Go Dairy Free | Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Vegan Granola

Dairy-free and Vegan Chocolate Granola - optionally Gluten-Free

Sweet Sundays: Alisa Fleming ~ A few months ago, I received a special request for a chocolate granola recipe from Attune Foods. You see, Attune has sadly discontinued their Chocolate Probiotic Granola. It was awesome, and had a loyal following, but marketing a refrigerated granola has its challenges.

Needless to say, Attune anticipated many disappointed customers, and wanted to be ready with a recipe to soothe them. Kind woman that I am, I tested four different batches of chocolaty goodness to come up with the delicious recipe below. Our neighbor definitely appreciated the overflow.

This vegan Chocolate Granola Recipe has now been tested and loved by dozens of Attune customers, and I can happily say that it seems to be helping to fill the void of their beloved granola. Even if you didn’t get the chance to sample their probiotic granola, you’re going to adore this recipe. It’s perfectly sweet for a breakfast or afternoon treat, and it fits most dietary needs - its dairy-free, its vegan, and it can even be soy-free and gluten-free if you so desire!

The recipe below is great as is, but you know me, I can’t help but offer oodles of notes on how to adapt to taste (and diet) if desired:

Sweet and Rich: To note, this recipe is quite forgiving. Feel free to adjust the sweetness to your tastes, using whatever “sugars” you desire (agave, brown rice syrup, etc.). Also, you can lower the cocoa powder for more of a subtle hot chocolate taste, or increase it for an intense dark chocolate delight. Just be sure that the oats and cereal are well coated – a little liquid in the form of sweetener, oil, or maybe even applesauce will be required. I do prefer to use some oil, as it helps the granola crisp up, but I’ve gone with the minimum for an overall low fat recipe.

Nut-Free or Not: Also, I kept the recipe simple and nut-free, making it allergy-friendly (perfect for nut-free zones in schools). The Uncle Sam cereal does have a good dose of whole flaxseeds, but if you prefer more nut or seed action, feel free to sub some in for part of the cereal and/or oats.

Cereal Smarts and Gluten-free: I absolutely love Uncle Sam cereal from Attune in this recipe (easy to find – even Walmart sells it!) which is made with just toasted wheat berries and flaxseeds. I’m not being biased here either, it simply works so perfectly and is so wholesome. However, you can certainly sub another hearty cereal if you wish. Just make sure the cereal has nice wholesome ingredients, is crispy, and preferably unsweetened since you will be adding natural sweeteners with this granola recipe. Options like Crispy Rice Flakes (or crisps) and Buckwheat Flakes are great for a gluten-free chocolate granola. You could certainly go all certified gluten-free oats in this chocolate granola recipe (using 4 cups of oats with no cereal), but using part crispy cereal adds another dimension.

Dairy-Free Chocolate: For the chocolate chunks (because what chocolate granola recipe would be complete without chocolate chunks?) I used chopped Attune probiotic chocolate bars (sold next to the yogurt! I used the dark raspberry bars, which is why they have little red berry bits in the photo below). To help preserve that friendly bacteria, and to keep the chocolate from melting, the chocolate is added after the granola has completely cooled. But, the probiotics are shelf-stable for up to a month, so this granola can be stored at room temperature. If you can’t find their bars, feel free to use your favorite brand of dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks or a chopped up dark chocolate bar. For allergen-free, I love the Enjoy Life brand of chocolates.

This granola should stay fresh in a sealed container for about a week, if it lasts that long …

Recipe: Chocolate Chocolate Chunk Dairy-Free Granola

Ingredients

2 Cups Rolled Oats
2 Cups Uncle Sam Original Cereal (see note above for using another cereal)
3 to 4 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder (depending on how dark you like it – my husband preferred less, I preferred more)
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup Maple Syrup, Honey, or Agave Nectar
1/3 Cup Packed Brown Sugar (can sub coconut sugar or evaporated cane juice if desired)
2 Tablespoons Oil (I used coconut oil, but your favorite baking oil will do)
1-1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2/3 to 3/4 Cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or Finely Chopped Dark Chocolate Bars (I used Attune Probiotic Dark Chocolate Bars)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 250ºF and lightly grease two 9x13 glass baking dishes or line baking sheets with silicone baking mats (I prefer the glass dishes in this recipe).
Combine the oats, cereal, cocoa powder, and salt in a large bowl.
Place the honey or maple, oil, and sugar in a saucepan, and heat until the sugar is mostly dissolved. For a shortcut, you can heat the wet ingredients in the microwave in 15 second intervals, until the brown sugar is mostly dissolved (just 30 to 45 seconds total).
Stir the vanilla into the liquid ingredients, and pour all over the dry ingredients. Stir to coat.
Spread the granola out in your prepared pans.
Bake for 60 to 90 minutes – this will vary quite a bit on climate (in dry climates my granola crisps up in less than an hour sometimes, on the coast, it can easily take 90 minutes), checking in every 20 to 30 minutes to stir. If using metal pans, check in more often as the granola tends to brown much more quickly. The granola will still be soft when done, but it firms up as it cools.
Once completely cool, stir in the chocolate chunks.

Diet type: Vegan, Dairy free, Egg free, Nut free, Relatively Low fat, optionally Gluten free and Wheat free, optionally Soy free, optionally Refined Sugar free

Article, recipe, and photos by Alisa Fleming, founder of GoDairyFree.org and author of Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living. Alisa is also a freelance writer for several publications, with an emphasis on creating recipes for various types of special diets.