This is like candy disguised as a breakfast cereal.
I’m hesitant to call it my best ever granola, because my quinoa granola is kinda my signature recipe, but this one is really amazing.
It only lasted a couple of days…probably because it’s been sitting on the counter so I just pick at it all day long. CAN’T. STOP.
Chewy Sweet Blueberry Granola [vegan, gluten free, FODMAPs friendly]
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup whole rolled oats
- 1/2 cup (gluten free) creamy buckwheat cereal (I used Bob’s Red Mill brand)
- 1/4 cup ground flax seeds (I used Linwoods nuts & flax blend – see photo below)
- 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup dried blueberries
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds
- 1/3 cup brown rice syrup
- 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- generous pinch sea salt
Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 225 degrees F. Mix everything together in a large bowl. Spread onto a baking sheet that’s been lined with parchment paper or sprayed with nonstick. Bake for 60 minutes at 225 degrees.
This is definitely my new favorite breakfast (slash lunch/dinner/snack). It’s unlike any other granola I’ve ever eaten because it’s chewy. Like crumbled gooey cookie pieces.
Can you see the cluster-y goodness?
Kyle said it was like candy. And yet brown rice syrup is the only ingredient used to sweeten it!
The brown rice syrup is what makes it different from the other granola recipes I’ve made, so if you’re going to ask me about a substitute for brown rice syrup I can already tell you that you’ll be losing the essence of the recipe. So just go buy some brown rice syrup (Suzanne’s Specialties is my favorite). You’ll love it, I promise.
The resulting granola isn’t sticky to touch, it’s just soft and wonderful.
Buckwheat, contrary to what it’s name would indicate, is not related to wheat. It’s also neither a grain nor a cereal. It’s gluten free and derived from the seed of a flowering plant (and delicious). You can buy it whole (as a groat) or toasted (as kasha) or as grits / pieces (like the cereal mix I used in this one). Several companies sell it this way, but I used Bob’s Red Mill for this recipe.
All mixed up.
This is the ground flax I used. Linwoods makes flax and nut mixes that have various flavors. This one was a sunflower, pumpkin, sesame, & goji berry flax blend. I’m sure regular ground flax would work because I didn’t detect any flavors from those nuts and seeds.
I loooooove the blueberries in this. So good. I buy dried blueberries in bulk from Costco. They’re cheap and delish.
This totally reminds me of a granola bar I used to get ALL THE TIME from the Whole Foods in NYC. It’s thick and mind-blowing-ly good. I used to buy them far more frequently than I should have and if you check the blog archives you’ll probably see photos of them on a nearly daily basis.
So…moral of the story…make this.
I’ll definitely try the granola. The pictures do all the talking. But every blog should end with a picture of P. I feel cheated without one.
oh my gosh, I don’t think this would last in my house more than a minute. I never thought of buying brown rice syrup but I’ll check it out. This looks too good not to make
We are on a major granola kick over here, I’m so excited to try this!
omg I’m pretty sure I would eat the whole pan in a day… that sounds so good.
You have a great blog, I just love the name! The granola looks delish, I think I’ll have to make it this weekend.
Elle
http://yourhappyhealthblog.blogspot.com/
Yum
Yum
Yum!
I second a picture of P – hey to him 🙂
Cheers
Lori
Holy moly…this looks fantabulous! I can totally imagine it tasting like a cookie. I would probably eat the whole pan in one sitting. …Definitely.
Well that is what I am going this weekend. This looks awesome!
ok! noted with the P pics 🙂
Do you have to use the Oil? I try to keep my fat intake to nuts, nut butters, olives, and avocado. I add no oil, of any sort, to anything. I wasn’t sure of the purpose of the oil in this recipe, is it a must have?
ohhh yum!
I make a big double batch of my homemade granola about every 10 days and am completely addicted. My only complaint has always been that it doesn’t clump. I like the clumps for snacking. This might be what gets me to buy brown rice syrup and stop subbing maple in everything. Thanks!
Ok, now I have to go buy brown rice syrup. I make a huge batch of granola every weekend and i’m lucky if there is anything left by the weekend. My granola is never chewy so i’ll be interested to try this.
Wondering if the dried blueberries have some sweetener in them. It’s really hard to find dried fruit here in Canada that isn’t sweetened. This would definitely add to the “candy” flavour of the granola. That being said, some sweetness in the morning is a good way to start the day and no additional sugar would be required on this granola.
Sounds and looks incredible. I’ve never used quinoa in granola before, but I guess that will be my next ingredient to try. Did you get a chance to see my chia seed granola recipe. Quite the opposite of chewy, but still pretty good 🙂
http://www.theunprocess.com/2013/03/15/crunch-crunch/
Brown rice syrup is my favorite thing ever right now! Stupid easy amazing chocolate pudding:melt dark chocolate, blitz together with soft tofu and enough brown rice syrup to sweeten to taste. Chill, devour, repeat.
What was the brand of dried blueberries? I grabbed some at costco and wasnt paying attention and ended up with two lbs of them but there was a ton of added sugar! Annoyed. This granola is on my todo list for sunday- just gotta pick up a few of the ingredients.
I’ve never used brown rice syrup before. I’ve been on a granola kick lately, so perhaps I’ll make a batch of this recipe this weekend!
i love little patrick he is such a cutes!!!!!! I look forward to every new pic of him
Also I would totally make this as I love chewy grain treats (granola, bars, cookies, etc) but am allergic to coconut…evrything good has coconut oil!
So you could totally make your beloved granola bars by cutting it into bars, right?? Next batch maybe!
yes! and i am definitely doing it with the next batch!
If you only knew how long I’ve been looking for a chewy granola breakfast recipe. This was ABSOLUTELY delicious. Thanks!
I’m looking for a softer granola to eat with yogurt. Most storebought brands are too hard & crunchy to soften in strained Greek yogurt. Would this work well for yogurt? Or be too mushy of a combination?
this would be perfect for it!
I have made this recipe twice and love it, However, I cannot get it to be ‘chewy’ it comes out crunchy! I live at 7300 ft. above sea level and don’t know if that is the problem but does anyone have any suggestions?
hmmm…thats weird…you are definitely using brown rice syrup? i have made this one 3 times and every batch has been soft so i dont know what to tell you…im not experienced with baking at altitudes to know how that plays a role in texture (or anything else for that matter!).
I don’t usually have problems with recipes either…?
Perhaps a shorter bake time?
hmmmm…id be curious to know…if you experiment w success be sure to come back and share in the comments!
If I substituted the dried blueberries for a different dried fruit (like diced figs, dates, or cranberries) do you think it would turn out? I’m wondering if they might get crispy or burn… also, do you think it would turn out if I replace half the oil for applesauce?
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Do you think that the brown rice syrup is what makes the granola chewy? Or the buckwheat? I am only asking because I have made other granola with essentially the same ingredients and it is not very chewy. Perhaps it is the ratio you use. I was wondering if you could let me know. Thanks!
Definitely the brown rice syrup. It’s a pretty unique ingredient.