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PEANUT BUTTER & BANANA GRANOLA CLUSTERS

top down view of freshly made peanut butter banana granola cooled and broken into 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!

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).

Find it online: https://simple-veganista.com/peanut-butter-banana-granola-snack/