Last month, after six straight recipes failed on me, including two that I trust and bake all the time, I realized I didn’t just have a streak of bad luck… My oven had broken, and I needed a new one. ASAP.
How else would I be able to continue creating new recipes to share with you??
That evening, I called my dad, the king of researching almost every topic under the sun, and we talked about the size, brand, and features of the best ovens for baking. He helped me pick out the exact model that would work best for my recipe testing, so the next day, I drove to Home Depot to pick it out.
However…
After walking around the kitchen appliance section of the store, I couldn’t find it. I checked every oven on the floor, and when I finally asked an employee for help, she pulled up the inventory on a computer screen.
After clicking around for a few moments, she replied that not a single Home Depot in the San Diego area stocked that particular oven model… It was a special order. And the nearest store with it on display was over a hundred miles away.
From the parking lot, I called my mom, who had checked in with me before I left on my oven purchasing adventure. Upon hearing the news, she typed a few things into Google and eventually found a local place in my neighborhood that supposedly featured the exact model I wanted in their showroom.
I quickly drove there, a little hesitant about that coincidence feeling too good to be true, but within ten seconds of walking through the doors, a kind gentleman greeted me and showed me the beautiful convection oven I wanted, prominently on display in the wall of their massive showroom. Within fifteen minutes, I had paid for the oven, signed all of the paperwork, and scheduled its installation for the end of the week.
What a huge relief!!
So when my parents drove down to visit a couple of weekends later, I baked a batch of this Healthy Almond Butter Granola for them as a thank you for helping me find the perfect oven! They’re both trying to cut back on sweets, and since they go through jars of almond butter faster than I can blink, I thought using it in this healthy breakfast granola would be absolutely perfect for them—especially because Dad often eats a bowl of granola right before one of his weekend hikes!
This healthy almond butter granola is full of big crunchy clusters (even though it contains no butter, oil or refined sugar!), all thanks to my secret ingredient and special baking trick. Plus it has just 122 calories in each serving!
And because I can polish off a batch of granola even faster than my parents finish off a jar of almond butter… Maybe I should bake a double batch next time… One for me and one to share!
So let’s go over how to make this healthy almond butter granola!
To make your life as easy as possible, you just need one bowl for this healthy granola recipe. Fewer dishes to wash always make me one happy girl! And in that bowl, you’ll whisk together the secret ingredient…
Egg whites! That’s right. This healthy almond butter granola includes no oil or butter. Instead, the egg whites bind together the rest of the ingredients to create big crunchy clusters. They also give your healthy granola a protein boost!
Now… Let me guess what you’re thinking…
“Amy, are you crazy? Won’t I end up with cooked scrambled-egg-like bits in my granola??”
The answer is no! You don’t end up with bits of cooked egg in your granola. When you add an egg to the cookie dough to make your favorite chocolate chip cookies, you don’t end up with cooked scrambled-egg-like bits in your fully baked cookies, right? The same thing is true here! You’ll thoroughly whisk those egg whites with the other ingredients, so you don’t end up with bits of cooked egg. It just binds together the rest of the ingredients to make big crunchy granola clusters!
And speaking of those other basic ingredients…
You’ll stir in some creamy almond butter next! This is my homemade creamy almond butter recipe. It’s really simple to make! You just need 10 minutes and a blender. That’s it! It turns out so smooth and velvety, and although I may be biased, I think it tastes even better than most store-bought jars.
Tip: If you’re running short on time and prefer to use store-bought creamy almond butter, that’s okay! I won’t hold it against you. Just make sure it’s the natural drippy-style kind that only includes almonds and salt!
Then you’ll stir in a bit of pure maple syrup to sweeten your healthy almond butter granola. No refined granulated sugar here! Remember, you want the pure maple syrup that comes directly from maple trees, not pancake syrup. The only ingredient on the label should be “maple syrup,” and it generally comes in thin glass bottles or squat plastic jugs (like this!).
Time to add the cereals! Yes, plural. You’re using two in your healthy almond butter granola! Those two cereals are old-fashioned rolled oats and crisp brown rice cereal. While you probably predicted the first one, I’m guessing you might think I’ve lost my marbles again for including the second one…
“Really Amy? You’re telling me to make homemade granola with rice krispies???”
Almost! I’m telling you to make healthy homemade granola with rice cereal… Specifically brown rice cereal, like this. Rice krispies cereal contains white rice, granulated sugar, salt, and 11 more ingredients. The brown rice cereal that I use contains organic brown rice, organic brown rice syrup, and salt. Much healthier—and far fewer ingredients!
The oats provide that classic hearty texture to your homemade granola. The brown rice cereal actually helps create an even crunchier texture in your healthy almond butter granola clusters, without using butter or oil. So by using both, you get even more crunchiness for far fewer calories. Healthy, low calorie homemade granola is definitely something I can get behind!
Now that you’ve mixed together your ingredients, it’s time for the special baking trick. I actually picked this up from my friend Phi’s cookbook. It’s totally brilliant, and I’ve been using it to make all of my homemade granola recipes ever since!
Ready?
Instead of using a standard cake pan, you’ll bake your healthy homemade almond butter granola on a jelly roll pan (aka a really big rimmed baking sheet) lined with a silicone baking mat.
Why does this make a difference?
There’s more surface area on the jelly roll pan compared to a standard cake pan. (That’s a fancy way of saying there’s more room for your granola, so you can spread it out in a much thinner layer!)
When your granola mixture is in a thicker layer, it steams and takes longer to bake, so you have to stir it a lot more to ensure it bakes evenly. More steam = a less crunchy texture. More stirring = fewer big clusters. Because you’re moving around the granola a lot more when you stir, it breaks up those clusters into itty bitty pieces, and they don’t turn out as crunchy. Not good.
But if you use a jelly roll pan to make your healthy homemade granola, you only have to stir once or twice. Your granola also bakes faster. So you end up with really big crunchy clusters (because of minimal stirring!) in your healthy almond butter granola, and you don’t have to wait as long to eat it. That’s definitely a win-win in my book!
One last thing! I also added sliced almonds to my batch of healthy homemade almond butter granola. Because they’re so thin, I waited to add them until the last few minutes of baking. If you add them at the beginning, they might burn… But if you wait until the end, you end up with nicely toasted almonds in your healthy homemade almond butter granola. Yum!
Then you’ll let your healthy homemade granola cool completely on the jelly roll pan. This allows the heat from the pan to turn your granola clusters even crunchier… Giving them the absolute perfect texture!
Now all that’s left to do is decide… Will you eat yours with milk? Mixed with Greek yogurt? Or plain, by the handful, straight from the pan? (Hint: There’s no wrong answer!)
And when you make your own, remember to snap a picture and share it on Instagram using #amyshealthybaking and tagging @amyshealthybaking IN the photo itself! (That guarantees I’ll see your picture! ????) I’d love to see your healthy almond butter granola!
| Healthy Almond Butter Granola | | Print |
- 2 large egg whites
- 2 tbsp (32g) homemade creamy almond butter
- 3 tbsp (45mL) pure maple syrup
- 2 cups (60g) crisp brown rice cereal
- 1 ½ cups (150g) old-fashioned oats (gluten-free, if necessary)
- 2 tbsp (14g) sliced almonds (see Notes!)
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a large rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (highly recommended!) or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites until the egg whites are broken up and slightly bubbly. Stir in the almond butter until fully incorporated. Stir in the maple syrup. Pour in the brown rice cereal and oats, and gently stir with a spatula until both cereals are evenly coated.
- Spread the mixture evenly onto the prepared pan. Bake at 325°F for 20 minutes. Gently stir and move the clusters around the pan to break up the granola and prevent the bits closest to the edge from burning. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, then gently stir again. Sprinkle the sliced almonds on top.* Bake for an additional 4-7 minutes (for a total of 34-37 minutes), or until the granola is golden and crunchy. Cool the granola completely to room temperature on the pan before transferring to an airtight container.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
Quick cooking oats (also called “instant” or “one-minute” oats) may be substituted for the old-fashioned oats. I don’t recommend substituting steel cut oats.
Regular crisp rice cereal (i.e. Rice Krispies) may be substituted in place of the brown rice cereal.
These are the sliced almonds I used! Only add the sliced almonds to your granola towards the end of baking if they’re “natural” or raw. If you’re using sliced almonds that have already been toasted, they may end up burning in the oven—so add them AFTER the granola has finished baking instead!
You do NOT end up with bits of egg in your granola! It’s just like when you put eggs in cookie dough. You don’t end up with chunks of scrambled cooked eggs in your cookies, right? Same thing here! You thoroughly mix together the ingredients so you’ll never see bits of cooked egg in your granola. I promise!
The brown rice cereal adds a big crunch to your granola clusters without any extra oil or butter. It’s such a great trick, and I use it in all of my granola recipes! (If you check the ingredients in your favorite store-bought granola cereals, I bet some of them use rice cereal as well!)
If your granola turns a really deep dark brown while baking, that’s totally okay! From my granola baking experience, liquid sweeteners (like pure maple syrup!) tend to caramelize and turn a much deeper shade of brown than granulated sweeteners. As long as it isn’t black and burnt, it should be just fine!
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
View Nutrition Information + Weight Watchers Points
You may also like Amy’s other recipes…
♡ Healthy Vanilla Almond Granola
♡ Healthy Maple Pecan Granola
♡ Healthy 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker Granola
♡ Healthy 5-Ingredient Trail Mix Granola
♡ Healthy Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Granola
♡ …and the rest of Amy’s healthy granola recipes!
YUM! Confession: I’ve eaten the exact same breakfast EVERY day for months and months now… 2 Van’s GF Original Waffles toasted with nut butter + maybe some sliced strawberries or bananas if I have time. It NEVER gets old for me!! I’ve turned into my father, who eats the exact same breakfast of grapefruit + a bagel + cream cheese EVERY day of his life, to this day! Anyways, I’ve been on an almond butter kick for the last month or so after a few months of PB, so this granola sounds AMAZING. Especially with those crunchy clusters! Yesss! <3
I love the sound of those waffles! Especially with the combo of nut butter + fruit. That must taste amazing — I don’t blame you for eating that every day! And yet another pea moment… I’ve gone through multiple phases of my life where I’ve eaten the same thing for months, if not years!! 😉 I wish I still had some of this granola left over to give you! Is it sweet pea diet approved???
I LOVE this recipe!! I am so happy to find a good and simple granola recipe low in fat and sugars. Can’t wait for more if it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this granola Brie! That means so much to me — thanks for taking the time to let me know! 🙂
If I want to leave out the rice cereal,
Can I just replace with oats?
I really appreciate your interest in my recipe Julie! Yes, you can replace the rice cereal with more oats, but the texture and baking time may be different. I’d love to hear what you think if you end up trying that! 🙂
looks sooooo good!!!
can i substitute the rice cereal with plain rice puffs?
Yes, I think that should work! I can’t wait to hear what you think of this granola if you try making it, Nuphar! 🙂
Thanks for the recipe! What, if anything, can be substituted for egg whites to make vegan? Flax egg?
Thanks!
I’m honored that you’d like to try making this recipe, Danielle! I haven’t tried converting this recipe to be vegan, so I’m not personally sure. However, I’ve had other readers tell me that flax eggs have worked in my granola recipes as an egg replacer, so it’s probably worth trying! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this granola if you do end up making it!
The crispy rice cereal you use in the recipe is not available through Amazon and it is uncertain as to when it will be available. What grocery stores carry this product? Thank you for providing great recipes.
It means a lot that you’d like to try making this granola, Pam! I’ve had success with finding brown rice cereal at many mainstream grocery stores, especially health-oriented ones. If you can’t find the same brand that I linked to in the recipe’s ingredients list, there are a few others that will also work just as well, such as this one, this one, and this one! 🙂 I’d love to hear what you think of this granola if you end up making it!
LOVE LOVE!! This recipe does nice clusters and keeps well in a ziploc without getting stale! I added vanilla extract and extra honey w/ maple syrup and its still healthier than most you can buy!! People don’t realize how high in calories granola can be bc its looked at as a health food!! It can have more calories, fat and sugar than a candy bar which defeats the purpose! The first time I made it I added a few tablespoons of whole milk powder in with the liquid ingredients for added protein it baked up just fine! I added it bc my favorite granola quaker just granola has it in the ingredients. Im guessing its in there for added protein and nutrients?? Btw I always double the recipe and use a huge sheet pan I have! YUM! Ty for posting it i would’ve never put rice cereal in granola on my own!! Btw I found crisp brown rice cereal at whole foods 365 Amazon may have it too! It looks just like regular rice crispness too me?? I love it on homemade cream top yogurt!! Heaven!
Your sweet comment just made my entire day, Missy!! I’m so glad you love this granola, as well as my tip about using rice cereal as an ingredient. That’s the best kind of compliment there is, if you always double the recipe when you make it — thank you for taking the time to let me know! ♡
I appreciate you sharing your tweaks about the vanilla extract, honey, and milk powder too. I always love hearing what tweaks work out! 🙂 I haven’t tried Quaker’s granola that includes milk powder as an ingredient, but that’s interesting to hear. I’ll have to keep an eye out and see if I spot it at the store!