Vegan Crunchy Chocolate Hazelnut Granola
Granola is an absolute necessity for any household and this chocolate hazelnut granola is a game changer for any granola fanatic. It’s crunchy, fibre & protein packed, full of all natural ingredients, AND tastes like coco pops; without all the nasty stuff! Plus you can pretty much add anything to granola and it will still taste amazing, so why not use up the last of those sunflower seeds or chocolate chips sitting in your cupboard? Throw it in with this recipe and prevent food waste!
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Serves: 4-6 | Total Cooking Time: 40 mins
Ingredients:
1 cup (90g) rye or barley flakes, or rolled oats (or a mixture of all three)
1/4 cup (35g) cacao powder
1/2 cup (60g) unsalted hazelnuts, roughly chopped
1 cup (180g) dry tri-coloured quinoa
1/4 cup (40g) buckwheat groats
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
70g maple syrup (or agave nectar)
2 tbsp smooth almond butter (or nut butter of choice)
2 tsp vanilla powder or extract
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 165°c fan. Prepare a baking tray with parchment paper
Heat a saucepan up on medium heat and place the dry quinoa into the pan, covered with a lid. Regularly shake the pan to move the quinoa around and evenly roast it. After about 10 minutes the quinoa will begin to pop and smell fragrant. Once the happens, remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl stir the flakes or oats, cacao powder, chopped hazelnuts, popped quinoa, buckwheat, cinnamon, salt and vanilla until well combined.
Next, add in the syrup and almond butter and mix again, making sure everything is evenly coated. Feel free to use your hands to mix if necessary.
Transfer the granola into the baking tray, ensuring to evenly flatten and compact it down into the corners. Try to keep it in a rough rectangle shape.
Bake the granola for 10-15 minutes and then remove the granola and flip the tray around so that the side that was facing the back of the oven is now facing the front. Bake for another 10-15 minutes until the granola becomes golden brown. It may still feel soft to touch, but once it has cooled it will harden.
Remove from the oven and allow it to fully cool down before going any further. Brake apart the granola into chunks or slabs and store in either an airtight container or sealed glass jar. Keep in a dry and cool place, away from sunlight.