The Best Nut Free Granola Recipe

This basic nut free granola recipe is great because it’s not overly sweet and you can add to it whatever you like. Try coconut, dried fruit bits, seeds or nuts if you can have them, or even allergen-free chocolate chips! Me, I make it plain and that makes me happy. Eat it with yogurt or milk, dairy or non-dairy, however it suits you. I’ve been tinkering with this recipe for many years, and now think it is the best nut free granola recipe. I’ve tried it with all kinds of sweeteners and different oils, and like this combination the best. This recipe is gluten free, tree nut free, peanut free, soy free, dairy free, egg free, seed free and other allergen free. Give it a try!

Need something else to make with those oats? Try these Quick Breakfast Balls aka Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies!

The Best Allergy Free Nut Free Granola Recipe

5 cups old-fashioned oats (I love Trader Joe’s gluten free and dairy free oats)

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 tsp. sea salt, plus an extra pinch

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 cup + 2 tsp. coconut oil (or oil of choice)

1/4 cup agave nectar or honey (or sugar of choice)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place parchment paper on a large baking pan or jelly roll pan.

Mix first four ingredients (oats through cinnamon) in a large bowl.  In a small saucepan, combine coconut oil and agave nectar. Cook on the stove over medium-low heat until just simmering.  Remove from heat and pour over the oat mixture. Stir well with a spoon to make sure everything is thoroughly combined. Spread granola on the parchment lined sheet and pat it down until the mixture is of even thickness in the pan.

Bake for about 20 to 28 minutes, until golden brown, and the granola around the edges of the pan is a little darker than the rest. If you take it out too early, the granola will be chewy rather than crunchy. Place the pan on a cooling rack and let the granola cool completely.  If you want your granola to be clumpy, don’t stir it until completely cooled. If you don’t want it clumpy at all, stir up the warm granola to break it apart. Store in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Variations:

For vanilla-flavored granola, add two teaspoons of vanilla extract to the oil and agave nectar mixture after you take it off the heat.

If you want to add in coconut or seeds, you can add them in before baking. Or, if you don’t want them toasted, add them after the granola bakes and cools. Add dried fruit or chocolate chips after the granola has cooled.

This isn’t overly sweet, but if you want to use less sugar, reduce the amount of brown sugar by a tablespoon or two (rather than reducing the agave nectar amount). This may result in the granola being less clumpy, but still equally delicious.

If you can have nuts, replace one cup of the oats with sliced almonds when combining the first four ingredients, and omit the extra 2 tsp. oil. Otherwise, enjoy this nut free granola as is!