A simple crunchy granola made with rolled oats, nuts and seeds, coated in a delicious blend of tahini and maple syrup and baked to perfection! Finished off with chewy dried cranberries for a pop of extra sweetness. This recipe is wheat free, dairy free and vegan.
I used to make granola ALL the time and then it kind of fell off the radar. Do you go through phases of making things and then totally forgetting about them?
That was me and granola. But now Crunchy Maple Tahini Granola is now stocked back up in a big jar in our kitchen, and I am feeling a bit more excited for breakfast again!
One of the best things about baking granola is that you get so much out of doing SO little. Stir a few things in a bowl, spread it out on a tray, there’s no need to sift, roll or shape or do anything fiddly. Delicious breakfasts for days.
Adding that pinch of cinnamon and a splash of vanilla not only elevates the flavour of the granola, it’s totally also worth it for that “I’m baking something ah-mazing” house smell! It’s wonderful and makes you feel cosy and accomplished (even if the rest of the house is chaos).
What kind of tahini do you use for granola?
I recommend using hulled tahini for this granola. Hulled tahini is made with sesame seeds that have had the outer shell of the seed (the kernel) removed. It is paler in colour and has a more creamy sweet flavour compared to unhulled.
Most tahini sold in the shops is hulled – if the tahini you get is not clearly labelled hulled or unhulled, it’s most likely it is hulled. This is pretty much the standard. Unhulled is more difficult to find.
You could use unhulled tahini in this recipe if you really prefer it, but I can’t guarantee the recipe will taste as it’s intended! It may be more bitter.
What nuts and seeds can I use in granola?
For the granola pictured, I used pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, roughly chopped raw cashews and slivered almonds. I am obsessed with the pumpkin seed + sesame seed combo and basically use those seeds together on everything!
- Seeds you could use: pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds, even some buckwheat groats. What I would suggest though is not to only use tiny seeds like chia, sesame and hemp. The texture of the granola will be a little off. I recommend mixing it up and using some more chunky items like pumpkin, sunflower and/or buckwheat groats to achieve a great texture.
- Nuts you could use: just about any raw, unsalted nuts will work well! Almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, Brazil nuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts…they’ll all be delicious in there. Chop up the larger nuts roughly so they bake evenly with the other ingredients.
Cooking Tips and Other Substitutions
- Make sure you don’t overheat your oven and burn the granola! Keep an eye on it, especially after you add the coconut flakes as they can burn really easily. If it’s looking toasty and golden brown, take it out, your oven might run a little warmer and the granola may need a little less time.
- Granola is a bit of a “clean out your pantry” kinda thing so try to make use of what you have. As I’ve explained above, lots of different nuts and seeds will work in this granola!
- You can swap the maple syrup for honey, date syrup, rice malt syrup or coconut syrup.
If you make my Maple Tahini Granola, let me know! Comment below or take a picture and tag me on Instagram, I really love hearing from you.
More Delicious Breakfast Recipes
Maple Tahini Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats (you can use gluten free rolled oats if available where you are)
- 3/4 cup mixed seeds – I used pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds in the granola pictured
- 3/4 cup chopped nuts – I used slivered almonds and chopped cashews in the granola pictured
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/3 cup tahini – hulled
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 160C (320F). Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
- Combine oats, seeds, nuts and cinnamon in a large bowl. Leave the coconut and cranberries aside for now.
- Whisk together the tahini, maple syrup, coconut oil and vanilla. If these ingredients are hard to stir together, warm them gently over the stove (in a saucepan) or in the microwave (in a heat safe bowl).
- Stir the tahini mixture and the oat mixture together so the dry ingredients are well coated.
- Spread the granola out evenly across the lined baking tray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the mixture is starting to brown at the edges. Remove tray from oven and toss in the coconut flakes. Bake for a further 12-15 minutes, tossing the granola once or twice, until the mixture is golden brown (keep an eye on coconut flakes for signs of burning, they crisp up quickly – stirring/tossing the mixture helps).
- Allow the mixture to cool and harden. Toss in the cranberries. Store in an airtight container at room temperature, the granola should last 2-3 weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
My family love this recipe. Can you tell me how many grams per 1 serving please?
This granola is amazing! I’m baking my second batch as I type this. No subs, just used oats, pumpkin seeds, cashews, pecans, maple syrup, coconut oil, coconut flakes, cranberries, and tahini. Only addition to your recipe was a pinch of flaky sea salt out of the oven. Will make this again and again. Thank you!
This granola is the best I have ever tasted. Perhaps it is the addition of tahini that makes it so special. It has a perfect crunch and I’m completely addicted!
I didn’t use coconut or cranberries as i didn’t have any. I used sunflower & pumpkin seeds, almonds, walnuts and brazil nuts. AMAZING !!!!