I suck at breakfast. Well, I don’t suck at cooking breakfast – I can cook breakfast like a boss – I just don’t eat it. My morning ritual consists of making a jar of vegan iced coffee as big as my head and carrying it around with me like a blankie for the next hour. I know this is not a good ritual but it has been mine for many years and it is hard to let go. I also run every day so it’s not all bleak.
Recently however, granola is sneaking its way in to my mornings. It began on our trip to the States where I took to carrying a bag of Purely Elizabeth granola around and to be honest, I think I became a little hooked. As soon as I arrived home I began playing with my own version of the company’s nut butter granola and after a little streamlining and tweaking this awesome homemade almond butter maple granola is a fixture on our breakfast scene.
I’ve flirted with granola for many years. The husband eats it every morning with yoghurt and fruit and I love making the stuff, I just can’t commit to breakfast every day. But the fantastic thing for us non-breakfast-types is you can pop your granola in a baggy or container and take it with you. Granola is the perfect portable snack and while some are put off by the cost of buying the ingredients to make your own granola, it’s actually cheaper. I did the math.
To keep the cost of my homemade granola down I have a tried and true base that, while still good for you, won’t break the bank. Rolled oats, buckwheat groats, sunflower seeds, shredded coconut, maple syrup, coconut oil and sometimes nuts, sometimes not. If you need a gluten-free version, simply substitute gluten-free oats, rice flakes or quinoa flakes for the rolled oats. Buckwheat is already gluten-free and I always add buckwheat.
Buckwheat is one of my favourite things to cook with being incredibly cheap, easy to prepare and loaded with good stuff. I usually activate buckwheat by soaking the groats in a little water and apple cider vinegar overnight but for granola I don’t. Buckwheat adds awesome crunch and texture.
While I can’t see a time when I will leap out of bed to a hearty breakfast each morning, I am quietly becoming a very big fan of this homemade almond butter maple granola. I find myself with my hand in the granola jar throughout the day pinching a little more. I eat it by the handful, sprinkled over coconut yoghurt and I’ve even sprinkled it on my peanut butter smeared apple slices snack. Don’t judge. It’s delicious. With a lot less ingredients than the original store-bought version, this nut buttery granola is the perfect balance of sweet and salty at half the price to make. And it goes perfectly with a coffee as big as your head. Enjoy.
If you try this dish, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #mygoodnesskitchen on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. Thanks friends.
If you like this, you might like to check out these:
- inspired scrambled tofu
- vegan almond butter raspberry muffins
- wonderfully chunky toasted sesame granola
Homemade Almond Butter Maple Granola
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup almond butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 2 cups rolled oats gluten-free if required
- 1 cup buckwheat groats raw
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1 cup pecans chopped
- 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp raw sugar optional
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 170 degrees C (340 degrees F) and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Combine the almond butter, maple syrup and coconut oil in a small saucepan stirring over low heat until well combined.
- Add the oats, buckwheat, coconut, pecans, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, cinnamon and sea salt to a large mixing bowl.
- Add the nut butter mixture to the dry ingredients and stir through to coat thoroughly.
- Spread the granola mixture evenly over the prepared baking tray and pop in the oven for around 40 minutes, turning the tray half-way through the cooking time.
- When the granola is golden, remove from the oven and sprinkle it with raw sugar. Leave to cool completely before transferring to an air-tight container.
- Store the granola in a cool-dry place for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition
![Autumn arrived today and it is officially soup weather. As a kid my favourite soup was chicken noodle. These days I can still enjoy a bowl minus the bird. This birdless version from my cookbook #greatveganmealsforthecarnivorousfamily uses jackfruit to add texture to the crazily authentic and flavorful broth. Takes me back to my childhood. 💚
4 to 6 servings1 (14-oz [400-g]) can jackfruit
2 tbsp (30 ml) tamari
⅛ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp (10 g) nutritional yeast
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, finely sliced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
2 tbsp water plus 2 cups (503 ml) for
the soup broth
Zest of 1 lemon
4 cups (1 L) vegetable stock
Handful (around 3 oz [85 g]) dried
spaghetti, broken
1 cup (30 g) baby spinach, finely
sliced
Good pinch sea saltDrain and rinse the jackfruit and cut each one into thin slices from the longest point of the triangle. Put the sliced jackfruit in a bowl with the tamari, white
pepper and nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the olive oil to a large soup pot or saucepan and heat over low heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves and thyme and
saut. for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water. Cook
covered, for around 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, add
the second tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium heat.
Add the jackfruit and sauté for 5 minutes, pulling it apart gently with a fork as you
cook. Stir the shredded jackfruit into the vegetables, add the lemon zest, stock and
remaining water, and bring the soup up to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for
20 minutes. Add the broken spaghetti, cooking for another 7 minutes. Remove the
bay leaves and thyme, stir in the baby spinach and season with sea salt. #letscookvegan #fromscratch #foodstyling #meatlessmonday #makeitdelicious #tastingtable #eatplants #worldwideveganfood #goop #thecookfeed](http://scontent-mia3-2.cdninstagram.com/vp/855595f9d6450edef85083e895962529/5D3297E8/t51.2885-15/e35/s320x320/53425017_2026465847655903_4310692797615736546_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-mia3-2.cdninstagram.com "Autumn arrived today and it is officially soup weather. As a kid my favourite soup was chicken noodle. These days I can still enjoy a bowl minus the bird. This birdless version from my cookbook #greatveganmealsforthecarnivorousfamily uses jackfruit to add texture to the crazily authentic and flavorful broth. Takes me back to my childhood. 💚
4 to 6 servings1 (14-oz [400-g]) can jackfruit
2 tbsp (30 ml) tamari
⅛ tsp white pepper
1 tbsp (10 g) nutritional yeast
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, divided
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 yellow onion, finely sliced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
2 tbsp water plus 2 cups (503 ml) for
the soup broth
Zest of 1 lemon
4 cups (1 L) vegetable stock
Handful (around 3 oz [85 g]) dried
spaghetti, broken
1 cup (30 g) baby spinach, finely
sliced
Good pinch sea saltDrain and rinse the jackfruit and cut each one into thin slices from the longest point of the triangle. Put the sliced jackfruit in a bowl with the tamari, white
pepper and nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of the olive oil to a large soup pot or saucepan and heat over low heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves and thyme and
saut. for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water. Cook
covered, for around 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, add
the second tablespoon (15 ml) of olive oil to a skillet and heat over medium heat.
Add the jackfruit and sauté for 5 minutes, pulling it apart gently with a fork as you
cook. Stir the shredded jackfruit into the vegetables, add the lemon zest, stock and
remaining water, and bring the soup up to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for
20 minutes. Add the broken spaghetti, cooking for another 7 minutes. Remove the
bay leaves and thyme, stir in the baby spinach and season with sea salt. #letscookvegan #fromscratch #foodstyling #meatlessmonday #makeitdelicious #tastingtable #eatplants #worldwideveganfood #goop #thecookfeed")
Yum! I’m a big granola fan! Can’t wait to try this. Feel free to share your recipes on my website – Kitchen Thyme. We share each recipe on social media, weekly meal plans, newsletters and recipe round ups. I hope you join us! https://kitchenthy.me/
Thanks Jane! I am a huge fan of granola so I’m glad you like this recipe. Your site looks wonderful. Thank you for the invitation!
I made this last night for the family, hands down best granola ever
That’s so awesome Lisa. Thanks for letting me know. We love this granola too!
🙂