It looks so healthy, sitting there on the shelf, wearing it’s halo, the little plastic window displaying wholesome looking oats and nuts and fruit. Looking closer at the ingredient list, I noticed sugar was the second ingredient on every brand I picked up! So I turned my nose up at those deceiving little boxes and decided to make my own. I initially thought about using honey or brown sugar in my version. After all that’s the perfect way to get that lovely caramelized crunch. But then I realised that this is breakfast! It can be delicious without needing to be covered in caramelized sugar!! So I decided to go down the healthy route and steer clear of the refined and liquid sugar (i.e honey, maple syrup etc) completely. This granola is sweetened using pureed dates and banana. I found during my experimentation of this recipe, that the puree actually works brilliantly to get those gorgeous clusters that you just want to eat straight out of the jar as a snack. In addition to the oats and fruit puree, I also used:
Nuts - pecans, almonds and brazil nuts. You can use whatever you like though. Walnuts or hazelnuts would be great too. Fresh cranberries - I wanted a bit of a zing in there and fresh cranberries are perfect for this. You can replace with dried cranberries (they’re usually full of added sugar too though) or other dried fruits. However, if you wanted to add other dried fruits, I’d suggest adding them only during the last 5 minutes of cooking, or after cooking - otherwise they may dry out too much, leaving you will little bits of rock-hard fruit. Pumpkin seeds - perfect for crunch, and full of nutrients A little coconut oil - to help bind everything together and to ensure the granola bakes to a lovely golden colour - rather than just steaming in the fruit puree Orange zest - for a bit of added flavour. Plus it goes perfectly with the cranberries.
The result is a tray of golden granola, that has crunch, but also little chewy clusters. I love it mixed in with some Greek yoghurt and fresh berries for breakfast. It’s definitely not as sweet as the stored-bought stuff, but it’s perfectly moreish just the way it is. In fact I’m actually sitting here now, writing this whilst eating it straight from the jar! I really enjoy coming up with different granola flavours and combinations like this one, or my White Chocolate Coconut Cashew Granola, Raspberry Macaroon Granola, Chocolate Coconut Granola, or my Coconut Macaroon Granola. If you’ve tried my recipe then please rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing your thoughts and add-ons to my recipes! You can also follow me on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, and TWITTERto see what I’m up to in the kitchen, what recipes i’m loving, and of course YOUTUBE to see our latest recipe videos!
Cranberry Nut Sugar Free Granola Recipe:
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