Within the past two years, my brother became lactose-intolerant. It took our whole family by surprise. He grew up eating cereal, grilled cheese, parmesan pasta, quesadillas, yogurt, ice cream—you name it.
He took the news very well and quickly adapted his eating habits. At his apartment, he tries his best to avoid as much dairy as possible, and he always carries special pills that help him digest lactose in case our family starts really craving pizza or lasagna.
The biggest adjustment he made was with breakfast. He still shakes out a big bowl of cereal nearly every day, but now, he prefers to pour in almond milk. It’s his favorite of the non-dairy alternatives, so when we both visited home for the holidays, my parents made sure to stock up on a few half gallons for him.
So I thought it’d be fun to create a new cereal he could enjoy in the mornings, in addition to his typical corn flakes. This crunchy Blueberry Maple Almond Granola was the result. It’s full of clusters and perfect for pairing with his almond milk!
When it comes to granola, I always use two types of cereal: old-fashioned oats and crisp rice cereal. The crisp rice cereal adds a lot of crunch without the extra fat and calories of oil. It’s my secret weapon, and I use it in all of my granola recipes!
Holding the cereal together is a mixture of Silk light original almondmilk, coconut oil, and maple syrup. Yes, there’s almond milk in the granola too! It adds a subtle nuttiness, while the maple syrup gives the granola a hint of sweetness. It isn’t overpowering or incredibly sugary—it’s meant to be a healthy breakfast!
Note: If you wanted to increase the almond flavor, try adding chopped almonds along with the dried blueberries.
For the biggest, crunchiest clusters, it’s really important to gently stir the granola while baking. Just move it around the pan a little with a spoon. The more you jostle the granola, the great the chances of the clusters falling apart. I prefer to barely move it around, only enough to prevent the clusters from burning, and then break apart any overly large clusters after it cools with my hands. Then finish it off with a shower of sweet dried blueberries!
Supremely simple, this Blueberry Maple Almond Granola tastes so satisfying doused in almond milk for breakfast or munched on by the handful as a snack. Since I’m a granola addict—I basically inhale the stuff—you know it won’t last long here!
| Blueberry Maple Almond Granola | | Print |
- 2 c (53g) crisp rice cereal (gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 ½ c (150g) old-fashioned oats (gluten-free if necessary)
- 1 tsp (4g) coconut oil, melted
- ½ c (120mL) Silk Light Original Almondmilk, room temperature
- 3 tbsp (45mL) maple syrup, room temperature
- ⅓ c (53g) dried blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and lightly coat a 9”-square pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the rice cereal and oats. In a separate bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, almondmilk, and maple syrup. Pour the almondmilk mixture over the cereal mixture, and stir until all of the cereal is coated.
- Spread the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Gently stir with a spatula to break up the granola. Continue to bake for another 15 minutes, and stir again. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until the granola has reached the desired level of crunchiness. Cool completely in the pan before adding in the dried blueberries.
{gluten-free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, low calorie}
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*This conversation is sponsored by Silk. As always, the opinions, text, photographs, and recipe are all mine.
I love that your brother adapted well, people think it’s the end of the world when things need to be cut from their diets, but really it’s an opportunity to be creative!! Or at least that’s how I see it. HA. This looks yummmmmmy.
Brittany, I always love your positive and upbeat attitude! I wish you lived closer!!!
This looks so good Amy! I need more granola in my life. I bet this would taste really good with almond milk. yum!
Thanks Karen!
It’s crazy to me how our bodies can adapt different intolerances or allergies throughout life! When I was pregnant I became completely lactose intolerant and now I’m not! But I totally lived on almond milk and I’m still hooked to it. You are so sweet to make your brother a delicious breakfast treat and wow it sounds good!! Every time I read your blog I’m so impressed by how generous and giving you are with everything you bake – you are so sweet Amy! Your neighbors, friends, and family are very lucky people with all your delicious baking!
Thank you so much for your sweet words Chelsea! I’m really touched. 🙂 Both my mom and my brother have had allergies induced by stress when they were in college, but they’re completely fine with those foods now. (Like soy and lettuce.) So I can definitely see how pregnancy would do that!
I love that you made this with simple wholesome ingredients and almond milk for your brother! I’d take a big handful of this for my breakfast any day! What a creative way to use Silk:)
Thanks Sarah!
Can you use butter instead of coconut oil? I just think coconut oil is too expensive!
Yes, butter is fine! I can’t wait to hear what you think of this granola Whitney!
Looks delicious!! 🙂
Thanks bud! 🙂
This granola sounds amazing!! I recently ran out of my homemade granola (my mom ate it all!) and need to make some more…this recipe looks perfect! Pinned 🙂
Thanks for your sweet comment and Rachel! I remember your granola from the beginning of last month. If that was what your mom finished off, I can’t blame her — it looked incredible!
That is so sweet that you made this granola for your brother! It looks absolutely amazing! The big clusters are my favorite and I love the blueberry and maple combo! My husband is lactose intolerant too and he loves Silk Almond milk too!
Thanks Kelly! Big clusters are the best. If I’m eating granola by the handful, I always save them for last!