Cashew Coconut Maple Granola

Gluten free. Dairy Free. Delicious.

Granola bought in the store has a lot of unnecessary ingredients and a lot of added sugar.  Play ingredient detective and check for yourself! Plus, for me, making sure it is certified gluten free is dicey and when you find it, you pay a premium for it. I honestly don’t eat granola that often, but my man does, so as treat for the man, I decided to make him some homemade love-filled granola and, of course, I had to taste test it, too (so it had to be certified gluten free oats).

Well, if you know me, my recipe creation skills are random. I usually look at what I have at home, then look at 5-6 recipes and don’t follow any of them! However, it gives me ideas and quick inspiration to get started. I like to keep things simple and I like to use what I normally have on hand. I have a variety of food sensitivities, so have to keep those in mind, too.  Most granola has almonds and I am allergic to almonds, so making it on my own is always the safest way to do it!

In my kitchen cabinet, I had gluten free oats, cashew pieces, pumpkin seeds, unsweetened coconut, coconut oil and maple syrup on hand.  I knew they were just waiting to get thrown into some Naturalita inspired granola.

Naturalita Ingredients**

• 2 cups uncooked gluten free oats
• 1/2 cup chopped raw cashews
• 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas, the green ones)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened dried coconut
• 2 Tablespoons coconut oil
• 2-3 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt or sea salt (YES, this is a flavor maker)

Create it Naturally

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Take coconut oil and melt it in an oven safe dish in the oven (about 2 minutes)
3. Combine melted coconut oil, gluten free oats, maple syrup and vanilla together.
4. Add cashews, pumpkin seeds, coconut and salt.  Stir together until everything is well mixed.
5. Spread out granola on a flat baking sheet. Put in oven.
6. Leave in oven for 12-15 minutes.  It will appear a little brown on the sides.  Do not stir.
7. Take out of the oven and let sit for about 10 minutes until cool. If you like chunkier granola, let it cool on the pan without touching it, so it can “clump”. Letting it cool helps keep it “clumpy”.
8. Enjoy your Naturalita treat! I prefer to keep it in a mason jar for storage. It won’t last too long, trust me!

**I do use organic ingredients when possible. Most of the ingredients I had at home were from Trader Joe’s, for ease, I linked to some others to give you an idea of other items I use. Some of the links are affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission if you purchase through these links; however, you are never charged more by buying through these links. It just helps support my blog and fun recipe creations.

Add ins and substitutes: You can replace the cashews and pumpkin seeds for any other nut or seed you prefer. I happen to love these, so they are on hand. You can also add any dried fruit, dark chocolate chips, cacao nibs, etc. to the granola mixture after it has cooled.

Would you make this?  What else would you add in for your healthy granola?