Healthy Blueberry Granola Granola
Made with just 6 ingredients (and no butter or oil!), this healthy granola is lightly sweetened with plenty of giant, crisp, crunchy clusters. Blueberries add bright pops of natural sweetness, which pair perfectly with this granola’s hints of almond. It’s great for breakfasts, afternoon snacks, or any time of day! It’ll keep for at least one week (if not longer!) if stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Ingredients
- 3 large egg whites (see Notes!)
- 1 tbsp (15mL) almond extract
- ¼ cup (60mL) pure maple syrup (see Notes!)
- 2 cups (60g) crisp brown rice cereal
- 1 ½ cups (150g) old-fashioned oats (gluten-free, if necessary, and measured like this)
- 1 cup (26g) freeze dried blueberries (see Notes!)
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, whisk together the egg whites until the egg whites are broken up and slightly bubbly. Whisk in the almond extract. Whisk 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. Bake for an additional 5-9 minutes (for a total of 35-39 minutes), or until the granola is crunchy. Let the granola cool for 5 minutes before breaking apart any extra large clusters. Cool the granola completely to room temperature on the pan before sprinkling the freeze dried blueberries on top and transferring to an airtight container.
Notes
EGG WHITE NOTES: 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!
I haven’t tried substituting anything for the egg whites. However, readers have said that flax “eggs” and aquafaba both work decently as a substitute in my other granola recipes, so that might be a good place to start if you need to make this granola egg free.
SWEETENER NOTES: As written, this granola isn’t overly sweet. For sweeter granola, use 2 egg whites and 6 tablespoons (90mL) maple syrup instead. The baking time and temperatures will remain the same.
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.
ALMOND EXTRACT NOTE: If you’re not a fan, substitute vanilla extract instead.
OATS NOTE: Quick cooking oats (also called “instant” or “one-minute” oats — and the gluten-free version, if necessary!) may be substituted for the old-fashioned 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!)
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.
FREEZE DRIED BLUEBERRIES NOTE: Freeze dried blueberries are light, airy, crisp, and crunchy. They’re not the same thing as regular dried blueberries — although you can certainly substitute regular dried blueberries if you can’t find freeze dried! I’ve found freeze dried ones at Target, Trader Joe’s, and some mainstream grocery stores.
You can also substitute other freeze dried fruit, such as strawberries or raspberries.
ALMOND NOTE: I added some sliced almonds along with the freeze dried blueberries to the batch that I photographed. You’re welcome to do the same, if you’d like to boost the almond flavor!
DAIRY FREE OPTION: No modifications needed!
NUT FREE OPTION: Substitute vanilla extract in place of the almond extract.
GLUTEN FREE OPTION: Use certified gluten-free brown rice cereal (I really like Barbara’s, and One° is similar) and certified gluten-free oats (these are my favorite old-fashioned 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 at least a week (if not two or more!).
HOW TO FREEZE: I highly recommend omitting the freeze dried blueberries if you plan on freezing this granola! They don’t thaw very well. (But once you’ve thawed the granola, you can add them in then!)
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, dairy free, clean eating, low fat}
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 @amyshealthybaking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.