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    Home » Recipes » Breakfast

    Homemade Oil-Free Granola (Vegan)

    Published: Oct 6, 2022 . Modified: Apr 24, 2025 by Allie

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    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    This is a crunchy plant-based oil-free granola recipe that uses aquafaba instead of nut butter.  Have it for breakfast with your favorite plant-based milk, sprinkle it on yogurt, or use it to top cooked apples for dessert.  

    Oil-free granola in a glass jar with a white background.

    It’s a simple recipe that comes together quickly with no need to whip the aquafaba.  You’ll love this crispy, golden brown, oil-free granola.  Plus the cinnamon makes your house smell amazing!

    Jump to:
    • Recipe features
    • Aquafaba
    • Ingredient notes and substitutions
    • Tips
    • Instructions
    • Storage
    • Serving suggestions
    • More vegan breakfast ideas
    • Related recipes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    Recipe features

    • The homemade vegan granola recipe uses wholesome ingredients like rolled oats, maple syrup, aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas), and ground flax seeds.  
    • It's oil-free and made without nut or seed butter!
    • It’s easy to make and great for a filling breakfast!

    Aquafaba

    What is Aquafaba?

    It’s the starchy liquid leftover from cooked legumes, such as chickpeas.  It’s really from any bean, but I prefer to use chickpeas. There are two methods of obtaining it:
    1. Drain a can of chickpeas and reserve the liquid.
    2. Cook dried chickpeas and reserve the leftover cooking liquid.  In this option, the aquafaba can be too thin and need to be cooked down and reduced.  I find the liquid from can chickpeas to be more reliable.  

    The aquafaba also freezes well.  Once you reserve the liquid from a can of chickpeas, give it a good stir and portion it out into ice cube trays, then freeze.  Once frozen the cubes can be placed into a freezer-safe bag or a freezer-safe container.  When you’re ready to use just thaw.  If you're not using the chickpeas from the can, they can be frozen to use later.

    Ingredient notes and substitutions

    Old Fashioned rolled oats - The rolled oats cannot be substituted with steel cut or quick-cooking oat.  Oats are naturally gluten-free, but if needed opt for certified gluten-free oats.

    Pure maple syrup - Used for sweetness to mix with the aquafaba as our wet ingredient.  It can be substituted for agave syrup. Any substitution needs to be a liquid sweetener.

    Aquafaba - For this recipe, aquafaba is used to help replace the oil and reduce the amount of maple syrup needed.  When it's whipped up it gives the consistency of egg whites, but through testing, I found it unnecessary to whip it for this recipe. 

    Almonds and pumpkin seeds - The sliced almonds and shelled pumpkin seeds can be replaced with chopped walnuts, pecans, or raw sunflower seeds in this whole food plant-based granola recipe.  They can even be substituted with more rolled oats or try it with coconut flakes.

    Ground flax seeds - A little will help as a binder, I have not tested with chia seeds.  Use ground not whole flax seeds.

    Ground cinnamon - Adds a lovely flavor to this easy granola recipe.

    Vanilla extract - For flavor, if you want to substitute with almond extract, reduce the amount.  A little bit of almond extract goes a long way, I find it has a much more intense flavor compared to vanilla extract.

    Tips

    • This aquafaba granola recipe doesn’t clump as well as oil versions do, so I don’t spread the granola out too thin so I get some crunchy clusters.  Be sure that it’s not too thick or it won’t bake evenly.  
    • If the oil-free granola is spread out too thick it will steam instead of drying out.
    • The edges and any thin spots will burn more easily so stir them occasionally and keep an eye on them. 
    • Use parchment paper or a silicone mat so the granola doesn’t stick to the baking tray.
    • If you want to add dried fruit to the granola, add it after it has baked.  After you remove the tray from the oven, stir in pieces of dried fruit while the granola is still warm.  Try raisins, diced dried mango, dried blueberries, or dried cranberries.

    Instructions

    To make the crunchy granola, start by preheating the oven to 325 F (160 C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat (9x13 inch) rimmed baking sheet.  Adjust the oven rack to be in the middle of the oven.

    Drain a can of chickpeas, give the aquafaba a good stir, and measure a ¼ cup of the liquid for the recipe. Use the chickpeas for another recipe or freeze them for later.

    Dry ingredients for granola mixed in a glass bowl.

    In a large bowl, mix the oats, sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, ground flax seeds, ground cinnamon, and salt.  There’s no need to whip the aquafaba, just add the wet ingredients; the maple syrup, aquafaba, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients and mix until evenly coated. 

    Wet and dry ingredients mixed together in a bowl.

    Spread out the granola mixture on the lined baking sheet in an even layer.  Not too thin so you'll still get some bits to stick together.  Not too thick since the granola will steam instead of crisping up.

    Uncooked granola spread out on baking tray with parchment paper.

    Bake for 24-28 minutes or until the granola is slightly golden.  Stir halfway through and spread the granola out evenly again. It will continue to crisp up some while cooling, let cool completely before storing.

    Cooked granola on a parchment paper lined baking tray.

    Storage

    Let the no-oil vegan granola cool completely before storing.  If the granola is dry it should last at least 1 week in an airtight container at room temperature.  If it’s not crispy and some spots are still wet (or mushy), this will reduce the length of storage.  Just in case, I store mine in the refrigerator.  It also freezes well so you can make a big batch at one time.

    Serving suggestions

    • Pair it with fresh berries or fresh fruit and dairy-free milk
    • Add it to dairy-free yogurt for a healthy snack
    • Use it on top of a smoothie bowl
    • Top overnight oats or chia pudding with it for a little crunch
    • Add it to baked apples for a crumble-like topping
    • Try it on top of nice cream, like banana ice cream, chocolate peanut butter nice cream, or cherry nice cream
    Oil-free granola in a glass jar with a white background.

    More vegan breakfast ideas

    • Raisin Oatmeal Bars
    • Lemon Blueberry Baked Oatmeal Cups
    • Oil-Free vegan breakfast potatoes
    • Hatch Green Chile Tofu Scramble
    • Spicy Tofu Scramble

    Related recipes

    • Apple steel cut oats in a white bowl with walnuts and a spoon.
      Instant Pot Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oats
    • Banana steel cut oats in a bowl with sliced bananas and walnuts on top.
      Banana Steel Cut Oats (Instant Pot)
    • Vegan strawberry overnight oats in a glass jar with granola and diced strawberries on top.
      Strawberry Overnight Oats
    • Cherry overnight oats with cherries and yogurt.
      Cherry Overnight Oats

    As always, I hope you enjoy this plant-based granola recipe! If you like the recipe feel free to rate it and leave a comment.

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    Recipe

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    Oil-free granola in a glass jar with a white background.

    Homemade Oil-Free Granola (Vegan)


    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 4 reviews

    • Author: Allie
    • Total Time: 31 minutes
    • Yield: 3 cups 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    This is crunchy plant-based oil-free granola that uses aquafaba instead of nut butter.  Have it for breakfast, sprinkle it on yogurt, or use it to top cooked apples for dessert.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 2 cups (180 g) old fashioned oats
    • ½ cup (46 g) sliced almonds
    • ½ cup (65 g) raw pumpkin seeds (shelled)
    • 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ⅓ cup (79 ml) maple syrup
    • ¼ cup (60 ml) aquafaba (the liquid from a can of chickpeas)
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 325 F (160 C) and line a baking tray with parchment paper or a silicone mat.  Adjust the oven rack to be in the middle of the oven.
    2. In a large bowl mix together the oats, sliced almonds, pumpkin seeds, ground flax seeds, ground cinnamon, and salt.
    3. Add the maple syrup, aquafaba, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients and mix until evenly coated.
    4. Spread out the granola mixture on the lined baking sheet in an even layer.  Not too thin so you'll still get some bits to stick together, but not too thick.  
    5. Bake for 24-28 minutes or until the granola is golden, stirring halfway through.
    6. It will continue to crisp up some while cooling, then let cool completely before storing.

    Notes

    This recipe doesn’t clump as well as oil versions do, so I don’t spread the granola out too thin in order to get some little clumps.  

    If the granola is spread out too thick it will steam more than dry out.

    The edges and any thin spots will burn more easily so keep an eye on them.  If needed stir those areas so they don’t burn.

    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • Cook Time: 26 minutes
    • Category: breakfast
    • Method: oven
    • Cuisine: American

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @threelittlechickpeasblog on Instagram and hashtag it #threelittlechickpeasblog

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    1. Angela

      May 03, 2025 at 2:34 pm

      I’m a big fan of this granola! Just made it and it’s amazing!

      Reply
      • Allie

        May 04, 2025 at 7:34 am

        I'm so glad you like the granola recipe!

        Reply
    2. Sarah

      November 07, 2022 at 6:34 pm

      It came out crispy and not too sweet!

      Reply
      • Allie

        November 07, 2022 at 6:40 pm

        I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!

        Reply
    3. Janet

      November 04, 2022 at 5:12 pm

      Oh so easy and it came out crispy!

      Reply
      • Allie

        November 04, 2022 at 9:30 pm

        I'm glad you liked the recipe!

        Reply
    4. Danny

      November 02, 2022 at 4:52 pm

      The granola is delicious and crunchy! I made it yesterday for breakfast today and it was so easy.

      Reply
      • Allie

        November 02, 2022 at 5:13 pm

        I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe!

        Reply

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