Granola frustrates me. Bountiful in whole grains, nuts, seeds, and sometimes fruit, granola harbors the potential of serving as a component of the ultimate healthy breakfast (sprinkled atop a green smoothie, anyone?). However, the vast majority of granola recipes call for smothering the cornucopia of nourishing ingredients in heaps of oil and sweeteners, essentially negating the benefits your body would otherwise gain from a wholesome handful of unadulterated whole grains and nuts. Pull a box or bag of standard granola off of a grocery store shelf and a quick glance at the ingredient list will reveal the heaps of sugar and oftentimes of numerous animal products lurking under the guise of a health food. For example, I pointed out to my mother that the packaged granola she often purchased for my father contained both butter and high fructose corn syrup. Boasting a bag of granola of a different brand upon returning home from grocery shopping, my mother sighed discontentedly as I discovered cream amongst the ingredients. Why the necessity of tainting potentially quite healthy food with the oppression of animals and the poison of refined sugar?
Thankfully, instead of wallowing in my granola-wrought despair, I channeled my resentment toward developing a new method of creating granola, one that would forgo the use of animal products, copious amount of oil, and refined sweeteners. Instead of relying on the aforementioned ingredients to provide adequate moisture to form the divine crunchy clusters I crave, I began pureeing fresh fruit with dates, spices, and powdered superfoods to create a liquid granola coating rife with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other whole food goodies—the wildly beneficial aspects that oils and sweeteners lack.
Two of the granola recipes I’ve recently posted follow this fruit-sweetened format. My Apricot-Raisin Granola combines bright orange, succulent apricots with lucuma, maca, cardamom, and ginger for a uniquely spiced flavor studded with plump raisins. Apples, bananas, and kale form the base for my insanely healthful Chocolate Kale Granola, sure to awaken the hippie hiding inside your heart. Last week I concocted a fruit-sweetened granola of tart blackberries and sunshine-yellow sea berries with lucuma that harbored a delightfully tropical flavor, while just yesterday I employed juicy white peaches from the Arlington Farmers’ Market paired with cinnamon and vanilla for a summery granola that wowed my fellow dormmates; one of them even declared it as the best granola she’s ever tasted (thanks, Katie!).

Chocolate Kale Granola
I urge you to experiment enthusiastically, implementing every type of fresh fruit, spice, superfood, and dried fruit imaginable to create endless variations on this simple, nourishing granola template. Feel free, as well, to increase the amount of nuts, seeds, or flaxseed meal. If you do decide to omit the dried fruit, I’d recommend adding another 1/2 cupful or so of rolled oats to adequately soak up the fruit puree.
Fresh Fruit-Sweetened Granola (SF, LS)
Makes 8-10 cups.
Ingredients:
5 dates, pitted, chopped, and soaked for at least 10 minutes
About 15 oz of fresh fruit, chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil
2-3 tbsp powdered flavoring (spice, lucuma, maca, cacao, etc.) or liquid flavoring (vanilla extract, almond extract, etc.)
2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
1 cup raw buckwheat groats
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1/2 cup nut or seed of choice, chopped
1/2 cup dried fruit, diced (optional)
Preheat the oven to 250°F.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine the dates and fresh fruit. Process until very smooth, then stream in the coconut oil and add the powdered/liquid flavorings.
In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients (rolled oats through dried fruit). Pour the fruit puree over the dry mixture and stir well until evenly coated.
Divide the mixture between three baking sheets to ensure even baking. Place in the oven for about 55 to 75 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes and rotating the baking sheets, until the granola is adequately dry and crunchy. Take care, however, not to overbake or burn the granola, as it will continue to dry and become crunchier as it cools.
Allow the granola to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. The granola will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Recipe submitted to Wellness Weekend, Healthy Vegan Fridays, and Gluten Free Fridays.
Comment Provoking Questions: Which fruit would you like to coat your granola in? What is your favorite granola recipe? How do you sweeten your granolas?
Until next time, Ali.
Yay! I do the same thing with my granolas- pure genius!
I’m so glad you’re on the same granola bandwagon! 😀
Thanks for sharing this on Healthy Vegan Friday girl 🙂
Thank you times a million for a recipe that doesn’t call for a cup of oil/sugar!!:)
Happy to oblige! I’m glad you appreciate my sentiments.
Those receipes look delicious! Great write up.
I will give you a site where I got real fruit on powder form, I mix it with milk and ice cream to go healthy. they have mango, soursop, apple, pineapple, etc. A lot of fruits and veggies. Enjoy guys! http://www.freshlydried.com
Thanks, Sara! While I prefer my fruit fresh and in whole form, the powders do sound interesting.
I have a fresh fruit sweetened Coconut Granola, using dates and bananas, so, I was immediatly interested in your Template Recipe. Yum, I’m anxious to try some of the combos listed 🙂
Bananas are certainly a great and commonly used fruit to sweeten granola! And I love me some coconutty goodness. Thanks, Laureen!. 🙂
This granola looks awesome! Thank you for sharing with us at gf fridays. I’ve been looking for a great homemade granola recipe to start making weekly and I’m going to have to try this one out. I’m going to feature it this week on my gf friday favorites:)
It’s my pleasure to participate in GF Fridays! I’m so glad you like the looks of it. Thanks a bunch for featuring me! 😀
I have made some before, but have slipped off the bandwagon, I need to climb back on now!! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! 🙂 Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays recipe party! See you next Friday! Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
Thanks a bunch, Cindy! Happy to participate in GF Fridays, as usual.
Thank you so much! I’ve been looking for a recipe like this for years. My Gluten Free Diva readers and Facebook readers are gonna love you! Have a great Thanksgiving!
Wow, what a compliment, thanks a bunch, Ellen! 😀
Dear Ali,
Eating has, in the past 8 months, become a major balancing act for me. My doctor did an extensive allergy screening on me and found, besides a raging yeast infection, that I’m lactose and gluten intolerant with a side of egg and corn allergy. While I’ve experienced an amazing healing as a result of cutting out just about everything, it’s a challenge to find substitutes.
I’ve been searching for ideas for my own granola recipe. This comes closer to what I’ve been looking for than most granola recipes. I’m sick of finding recipes that say they’re sugar free and are loaded with honey, maple syrup or some other type of sugar.
Thanks for posting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
I’m sorry to hear about your health complications, Rochelle. If you’d like a resource for restricted diets specifically geared toward those with yeast infections, I’d highly recommend http://www.rickiheller.com/. I’m glad that my granola recipe is a possibility for you!
this looks amazing! i can’t wait to try it. i just started an elimination diet and this recipe fits it perfectly. i may even try making a pumpkin spice version. thanks!
Thanks so much, Ashley! Mmm, pumpkin spice sounds fabulous. Good luck with your elimination diet.