How to Make Vegan, Wheat-free, Sugar-free Granola

Homemade granola is a flavorful and healthy snack. However, much of the granola available on the shelves is anything but. Often riddled with refined sugars and high fructose corn syrup, the healthful qualities of granola can be stripped away. Vegan granola is free of animal-based products, such as milk or yogurt, meaning that it will keep longer than other recipes. If you have a gluten sensitivity, you can create granola free of wheat and added sugars using inexpensive ingredients at home. Add this to my Recipe Box.

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2

Combine gluten-free oats and other dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. While many granola recipes call for wheat germ, this contains gluten. Instead, substitute ground flax seed. Add in ingredients to taste, such as almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds or cashews. You could also sprinkle in seasonings such as cinnamon, sea salt or allspice.

3

Pour in binding agent. Vegan, gluten-free options are agave nectar, hemp seed oil, safflower oil, maple syrup or even olive oil. Agave nectar and maple syrup do contain natural sugars, but they are lower on the glycemic index. You can also add in nut butters, such as peanut or macadamia. Play around with flavor profiles until you find the right combination for you. Combine well with a wooden spoon until the granola starts to clump.

4

Spoon the granola onto the baking sheet and smooth into an even layer on the sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, checking and stirring the granola at various intervals to cook evenly. After 20 minutes, add in any dried fruit that you want to use to naturally sweeten the mix.

5

Let cool before storing in an air-tight container. Serve with soy yogurt or non-dairy milk for breakfast or a light snack.