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Chocolate Granola has a rich chocolate flavor and tastes better than the store-bought version. You’d never guess that it’s naturally sweetened!
This healthy chocolate granola recipe is made with simple ingredients you may already have on hand. Tossed with coconut oil and pure maple syrup, it’s naturally dairy-free and vegan, too.
Customize it as you see fit, adding dried fruit like cherries, raisins, or cranberries. You can even lower the added sugar for a dark chocolate granola flavor. It’s easy to taste and adjust as you go!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Shredded coconut and sliced almonds work together to create an “Almond Joy” flavor, but this granola recipe is flexible, so you can make any swaps you like.
Substitute chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, or sunflower seeds for a nut-free crunch, or use walnuts or pecans instead of almonds for a buttery texture. You can also add hulled hemp seeds for more protein, or add ground flax seeds for more filling fiber.
Be sure to use certified gluten-free oats if you need a gluten-free recipe. You can even leave out the oats to make a grain-free granola!
How to Make Chocolate Granola
Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a lower temperature for this recipe will help prevent burning before everything is crispy.
In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients, including the rolled oats, coconut, almonds, cacao powder, sugar, and sea salt.
Pour in the wet ingredients, including the maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Stir until everything looks well-coated.
Transfer the granola mixture to the prepared pan (I use a half-sheet size) and press it evenly into the bottom.
Bake for 15 minutes, then stir well so the granola will crisp evenly. (The edges tend to cook faster than the center, so try to break up the center area and bring some of that to the edges when you stir, so you don’t wind up with burnt or under-cooked pieces.)
Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until your kitchen smells like brownies. Remove the granola from the oven and let it cool completely.
It might not look crispy right away, but it will firm up as it cools.
Once it’s cool, break the granola into small or large granola clusters, then store it in a large airtight mason jar. (You may need two jars, depending on the size. This recipe makes roughly 6 cups of granola.)
For a double-chocolate granola, you can also stir in a few mini chocolate chips. It makes it taste like dessert!
Storage Tips: Assuming you baked the granola evenly (without any moist spots remaining) it will keep well in an airtight jar at room temperature for up to a week, or in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. You can also freeze granola for an even longer shelf life, up to 6 months.
Do not leave the granola sitting out, uncovered, for more than 24 hours. In my experience, it will lose its crunch if you don’t keep it tightly covered in a jar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Serve this homemade granola recipe with your favorite milk or yogurt, along with fresh fruit. (Using Greek yogurt will add extra protein, but if you serve it with milk you get to enjoy leftover “chocolate milk” at the bottom of the bowl.) You can also enjoy it as a dry snack in your purse or lunchbox.
You can swap the maple syrup for honey, but the flavor will be slightly more noticeable in that case.
Looking for more granola recipes? Try Peanut Butter Granola, Grain-Free Granola, or Oil-Free Granola for more ideas.
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free, if needed)
- ½ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- ½ cup chopped almonds
- ½ cup cacao powder
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line a large baking sheet (I use a half-sheet pan) with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, almonds, cacao powder, coconut sugar, and salt. Stir well.
- Add in the coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla, and stir again, until the mixture looks evenly coated. Transfer the granola to the prepared pan, and spread it out into a flat layer.
- Bake at 325ºF for 15 minutes, then give the granola a stir to help promote even cooking. The edges will tend to cook faster than the middle, so I like to break up the middle and stir well so that everything will dry out evenly. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, until your house starts to smell like brownies.
- Remove the granola from the oven and let it cool completely to let it crisp up. Once it's completely cool, you can break it into granola clusters. Store it in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature, or for a longer shelf life, I prefer to store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Serve with your favorite fruit, yogurt, or milk, or on its own as a crunchy snack.
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If you try this chocolate granola recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!
Think I could swap the cacao for chocolate protein powder? This looks so good
Has anyone tried this with other types of nuts such as walnuts or macadamia nuts? I have almonds, but they’re smokehouse almonds… Could be good, but not sure.
This is hands down the best chocolate granola I’ve ever had. It’s so rich it tastes like I’m eating a chocolate on chocolate cookie!
This recipe was amazing! I loved it.