I have had many wheat-free granolas, crammed with rolled oats, nuts, and seeds. But, a completely gluten-free granola had not come onto my radar until I spotted the various cereal flavors from Enjoy Life Foods.  As if gluten-free isn’t difficult enough for a good granola, they take this specialty food one or two steps further, producing granolas with a major “free-from” goal.   All of Enjoy Life’s products are free from (produced in a dedicated facility) wheat, gluten, dairy, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, and soy (plus a few other top allergens we hope would not be included in granola anyway).

That’s right, a granola without wheat, oats, or nuts of any kind.  That sounds wonderful for all of those special diets and food allergies, but is it any good?

With a box of their Cranapple Crunch in hand, I set out to discover the answer.  My first impression was, well odd.  Not the flavor, I hadn’t gotten that far … the packaging.  It is actually environmentally conscience, but in a new way.  Though the box holds 12.8oz, not really less than I would expect of any boxed granola, you open it up to a pint-sized package.  Kudos to Enjoy Life for using a smaller plastic bag, but it does look really funny (or I should say unfamiliar) in a box that is trying to help them fit in with the big guys.  In reality, those big plastic bags that are only half full should look even more ridiculous, but I think it was the fact that the top half of the box was filled with nothing, not even a plastic bag.  Yet, a smaller box would probably hurt sales, a catch-22 really.

After I got past this oddity, we poured two bowls of cereal and had some breakfast.  Like most granola, there were big chunks, and lots of little chunks that could be likened to jumbo crumbs.  Though not exact, the “crumbs” really reminded me of Grape Nuts cereal, or I guess in this case, “Rice Nuts.”  The granola was just a bit sweeter than Grape Nuts.  It contained a low amount of sugars for a granola, especially considering the dried fruit scattered about.  I prefer a more savory selection, but I could tell my sugar addicted husband would have liked his granola a bit more indulgent.  Perhaps it was his immediate comment of “it’s NOT sweet,” that gave him away.

The cranberries were well noted throughout, with a smaller shrunken size and a mild dried fruit taste.  While I could really taste the essence of dried apples, I wasn’t able to see them.  They were obviously more baked in for flavor somehow.  

The granola chunks were made almost primarily of rice.  As mentioned, they were very much like “Rice Nuts,” if such a thing existed.  In fact, they had the same potent crunch that even seemed to hold up in my almond milk.  Overall, the Cranapple Crunch had a different, slightly unfamiliar flavor that I wouldn’t describe as bad or award-winning, just unique.

As long as oats remain safe for my own diet, I continue to pursue the perfect granola.  However, for a gluten-free and food allergy friendly option, of which there are few, I think Enjoy Life has done a pretty good job.  We finished our box!

My Extra Notes & Tips:

• This cereal has been fortified with calcium, magnesium, iron, and several B vitamins.  It also has 5g of fiber and 3g of protein per serving, with just 3.5g of fat and 170 calories per ½ cup serving.  It is also vegan, all-natural, and certified kosher Pareve.
• I did find ½ cup serving size emporarily filling, but could easily see myself returning to the kitchen after an hour or two. 
• If I had another package I would gladly trial Mama Joy’s Apple Pie recipe on the back of the box, yummy!
• Ingredients: Brown Rice Flakes; Rice Bran; Evaporated Cane Juice; Cranberries; Water; Brown Rice Syrup; Tapioca Flour; Dried Apples; Coconut*; Gum Arabic; Natural Apple Flavor; Molasses; Ground Flaxseed; Rosemary Extract; Caramel Color

Where to Buy:  Enjoy Life products are available in many natural food grocers throughout the U.S. and Canada.  Distribution has also begun in Dillon, Fry’s, King Soopers, Kroger, Smith’s and Wegmans stores.  See their website for a store locator or to purchase online. 

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