Since we don’t eat a lot of grains, I’ve had to get pretty creative to find alternatives to eggs for breakfast. We’ve done cottage cheese crepes and chia seed pudding. This coconut granola recipe was created in an attempt to find something new. If you’ve been looking for a healthy “cereal,” this is a good option.
Granola Without Grains?
Granola and I have had a love/hate relationship over the years. I hated it when I was younger and it was just some weird health food my mom liked. Then I liked it in college when I thought it was a health food. Once I realized that grains and my stomach didn’t get along so well, granola was on the bad list again.
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
As a result, we haven’t had granola or any other type of breakfast cereal in the house in years. This recipe was created at the request of my kids to eat something besides eggs for breakfast. (Fun fact: I was originally trying to make granola bars, but the first few tries flopped. The crumbly result was perfect as cereal.)
I wanted it to be nutrient dense, grain free, and relatively easy to make. So I started experimenting.
The Solution: Coconut Granola!
After giving it some thought, I decided to use unsweetened coconut flakes as the base for my granola. Coconut flakes are wider and flatter than shredded coconut. Kind of like the difference between fettuccine and angel hair pasta. It’s usually pretty easy to find coconut flakes in health food stores or co-ops. Try the bulk section for a great price.
I toss the coconut flakes together with some nuts and dried fruit and drizzle a mixture of honey, coconut oil, and vanilla over it, and bake it until crispy.
Keep a close eye on it though. It’ll go from golden brown to burned in seconds. And keep in mind that it’ll get crunchier as it cools, so don’t worry if it seems a little soft when it’s still in the oven.
This isn’t an everyday food, but I don’t mind my kids eating it with raw milk or homemade coconut milk, or even homemade yogurt a few times a week.
Customizing Your Granola
The beauty of granola is that it’s so easy to customize it to precisely suit your mood and available ingredients.
Sometimes I like to add nuts, sometimes dried fruit, and sometimes it just feels like we all need a little chocolate (just don’t add the chocolate until the granola is cooled!).
During the summer months when fresh berries are in season, I leave out the dried fruit and toss in a handful of raspberries or blueberries before eating. Or serve it with sliced mango. Mmm. So many possibilities. This post has some interesting ideas.
Coconut Granola Recipe
Servings
Nutrition
Notes
Like this recipe? Check out my new cookbook, or get all my recipes (over 500!) in a personalized weekly meal planner here!
Granola: Love it or hate it? Weigh in below!
This is too good! The whole family love it and it was gone within 24 hours.
I just tried this recipe today and loved it! I didn’t have any nuts in my pantry, so I used sunflower and chia seeds and 1/4 cup of almond butter. I also added an extra cup of coconut flakes. It turned out great! I think this will become a new staple in our house. 🙂
I agree with a couple of the others on the point of HEALTHY……..I think I would just be better off to eat a Hershey Bar! Just kidding but…….Those carbs are pure sugar…..so is honey and dried fruit….EEEKKKKK
Hi Katie
i would like to know soak the nuts/seeds before using it to make the bar and do i also need to dehydrate the same,
thanks
shrav
Holy crap! What is going on with some of these posts??? Calories! Really? If you eat healthy foods and move your tuchus, you can eat just about anything and maintain healthy body weight. Not only that, but you won’t find yourself eating your feelings, if you feel good!
I apologize for my fellow human beings who appear to be sooooo angry about calories and scientific methodology. Eat healthy, move your body and for everyone’s sake…be kind-or go home.
P.S. Thanks for the link for coconut flakes. They were on sale 40% off!!!
THANK YOU for the wonderful recipe!!! As with any recipe I find it’s really just a starting point that I change and personalize to make my own. I like mine a little less sweet so my dry to liquid ratio is higher. Mine is 4 ½ cups dry ingredients to ½ cup of liquid. If it’s still too sweet for you add a cup or 2 of dry ingredients (I used untoasted rolled oats since we don’t have an issue with them) into the cooled granola. See, everyone’s happy! =) The point is, it’s a great recipe to play with and make it your own. Use different seeds or nuts or even add fruit (after it’s toasted) if you really want. You can also use different oils or sweeteners too. Whatever you want. It’s your homemade granola and it’s WAAAY BETTER THAN STORE BOUGHT! =)
The ingredient list says to use maple syrup OR honey but in the instructions you say to add maple syrup AND honey. Can you please tell me which it is….Thank you!
It is OR. You would use one or the other.
This blog would be more enjoyable if you didn’t so often make statements like, “I don’t always make desert, but.” Everyone reading this blog is mature enough to know to moderate sweets without you making a point to say it, and just because you post a sweet recipe doesn’t mean people are judging you thinking “she must eat so many sweets.” And who cares if some judge you that way? It feels like this blog couldn’t exist if there wasn’t always some criticism being exchanged. I have been reading this blog for years and finally unsubscribed because of that tone I find in so many articles began to get under my skin so much, I think, because of the fact that I was doing it too, always needing something to “be wrong” in relation to my “being right.”. It cut me off from joy and peace. Just say the wonderful things you have to say without the judgentalism and lecturing, and don’t talk about yourself when you don’t have to. I know this was harsh maybe and I won’t be offended if you don’t publish this comment. But it’s advice from my heart. I really do think this is the fatal flaw of your blog and maybe a blind spot on your part. You have a lot to offer and you are a beautiful person. The blog you do is a good thing but you have to “let it go” if you want it to be what it can and should be. Thanks for all that I’ve learned from you.
Hi Sunny- Thanks for the heartfelt comment and suggestion. I can definitely understand where you are coming from, and I actually agree with you. I actually added that statement to several recipes to avoid an influx of comments I was getting about the importance of consuming sweets in moderation and that even honey has too much sugar, etc. There is also such a balance between trying to share enough about myself to connect with readers but without oversharing or offending someone. At the end of the day, it seems that it is impossible to avoid making someone upset no matter what or how I write, so I just share from the heart and hope that it is helpful to others who are lookgin for the information. Thanks again for the input and for reading.
I tried this recipe and loved it. I will cut down a little on the sweetness next time but only because I don’t like things to sweet. I am not an expert on nutrition but I believe that not eating grains does help your body function better. There was a comment made that you need grains in your diet or in the future your cholesterol, Idl’s and triglycerides may give you problems. Like heart disease, metabolic syndrome diabetes and obesity.
I am 46 years old. Started this diet a year ago because the doctor told me I was borderline diabetic and I also needed to loose some weight. I did research before starting the diet and no grains made sense to me. Just went to the doctor. I was very happy to find out that my blood test were better than the year before. Cholesterol had gone down and it was not bad to begin with. The blood sugar stayed the same but I have to admit sometimes I do eat things that are not part of the diet. And yes I did loose the weight and have been able to keep it off with this diet. The best thing is that I don’t feel like I am on a diet.
I love all of Wellness Mama’s blogs. This was the first website I found when I first started with my diet. I always find myself coming back. I love all of the helpful information I find and great recipes.
I have to say Wellness Mama keeps me going. Thank you for all the time you put into everything you do to help people like me.
OMG. THIS. IS. AMAZING. So good in fact that while I left it to cool, half of it went missing as my family ate it! Now I have to make it, guard it and hide the granola if I ever want to get any. I just recently found out that all my medical issues all stemmed from grains and this recipe was a huge help in helping me get over the gluten/grain free hump. Thank you!
I LOVE this recipe.
I made it and included a chai spice blend and it was out of this world! Seriously, thank you for this recipe… its a great base recipe to be able to get fun and creative.
Hope you enjoy the chai 😉
Great yummy recipe! Thanks Katie!!
My daughter and I absolutely LOVE this granola! I’ve made it with different nut combinations and it’s always delicious! It’s so easy to make, and I usually double the recipe because we go through it so fast! Yum!!!
This was de-LISH. I used butter instead of coconut oil and it had the most wonderful, toasty, carmelized flavor. I will be making this again and again!
Thus stuff is amazing and my husband “home “run” on it. This will be our go to granola since we are doing grain free. Thanks so much:)
Just to say, this may not be the healthiest recipe in terms of GI, but most families like to have a ‘treat’ now and again, and Katie did mention in her write up, it’s not an everyday breakfast. I’m sure if you’ve issues with the sweetness side of the recipe, you could omit the maple syrup/honey at your own discretion – I’m sure most readers of Wellness Mama are able to work that out. Thank you again Katie for another fabulous recipe, we’ve been really enjoying trying them out. I Really appreciate the time and effort you’ve put into making all this info available to us – a really great resource 🙂
Just put mine in the oven! Looking forward to trying it. Many thanks for recipe….
I have read in many sites that roasting any nuts and seeds is not good for you. I think the best is just toasing the coconut chips or oats if you are using with little honey and coconut oil and missing the raw nut once the oats is cooled, I make my granola like that all the time and it is super tasty and actually the raw taste of almonds and sees give it a lot fresh taste…..
Oooh this is so good made it last week but I couldn’t stop eating it. I don’t know if I can eat that with milk but I enjoy eating the granola as my snack so yummy. Thank you for sharing and also because of you I finally found the best coconut products (tropicaltraditions)
Thank you Ashleigh and Elaine for posting a comment with an actual scientific base. I’m a Registered nurse in a cardiovascular unit in Boston Massachusetts and I would absolutely allow my patients to eat a snack like this. In moderation of course due to the high calorie and saturated fat content. Many of you are worried about a quarter cup of honey in a 20-25 serving recipe. I wouldn’t worry to much about the sugar content if you are eating a normal portion (quarter to a half a cup). Moderation is key. I suspect if you are worried about the sugar in this recipe and how it applies to your daily diet you may be ingesting to much sugar already. Review your daily diet for areas you need to modify such as (packaged foods, takeout, alcohol, prepared salad dressings) just to name a few.
As a nurse, I would not recommend you giving up grains unless you have an allergy or sensitivity. Grains are a very important part of the diet. They provide the body with nutrients as well as aid the digestion in elimination.
Please, do not believe any of the information regarding nutrition that comes from Hollywood, movie stars or the internet unless they are reputable sources with a sound scientific basis.
I would recommend anyone reading this post that thinks ingesting saturated fats ( butter, meat, dairy and oils) on a regular basis is healthy to think again. You may not have a problem now if you are in your 20’s and 30’s,however, if you continue in this pattern high cholesterol, ldl ’s and triglycerides will definitely catch up with you and you will have issues with heart disease, metabolic syndrome, diabetes and obesity.
very interesting I just watched a documentary on eating fat and low carb diets which shows that this is how we should be eating not eating high carb low fat. Good Fat is needed for our brains think Avocado, coconut , fat from vegetables, fish and nuts. Sugar is our problem eating processed foods cereals full of sugar and white bread, pasta etc., all converts into sugar. the energy from these foods will give you a high then you will slump and energy will be depleted. but eating food with good fats will give your with more energy and less muscle trauma. there is scientific proof out there now that we have had it wrong for so long and we should be eating high fat law carb. this coconut Granola recipe contains good fat from coconut and nuts, honey in moderation is beneficial for our health. as long as you eat whole food you shouldn’t have a problem.