Low-sugar granola
- Portion size: Makes about 900g
- Hands-on time 10min, oven time 15 min
- Difficulty: easy
While most shop-bought granolas are alarmingly high in sugar, our granola recipe is lower in sugar and made with coconut oil, coconut flakes, mixed fruits, nuts and seeds. We’ve used natural sources of unrefined sugar – maple syrup and dried fruit – to produce a crunchy granola that’s full of flavour without being sickly sweet. In fact, we managed to reduce the amount of sugar by 83 per cent. We also used low-GI ingredients such as mixed grains, nuts and seeds, which help to keep blood sugar levels stable.
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp coconut oil
- 500g mixed rolled grains, such as oats and rye
- 100g coconut flakes (see Know-how)
- 100g dried fruit, cut into smaller pieces if large (we used dried cranberries and apricots)
- 100g mixed nuts, roughly chopped (we used almonds and hazelnuts)
- 100g mixed seeds (we used pumpkin and sunflower)
- 2-3 tbsp pure maple syrup, or to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Method
- Heat the oven to 170ºC/fan150ºC/gas 3½. In a small saucepan, gently warm the coconut oil until it melts to an even pouring consistency. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the maple syrup and vanilla to the melted coconut oil and stir well.
- Pour the coconut oil mixture over the dry ingredients, then work well with your Hands, lifting and mixing until all ingredients are covered in a light sheen. Taste and add more maple syrup if needed.
- Line 4 baking sheets with baking paper, then divide the granola among them in a single layer (or use two baking sheets and work in batches). It’s important the granola isn’t too crowded when it goes into the oven.
- Bake for 15 minutes, giving the granola a gentle stir halfway through. Keep an eye on it from around the 10 minute mark to prevent burning.
- Remove the baking sheets from the oven and set aside for the granola to cool completely. Transfer to an airtight container, ready to sprinkle over yogurt or poached fruit.
FAQs
Granola is a crisp wholegrain cereal based on oats. It’s slightly sweetened with honey, sugar or maple syrup and usually contains nuts and dried fruit. Muesli, on the other hand, is often unsweetened and not baked, so it has a softer texture.
Oats provide slow-release energy to keep you feeling full and satisfied for longer.
Nutrition
- 106kcals Calories
- 5.8g (2.3g saturated) Fat
- 2.9g Protein
- 10.7g (1.3g sugars) Carbs
- 1.8g Fibre
- 0g Salt
Traditional version (per 25g): 111kcals, 4.4g fat (1.7g saturated) 2.3g protein, 14.7g carbs (7.9g sugars), no salt, 1.9g fibre
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