It's the season for everything pumpkin! If you are a chunky and crunchy granola fan you will love this pumpkin spice granola! This granola is packed with all your favourite fall flavours and is gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and vegan! Unlike many store bought granola, this granola has little oil and is not packed with refined sugars! Next time you are looking at granola in the store, please look at the ingredients and nutritional label first.
This granola is super easy to make and tastes great on top of smoothie bowls, yogurt or eaten by the spoonful! I love making my own granola because I can add in all my favourite nuts, seeds and dried fruit!
The trick to making chunky granola is to bring the maple syrup to a boil for a couple of minutes to caramelize it slightly and make it thicker. After adding it to your dry ingredients, this will help to hold all your ingredients together!
I add my dried fruit to my pan and bake it in the oven with the rest of my ingredients but I always add more dried fruit in at the end to add some more colour. I find that dried fruit can lose its colour when you bake it in the oven but I love the chewy texture that it gets when it is baked! This is why I always put some in with the granola when I bake it and some extra in at the end to brighten it up!
In this recipe, feel free to add in additional nuts or seeds! Flax or chia seeds would be a great addition to this granola and if you don't have pecans, walnuts, almonds or any other type of nut would also be a yummy replacement!
Pumpkin Spice Granola
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20-25 minutes
Total Time: 25-30 minutes
Gluten Free | Dairy Free | Vegan | Refined Sugar Free
Ingredients
3 cups large flake oats
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cup halved pecans
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup canned pure pumpkin
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degree.
In a large bowl, mix together oats, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, pecans, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries. Set aside.
In small sauce pan, add maple syrup, coconut oil and pure pumpkin to a boil. Stirring constantly.
Boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Careful not to burn.
Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well.
Spoon granola onto a lined baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes or until granola is slightly browned and crunchy.
Remove from oven and let cool.
Serve and enjoy!