Crunchy, grain free banana granola made with mixed nuts, seeds, natural sweeteners and mashed bananas for easy homemade breakfasts and snacks on the go.
There are a ton of reasons to love this homemade banana granola, but I’ll keep it brief with some of the main points here:
- Grain-free: Unlike more traditional granola recipes that are made with oats, this one relies on a mixture of nuts, seeds and desiccated coconut to create it’s delicious texture and bulk!
- Oats can be a tricky ingredient for anyone needing to avoid gluten because of how easily they are exposed to cross contamination.You can learn more about how to safely consume oats on a gluten free diet in my post:Â Are Oats Gluten Free?
- Nutrient-dense: This granola is made with natural sweeteners, healthy fats, protein and carbs.
- Easy to make: Simply mash, mix and bake – no special equipment needed.
Grain Free Banana Granola Ingredients
- walnuts and cashews – roughly chopped
- unsweetened coconut – desiccated or shredded coconut
- pumpkin seeds (aka pepitas) and sunflower seeds – for extra crunch
- ground cinnamon – adds a bit of warmth
- coconut oil – melted and cooled
- maple syrup – just a touch to balance of the banana flavor
- vanilla extract – a little flavor
- mashed banana – our main sweetener
More Granola Recipes You Might Like:
- Turmeric Stove Top Paleo Granola
- Crunchy Banana Chocolate Granola
- Homemade Pumpkin Spice Granola
- Grain Free Paleo Vegan Granola
Recipe
Grain Free Banana Granola
Yield:
9 servings
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
25 minutes
Total Time:
35 minutes
Crunchy, grain free banana granola made with mixed nuts, seeds, natural sweeteners and mashed bananas for easy homemade breakfasts and snacks on the go.
Ingredients
- 1 cup | 140 grams raw cashews, roughly chopped
- 1 cup | 100 grams raw walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1 cup | 95 grams shredded or desiccated unsweetened coconut
- 1/2 cup | 65 grams pumpkin seeds/pepitas
- 1/2 cup | 70 grams sunflower seeds
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 cup 60 ml coconut oil, melted
- 2 medium bananas, ripened and mashed
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey if you don't need it to be vegan
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Need help converting to weights? Check out my cups to grams Conversion Guide.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper ready for your granola.
- In a large mixing bowl combine your chopped nuts, seeds, desiccated coconut, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl mash the bananas with a fork. Stir in the melted coconut, vanilla extract, and maple syrup.
- Pour the banana-oil mixture over the granola and stir it all together making sure that every bit is coated in the banana mixture.
- Spread the granola out on the lined baking tray in an even layer and bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. About halfway through remove the pan to gently stir the granola so that it cooks evenly. Once it reaches a golden brown colour, remove and cool before serving.
Notes
one serving is about 1/2 cup
Nutrition Information
Yield: 9
Serving Size:
cup Calories: 388Saturated Fat: 13gSodium: 7mgCarbohydrates: 20gFiber: 4gSugar: 8gProtein: 8gThis website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
Bri Nelson says
I made your granola today and it is delicious. I have been looking for a lower sugar granola and this hits the spot! How do you store this? Can it be kept at room temperature? Not sure because of the mashed banana.
Sarah Nevins says
So glad you enjoyed it! You can keep this in the fridge or room temperature so long as it’s in an airtight container. Since the banana gets cooked in the oven, it becomes more like a normal sweetener/sugar so you don’t need to worry about the banana making it go off too soon. This will keep at least 1 1/2 – 2 weeks 🙂
Valerie says
I am so sorry to hear about Mike’s health issues. With regards to acupuncture, I swear by it! I was in a bad auto accident when I was 17 and had nerve damage in my lower back and my tail bone was shoved up under my spine. Doctors wanted to put me in traction but couldn’t promise I would ever walk again. My mom took me to a Chiropractor who is a certified acupuncturist. I walk today because of those acupuncture treatments along with the adjustments. I’ve been through 3 pregnancies and though I still occasionally experience minor pain a treatment or two of acupuncture and I’m all good. Just another side note: my son has Asperger’s and Bipolar and Anxiety along with IBS and the acupuncture treatments he receives a couple times a month really help with all his conditions.
Good luck…I hope you can find a treatment that helps Mike.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Valerie! That’s so great to know! By the time I finally got around to arranging an acupuncture appointment Covid happened so we had to cancel the appointment. With all of his health concerns we’ve been extra careful about limiting our exposure so we’ll have to wait until things are a bit more settled before making any more appointments. I’m excited for him to finally try it though! I don’t want to get our hopes up, butI’ve heard so much positive feed back from so many people. At the very least I’m really glad to know that it’s been so beneficial for you and your family!
Susan says
Can you put the granola and a mold and make granola bars? How does that change the cooking time? Or temperature?
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Susan! I’m not too sure how well they would stick together. If you want to try it I recommend using brown rice syrup or honey instead of maple and maybe increasing the amount of sweetener to 1/4 cup.
Sarah says
Thanks Ang! I’ll check it out!
Sharon says
It’s in the oven now and smells devine! Looking forward to trying it. Thanks for the recipe. 😊
Sarah says
Thanks Sharon! Hope you loved it!