Maple Syrup Granola

Homemade granola with maple syrup – a healthy breakfast cereal recipe with oats, crispy pepitas, walnuts and dried fruits. This recipe also happens to be vegan and gluten free, as contains no wheat – just oats, nuts and seeds.

Granola Breakfast

So, how do you enjoy breakfast? I’m an easy camper, happy with a slice of multigrain toast; or a tartine of toasted baguette with a scraping of good Normandy butter; or sometimes my favourite homemade brioche with apricot and lavender jam. If we have more time together as a family on Sundays, the ultimate treat are the flakiest, buttery croissants from the local boulangerie.

Breakfast cereal somehow dropped down the shopping list since I moved to France. Why? The answer is simply because of living in Paris. Wouldn’t you also be tempted, surrounded by all those amazing bakeries with croissants, pain au chocolats and pain aux raisins, to start the day?

So, each time I saw homemade granola on friends’ blogs, such as Kim of LivLife‘s lovely cinnamon and coconut cereal, I should have picked up on it like a good cereal blogger. Now I’m hooked, Antoine is hooked too – as are my parents and my French father-in-law! We need our granola breakfast most mornings.  It’s healthy and it’s delicious.

This recipe came about via an old thumbed Elle magazine at the orthodontist, while waiting for the girls after school. It was one of the only recipes that wasn’t ripped out: Granola Maison au sirop d’érable (Homemade Granola with Maple Syrup), so I tried it. Boy was it overly sweet! Read ridiculously sweet.

Healthy Granola with No Added Sugar

It took many experiments to come to this to suit our family’s taste – not too many nuts, bigger oats please, plus the addition of graines de courges (pepitas or roasted pumpkin seeds) for that extra crispy texture. The magazine’s recipe has, as a result, changed beyond recognition and its original whopping 140 grams sugar (that’s 3/4 cup!) has now been omitted entirely.

No sugar is necessary; the dried fruits and the maple syrup are naturally sweet.  You could use the coconut oil but I honestly prefer it with a neutral oil like grapeseed oil (huile de raisins).  So here is our favourite homemade granola. However, please feel free to adapt the quantities and ingredients to your own liking after trying this recipe first!

Better for the Environment

However, the downside of this recipe is that we love it so much that I need to make it once a week. On a family budget, cut down on costs and packaging by going to our local organic health food store (La Vie Claire, Bio c Bon etc.). Here it’s easier to buy larger amounts  (en vrac) I’m cutting down on costs by buying bigger packs of oats and seeds and they’re better quality too.  Ensure that your ingredients are organic. Your body will thank you.

How to Eat Granola for Breakfast

Although we enjoy this granola for breakfast, his is a healthy snack for any time of day. In fact, for any time of year, as we eat granola with fresh berries in Summer; topped with rhubarb compote in Spring and even in the winter months, as the compote freezes well.  When no fresh berries are at hand, top with plenty of dried cranberries, golden sultana raisins or freeze-dried blueberries. 

Note on weights: volume measurements in cups are given as an approximate guide. Please follow the recipes using weight in ounces or grams, as they are more precise. I use digital scales.  If you’re used to using ounces, then just switch over to grams.

Watch the video demonstration for chocolate and coconut granola, using the same recipe base.

5 from 5 votes

Maple Syrup Granola

Author: Jill Colonna

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time20 mins

Cool30 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course : Breakfast, Snack, Brunch

Cuisine : French, British

Keyword : granola, vegan granola

Servings : 12

Calories : 230kcal

Print Recipe

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Description

Homemade granola with maple syrup - a healthy breakfast cereal recipe with oats, crispy pepitas, walnuts and dried fruits. This recipe also happens to be vegan and gluten free, as contains no wheat - just oats, nuts and seeds.

Ingredients

• 300 g (10.5oz/2 cups) medium porridge oats *
• 50 g (2oz/1/3 cup) pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
• 50 g (2oz/1/3 cup) sunflower seeds (or a mixture with flax, sesame)
• 100 g (3.5oz/3/4 cup) walnuts (broken)
• pinch salt fleur de sel
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
• 3 tbsp neutral oil I use grapeseed oil (or coconut oil, melted if solid)
• 75 g (5 tbsp) maple syrup organic
• 1 tbsp flaked/slivered almonds
• 100 g (3.5oz/3/4cup) dried cranberries (or dried blueberries/golden sultana raisins)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan)/340°F (Gas 3).
• Measure all the ingredients (except the almonds and dried fruits) in a large bowl and stir to mix them all well together.
• Grease a large rimmed baking tray with more oil or use a baking tray covered with baking paper (or a silicone mat/Silpat). Spread out the oat mixture by shaking the tray gently from side to side.
• Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes, turn over the mixture and sprinkle on the slivered almonds and bake for a further 10-15 minutes.

  Leave to cool then add the dried fruits.

Notes

* If following a strict gluten free diet, ensure the oats are 100% gluten free.

Note on weights: volume measurements in cups are given as an approximate guide. Please follow the recipes using weight in ounces or grams, as they are more precise.

How do you Keep Homemade Granola Crispy?

Once cool, pour into an sealed airtight container or a cookie jar. Store at room temperature and enjoy within 10 days.

How to Eat Granola for Breakfast

Serve with the milk of your choice or yogurt and fresh berries. Also delicious with homemade rhubarb compote. 

This recipe was first published 13 March 2015 but text and images are now updated.
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