Chocolate Cherry Almond Granola
Chocolate Cherry Almond Granola (Healthy Vegan Recipe)
Chocolate Cherry Almond Granola (Healthy Vegan Recipe)
Featuring Perfect Date Chocolate from Goodness Tea.
Chocolate, Cherry, and Almond….this magical trio of flavors tastes good in everything from ice cream to baked items. It also makes one delicious granola. If you’ve had a browse around the blog, you may notice I’m hooked on this flavor combination. So I had to make a chocolate cherry almond granola recipe (of course!) but with a healthy vegan twist.
The best thing about homemade granola is that it’s easy to make and you have full control over the ingredients. It’s also economical, low waste, and sooo much better than store-bought. If you’re curious about the many health benefits of chocolate, (cacao) dried cherries, and almonds, click on the links.
You can make healthy homemade granola in just a few steps:
1. Melt all the of ingredients together, except the oats and mix-ins, in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. Stir this mixture into the oats, until well coated, leaving lots of yummy clumps.
3. Add your mix-ins and bake! (I mix the chocolate chunks in after baking and cooling, so they don’t melt.)
Scroll down for step-by-step instructions and photos!
The ingredient that really takes this chocolate cherry almond granola over the top is the Perfect Date Chocolate from Goodness Tea. It’s bittersweet chocolate with the texture of fudge. Organic, fair-trade, and fruit-sweetened, it also comes in completely compostable packaging. I have to hold myself back from eating more than one bar, it’s that good!
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear how you enjoyed it in the ratings and comments below. And be sure to share your creations on Instagram and tag me @vegeta.full.
Ingredients for Chocolate Cherry Almond Granola
Ingredients:
o 3 cups (270 grams) of regular rolled oats (GF if desired)
o ½ cup (4 oz.) of almond butter, no-oil-added
o ½ cup (4 oz.) of maple syrup
o 2 tablespoons of raw cacao powder
o 2 teaspoons of almond extract
o ¾ teaspoon of fine sea salt
Mix ins:
o ½ cup (69 grams) of sliced toasted almonds
o ½ cup of dried cherries
o 1 bar (2.3 oz. / 65 grams) of Perfect Date Chocolate, chopped into chocolate chip sized chunks
Makes 4 cups of granola (click on the ingredients in bold to see what I use in this recipe)
Method for making Chocolate Cherry Almond Granola
Steps One-Two:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F (180 C)
2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine almond butter, maple syrup, almond extract, cacao powder, and salt. Stir continuously until melted and well combined. This will take a few minutes.
Step Three:
3. Add the rolled oats to a large mixing bowl. Pour the almond butter/maple syrup mixture over the oats.
Step Four:
4. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix the warm sauce into the oats, making sure that all the oats are well coated. Leave some different sized clumps for a fun variety of textures.
Step Five:
5. Stir in the sliced almonds and dried cherries until evenly mixed.
Step Six:
6. Spread in an even layer on a large baking sheet.
Steps Seven-Nine:
7. Bake at 350 F / 180 C for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip the granola over, in sections, using a metal spatula. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir. Bake for a final 5 minutes until nice and golden. This three-step bake creates the perfect texture.
8. Let cool and mix in the Perfect Date Chocolate chunks.
9. Store in an airtight container for up to a month. You can also freeze it for future use. Just let frozen granola thaw to room temperature before enjoying.
Other Chocolate Cherry Almond Recipes to Enjoy:
Printable Recipe Card:
Chocolate Cherry Almond Granola (Healthy Vegan Recipe)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350 F (180 C)
- In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine almond butter, maple syrup, almond extract, cacao powder, and salt. Stir continuously until melted and well combined. This will take a few minutes.
- Add the rolled oats to a large mixing bowl. Pour the almond butter/maple syrup mixture over the oats.
- Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix the warm sauce into the oats, making sure that all the oats are well coated. Leave some different sized clumps for a fun variety of textures.
- Stir in the sliced almonds and dried cherries until evenly mixed.
- Spread in an even layer on a large baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 F / 180 C for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and flip the granola over, in sections, using a metal spatula. Bake for an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and stir. Bake for a final 5 minutes until nice and golden. This three-step bake creates the perfect texture.
- Let cool and mix in the Perfect Date Chocolate chunks.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a month. You can also freeze it for future use. Just let frozen granola thaw to room temperature before enjoying.
Calories
394.52Fat (grams)
17.19Sat. Fat (grams)
2.80Carbs (grams)
52.85Fiber (grams)
6.64Net carbs
46.21Sugar (grams)
24.31Protein (grams)
9.66Sodium (milligrams)
249.82Cholesterol (grams)
0.65Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators.