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This Pumpkin Seed Granola is grain-free and super-easy to make. All you need is 30 minutes of time and a handful of healthy ingredients!
Why Make Grain-Free Granola?
This recipe is grain-free, so it’s properly combined when you serve it with almond milk and sliced banana on top. It will leave you feeling satisfied for hours!
Pumpkin seed granola is also gluten-free, oil-free, vegan, and paleo friendly, so you can enjoy it even if following one of these special diets. I love that it’s naturally sweetened with maple syrup, so it won’t spike your blood sugar as much as a version made with refined sugar might.
Benefits of Pumpkin Seeds
Why make a grain-free granola out of pumpkin seeds? These seeds are a great nut-free alternative and are loaded with nutrients.
Here’s why I love them:
- Pumpkin seeds are a good source of antioxidants, which may help to reduce inflammation in the body.
- Eating pumpkin seeds has been linked to a lower risk of breast cancer in post-menopausal women.
- In studies, pumpkin seed extract has been shown to help improve urinary function.
- Pumpkin seeds are a great source of magnesium, which may help to control blood pressure and regulate blood sugar levels.
Keep in mind that when I say pumpkin seeds in this recipe, I’m referring to hulled pumpkin seeds, which are also called pepitas. You can usually find them in the grocery store near other nuts and seeds.
Granola Ingredients
I love this grain-free granola recipe because all you need is a handful of ingredients to make it, and it’s flexible enough that you can use what you have on hand.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Shredded coconut (make sure you buy one that is not sweetened)
- Pumpkin seeds (hulled ones; also called pepitas)
- Sunflower seeds (or you can use extra pumpkin seeds)
- Chia Seeds (I love how these help everything stick together)
- Cinnamon
- Salt
- Maple syrup (this makes everything stick together and get crunchy)
I love that this recipe is oil-free and super-fast to prepare. Once everything is mixed together, you just have to flatten it out on a lined baking sheet and bake until lightly golden.
This granola will crisp up as it cools, and then you can break it into pieces. Store it in an airtight container until you’re ready to serve it.
I like to serve this pumpkin seed granola homemade almond milk or hemp milk (for extra protein!), along with a sliced banana to make sure I stay full for hours.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 3 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 300F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Combine the pumpkin seeds, shredded coconut, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl, and stir well to combine.
- Add in the maple syrup, and stir again until all of the ingredients have been coated. This will help everything stick together, but the mixture won't look very wet.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet, and spread it out into a flat, even layer. Bake at 300ºF for 25 minutes, or until the granola looks lightly golden.
- Let the granola cool completely. It will firm up as it cools, and then you can break it into pieces and store it in an airtight container. This will last for up to a week when stored at room temperature, or you can store it for up to a month in the fridge. (You can probably freeze it for up to 3 months, too, if you want to make a larger batch.)
- Serve with almond milk and sliced bananas, or any other toppings you like!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is for 1/4 of this recipe and does not include fruit or milk. This information is automatically calculated ,and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment below and let me know how you like it! If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll see that I’ve been eating this at least twice a week lately. I’d love to hear about any modifications or swaps you make to this recipe, too. We can all benefit from hearing about your experience!
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Reader Feedback: What’s your favorite fast breakfast?
This looks amazing. Is there any substitution for shredded coconut? I have an allergy to coconut. Thanks!
I think you could use anything you want! Slivered almonds or crumbled nuts or seeds would all probably work fine as a substitute.
Just thought I would tell you this recipe caught my eye, as my husband is allergic to nuts. You should know that the pumpkin pie spice mix includes nutmeg, which he says is also a nut, and is allergic to that also. Just a heads up!
Thanks for letting me know! I’ve never heard of that before!
I made one substitution, safflower oil for the coconut oil. Best granola of my life, thank you!
I made this and it is excellent but I would like to know can I add Carob Chips (would they melt to fast in the dehydrator? How long does this granola last stored?
I made this today and it’s simply amazing! Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe!
This recipie is great I added some of my left over almond meal from making almond milk— took a little longer to cook but tastes great. Thank you
Delicious! I don’t like chia seeds in liquid because they’re too gelatinous, but toasted chia seeds are wonderful. I love making granola for my family, but since I’m grain-free right now, I got sad thinking I wouldn’t be able to eat any. Thank you!
This is genius! I love the combination of seeds and the addition of spices, which makes it that much better. I left everything whole instead of chopping it, substituted extra virgin olive oil for the coconut oil, upped the salt to 1/4 teaspoon, and left out the raisins. Since I didn’t have pumpkin pie spice, I used a combination of ground cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and cardamom. I think next time I’ll use the coconut oil as suggested because I think its flavor is probably more complementary than the olive oil I substituted. But overall the flavor is great. I’ve made granola with oats and nuts that isn’t overly sweet at home before, but I still can have blood sugar issues when I eat it. I felt much better with this pumpkin seed granola. Thank you for posting this- enjoying your blog!
Yet another delicious and simple recipe from the detoxinista! I used to love granola but banished store-bought because of the oats and excessive sugar and this is the perfect solution! The coconut and chia get nice and crunchy just like nuts and oats with a subtle sweetness from the raisins that leaves you feeling full and satisfied. The batch I made on Sunday has already disappeared and another (triple) batch is roasting at this very moment!
Ok just wanted to say I made this yesterday and enjoyed today with homemade almond milk–AMAZING! Hands down, best granola ever! And it’s full of nutrition! Thanks for sharing!