Crunchy Grain Free Granola with Strawberries {Paleo, Vegan}

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This crunchy grain free granola is packed with toasty sweet clusters and freeze dried strawberries for a breakfast or snack that you won’t believe is actually good for you! It’s paleo, vegan, free of refined sugar and family approved!

I’m not sure why it’s taken me this long to make grain free granola – because now it’s just about my favorite thing ever. I’m obsessed. At least for this week, that is!

But seriously, this stuff is GOOD and also really easy to make. So easy, that you’ll probably start making it regularly, and then realize at some point that it’s all you’re ever snacking on!

Yup, that’s what happened to me – don’t say I didn’t warn you!

I made this grain free granola with super simple ingredients – nuts (3 kinds), unsweetened coconut flakes, a little flaxseed, maple syrup and coconut oil. A little bit of cinnamon and salt for flavor, too.

And oh! The strawberries! I almost forgot…I bought these freeze dried strawberries months ago with the intention of making this exact recipe.

And what happened? Well, my kids AND Adam begged me to just use them already (since they wanted to eat them, of course), but for some reason the time just never felt right.

There’s no rhyme or reason to my recipes sometimes, I often just make what I feel like making on that particular day.

Finally, I’m not sure why, it felt like the right time to make the grain free granola I’d been planning to try out since February, I think.

At first I honestly didn’t know what to do with the freeze dried strawberries. Do they go in the oven with the granola?

No. Big fat NO on that one – they’ll burn and it won’t be pretty. So definitely don’t make that mistake!

I’ve always been someone who loved fruit in my cereal – especially dried fruit (hello Raisin Bran Crunch! And Basic 4!) but no, I don’t eat cereal anymore, of course.

Anyhow, with old cereal cravings in mind, I knew I needed some crunchy fruit in my crunchy granola (yes, it really is crunchy!) so the freeze dried strawberries made the perfect mix-in after the granola was done cooling.

Just add almond milk, and WHOA! This was just like old times with my fave cereals – almost TOO much like old times, if you know what I mean. I definitely felt that sweet/crunchy craving kick in and it was pretty tough to stop eating it – just being honest!

After completely cooling (and sneaking several bites, or perhaps having a big ‘ol bowl of it like I did) you can store this grain free granola in an air tight container for up to a month – or so I believe – mine only lasted a week, sadly!

However, it DID stay deliciously crunchy all week, so I think we’re all good in the crunch department. I hope you’re ready to make this insanely delicious, downright addicting grain free granola! Let’s get started!

Crunchy Grain Free Granola with Strawberries {Paleo, Vegan}

Author: Michele RosenPrep Time: 10 minutesCook Time: 25 minutesCooling Time: 25 minsTotal Time: 35 minutesCourse:Breakfast, SnackCuisine:Paleo, VeganServings: 14 servingsPrint this RecipeDid you make this recipe?Leave a review4.75 from 20 votes

Ingredients

1cupraw almonds1cupraw pecans1cupraw cashews2Tbspground flaxseed1 1/2cupsunsweetened coconut flakes2Tbsporganic refined coconut oilmelted1/4cup + 1 Tbsppure maple syrupor raw honey (for non-vegan), or a combination1tspground cinnamon1/4-1/2tspsea saltdepending on your tastes1cupfreeze-dried strawberriescrushed if desired

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees and place an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.You can either roughly chop all the nuts by hand, OR, pulse them in a food processor until you have a roughly chopped texture – some smaller and larger pieces are fine.

Place chopped nuts in a large mixing bowl and add the flaxseed, coconut flakes, cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine, then whisk together the coconut oil and maple syrup or honey in a small bowl, and pour over the dry mixture. Stir well to fully combine. The granola should form “clusters” as you mix it – these are good!

Spread the granola in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, then bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove, and use a silicone spatula to gently stir/turn over the granola (like you’d do for roasted veggies!) Return to the oven and bake for another 10-12 minutes, or until granola appears golden brown. Don’t worry if it seems soft, as it will crisp up a lot while cooling!Place the entire baking sheet on a cooling rack and allow granola to cool for about 25-30 minutes, then stir in the freeze dried strawberries.Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 270kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 5gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 47mgPotassium: 265mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 5IUVitamin C: 25mgCalcium: 50mgIron: 2mg