The Best Gluten and Nut Free Granola Recipe

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The perfect combination of sweet and crunchy, this simple gluten and nut free granola recipe is a family favorite in our house. While making your own granola, may sound difficult, I promise this recipe comes together in minutes and requires just a few basic ingredients! 

This homemade nut-free granola recipe is one of our favorite recipes that will surely become one of your family favorites as well!

Why Make Your Own Granola?

We are big fans of making almost everything from scratch. But this is especially true when it comes to any cereal-type items. 

There are several reasons for this:

• Cereals, specifically oat-based products, tend to test very high for containing significant levels of glyphosate (a chemical known to cause cancer). Glyphosate, found in the weed killer Roundup, is sprayed directly on oats before harvest causing them to end up in many oat-based products. You can read more in this article.

• Most store-bought granola and cereals contain a laundry list of ingredients, many unnatural with added sugar. Making homemade granola is a great way to reduce added sugars or other unwanted ingredients.

• The price point, especially amongst the “better quality” cereal or granola products, can be expensive. Making your own is friendly on the budget!

With all of these reasons to avoid purchasing cereals or granola from the store, why make your own?
– It is quick and easy.
– You get to be in control of the ingredients that are used.
– Tons of money in savings for a higher quality product! 

What Type of Oats to Use?

When it comes to purchasing oats, this is a very important question. As I explained above, oats tend to be one of the highest glyphosate-containing foods. To avoid this cancer-causing chemical, it is important to purchase organic oats. 

Our favorite oats are the One Degree Organic Foods Gluten Free Sprouted Rolled Oats. These are not only organic but certified non-Glyphosate as well as certified gluten-free oats. You can find these online, or our favorite place to purchase them is at Costco.

What about steel cut vs. rolled vs. quick oats?

The difference between these types of oats is the amount of processing they go through. 

Steel-cut oats are the least processed and most closely resemble the harvested oat groat. Steel-cut oats are chopped into pieces by a large steel blade and the resulting product is coarse, nutty, and chewy. Using steel-cut oats will lead to a chewy granola texture.

Rolled oats, also known as old-fashioned oats, are oat groats that have been steamed and flattened. They are flatter and softer than steel-cut oats and cook much more quickly as they have already been partially cooked. 

Quick oats are taken one step beyond old-fashioned or rolled oats. After being steamed they are flattened even thinner making them even quicker to cook up.

For this nut free granola recipe, I prefer to use rolled oats. But quick oats could be used as well.

The Ingredients in Our Gluten and Nut Free Granola Recipe

After experimenting with many different granola recipes, this has become our favorite. I love it because the ingredients are basic, I almost always have them on hand, and it comes together quickly. That being said, there are some tweaks and adjustments you can make to make this the best granola recipe for you!

Oats

As I mentioned above, our favorite oats to use are rolled oats and we especially like certified gluten-free oats and sprouted rolled oats by the One Degree Organic Food Company. They are sprouted which makes for easier digestion and increased absorption of vitamins and minerals.

Egg Whites

When cooked, the egg whites in this recipe help give this granola that characteristic crunch. I am always looking for ways to use up extra egg white from using the yolks in making our homemade vanilla ice cream. This nut free granola recipe fits the bill!

Brown Sugar

While you could substitute honey or maple syrup in this recipe, we’ve found that using brown sugar gives this granola the best texture. The maple syrup or honey tended to lead to softer, less crunchy clusters while the brown sugar worked perfectly for this. Alternatively, you could substitute coconut sugar for brown sugar.

Coconut Oil

As opposed to most store-bought granolas that contain vegetable and seed oils—which tend to be rancid and high in polyunsaturated fatty acids—we prefer to use either coconut oil or butter as the fat in our granola.

Spices

Our favorite combination is salt and a good helping of cinnamon. However, you can feel free to get creative here and substitute whatever spices you like. Nutmeg or pumpkin spice would be delicious options!

Additional Add in’s

While we tend to keep our granola simple and only use the ingredients listed in the recipe, feel free to add whatever additional add-ins you would like! Some delicious options could include:

• Coconut chips
• Unsweetened coconut flakes
• Orange zest (or orange peel powder)
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sunflower seeds
• Sesame seeds, 
• Flax seeds
• Cacao nibs
• Chocolate chips
• Vanilla extract
• Dried fruit, including dried cranberries

Gluten and Nut Free Granola Recipe

Ingredients:

4 Cups Certified Gluten-Free Oats
1-2 Tbsp Cinnamon
½ tsp sea salt
½ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup melted coconut oil (or butter)
4 whipped egg whites

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 275°F.
2. Whip egg whites until frothy*
3. In a large bowl mix, dry ingredients (oats, cinnamon, salt, and brown sugar).
4. Add in melted coconut oil and whipped egg whites.
5. Stir until everything is combined.
6. Pour onto a rimmed baking sheet, spreading out into a thin layer.
7. Bake at 275°F for 30-35 minutes
8. If granola isn’t crunchy yet, check back every few minutes until desirable texture is achieved. If the top is starting to turn to a golden brown, bump the oven down to 200°F  until finished.

*To whip egg whites, remove from fridge at least an hour before whipping for best results. I whip thoroughly with a whisk until foamy—it doesn’t need to be perfect.

Shelf Life of Homemade Granola

Let the granola cool, and then store it in an airtight container for up to four weeks at room temperature. We store ours in quart-sized mason jars in our pantry.

How to Serve

If you are a bowl of cereal and milk person, this granola replaces cereal perfectly with a big ole’ bowl of milk. My favorite is to sprinkle some over a bowl of yogurt. Some other combos to try are serving granola with fresh fruit on yogurt or in a smoothie bowl. This homemade granola also makes a great grab-and-go snack option!

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For more of our favorite breakfast recipes:

Blender Banana Oat Muffins
Easy Blueberry Buckwheat Muffins
Simple Gluten Free Butternut Squash Muffins
Apple Sweet Potato Hash with Greens and Sausage
Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Scones with Banana (Gluten Free)

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