Homemade Sugar Free Granola

This homemade Sugar Free Granola recipe uses unsweetened applesauce and raisins to sweeten a delicious mixture of rolled oats, nuts, and seeds. It’s great for breakfast, snacks, and baked goods.

I know you are going to LOVE this healthy granola because it is seriously THE BEST. I’m certain that it will become a pantry staple because you’re going to want to put it on everything!

While you could just grab a bag of the store-bought stuff, once you see how easy and delicious this homemade granola is, you won’t have any desire to. Not to mention, store-bought granola is usually heavily processed and sweetened with refined sugar.

It is also usually pretty expensive. By making granola from scratch, you get a lot more bang for your buck.

And it is SUPER easy. All you have to do is mix up the dry ingredients, coat them in applesauce-sweetened coconut oil, bake, cool, and store.

My favorite snack these days is sliced fruit or a cup of berries with some Greek yogurt and a few tablespoons of this tasty sugar-free granola. It’s so good!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This homemade granola is nutrient-dense. It’s is packed with fiber, protein, and satiating fats.
• This granola recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, and refined sugar free.
• It’s much cheaper than store-bought granola. Make granola from scratch and get way more snacks for way less cost.
• Homemade granola is the perfect sustainable snack for hiking, camping, and gift-giving.

Ingredients Overview

Feel free to play around with the mix-ins and spices and make this granola recipe your own.

• Nuts – I used raw unsalted almonds, cashews, and walnuts. You could also use sliced almonds, macadamia nuts, pistachios, or chopped Brazil nuts.
• Seeds – I used raw unsalted sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Look for sunflower seed “kernels” and pumpkin seed “pepitas”.
• Dried Fruit – I like using raisins because they are naturally very sweet, so they add bursts of great flavor throughout this granola. If you prefer to munch on something less sweet, you can skip the raisins altogether. You could also use dried mango, bananas, pineapple, blueberries, dates, cranberries, or prunes.
• Oats – Whole-grain old-fashioned oats or rolled oats stay firm during baking and hold their shape. For gluten-free granola, make sure the brand of oats you use is “certified gluten-free.”
• Spices – Ground cinnamon and ground ginger add a warming, comforting flavor. You could also use nutmeg, allspice, pumpkin pie spice blend, or vanilla extract.
• Sweetener – In addition to pops of sweetness from the raisins, this granola gets coated in a mixture of unsweetened applesauce and coconut oil before baking. Instead of applesauce, you can use pumpkin puree, mashed banana, or pureed dried apricots.

How To Make Homemade Sugar Free Granola from Scratch

Step 1. Combine the dry ingredients.

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While the oven is preheating, in a large baking dish, add the almonds, cashews, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and oats. Toss well to combine. Add ground cinnamon and ginger. Mix until everything is well coated in spices.

Step 2. Combine the wet ingredients.

In a small bowl, mix together melted coconut oil and unsweetened applesauce. Pour the mixture over the nuts, seeds, oats, and raisins and toss well to coat everything evenly.

Step 3. Bake the granola.

Place baking dish in preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes to one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven when the moisture from the oil-applesauce mixture has evaporated and the oats and nuts are golden-brown and toasted.

Step 4. Store.

Let the granola cool completely before storing in sanitized air-tight containers in a cool dark place for up to 3 months.

Recipe Tips

The baking dish I used is 14″ x 10″ and 2 inches deep which is the perfect size for this recipe. You want the oats to be compacted enough in the pan so they stick together but not so crowded the moisture isn’t able to cook out evenly. If making more or less granola, adjust the baking dish size accordingly.

Also, keep in mind that the amount of granola you’re making will affect the baking time. If you decide to make a smaller amount, the cooking time will be shorter.

Once the granola is in the oven, be sure to give it a stir every 15 minutes. Otherwise, the moisture will not evaporate evenly and the texture will be off. Set a timer to remind yourself to stir.

How To Serve Unsweetened Granola

This crisp and crunchy granola is great as a topping on breakfast bowls, snacks, etc. Check out the best ways to serve homemade sugar-free granola below:

• sprinkled on fruit salad for added crunch and to make it more filling;
• as a crispy topping on a yogurt parfait, fresh fruit sorbet, or Acai bowl;
• as breakfast “cereal” with milk and sliced bananas;
• stored in small plastic bags as “trail mix” for school lunches;
• mixed in with chia pudding for some added sweetness and crunch;
• baked into your favorite oatmeal cookies or sprinkled on top of banana bread.

Granola Storing Instructions

This delicious granola has a long shelf-life, making it a great gift during the holidays.

• Storing: Store fresh granola in an air-tight sanitized jar or resealable plastic bag in a cool, dark place away from any heat or humidity for up to 3 months. Refrigeration is not recommended as it can make the granola soggy.
• Freezing: To freeze, make sure granola is cooled COMPLETELY before storing in freezer-safe zip-top bags in the freezer for 6 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add chia seeds to this granola recipe?

Yes, you can add chia seeds to your granola mix. Just make sure to add them when your granola is already baked and cooled completely.

Can I add flax seeds to this granola?

Yes, absolutely. Flax seeds would be a great addition to this granola. Just make sure to add them when your granola is already baked and cooled completely.

Can I add shredded coconut to this granola?

Yes, shredded coconut would make a great addition to this recipe. I recommend toasting shredded coconut on the stove-top and then mixing it with the baked granola. Otherwise, shredded coconut might burn in the oven.

Can you buy sugar-free granola?

Yes, you can buy granola with no added sugar. The healthiest store-bought granola is sugar-free, high in dietary fiber, and low in saturated fat.

Homemade Sugar Free Granola

Yield: about 12 cups of granola

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

This healthy homemade granola is refined sugar free. It's made with rolled oats, nuts, seeds, spices, and coconut oil and is naturally sweetened with applesauce and raisins.

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Ingredients

• 1 cup raw unsalted almonds
• 1 cup raw unsalted cashews
• 1 cup raw unsalted walnuts
• 1 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds
• 1 cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup raisins
• 3 cups regular slow-cooking rolled oats
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground dried ginger
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Place the almonds, cashews, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, raisins and oats in a large baking dish (mine is 14 by 10 inches, 2 inches deep). Add the cinnamon and ground ginger and mix to combine.
3. In a small bowl, combine the melted coconut oil with applesauce and pour the mixture over the nuts. Mix well to coat.
4. Place the baking dish into a preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes to one hour or until the liquid is evaporated and the nuts and oats are golden. Make sure to stir the granola every 15 minutes to ensure that it cooks evenly. Also, keep in mind that if you reduce the amount of ingredients, the granola will bake faster.
5. Take the baking dish out of the oven and let the granola cool completely.
6. Store in a glass container with a tight lid in a cool dark place.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Mott's Unsweetened Applesauce
• 
  Bob's Red Mill Sun Dried Raisins
• 
  Oregon Pumpkin Seeds
• 
  Sincerely Nuts Sunflower Seed
• 
  Kirkland Signature Almonds
• 
  Bob's Red Mill Rolled Oats

Nutrition Information

Serving Size 1/2 cup
Amount Per Serving Calories 226Total Fat 15.6gSaturated Fat 3.7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11.9gCholesterol 0mgSodium 3.4mgCarbohydrates 18.3gFiber 3.4gSugar 5.5gProtein 6.6g

Nutrition facts provided on this website are an estimate and not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a qualified health care provider for personalized diet advice and make sure that each of the ingredients is allowed in your diet.

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