Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
This easy granola is naturally sweetened with spiced date paste delivering warm flavor without being overly sweet. Made with hearty gluten-free oats, it's loaded with pumpkin and sunflower seeds, sliced almonds, and dried tart cherries.
It’s a wholesome, crunchy granola with satisfying clusters and toasty notes. With more protein and fiber than most commercially made options, it's perfect over yogurt or enjoyed as a portable afternoon snack that provides sustained energy.
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What You'll Love About This Recipe
- Free of both refined sugar and liquid sweeteners of any kind (including honey, maple syrup, and agave), and because it's homemade, it has no additives.
- Feeds your gut with prebiotic fiber and your muscles and bones with plant-based protein.
- Nutrient-dense for long-lasting energy.
- Quick, easy gluten-free recipe that forms clusters.
- Easy to customize.
Ingredients
- Medjool dates
- Almond butter
- Olive oil
- Water
- Cinnamon
- Allspice (optional)
- Rolled oats
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Sliced almonds
- Salt (optional)
- Dried tart cherries
Ingredient Notes
Dates: Soft, Medjool dates are best for this recipe. If your dates are somewhat dry, add extra water to help them whip into a paste.
Olive oil: Use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil that is mild and not too acidic or fruity. Of course, other oils like canola, sunflower, or coconut are fine too. Because of its highly saturated fats, coconut oil will give the granola a richer taste.
Cinnamon: Vietnamese cinnamon will have a bolder flavor than Ceylon.
If you use cinnamon often in food and cooking, you may wish to search out brands tested for lower levels of lead. Try Morton and Bassett Organic (affiliate link), Whole Foods Organic and regular, and McCormick.
Allspice: (affiliate link) Adds warm, layered nuance to your granola, but it's not essential. Ground cloves (affiliate link) are a good substitute.
Rolled Oats: Use regular oats, not instant or steel-cut. Check that the package says gluten-free if this is a concern for you and/or your household.
Seeds: Raw, unsalted seeds are ideal. You may toast them before baking for extra flavor, though they will become toasty in the oven.
Sliced almonds: These thin pieces of nut turn a beautiful golden brown while baking. You can swap in slivered almonds, but sliced have better crunch and flavor.
🍒Dried Tart Cherries: Substitute other dried fruit if desired, or omit. They are the only source of added sugars in the recipe.
How to Make
1️⃣ Wash your hands, lathering with soap and rinsing with running water for 20 seconds, before starting.
1️⃣n a blender, combine the dates, almond butter, oil, water, and spices.
2️⃣Blend until smooth and whipped, scraping down the sides and adding more water as needed if the mixture is too thick.
3️⃣In a large bowl, combine the oats with the pumpkin and sunflower seeds and sliced almonds.
4️⃣Pour the date paste over, and stir thoroughly to coat.
5️⃣Separate an egg and whisk the white until frothy but not stiff.
6️⃣Stir the egg white into the granola mixture—this helps create clusters that are perfect for snacking.
7️⃣Dump the granola onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and spread evenly. It may help to lightly moisten your hands and press gently to form a compact layer.
8️⃣Bake at a low to moderate temperature for 13 minutes. Remove the granola from the oven and stir, bringing the edges into the center. Press to flatten before returning to the oven.
Bake another 12 to 15 minutes, checking frequently to prevent overbrowning. When it's as toasty as you like, remove from oven and let it cool completely without touching. It will crisp as it cools.
9️⃣When it's as toasty as you like, remove from oven and let it cool completely without touching. It will crisp as it cools.
When cool to touch, sprinkle the cherries it. Carefully, lift the sides of the parchment paper breaking the granola into clusters and small pieces.
Serve for breakfast with yogurt and berries. Because it is not very sweet, you may want to eat it with flavored yogurt or drizzle a little honey over the top.
You can also enjoy it as an on-the-go snack (great desk fuel). It's very portable!
Baking Tips and Variations
Watch the granola carefully toward the end of baking to prevent burning, especially around the edges. The edges tend to get very dark, so it's important to stir once halfway through to prevent burning.
However, you only want to stir once so that the oats, seeds, and nuts stick together and form clusters.
Bake at 300°F to 325°F (up to 350°F at most) for best results.
Cooling is the key to clusters
Allow the granola to cool undisturbed for 20 to 30 minutes. It should be cool to the touch before adding dried fruit or breaking into pieces.
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Swaps and variations
🥚For vegans: Replace the egg white with a flax egg.
*To make a flax egg, mix a Tablespoon of ground flaxseed with three Tablespoons of water. Let sit for five minutes before using in recipe.
🌱Seeds and nuts: Swap in your favorite nuts, like pecans or walnuts. Often, I like to replace the sunflower seeds with hemp hearts.
🫐Dried fruit: Ditto for the dried tart cherries. Try craisins, raisins, or dried blueberries.
🧂Sodium: If salt is not a concern, increase the amount to about half a teaspoon to boost the flavor.
Storage
Any airtight container, including a zip bag, is fine for storage. It keeps at room temperature for about a week, and then can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.
Zip bags are fine for freezer storage and take up less space.
🎁The granola also makes a thoughtful, healthy food gift packed into small jars (affiliate link) and labeled.
Nutrition Notes
Each ¼-cup serving provides about 6 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, along with helpful amounts of calcium and iron.
Vitamins in each serving include plenty of K and E, plus a decent amount of B vitamins.
🩸Better blood sugar levels: Dates have a low glycemic index and overall this granola is packed with fiber, healthy fats, and protein. This makes it unlikely to spike blood sugar levels despite higher calories.
Because of its nutrient density, this granola is difficult to overeat. Plus, it's satisfying, providing sustained energy.
Seeds and nuts
In addition to protein and fiber, the almonds, almond butter, and pumpkin and sunflower seeds are loaded with heart-healthy fats. But good fats aren't their only contribution.
These ingredients also supply important minerals such as magnesium, zinc, potassium, and calcium.
They are also a source of phytochemicals and plant-based sterols. In fact, they are anti-inflammatory powerhouses! Read more about the benefits of nuts and seeds in Brazil Nut Substitute: 4 Nuts and 3 Seeds.
Better Bone Health
When eaten for breakfast, the granola earns a rating of 4, which makes it a better choice to support skeletal health. It earns a rating of 3 (good) as a snack food.
The recipe was evaluated by Practical Dietitians, LLC, who are a woman's nutrition resource for strong bones.
FAQ
Yes. Date paste is naturally sticky and helps the granola hold together as it bakes. Pressing the mixture firmly onto the pan and stirring just once to prevent the edges from becoming too brown encourages larger clusters to form.
Granola crisps as it cools. Allow the baked granola to cool completely on the pan before breaking it into clusters.
Some dried fruits will burn during baking. Most often, dried fruit, like cherries, raisins, or cranberries is added after baking for better texture and flavor.
Other Recipes You May Enjoy...
If you love homemade granola, try my Granola with Chia Seeds or Maple Hemp Granola, which has a lovely sweetness from maple syrup.
Apple Crisp Granola is a shortcut recipe for the classic, family-style apple crisp dessert that uses granola as an ingredient in the topping!
High Protein Sheet Pan Pancakes (with Blueberries) is a low effort, no sugar added breakfast. Tall, fluffy baked pancakes are good for meal prep or for brunch!
No sugar added granola (fruit sweetened)
Equipment
- 1 Blender
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Baking sheet or rimmed sheet pan
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 Medjool dates pitted
- ¼ cup olive oil or canola oil
- ¼ cup almond butter can substitute peanut butter, sunflower seed butter, or cashew butter
- 1½ Tablespoons warm water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon allspice or cloves
- 1 egg white
- 2 cups whole rolled oats do not use steel-cut or instant oats
- ¼ cup almonds sliced
- ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
- ¼ cup sunflower seeds or use hemp seeds
- ¼ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ¼ cup dried cherries optional
Instructions Start Cooking
- Wash hands thoroughly before beginning prep, lathering and rinsing under running water for 20 seconds.
- In a blender container, place dates, olive oil, almond butter, water, vanilla, cinnamon, and allspice (or cloves). Blend on high until the mixture is smooth and emulsified.6 to 8 Medjool dates ¼ cup olive oil ¼ cup almond butter 1½ Tablespoons warm water 1 teaspoon vanilla ½ teaspoon cinnamon ⅛ teaspoon allspice
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, and salt.2 cups whole rolled oats ¼ cup pumpkin seeds ¼ cup sunflower seeds ¼ cup almonds ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pour the spiced date and oil mixture over the oats and seeds and toss together. It will be a sticky mixture.
- Whisk the egg white in a small bowl until very frothy but not meringue-like.1 egg white
- Pour the frothy egg white over all and mix well. Evenly spread the unbaked granola in a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 325℉ to 350℉ for 25 minutes, stirring halfway through to bring the brown edges to the center of the pan.
- After baking, let the granola cool for 30 minutes in the pan undisturbed to finish baking and crisp up.
- Once the granola is cool, sprinkle with dried cherries (if desired) and break into clumps. (See note below.)¼ cup dried cherries
- Serve over yogurt or top with fruit and your choice of milk.
- Store granola in air tight containers at room temperature for up to a week. Refrigerate for as long as a month, or keep in the freezer for 3 months or longer.
Notes
Nutrition
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