Crunchy Applesauce Granola
Oil-free granola made with applesauce, toasted nuts, and warm cinnamon. Big crunchy clusters, naturally sweetened, and keeps for weeks.
Servings 6 cups
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup mixed nuts, chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts
- ½ cup sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Wet Ingredients
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons tahini or almond butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Optional Add-Ins (after cooling)
- ½ cup dried cranberries or raisins add after cooling
- ½ cup coconut flakes add in last 10 min of baking
Instructions
Make the Granola
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, chopped nuts, sunflower seeds, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well.
- In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the applesauce, maple syrup, and tahini. Whisk until smooth and just starting to simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the warm wet mixture over the oat mixture. Stir with a spatula until everything is evenly coated.
- Spread the granola onto the prepared baking sheet in an even layer. Press down firmly with the back of the spatula to compact the mixture.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then remove from the oven, stir, and press the granola back down flat. Return to the oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from the oven and let cool completely on the pan without stirring, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. The granola will crisp as it cools.
- Once completely cool, break into clusters. Stir in dried fruit if using. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Oil-free: This granola uses applesauce and tahini as binding agents instead of oil. Same crunch, much less fat.
- Clusters: Press the granola down firmly before baking, stir only once, and don't touch it while it cools. That's the formula for big clusters.
- Nut-free: Replace all nuts with extra seeds (sunflower, pumpkin, hemp). Use sunflower seed butter instead of tahini.
- Sweetness: Reduce maple syrup to 1 tablespoon for a less sweet granola. The applesauce provides enough natural sweetness for most tastes.
- Storage: Keeps 2-3 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature, or up to 3 months in the freezer.