This Peanut Butter Granola is the ultimate healthy treat! It's sweet and loaded with flavor, packed with crunchy raw peanuts and dark chocolate bits. It's both delicious and very nutritious. Made with simple pantry ingredients and without refined sugars. This homemade granola is one tasty breakfast or a healthy snack!
My obsession with peanut butter is well known and documented on my blog. I've shared so many recipes already - peanut butter bars, balls, overnight oats.... so many recipes. This Peanut Butter Protein Shake is my latest peanutty creation.
This weekend it struck me. I haven't made granola in such a long time. I did Cinnamon Orange Granola, but that was like last October. My granola jar was empty for far too long. It was a time to refill my granola jar with one of my favorite homemade granola recipe.
This Peanut Butter Granola is nutty, mildly sweet, chock full of crunchy roasted peanuts. It's spiced with beautiful cinnamon and full of dried fruits and bitter-sweet dark chocolate. Such a fantastic combo of textures and flavors. This Peanut Butter Granola is everything that one peanut butter lover can desire and more.
But this granola is not only a tasty treat. It's super healthy, made without refined sugars, loaded with hearty oats packed with fibers, proteins, and essential Omega-3s. It's a meal that is perfect for mornings, noons, or evenings. For breakfast or as a snack. So good!
Peanut Butter Granola ingredients
For this peanut butter granola recipe, you will need only a few simple pantry ingredients:
- Rolled oats are hearty, healthy, and filling. An excellent source of fiber, especially beta-glucan, a type of soluble fiber that keeps our heart healthy. Also, oats are high in vitamins, essential minerals, and powerful antioxidants. Not to mention they are a good source of protein. I used rolled oats here, but you can use quick oats if you like.
- Peanut Butter is a star ingredient in this homemade granola. I used creamy all-natural peanut butter (the one made without added sugars or oils). Peanut butter is a quite versatile protein-packed spread that is not only super tasty but super healthy too. It’s packed with proteins and healthy fats, as well as fibers. (1)
- Raw peanuts gave this granola crunchiness, extra flavor (roasted peanut are so delicious), but also an extra nutrient boost. I used raw organic redskin peanuts here, but you can use any type of raw peanuts. Just don't go for pre-roasted, store-bought ones. They are usually full of unhealthy oils and salt, and won't taste good in this (or any) granola.
- Sweetener is necessary for making granola since it binds the mixture together. But the beauty in homemade granola is that you control how much sweetener you add. And of course which sweetener you use. I used pure maple syrup. You can swap it for raw honey or date syrup here if you like.
To add some extra flavor and make this granola even more delicious, I also added:
- Ceylon cinnamon, also known as “true” cinnamon, is a highly delicious spice with many health benefits. Cinnamon gave this crunchy granola an amazing flavor. It pairs so well with peanuts.
- Dried fruits. I used cranberries. They uplifted a flavor, giving the granola a nice sweet-sour kick.
- Dark chocolate. Do I even have to explain... Peanut butter and chocolate are like THE BEST combo ever! I used 80% dark chocolate chips, without refined sugars.
Other pantry ingredients you’ll need:
- Salt - I used Himalayan salt.
- Extra virgin coconut oil. It helps make granola crisp.
How to make Peanut Butter Granola
Making homemade granola is quite easy. It will take you about 30 minutes (tops!). And you'll need only basic kitchen equipment, mixing bowls, spatula and baking sheet. Here's how to make homemade granola from scratch:
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a big baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Melt and cool the coconut oil.
- Prepare and measure all other ingredients using measuring cups.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, raw peanuts, cinnamon, and salt. Mix everything with a spoon or spatula (Picture 1).
- In a small bowl, add peanut butter, maple syrup, melted coconut oil. Mix together using the spatula or whisk (Picture 2).
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula until all of the dry ingredients are coated in the wet mixture (Picture 3).
- Spread granola onto the prepared baking sheet and flatten it into one layer (Picture 4).
- Bake for 20 minutes and then stir granola to make sure everything bakes evenly. When stirring, don't get too crazy because you don't want to break up all of the clumps.
- Continue baking for another 10-15 minutes until everything is a nice golden color. Watch out not to over-bake and burn the granola.
- The granola will still be slightly wet when you take it out and will crisp up after it cools.
- Cooldown granola completely (Picture 5).
- Mix in dried cranberries and dark chocolate chips (Picture 6).
- Store granola in an airtight glass container for up to two months.
- Makes around 10-12 serving. The typical serving size of granola is up to 1/3 cup.
Substitutions
- I used rolled oats here, but you can substitute them with quick oats. Rolled oats will give denser chewier granola clusters.
- I used redskin peanuts. You can use any type of peanuts just don't use (dry) roasted, salted ones from stores.
- You can substitute maple syrup with honey or date syrup. Make sure honey is not raw but in liquid, runny form.
- You can substitute dried cranberries with raisins, sultanas, or currants. Dried chopped dates will work well too.
- You can substitute dark chocolate chips with cacao nibs.
- You can substitute coconut oil with avocado oil. Other oils won't work well.
Faq
Granola is considered healthy but it really depends on the ingredients used and how it’s made. Granola is usually made from whole oats, some nuts or seeds, and dried fruits. Oats are filled with fibers. Nuts and seeds provide healthy fats and dried fruits are loaded with vitamins and essential minerals. And while those ingredients alone make granola super healthy, the sweetener used is what can make granola unhealthy.
Store-bought granola usually contains unhealthy high-fructose sweeteners, like corn syrup, in excess amounts. Not to mention many granola varieties list palm oil and hydrogenated oils on their ingredient list. That's unhealthy granola.
On the other hand, when you make homemade granola you're in control of the ingredients you use and the amount. So if you choose healthier natural sweeteners and healthier fats, and you add them in moderation, that's when granola becomes a healthy food choice.
The typical serving size of granola is up to 1/3 cup. This means indulging in a huge bowl of granola for breakfast is way excessive. But again serving size depends on your energy needs. So the right portion of granola would be the portion that leaves you satisfied, but not stuffed.
This Peanut Butter Granola contains --- calories. It's filled with fiber and proteins, as well as many essential vitamins and minerals.
Serve granola with the milk.
Serve granola with yogurt.
Enjoy granola over ice cream.
Serve granola with fruits and a drizzle of nut butter.
Snack granola straight out of the jar.
Make a parfait.
Add granola to a fruit salad.
This Peanut Butter Granola is a delicious and super healthy breakfast choice for the whole family. It's a nutritious meal packed with fibers good for our digestion, proteins, and essential Omega-3s. It's crunchy, sweet, and filled with wonderful flavors.
I promise you, this homemade peanut butter granola recipe will delight you.
Enjoy!
Peanut Butter Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups rolled oats
- 1/2 cup raw peanuts
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Ceylon cinnamon
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted and cooled
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F. Line a big baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, raw peanuts, cinnamon, and salt. Mix everything with a spoon or spatula.
- In a small bowl, add peanut butter, maple syrup, melted coconut oil. Mix together using the spatula or whisk.
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients. Mix with a spatula until all of the dry ingredients are coated in the wet mixture.
- Spread granola onto the prepared baking sheet and flatten it into one layer.
- Bake for 20 minutes and then stir granola to make sure everything bakes evenly. When stirring, don't get too crazy because you don't want to break up all of the clumps.
- Continue baking for another 10-15 minutes until everything is a nice golden color. Watch out not to over-bake and burn the granola.
- The granola will still be slightly wet when you take it out and will crisp up after it cools.
- Cooldown granola completely and then mix in dried cranberries and dark chocolate chips.
Notes
- I used rolled oats here, but you can substitute them with quick oats. Rolled oats will give denser chewier granola clusters.
- I used red peanuts. You can use any type of peanuts just don't use (dry)roasted, salted ones from stores.
- You can substitute maple syrup with honey or date syrup. Make sure honey is not raw but in liquid, runny form.
- You can substitute dried cranberries with raisins, sultanas, or currants. Dried chopped dates will work well too.
- You can substitute dark chocolate chips with cacao nibs. You can substitute coconut oil with avocado oil. Other oils won't work well.
Nutrition
More healthy breakfast recipes
If you’ve tried this Peanut Butter Protein Shake recipe or any other recipe on Natalie’s Health, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you!
I am a huge fan of granola and peanut butter! I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Yum! I am so loving this granola right now!
This granola was a huge hit with my family. The family loved the flavor. They ate it as a snack and on their yogurt. Delicious and will make again.
I know I would eat this peanut butter granola by the handful. Love every ingredient you used, pinning to make very soon!