Chocolate Granola that’s a Delicious Dairy-Free Copycat Recipe

Several years ago, I received a special request for a dairy-free chocolate granola recipe from Attune Foods. You see, Attune 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 satisfy them. Kind woman that I am, I tested numerous batches of dairy-free chocolate granola to come up with the delicious recipe below. Our neighbor definitely appreciated the overflow.

This Dairy-Free Chocolate Granola is a Delicious Copycat Recipe

Attune was later bought up by Post Foods, which is why you might not know of them today. But their dairy-free chocolate granola lives on in this recipe and has now been tested and loved by many former Attune customers.

Even if you didn’t get the chance to sample their probiotic chocolate granola, you will love this recipe. It’s perfectly sweet for a breakfast or afternoon treat, and it fits most dietary needs. It’s not only dairy-free, it’s also vegan-friendly and food allergy-friendly. Yes, no nuts or soy!

Recipe Notes & Options

• Cereal Options: Attune’s classic dairy-free chocolate granola used both oats and whole grain cereal for a crisper finish. In a pinch, you can use all oats, or substitute your favorite crispy cereal. I’m still an Uncle Sam fan. They are small flakes (not much bigger than oats), have virtually no sugar, and are completely whole grain. The wholesomeness keeps the flavor of this granola balanced and snack-worthy.
• Sweetness Options: Like most granola recipes, this one is quite forgiving with modifications. 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.
• Oil Options: This recipe uses a minimum amount of oil. I do not recommend omitting the fat. Substituting applesauce or similar will leave you with unpleasantly chewy granola. You can use your favorite baking oil. I like coconut oil or extra-light olive oil in this recipe.
• Dairy-Free Chocolate: I originally used Attune probiotic raspberry chocolate in this recipe, but it’s no longer made. These days, I like Enjoy Life Dark Chocolate Morsels in this recipe, but their Semi-Sweet Chunks or Mini Chips (depending on your size preference) are also delicious.

Special Diet Notes: Chocolate Granola

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, optionally soy-free, optionally vegan, plant-based, and vegetarian. But be sure to choose the chocolate and cereal that suit your dietary needs.

For gluten-free granola, you can of course use certified gluten-free oats and cereal. Or see my dairy-free, gluten-free cocoa crispy granola recipe.

Dairy-Free Chocolate Granola

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

 

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

1. 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.)
2. In a large bowl, stir together the oats, cereal, cocoa powder, and salt until the cereals are coated with the cocoa powder.
3. 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).
4. Stir the vanilla into the liquid ingredients.
5. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients, and stir to coat.
6. Spread the granola out in a single layer in your prepared pan(s).
7. 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.
8. Once the chocolate granola is completely cool, stir in the chocolate chunks.
9. 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.

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

3.5.3229

More Dairy-Free Granola Recipes

Basic Homemade Dairy-Free Granola

Mama’s Soft Baked Granola

Gingerbread Granola