This Pumpkin Granola is such a delicious seasonal treat! Crunchy, sweet, and full of Fall flavors. Loaded with hearty oats, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds, it's absolutely delicious. Made with only a few simple ingredients, and without refined sugar, it's a perfect healthy breakfast!
Table of contents
I usually start making pumpkin treats at the end of October. Before Halloween. But this year I'm jumping on the pumpkin wagon rather late. It was just last week when I finally filled out my pumpkin pie spice jar. I was ready to start baking.
The first thing my boys asked me to make was Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies. And for me, the reasonable thing to do was to fill out my granola jar with, homemade, pumpkin-infused, beautifully flavored granola.
This Pumpkin Granola is crunchy, fragrant, and sweet. Loaded with seasonal flavors, hearty oats, nuts, and seeds. I'm making this recipe a few years back, and it never disappoints me. Plus, this homemade pumpkin granola is one of the easiest pumpkin granola recipes ever! It's a perfectly nutritious breakfast for your family.
Why you need to make it?
- It's utterly delicious. Packed with seasonal flavors, cruncy walnuts and sweet pumpkin. Perfect fall-inspired breakfast!
- It's very easy to make with pantry ingredients.
- It's nutritious meal packed with fiber, proteins and essential Omega-3s.
- It features superoofd like oats, cinnamon, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds.
- It's a heart-healthy, weigh-loss friendly breakfast made without unhealthy refined sugar.
- It's adaptable, you can mix in different nuts, even dried fruits.
- You can easely double or triple the recipe for when you need to feed a crowd.
Ingredients used
For this pumpkin spice granola recipe, you will need only a few simple pantry ingredients:
- Oats. Oats are whole grain, meaning they are rich in fiber, especially beta-glucan, a type of soluble fiber that keeps our heart healthy. They also support healthy digestion, which is essential for strong immunity. I used quick oats.
- Pumpkin seeds. They are an excellent source of Omega-3s, but also a great source of proteins. Great addition to homemade granola. (1)
- Walnuts. They are a good source of Omega-3 and an excellent source of antioxidants that fights inflammation. (2) Walnuts are very nutritious and great for gut health too.
- Pumpkin puree. Pumpkin puree is super sweet but also packed with vitamins and minerals. It's especially high in beta-carotene, a potent antioxidant that our body turns into vitamin A which is essential for a strong immune system. (3)
- Sweetener. It is necessary since it binds the mixture together. But the beauty of homemade granola is that you control how much sweetener you add and which one you use. I used maple syrup. You can swap it for honey or date syrup. See "Recipe tips" for more suggestions.
To add some extra flavor and make this granola even more delicious, I also added:
- Pumpkin spice. I love my homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice blend. It features super spice Ceylon cinnamon known for its anti-inflammatory properties. (2).
- Dried fruits. I used cranberries. They uplifted a flavor, giving the granola a nice sweet-sour kick. Cranberries are nutritious, and so healthy, loaded with vitamin C, iron, and powerful immune-boosting antioxidants.
Other pantry ingredients you’ll need:
- Salt. I used Himalayan salt.
- Extra virgin coconut oil. It helps make granola crisp.
How to make Pumpkin Granola
Making homemade granola is quite easy. It will take you about 30 minutes (tops!). And you'll need only basic kitchen equipment.
Equipment used
- Measuring cups.
- Mixing bowls.
- Spatula and whisk.
- Parchment paper (baking pepper).
- Baking sheet.
Step by step instructions
- Step 1: Prepare the ingredients.
- Start with preparing and measuring all the ingredients. Use measuring cups.
- Preheat the oven to 325F/170C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Melt coconut oil and leave it to cool at room temperature.
- Roughly chop the walnuts.
- Step 2: Mix the ingredients.
- Place oats, pumpkin seeds, mix of spices and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix everything with a spoon or spatula.
- In another bowl, mix pumpkin puree with the syrup and coconut oil until you get a nice sticky mixture. Use the whisk. Use the 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.
- Mix in chopped walnuts.
- Step 3: Bake the granola.
- Spread granola onto the prepared baking sheet and flatten it into one layer.
- Bake for 10 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 the clumps.
- Continue baking for another 10-15 minutes until granola is a nice golden. Watch out not to over-bake and burn the granola.
- Take granola out of the oven and mix in dried fruits.
- The granola will still be slightly wet when you take it out but it will crisp up after it cools.
- Step 4: Store granola.
- Leave granola on baking sheet to cool completely, for about 30 minutes.
- Store granola in an airtight glass container.
Substitutions
- I used quick oats. They give bigger granola clusters. You can substitute them with rolled oats.
- You can substitute walnuts with other nuts, or mix of different nuts.
- You can substitute pure maple syrup with honey or date syrup.
- You can substitute dried cranberries with raisins, sultanas, or currants. Dried chopped dates are excellent too.
- You can substitute coconut oil with avocado oil. Other oils won't work well here.
(See "Recipe variations" and "Recipe tips" for suggestions.)
Tips for storing
- Store granola in an airtight, glass container at room temperature.
- It will last for 3-4 weeks.
Recipe variations
- Dried fruit suggestions: raisins, sultanas, or currants, dried chopped apricots, or chopped dates.
- Nuts suggestions: chopped hazelnuts, chestnuts, pecans.
- Make it gluten-free: Use certified gluten-free oats.
Recipe tips
- Make sure you bake the granola at the temperature the recipe calls for. If you cook it at a higher temperature you risk the granola burning.
- Always add dried fruits at the end, but don't bake them.
- DO NOT STIR granola while it's cooling down or yu'll break large granola clusters.
- Sweetener recommendation:
- You can use honey or maple syrup here. Make sure you use honey in liquid form.
- Date syrup or molasses are great options too. Note that they can make granola darker in color.
- Unfortunately, stevia and other low-carb sweeteners wont work well in this recipe.
How to eat granola
- Serve granola with the milk.
- Serve granola with yogurt, topped with fresh fruits.
- Enjoy granola over ice cream.
- Serve granola with fresh fruits and a drizzle of nut butter.
- Snack granola straight out of the jar.
- Make a yogurt parfait.
- Top granola over smoothie bowl.
- Add granola to a fruit salad.
Granola serving size
The typical serving size of granola is up to ⅓ cup. This means indulging a huge bowl of granola for breakfast is way excessive.
Keep in mind that serving size depends on your energy needs. So the right portion of granola would be the portion that leaves you satisfied, but not stuffed.
📖 Recipe
Pumpkin Granola
This Pumpkin Granola is crunchy, sweet, and full of Fall flavors. Loaded with hearty oats, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds, it's both delicious and healthy. Made with only a few simple ingredients, and without refined sugar, it's a perfect healthy breakfast.
Equipment
- Parchment paper (baking paper)
Ingredients
- 3 cups oats rolled or quick oats
- ½ cup walnuts roughly chopped
- ⅓ cup pumpkin seeds
- Pinch of salt
- 1 ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice mix
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- ½ cup pumpkin puree
- ¼ cup extra virgin coconut oil melted
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Start with preparing and measuring all the ingredients. Use measuring cups. Melt coconut oil and leave it to cool at room temperature. Roughly chop the walnuts.
- Preheat the oven to 325F/170C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place oats, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin spice, and a pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix everything with a spoon or spatula.
- In another bowl, mix pumpkin pure with the syrup uand coconut oil ntil you get a nice sticky mixture. Use the 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.
- Mix in chopped walnuts.
- Spread granola onto the prepared baking sheet and flatten it into one layer.
- Bake for 10 minutes and then stir granola to make sure everything bakes evenly.
- Continue baking for another 10 minutes until granola is a nice golden. Watch not to over-bake and burn the granola.
- Take granola out of the oven and mix in dried fruits.
- Leave granola on the baking sheet to cool completely, for about 30 minutes. DO NOT STIR granola or you'll break clusters.
- Store granola in an airtight glass container.
Notes
Makes around 10-12 servings. The typical serving size of granola is up to ⅓ cup.
Substitutions
- I used quick oats. They give bigger granola clusters. You can substitute them with rolled oats.
- You can substitute walnuts with other nuts, or a mix of different nuts.
- You can substitute pure maple syrup with honey or date syrup.
- You can substitute dried cranberries with raisins, sultanas, or currants. Dried chopped dates are excellent too.
- You can substitute coconut oil with avocado oil. Other oils won't work well here.
- Store granola in an airtight, glass container at room temperature.
- It will last for 3-4 weeks.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 51mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1589IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 26mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Don’t forget to rate it and leave the comment. I would love to hear what you think.
DisclaimerThe nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but I have endeavored to be as accurate as possible.
This post is originally published in November 2019. It's updated with new information and republished in November 2021. The recipe stayed the same.
Brandy says
I like many people are a big fan of pumpkin this time of year so I couldn't wait to make this granola! I love it and have been snacking on it throughout the day! Yum!
Marsha says
I LOVE pumpkin season! This granola was absolutely delicious and packed full of warm flavours.
Jennifer M says
Can’t wait to try this flavour of granola. Perhaps a silly question, but as I read through the instructions, I don’t see where to add the pumpkin purée? Should it be part of step 4? Thanks!
Natalie says
Thank you for noticing Jennifer. Yes, in step 4. I've corrected it now. :)