Homemade Oil-Free Granola (Vegan)

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

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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

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

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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.