Although granola is usually thought of as a healthy food, sometimes the sugar content can be too high for those who need to watch their sugar intake. I recently came across this high-protein granola recipe that actually doesn’t even call for sugar and is primarily made with nuts and seeds. It’s delicious, especially when served with fresh berries!
Instead of sugar, it uses unsweetened coconut flakes, maple syrup, nuts, seeds, butter, vanilla extract and cinnamon to give it a unique flavor. When I serve it, I add plenty of fresh berries on top! If I serve it over plain yogurt, sometimes I add a little dash of maple syrup into the yogurt as well.
Speaking of yogurt, we have some delicious, creamy, locally made options from September Farms and Conebella Farm here in on our farm market.
If you make this recipe, you’ll have to try it with our some of the exceptional strawberries we have in our market now! We now have locally grown strawberries as well as Carolina strawberries in our market. YUM!
If you omit the maple syrup in this recipe, it can be considered a good keto granola recipe. I included it anyway because I figured most people would be more interested in the version that calls for maple syrup! Leave us a comment on Instagram or Facebook if you give it a try!
High Protein Granola
Ingredients
- 1 cups whole raw almonds
- 1/2 cup raw pecan halves
- 1 cup raw walnut halves
- 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup chia seeds
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup oats
- ½ cup butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Get out a large rimmed baking sheet, your food processor, and a large mixing bowl. Line the baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
- Place the almonds in the food processor first. Pulse until they are chopped into small pieces. Remove from food processor and add to the large mixing bowl. Next, add the pecans and walnuts into the food processor. Pulse intermittently to chop the nuts into smaller fragments, ensuring they remain coarse rather than turning into a fine powder.
- Pour the nuts into the large mixing bowl. Add the seeds, oats and coconut flakes. Mix well.
- In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the vanilla extract, cinnamon, salt, and maple syrup.
- Pour the mixture over the nut and seed mixture. Stir well, until all the pieces are coated and some are clumped together.
- Spread the mixture out over the baking sheet in an even layer. Bake for 15 minutes, then use a spatula to flip the granola over. Spread the mixture out and bake for another 8 minutes. Flip the granola again and spread it out into an even layer. Bake for another 6 to 8 minutes, making sure you don’t burn it!
- Cool the granola completely on the baking sheet. Then transfer to a large, airtight container such as a jar. Store in the refrigerator for best results.
- Serve with milk and fresh berries!
Notes
***One thing I will do differently next time is to add the coconut flakes after baking. They tend to cook faster than the rest, so if you like a good coconut flavor, you’ll want to add them in later. Either way is fine, but adding them after baking will give it the most coconut-y flavor.