Julie Clark
Updated:
Paleo Granola Recipe
May contain affiliate links. Terms of Use Policy.
A nutty, crunchy, paleo granola recipe baked in coconut oil and sweetened with dates. Serve high protein recipe as a snack or for breakfast as cereal.
This paleo granola is ready in just 35 minutes and makes an easy, quick breakfast you can feel good about. It’s grain-free, dairy-free, gluten free, naturally sweetened with no added sugar, and perfectly crunchy for snacking straight from the jar.
You’ll also love our maple roasted pineapple, bacon wrapped dates and orange walnut stuffed dates.
My Go-To Naturally Sweetened Granola for Busy Mornings
One thing I always crave when warm weather hits is granola. This might seem strange since granola seems like a fall snack. Don’t worry…I crave it in the fall, too.
The thing is, homemade granola is one of the snacks I always take with us on summer vacation. We serve it with smoothie bowls and overnight oats for quick breakfasts.
Since we’ve been trying to limit grains for the past couple of years, I’ve found that when I eat my favorite brown sugar granola recipe, it doesn’t leave me feeling the best.
My granola-loving mind had to come up with a version that fits the paleo diet. I wanted that similar crunch and texture of my much-loved homemade cereal. I wanted it full of nuts and lightly sweetened, but sweetened naturally.
This recipe is a great way to start the day because it is full of protein and healthy fats. It keeps me feeling satiated until lunchtime. You’ll love it as much as our paleo energy bars that are similar, but made into bar form with eggs.
Enjoy! -Julie
Ingredients in Paleo Granola:
This grain free granola mixture is versatile, but here is what we love in ours:
- Pepitas. A very cool name for pumpkin seeds. It’s so much more fun to say, right?!
- Sunflower seeds. These should be seeds NOT in the shells.
- Unsweetened coconut flakes. Be sure to grab unsweetened or your granola will have added sugar.
- Sliced almonds. Or slivered…whichever you choose.
- Pecans. Or cashews or raw walnuts.
- Chopped dates. Make sure you buy pitted dates to make your life easier. Give them a good chop in the food processor. These act as a natural sweetener.
- Coconut Oil. This is the only oil we’ve tried so I can’t speak to any other oils.
- Vanilla and cinnamon. For flavoring. You can add more or less if you’d like.
A note on the salt. We buy all unsalted nuts and seeds. That way we can control the amount of salt in the paleo granola recipe.
Paleo Granola Recipe
Here’s a nutty, crunchy, paleo granola recipe baked in coconut oil and sweetened with dates. Serve this sugar-free recipe as a snack or for breakfast.
Servings 14
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds raw pepitas
- 1 cup sunflower seeds unsalted, not in shells
- 1 cup shredded coconut unsweetened
- 1 cup sliced almonds unsalted
- 2 cups chopped pecans unsalted
- 20 pitted dates chopped finely
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- dash of sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325ºF . Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. 1 cup pumpkin seeds, 1 cup sunflower seeds, 1 cup shredded coconut, 1 cup sliced almonds, 2 cups chopped pecans, 20 pitted dates
- Melt the coconut oil and pour it in a small bowl. Add the cinnamon, vanilla and salt (if none of the nuts are salted, I recommend a dash of salt). Stir well. Pour the oil mixture over the dry mixture and stir to combine and evenly coat. ⅓ cup coconut oil, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 3 teaspoons vanilla, dash of sea salt
- Spread the granola on a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Use a spatula to stir the granola on the pan, then bake an additional 5 minutes.
- Allow the granola to cool completely, then store it in an airtight container. This recipe makes about 7 cups of granola. The gluten-free granola is delicious over yogurt and fresh fruit or as cereal with almond milk.
Notes
*If any of the nuts or seeds you buy are salted, you will not want to add additional salt. Add salt to taste if the ingredients are unsalted.
If you’re looking for something different to sweeten the granola, try raisins, dried cranberries, pure maple syrup or honey.
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 7 cups of granola, with 1 serving being ½ cup. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information.**
Nutrition
Calories: 423kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Sodium: 19mg | Potassium: 495mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 73mg | Iron: 2mg
How to Serve Granola
My favorite way to eat this healthy paleo granola recipe is to serve it with some cashew milk (our favorite milk alternative) and savor that cereal-like crunchiness. It’s a great paleo cereal substitute with some fresh berries.
We love this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Love it. It looks so different hope taste will be good.
Thanks for sharing.
Hi, I can’t wait to try this!
Just out of curiousity, how many servings can you make out of this recipe, roughly?
I made this yummy granola this morning! I added some honey to the coconut oil, and a few less dates, and it is delish! The perfect complement to my berry yogurt parfait! ????
This looks awesome! Is there something else I could use to sweeten it up instead of dates??
This is delicious. And very moorish! Not sure it’s even going to make it to breakfast time in this house!!
Thanks for the recipe.
How long will the granola last in an air tight container?
All sounds good, but useless without nutrition info
I made this granola this morning, only I changed a few things (because I detest dates lol). I had some homemade dehydrated apples, so I chopped those and used some along with some craisins. I also added chia seeds, and a few tablespoons of pure organic maple syrup to the melted coconut oil. It turned out so delicious!! I am ALL for cereal that doesn’t get soggy, on top of being uber good for you! Thanks for the recipe! =D
Dear Julie,
We ate various types of Musli that you can buy off the shelf but they were not satisfying. A friend sent us yours and it cost a bit to buy the goods but what a difference from the musli you buy. Nutritious, naturally sweetened with the fruits and easy to make and there’s plenty of ingredients left to make some more.
Thanks Kevin
Dear Julie, Thank you for your excellent article on ‘Paleo granola recipe’. Keep the great writing skill up. Your recipes are so good.Thanks again!
how long does this stay fresh?
i just made this granola and when i went back into my kitchen at the 20 minute mark, smoke was coming out of my oven vent and the granola was burning! i used the temperature suggested, should i adjust something? it isn’t inedible, but had i not caught it i would have wasted the entire batch! it seems like a fantastic recipe otherwise!
This granola totally looks like the greatest energy boost ever! I love all the different nuts and seeds you packed into it and dates totally make my world go round. 😉 I’d love a handful or 10 of this right about now! Pinned!
This look absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe. i’ll have to try this myself sometime soon!
The point of the Paleo diet is, and I feel some people forget this, to not only diet, but to eat delicious foods at the same time. It’s the only diet I’ve come across that cuts out food groups, yet still focusses on everyone’s need to eat great food.
I’m a real foodie, and would not survive on any other diet, but Paleo has been very good for me. I’ve written about one of my favourite cookbooks: http://cookbook-reviews.net/review-the-paleo-recipe-book/