This Paleo gingerbread granola is perfect for snacking or breakfast! The crunchy granola clusters are sweetened with maple and molasses, baked until toasty, and mixed with sweet cranberries and dark chocolate chips. Vegan, grain free, dairy free.
I hate picking favorites with my recipes, ESPECIALLY when it comes to homemade paleo granola. It’s one of my favorite things to bake!
It turns out 100 times better than store bought varieties and you can store it for a month or more, just as you would a dry cereal. And it stays crunchy! So yes, picking a favorite of my granola recipes is really tough to do.
But this one, you guys. This gingerbread granola had me so addicted that I wound up making a second batch just a week after the first! Now, you might want to take that as a warning – this stuff is GOOD! And if you’re not prepared to have a new full-blown obsession, proceed with caution.
But, for those of you who don’t mind the urge to face-plant into the crunchiest gingerbread granola clusters mixed with cranberries and chocolate chips with utter reckless abandon – this stuff is for you!
It must be the molasses. The combination of maple syrup and molasses here seems to make the granola crunchier and give it a deep brown sugar flavor that literally makes me swoon.
Let me tell you, if you’re not swooning over your homemade granola, you’re doing it wrong! Make this recipe and SWOON away!
The other ingredients are simple and very similar to my other granola recipes. A blend of nuts and coconut (you can sub in your nuts of choice), flaxseed, coconut oil, and spices.
I used Primal Palate’s Gingersnap spice blend for this recipe but if you can’t get that one, you can easily make a similar blend with ground ginger, cinnamon, and allspice. Instructions are all in the recipe box.
Additionally, since the molasses will burn more easily than maple syrup, I baked this gingerbread granola on a slightly lower temperature than my other varieties and it turned out perfectly. Since every oven is different, you’ll want to watch it carefully for burning toward the end of the baking time.
I personally LOVE this granola as a mid morning or afternoon snack, but you can totally have it for breakfast with some almond milk.
You can even go a little wild and top with bananas and a drizzle of nut butter for something fancy. However, the cranberries and chocolate make it taste like dessert already, so like I said earlier, consider yourself warned!
I hope you’re ready for THE tastiest, crunchiest, cluster-y-ish gingerbread granola you’ll ever make – let’s go!
Paleo Gingerbread Granola {Vegan, Grain Free}
Paleo Gingerbread Granola {Vegan, Grain Free}
Ingredients
- 1 cup almonds
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 1 cup cashews
- 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 2 Tbsp organic coconut oil refined, melted
- 3 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 3 Tbsp molasses blackstrap, unsulphured
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp gingersnap spice from Primal Palate*
- 1/2 tsp sea salt fine grain
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 300 degrees and place an oven rack in the upper half of your oven. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
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You can either roughly chop all the nuts by hand, OR, pulse them in a food processor until you have a roughly chopped texture - some smaller and larger pieces are fine.
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Place chopped nuts in a large mixing bowl and add the flaxseed, coconut flakes, spices and salt, Stir to combine.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the melted coconut oil maple syrup, molasses, and vanilla and pour over the dry mixture. Stir well to fully combine. The granola should form “clusters” as you mix it - these are good!
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Spread the granola on the prepared baking sheet, then bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove, and use a silicone spatula to gently stir/turn over the granola (like you’d do for roasted veggies!)
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Return to the oven and bake for another 7 minutes, then sprinkle the cranberries over granola and place back in the oven for 5-8 additional minutes, checking to avoid burning. The granola will seem soft and sticky but will crisp up a lot while cooling!
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Place the entire baking sheet on a cooling rack and allow granola to cool for about 25-30 minutes or until room temp, then stir in the chocolate chips/chunks.
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Store in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*If you don't have this spice blend, make your own with 2 tsp ginger, 1/2 tsp allspice and 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
Nutrition
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Want More Paleo Granola and Granola Bar Recipes? Try One of These!
Crunchy Grain Free Granola with Strawberries
Paleo Granola Bars with Raisins and Chocolate Chips
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This granola looks and sounds so delicious and perfect for Fall brunches!
I just made this and wow is this good! Thank you.
So happy you like it!
What role does molasses play in this recipe? Can I use date syrup instead?
Awesome recipe. I like this. Thank you for share this post.
What do you do if you can’t
Have sugar or molasses?
This looks really good. I can’t wait to try it. Love paleo breakfast.
This is delicious, and a good sized recipe. All in my family loved it!
it was great. love it as a breakfast cereal.
Um if you’re making this with the thought that you’ll share it, go ahead and double it. Because you won’t want to share! It’s delicious!!!
Following your posts has become my favorite habit.