Bringing out one of my fav recipes from the private chef days way back in the day! I'd make vats of this on a weekly basis and store it for breakfasts, yogurt, acai bowls. It's the most perfect granola recipe there is!
When I tell you that this is the best homemade coconut granola recipe in the world - I'm not kidding you. The nuts, the coconut, the dried fruit, the chocolate, all of it combined with the oats make for the most flavorful bites. I throw this into yogurt. I eat it plain by the handful. I've been known to add it on top of a bowl of ice cream. Once I even folded it into the batter of banana bread before baking. It's truly my all time fav. And the beauty of making these at home- you can change it up with different add-ins and I even have a recipe to make them into granola bars!!
Some things to think about when it comes to making homemade coconut granola:
- Dried Fruit - yes you can use any kind of dried fruit! Freeze dried fruit is also delicious in this. Dried blueberries and apricots both make frequent appearances in my kitchen.
- Chocolate - when it comes to chocolate, semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips are my 2 favorites. Only thing to keep in mind, is don't add it to the granola until it's cooled. Otherwise it will melt everywhere - which isn't the end of the world but not quite as pretty.
- Nuts - I love cashews and almonds, but you can use any kinds of nuts you prefer. Walnuts. Pecans. Brazil Nuts. You name it. Just make sure they aren't seasoned and plain. They'll get roasted in the oven so no need to buy roasted nuts ahead of time.
- Oats - Old Fashioned Oats are the way to go! Trust me!! Quick oats and steel cut oats do NOT make the perfect granola if you ask me.
Homemade Coconut Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned rolled oats
- ¾ cup whole almonds, roughly chopped
- ¾ cup whole cashews, roughly chopped
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- ¼ cup honey
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips, plus extra as needed
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup dried strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, cashews, almonds, coconut, salt and cinnamon and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter, honey and brown sugar until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the butter mixture over the oat mixture and stir to combine until everything is well coated. Spread the granola mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a few large clumps. Bake the granola for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and break up the pieces to ensure even baking. Place the baking sheet back into the oven for another 15 minutes.
- Remove the sheet pan from the oven and give it one more toss to break up some of the pieces and place back into the oven for the last 10 minutes.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let it cool completely. Once cooled, add the chocolate chips and the dried fruit. Give it a quick toss with a spoon and then serve or package and store.
Can you make this without the oats? I’m currently low carb.
Gaby is right - this is a perfect granola recipe. It has been a family favorite for about 5 years now and MUST always be on hand or people get cranky. I have added dried blueberries in a pinch but the sweet/tartness of the dried cranberries is perfect! I do leave out the chocolate chips because it seems a bit decadent for breakfast but if I have this as a snack I throw in a few choc chips:) Thanks for the recipe!
This is the absolute best granola recipe. I didn't add chocolate chips.
Love this! Did dried apricots and dried blueberries and it was wonderful.
I’m wondering if I am missing the calorie information or if it could be provided?
I have had so many different granolas over the years, and this has to be the all time best! The strawberries are an absolute delicious surprise!!
Can this be made into bars?
I have a granola bar specifically on my site!
Could you make vegan with one to one ratio of coconut oil instead of butter?
yes
The instructions mention agave? Have you replaced that with honey? Also, has anyone tried replacing the brown sugar with Sukrin gold (erythritol)?
fixed! they are interchangeable