Naturally Sweetened Homemade Granola
Naturally sweetened with apple juice and maple syrup, this granola has lots of nuts and an ample portion of dried fruit. Allow 25 minutes to bake--stirring every 10 minutes. Makes about 15 cups granola. Recipe can easily be cut in half.
Servings: 15 servings
Calories: 538kcal
Ingredients
- 9 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup walnuts , chopped
- 1 cup almonds , chopped
- 1 cup cashews , chopped
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, optional
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ cups apple juice
- ½ cup melted coconut oil or avocado oil
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups raisins or other dried fruit
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° F. Toss the rolled oats, nuts, coconut and cinnamon in a large bowl. In another bowl stir together the apple juice, coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla. (Set aside the dried fruit to stir into the warm granola from the oven.) Pour the wet mixture into the oats and nuts. Stir and toss until everything is well mixed and evenly coated.
- Spread into two 12 x 16-inch baking sheets--about one quarter of the mixture in each pan, about ½-inch deep. You'll need to bake in two batches unless your oven will hold a full (18 x 26-inch) baking sheet.
- Bake 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes so the the granola browns evenly. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the raisins.
- Cool. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
I recommend baking until the oats are decently golden brown—beyond the anemic color of store-bought granola.
Nutrition
Calories: 538kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 553mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 4mg