Vanilla Coconut Cashew Granola

With the change in weather and spring quickly approaching, I can tell that the recipes are changing as well. This is good, of course. We should eat seasonally and when produce is at its freshest and ripest. I can tell that I crave more flavor-variety again this time of the year, perhaps lighter salads and a few “colder” foods. And with that in mind, I also wanted to change my granola. And here is my spring-time approved (also truly good any other time of the year 😉) Vanilla Coconut Cashew Granola.

I got sent granola as a gift for Christmas and it was utterly delicious. Truly, this is the inspiration behind this Vanilla Coconut Cashew Granola. I wanted the cashews and coconut to shine. But I also needed a flavor that would bring the two together, basically marry or combine them. Vanilla feels like the perfect choice here and it works so, so well. Really nice side-effect – the house smells absolutely amazing whilst you are roasting this 🥰.

If you have never made your own granola, you will be surprised by how easy it is, cheaper, and with ingredients that you love and enjoy without any preservatives in sight. You simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl, gently heat the coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla powder until liquid, pour over it, put on a baking tray and bake until browned, crisp perfection. This granola lasts quite a while (albeit it likely will not because you are devouring it 😋) 🙌🏻.

Why is this Vanilla Coconut Cashew Granola good for me?

Oats

I feel as if I have not raved about oats in a while, so let me do it now. I am absolutely in love with oats. Why? Because they are super versatile – from baking goods with oat flour, making pancakes, to overnight oats, and porridge. Oats are fairly inexpensive making them widely accessible and they are naturally gluten-free. Now you can also buy “gluten-free” oats. Where is the difference? Oats are often-times processed in a factory with other groats that do contain wheat. Thereby, they may be cross-contaminated. However, if you are not celiac “regular” oats, rather than the gluten-free variety should totally suffice (of course, always listen to your gut – literally 😉).

Oats are high in manganese, phosphorous, magnesium, copper, and zinc. They are also incredibly high in soluble dietary fiber, which is so important for our overall (gut)health. The fiber found in oats has been shown to reduce blood sugar response, lower “bad” cholesterol levels, and allow good gut bacteria to be their feeding ground. Last but not least, I want to mention a powerful antioxidant that you can find in oats, called avenanthramides. These antioxidants are anti-inflammatory and increase nitric oxide in your blood. This allows your blood pressure to calm down due to a widening effect of the blood vessels. Not too bad, am I right?!

How can I adjust this Vanilla Coconut Cashew Granola to my Dietary Requirements?

This recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, and vegan. As it contains grains, it is, sadly, not suitable for the paleo lifestyle. If you want to make this recipe nut-free, please omit the cashews and swap in a bit more buckwheat and oats instead.

Other Granola Recipes on the Blog

• Nut-free Ginger Granola
• Chocolate Orange Granola
• Technically not granola, but also delicious Bircher Muesli with Pears and Hazelnuts

And there you have it for this week!! I hope you enjoy this new granola recipe as much as we have been enjoying it over here (batch, after batch, after batch… no kidding 😍). As always, I love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Please leave a comment below and/or rate the recipe. Happy granola making everyone 🤗.

Vanilla Coconut Cashew Granola

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Ann Robejsek Course: BreakfastCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

5

cups

Prep time

10

minutes

Baking time

40

minutes

This Vanilla Coconut Cashew Granola is sweet, delicious, and crunchy. Pour it on your yogurt, eat it with fruit or simply milk and ENJOY!

Ingredients

• Wet ingredients

• 3 tbsp 3 coconut oil

• 4 tbsp 4 maple syrup

• 2 tsp 2 vanilla powder

• Dry ingredients

• 2 cups 2 (230 gr.) oats

• 1.5 cups 1.5 (190 gr.) cashews

• 1 cup 1 (120 gr.) buckwheat

• 1 cup 1 (40 gr.) coconut shavings

• 1/2 cup 1/2 (65 gr.) flax seeds

How to

• Preheat oven to 160 degrees (320 Fahrenheit) and line a baking tray with a baking sheet
• In a small pot heat coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla powder on low heat. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients – oats, cashews, buckwheat, coconut shavings, and flax seeds. Pour melted wet ingredients over granola and mix thoroughly until evenly coated
• Bake for 15 minutes then stir granola through so that it will evenly brown. Bake for another 10 minutes then repeat the process of stirring granola. From here on, check granola every five minutes until evenly browned – ca. 35 – 40 minutes
• Let cool and then fill in an airtight jar. Makes about 5 cups of granola. ENJOY!