Dairy-Free Chocolate Granola
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This dairy-free chocolate granola is a copycat recipe of a beloved product from years past. It's nutritious, but a treat that is delicious with unsweetened milk alternative or by the handful or a pick-me-up.
Author: Alisa Fleming
Recipe type: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Serves: 12 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 2 cups whole grain cereal (I use Uncle Sam; can sub other crisp cereal or more oats)
- 3 to 4 tablespoons cocoa powder, to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup maple syrup, honey, or agave nectar
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar (can sub coconut sugar)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ⅔ to ¾ cup chopped dairy-free dark chocolate, chocolate chunks, or chocolate chips (like Enjoy Life)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250ºF and lightly grease two 9×13-inch glass baking dishes or line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. (I prefer the glass dishes in this recipe.)
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, cereal, cocoa powder, and salt until the cereals are coated with the cocoa powder.
- Whisk together the sweeteners and oil in a small saucepan. Place it over medium-low heat and whisk until the sugars are mostly dissolved. OR, heat the wet ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl 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.
- Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat.
- Spread the granola out in a single layer in your prepared pan(s).
- Bake the granola for 50 to 90 minutes, checking in to stir every 15 to 20 minutes. (The total time can vary quite by climate. In dry high altitude, this granola crisps up in less than an hour, but on the coast, it can easily take 90 minutes.) If using metal pans, check in more often as the granola tends to brown much more quickly. The granola will still be a little soft when done, but it firms up as it cools.
- Once the chocolate granola is completely cool, stir in the chocolate chunks.
- Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week, or in the freezer for longer.
Notes
Flavor Note: 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) cocoa powder makes a dark chocolate granola while 3 tablespoons is more semi-sweet. For lower sugar, feel free to use a very dark chocolate and/or reduce the sweetener a little, to taste.
Loose vs Cluster Granola: For loose granola, wait until the granola is completely cool before stirring in the chocolate chunks. But for granola snacking clusters, stir the chocolate in while the granola is still warm. Once cool, you can break it into clusters.
Loose vs Cluster Granola: For loose granola, wait until the granola is completely cool before stirring in the chocolate chunks. But for granola snacking clusters, stir the chocolate in while the granola is still warm. Once cool, you can break it into clusters.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ½ cup Calories: 226 Fat: 7.6g Saturated fat: 2.2g Carbohydrates: 39.6g Sugar: 15.8g Sodium: 101mg Fiber: 5g Protein: 4.9g
Recipe by Go Dairy Free at https://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/dairy-free-chocolate-granola