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Peanut Butter & Banana Granola Snack Clusters

Naturally sweetened and gluten-free, this Peanut Butter & Banana Granola Clusters recipe is filled with wholesome, everyday ingredients and perfect for snacking and traveling!

top down view of peanut butter banana granola clusters on a plate, surrounded by items.

Making homemade granola clusters is easy with this amazing granola recipe that’s vegan, healthy, and delicious!

The combination of peanut butter & banana is a classic and pairs perfectly with oats, cinnamon, and maple syrup. It’s not too sweet and makes big chunks of crunchy granola clusters!

This granola is oil-free and refined sugar-free. It has a fair amount of protein thanks to the peanut butter, and is the perfect snacking granola!

So, without further ado, let’s get to it!

top down view of dry ingredients add to bowl for making peanut butter granola snack cluster granola.

Ingredient Notes

Oats, peanut butter, banana, various nuts, cinnamon, and pure maple syrup are all combined together creating delicious chunky granola that’s perfect for snacking.

Here is everything you’ll need:

  • Oats. Old-fashioned oats are preferred, but you can use a combination of regular and quick oats (see notes in the recipe). For gluten-free granola, be sure to use certified GF oats.
  • Peanut butter. Use your favorite nut butter. For those with nut allergies, substitute with sun butter.
  • Banana. The riper the banana the better, overripe bananas are sweet and mash easily.
  • Pure maple syrup. This is one of my favorite natural sweeteners. You can substitute with coconut nectar.
  • Almonds. Substitute with cashews, walnuts, or your favorite nuts.
  • Pepitas. Vary it up and use sunflower seeds in place of pepitas (pumpkin seeds).
  • Cinnamon. Just a touch for a nice, warming layer of flavor.
side by side photos of mashed bananas and almond butter.

How To Make Peanut Butter & Banana Granola Clusters

Here is a quick overview with photos of making granola clusters. You can find the full printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  • Add the oats, almonds, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon, and pinch of salt to a large mixing bowl.
  • Mash the bananas. The riper the bananas, the better—the more ripe they are, the sweeter they’ll be. I used almond butter here, but you can use any natural nut butter you like.
top down view of all ingredients to make peanut butter banana granola snack clusters mixed in a bowl.
  • Add the mashed banana, nut butter, maple syrup, vanilla, and optional oil to the dry ingredients and stir to combine. Your mixture should look similar to the above photo.
top down view of wet granola spread evenly on a rimmed baking sheet before baking.
  • Spread on a large baking sheet or 2 smaller ones. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Tip about spreading: I’ve made granola spread close together on a baking sheet and another loosely spread out. Both batches worked great, but the loosely spread granola baked a little faster.
  • Once cooled, break it up into clusters and you’re ready to enjoy!
top down view of freshly made peanut butter banana granola cooled and broken into clusters.

Best Tips For Making Chunky Cluster Granola

  • Bake granola at a low temperature to prevent burning. 275 degrees F. is the optimal temperature, but it also really gets that nice golden flavor and texture.
  • Mix well to coat. When mixing the dry and wet ingredients, be sure to coat each piece well for maximum flavor and clumpiness.
  • Clump the granola with your hands. Once you’ve added the granola to your baking sheet, use your hands to create small clumps before baking.
  • Do not stir granola when it’s just fresh from the oven. Freshly baked granola will naturally harden and clump together as it cools so give it time to clump together before stirring.

How To Store

  • Counter & Refrigerator: My favorite way to store granola is in mason jars or plastic containers, and baggies work great for really large amounts. Let the granola cool completely before storing it. Store in the pantry for 1 week or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
  • Freezer: This granola is freezer-friendly and will last for at least 2 – 3 months. To freeze, let the granola cool completely and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and/or in resealable freezer bags or freezer-safe glass containers (affiliate link).

Serving Suggestions

Serve this granola as is, or break it up a bit more and top it on non-dairy ice cream or yogurt. It’s great as a cereal, too served in a bowl with unsweetened almond milk. However you like your granola, this will be a great addition to your granola addiction!

top down view of peanut butter banana granola clusters on a plate, surrounded by items.

More Healthy Granola Recipes!

If you try this easy granola cluster recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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PEANUT BUTTER & BANANA GRANOLA CLUSTERS

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5 from 4 reviews

Healthy granola recipe with oats, nut butter, banana, almonds, pepitas, maple syrup, coconut oil and cinnamon. Great anytime of day and travels well!

  • Author: Julie | The Simple Veganista
  • Prep Time: 10 min
  • Cook Time: 55 min
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: Makes 6 cups 1x
  • Category: Snack, Breakfast
  • Method: mix, bake
  • Cuisine: Vegan, American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup almonds
  • 1/2 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • pinch of mineral salt
  • 3/4 cup almond or peanut butter (I used crunchy almond butter)
  • 2 small ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil, optional
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

Prep: Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Dry ingredients: In a large bowl, mix the oats, almonds, pepitas, cinnamon, and salt.

Wet ingredients: Warm your coconut oil and maple syrup, combined with vanilla extract. Mash your bananas and measure your nut butter.

Mix wet & dry: Combine the wet ingredients with the oat mixture. Toss and mix to coat well.

Layer: Spread mixture evenly on a lined or lightly greased baking sheet (I used two baking sheets). You can either lightly compact the mixture or loosely spread it out a bit. If compacting, you’ll want to mix the granola when rotating after 30 minutes.

Bake: Bake for 30 minutes. Turn and rotate sheet/sheets, bake for an additional 25 – 30 minutes. Keep an eye towards the end, so it doesn’t over brown (ovens run differently), cover with foil if it starts to brown too much.

Let cool: Remove from oven, granola will be somewhat soft at first. Let cool for 15 minutes, break up into chunks, especially the center part if you’ve compacted the mixture. Let granola cool completely to harden.

Makes about 6 cups.

Store: Let cool completely before storing. Keep granola in covered containers on the counter for up to 1 week or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Notes

Change up the nuts using peanuts, walnuts or pecan pieces. Use sunflower seeds in place of the pepitas.

You will most likely do just as well without any oil. If you’d like to reduce the oil, try using only 2 tablespoons. I like the flavor and addition of the coconut oil for myself.

Once cooled, if you still find your granola to not be as crunchy as you might like, bake again at 300 degrees for about 10 minutes, keep an eye so it doesn’t over brown.

This granola needs to cook low and slow. My first batch I baked at 325 degrees F. for 40 minutes but it still needed extra baking time after cooling to become crunchy. I lowered the temp and added a bit more time. Be sure to watch it towards the end so it doesn’t become burnt, especially if you’ve spread it loosely on the baking sheet.

The 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon gives a very subtle flavor, add another 1/2 teaspoon for a more enhanced cinnamon flavor.

If you happen to have both rolled and quick oats on hand, try using 2 – 3 cups rolled oats and 1 -2 cups of quick oats (use whatever combo equals 4 cups with at least 2 cups rolled oats). This will also help to make nice clusters.

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: I love my Silpat or these parchment liners for lining this rimmed baking sheet (affiliate links).

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11 Comments

  1. It tastes like candied nuts! I will definitely be making this again.






  2. I’ve made this recipe twice and both have turned out incredible! I made both batches wih coconut oil. This time though, I made it with a little more banana, 1 more cup of oats and I added 2 tbsp brown sugar to the wet mixture. My add-ins were sugar free banana chips, toasted coconut flakes, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and dried apples! Thank you so much for the recipe, it’s delicious and so versatile! <3






  3. hello I am from Mauritius I love your recipes and did the granola banana
    I did not have the maple syrup and used Honey instead
    Very delicious specially with the banana flavour THANKS

  4. I’m trying to go more oil-free and found your granola clusters recipe fabulous with and without oil. So far my favorite version is with just 1 tbsp of coconut oil for the whole batch. I also subbed in some apple sauce for the banana when I didn’t have any banana, and it was lovely too! Thanks for the recipe!






  5. Yum! I am obsessed with making granola (it is just too expensive to buy!), this will be the next recipe I try out – I like the suggestion of changing up the nuts with pecans or walnuts, mmm! Thanks for sharing :)

  6. Thank you for another wonderful recipe Julie! I made it today and it's delicious. Followed the recipe exactly, except using slivered almonds instead of whole.






    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      You're so welcome Anna! Thank you for the feedback, I always appreciate it! Enjoy the rest of your granola. Cheers :)

    2. I was curious if using slivered almonds did they brown to much since thin?

      1. Julie | The Simple Veganista says:

        I have not tried using slivered almonds, but think it should be fine for this granola cluster snack recipe. I would experiment with a small batch to see how it goes. I hope that helps! Enjoy :)

  7. Yuuum! Im trying to eat more healthy, and your blog is certainly a great inspiration! Thanks for sharing this recipe :)

    1. julie@thesimpleveganista says:

      Thank you Victoria! Cheers to good eating :)

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