantastic Granola Recipes
Gluten Free Granola
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 20 servings (about 6 3/4 cups)
How to make crispy and delicious Gluten Free Granola. Made with simple ingredients, easy to customize, and great for breakfast and snacking!
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Ingredients
- 4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats use certified gluten free oats to ensure the granola is truly gluten-free; see blog post above for more info
- 1 cup raw nuts of choice I use a blend of pecans and almonds
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground pumpkin pie spice optional; or try a pinch ground cardamom
- ½ cup pure maple syrup or honey
- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil or light olive oil
- 1 large egg white whisked until frothy (see notes to make vegan)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes or swap an additional ½ cup raw nuts
- ½ cup dried fruit optional; chopped if large (I used dried cranberries)
- ½ cup chocolate chips optional
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. For the easiest clean up, line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, nuts, flaxseed, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice. Stir to combine.
- Pour in the maple syrup, oil, whisked egg white, and vanilla (do not add any of the coconut, dried fruit, or chocolate chips yet). Stir well until every part of the mixture is lightly moistened. Pour the granola onto the prepared baking sheet. With a large spoon or the back of a rubber spatula, spread it in an even layer, and lightly press it down.
- Bake for 12 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven. Stir in the coconut flakes. With the back of your spatula, spread the granola back into an even layer, and lightly press it down. Return to the oven, and bake 10 to 12 additional minutes, until it is very lightly golden and smells irresistible.
- Let the granola cool completely on the pan, undisturbed (at least 45 minutes). The granola will continue to crisp as it cools, and this will help the clumps set. Once cooled, top with the dried fruit and optional chocolate chips. With your fingers, break the granola into clumps (if you aren’t in to the clumps, you can simply stir it). Munch away!
Notes
- TO MAKE GLUTEN FREE: Make sure you’re using certified gluten free oats.
- TO MAKE VEGAN: Omit the egg white, and increase the amount of oil to ½ cup total.
- TO MAKE NUT FREE: Use seeds, such as pepitas, in place of the nuts.
- TO STORE: Store leftover granola in an airtight container in a dry, cool place for 1 to 2 weeks.
- TO FREEZE: Place in a sealed freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.3cup (without mix-ins)Calories: 177kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 4gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 5gPotassium: 139mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gCalcium: 25mgIron: 1mg
This was DELISH. Quick, easy, customizable. We enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing!
Hi Anita! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
it was so amazing tasting, and everone in my family absolutely loved it!
Yay! Thank you Adrianna!
Loved it! Was so easy to make and for the first time my gluten free granola came out crunchy and jot sticky! And I didn’t have to wait 45 min
Great to hear, thank you Michal!
My first time making granola! It was delicious! I added chia seeds and 2 cups of nuts instead of 1 cup. Thank you!
Great to hear! Thank you Marian!
I love your recipe but will stick to it microwaved sans CC (add it later)
I am currently eating a mixture of oats, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, nuts (using chopped walnuts), and dried fruit (raisins or dried cranberries)
I LOVE it for breakfast but eat it sans milk because
I am not only wheat intolerant (fortunately NO gluten problem) but dairy
(I have bottomed out on any NON dairy ‘milk’. ALL horrible.
I have come to love it. It is much like a hot granola bar
Thanks again for this recipe
Thanks Rosalee!
I have been making this once a week for months now. It is SO delicious and better than any store bought granola. So simple to make, I love this recipe so much! Thank you so much for sharing!!
Love it! Thanks Kaela!
You don’t say when to add the coconut oil, unless I missed it ??
Hi Deb! It’s in Step 3 after the maple syrup! Enjoy!
Taste is great and a pretty good crunch but I didn’t get clumps in mine. I didn’t add coconut but still stirred it. Should I have not stirred halfway? Also I wonder if I frothed the egg enough? I don’t have tools to do more frothing than just a fork
Hi Grace, none of those variables sounds to me as a reason why it wouldn’t clump. I’d start by making sure all of the mixture is moistened well. Hope this helps!
The taste is great but it didn’t “clump”after cooling as prescribed, actually longer. I’ll make it again but use more oil and 2 egg whites, not 1. Hopefully that will help.
Glad you enjoyed the taste, Beth. Let me know how it goes!
Hi. I want to try this recipe but I’m allergic to flaxseed. Is there a substitute you can suggest for the flaxseed meal?
Hi Pam! You can just leave it out or add 2 more tablespoons oats. Let us know how it goes!
I can’t have oats or honey. What is the best substitute for the oats?
Hi Kathy, when it comes to granola, oats are the main ingredient so I’m not really sure there is a substitute, unless you specifically look from an oat free granola recipe. I looked through my recipes to find something that might be a good alternative. We have these almond butter protein balls that have no oats and can use maple syrup. https://www.wellplated.com/no-bake-protein-balls/ Hope this helps some!
The recipe is great! Just confused about the nutritional info. It says it makes 20 servings which is just between 6-7 cups but then it says that a serving is a half cup. But then it should only make around 12-14 servings?
Hi Pat! You have a great eye! The serving size should say 1/3 cup. Sorry for the confusion!
As someone who’s gluten-intolerant, this recipe is a game-changer for homemade granola. Baked it low and slow like suggested, and got that perfect toasty flavor without burning. Topped my chia pudding with it, and wow, satisfying crunch. Shared with roommates, and they all loved it. Thanks
Yay! So glad it worked well for you, Felicia!
My kids and I had fun mixing and spreading this granola on the baking tray. They love breaking up the clusters once it’s cool, and they’ve been eating it straight from the container. Really happy with this one. Thank you so much!
So glad to hear, Sierra! Thank you!
Made a big batch for a family breakfast. Kids loved eating it with milk, my husband mixed it with yogurt, and I had some plain. Everyone got what they wanted it was crunchy, sweet, and satisfying.
So glad to hear, Chelsea! Thank you!