A healthy homemade granola that’s gluten-free and vegan. This extra clumpy granola use chickpea flour or oat flour to get the large clusters of granola. Naturally sweetened with maple syrup.

The name of this recipe says it all. The size of the clusters is ridiculous! This recipe is a delicious mashup of a modified version of Lindsey’s (Dolly and Oatmeal) Extra Clumpy Granola in her cookbook Chickpea Flour Does It All and Laura’s (The First Mess) technique for Mega Clump Granola in her cookbook The First Mess. The combination of puffed brown rice, oats, and variety of nuts and seeds come together with a mixture of cashew butter, coconut oil and maple syrup. Cinnamon and nutmeg give this granola a warm flavor, that when combined with the maple syrup and lucuma powder create a flavor reminiscent of your childhood Teddy Grahams.

But let’s talk about those clusters. The magic happens thanks to chickpea flour which has unique binding properties and is full of protein. The granola bakes up firm in a flat sheet like a granola bar until you break it into the size of clumps your heart desires. It’s the ultimate extra clumpy granola.

The blood orange yogurt bowl really requires so no recipe. It’s simply plain yogurt (dairy-free if preferred), blood orange segments and about 1/4 cup of the extra clumpy granola. The creamy yogurt together with the bright citrus and crunchy clusters is a winning combination in my opinion. I hope you give it a go!

IS GRANOLA HEALTHY?

Granola often gets a bad rap because it is typically calorically dense and coated in refined oil and sugar. Calorically dense foods aren’t a problem when they are also nutrient dense and when portion sizes are kept in check. In granola, the nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and oil (depending on the oil used) can all be great sources of nutrients and fuel. The problem arises when sugar is one of the main ingredients and the amount makes this “healthy” breakfast food comparable to a bowl of frosted flakes. Plus, it’s the sugar coated crunch of your typical store-bought granola keeps you reaching back for more until next thing you know you’ve eaten the entire bag in one sitting. Sound familiar? I know I’ve been there!

While the number of health-conscious brands is on the rise and lower-sugar granola options are becoming more widely available, there are still benefits of making your own.

BEnefits of making your own granola:

    1. You have control of the ingredients based on your preference or dietary needs
    2. It can be less expensive, especially if you’re using up leftover pantry ingredients
    3. It makes your house smell fabulous!

I know time is a huge factor, so if you’re already batch cooking, homemade granola could easily fit into the mix.

But I feel you. There are some weeks when I couldn’t imagine adding another item to the to-do list, let alone make granola. For those weeks, here are some of my favorite granolas on the market based on the ingredients, sugar content (less than 5 grams per 1/4 cup), and overall nutritional value: Purely Elizabeth Probiotic GranolaPurely Elizabeth Grain-Free Granola, One Degree Organics Sprouted Oat Granola, 18 Rabbits Granola, Kitchfix Grain-free Granola, Paleonola Granola.

So is granola healthy? It can be. My biggest recommendation is to decide what is most important to you, whether it be sugar content, ingredients, dietary needs, taste, etc. and then make an informed decision you feel good about. Then just be mindful of portion sizes and what your body needs.

Blood Orange Granola Bowl:

    • 1/2 to 1 cup of plain yogurt (dairy-free if preferred)
    • 1 segmented blood orange or another citrus
    • 1/4 cup extra clumpy granola

Recipe Notes:

Feel free to use any combination of nuts or seeds, just keep the amounts the same. I have not tried using another flour besides chickpea flour so I’m not sure how it would work. If you try another flour me know how it goes.

You could easily swap another nut butter for the cashew butter or just use all coconut oil. I’m sure almond butter would be just delicious!

If you make this extra clumpy granola be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe below. I’d love to hear from you, and it encourages others to make the recipe too.

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Extra Clumpy Granola

A healthy homemade granola that’s gluten-free and vegan. This extra clumpy granola use chickpea flour or oat flour to get the large clusters of granola. Naturally sweetened with maple syrup.

  • Author: Jessica Bippen
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 40 min
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 2 cups 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/2 cup puffed brown rice
  • 1 cup oats
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1/2 cup chickpea flour or oat flour
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/4 cup sunflower seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons cashew butter or other nut butter
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon lucuma powder (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a small sauce pan, melt the cashew butter and coconut oil; mixing occasionally. Once melted, add the maple syrup. Pour this mixture over the dry ingredients. Using a spatula work the wet ingredients into the dry. It may not seem like it will all come together, but keep mixing. Pour the mixture on to the baking tray. Flatten out evenly, making it really compact, like you are pressing down granola bars; about 1/2 inch thick.

Place in the oven for 40 minutes, rotating the pan half way through. I recommend checking after 35 minutes since all ovens are different and you don’t want the granola to burn. Let the granola sit until completely cool before breaking the pieces into clusters. Store in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.

Notes

*If you don’t have lucuma just leave it out. It just enhances the maple flavor.

This recipe is an adapted mashup of Lindsey’s (Dolly and Oatmeal) granola recipe from her fabulous cookbook Chickpea Flour Does It All and the technique from Laura’s (The First Mess) Mega Clump Granola from her cookbook The First Mess Cookbook.