Healthy Pumpkin Spice Granola
Cozy spices and comforting pumpkin flavor fill every bite of this homemade granola. It also has lots of big crunchy clusters! Snack on it plain, sprinkle it over yogurt, pour it in a bowl with a splash of milk… It tastes delicious any way you eat it! Leftover granola will keep for at least five days if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Ingredients
- ½ cup + 2 tbsp (150g) pumpkin purée (see Notes!)
- 5 tbsp (75mL) pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp homemade pumpkin spice (see Notes!)
- 2 cups (60g) crisp brown rice cereal
- 1 ½ cups (150g) old-fashioned oats (gluten free, if necessary, and measured like this)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F, and line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone baking mat (highly recommended!) or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, stir together the pumpkin, maple syrup, and pumpkin spice. Pour in the brown rice cereal and oats, and gently stir until both cereals are evenly coated.
- Spread the mixture into a thin even layer on the prepared pan. Bake at 325°F for 20 minutes. Gently stir to break up the granola and move the clusters around the pan to prevent the bits closest to the edge from burning. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, then gently stir again. Bake for an additional 6-10 minutes (for a total of 36-40 minutes) or until the granola is crunchy. Let the granola cool for 3-5 minutes before breaking apart any extra large clusters. Cool the granola completely to room temperature on the pan before transferring to an airtight container.
Notes
PUMPKIN PURÉE NOTES: Use regular canned pumpkin purée (also called 100% pure pumpkin). I don’t recommend substituting pumpkin pie mix! It contains added sugar, spices, and other ingredients, so it can behave differently in baking recipes. I haven’t personally tried using homemade pumpkin purée, but I have a feeling it should work.
SWEETENER NOTES: As written, this granola isn’t very sweet. For sweeter granola, use ½ cup (120g) pumpkin purée and 7 tablespoons (105mL) pure maple syrup instead. The baking temperature will remain the same, but you may need to bake the granola a little longer.
Honey or agave may be substituted for the pure maple syrup.
Depending on the sweetener you use, your granola may end up a darker brown than what you see in my photos. That’s normal and okay! As long as your granola is dark brown — but not black! — you haven’t burned it.
HOMEMADE PUMPKIN SPICE: Use as follows: 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and ¼ teaspoon ground ginger.
Store-bought pumpkin spice may be substituted for the homemade pumpkin spice.
OATS ALTERNATIVES: Quick cooking oats (also called “instant” or “one-minute” oats — and the gluten free version, if necessary!) may be substituted for the old-fashioned rolled oats. I don’t recommend substituting steel cut oats.
RICE CEREAL NOTES: The crisp brown rice cereal adds a big crunch to your granola clusters without any 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!) I like Barbara’s, and One° is similar.
Regular crisp rice cereal (i.e. Rice Krispies) may be substituted in place of the brown rice cereal. In a pinch, another option would be rice pocket cereal (like Rice Chex) that you’ve lightly crushed so it’s about ¼ of its original size.
You may substitute additional oats for the rice cereal, but your granola won’t be as crunchy.
DAIRY FREE + VEGAN OPTION: No modifications needed!
NUT FREE OPTION: No modifications needed!
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: Use certified gluten free brown rice cereal (I like Barbara’s, and One° is similar) and certified gluten free oats (these are my favorite old-fashioned rolled oats and these are my favorite quick-cooking oats!).
HOW TO STORE: Store the granola in an airtight container at room temperature. It should last for five days (if not more!).
HOW TO FREEZE: Line a baking sheet with foil (for easy clean-up!). Arrange the fully cooled granola in a single layer on the foil. Place in the freezer for 2 hours or until fully frozen. Transfer to a zip-topped bag lined with a paper towel, and squeeze out as much air as you can before sealing the bag and placing it in the freezer. (I actually think it tastes really good frozen!)
After thawing the granola, it’ll be a little bit chewy, so spread it out on a baking sheet in a thin even layer. Bake at 325°F for 6-9 minutes or until it turns crisp and crunchy again. Once the granola has cooled to room temperature, sprinkle the freeze dried blueberries on top.
{gluten free, egg free, dairy free, vegan, clean eating, low fat, nut free}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.