Maple Banana Nut Granola will have your stomach smiling and your taste buds singing. This crunchy granola is a kitchen staple in my house, it’s incredibly simple to make, nutritious, and delicious. Maple Banana Nut Granola contains the sweet and earthy flavor of maple with sweet bananas and crunchy clusters. It’s made mostly of nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, flax seed, and sunflower seeds and a couple more special ingredients. It’s a sweet, satisfying, and nutritious granola that everyone in the family will enjoy and hopefully it’ll become your new go-to!
When I first started making homemade granola many years ago, I never turned back because of it’s ease, versatility, and not to mention, affordability! Whenever I go grocery shopping, I will purposefully buy raw nuts and seeds in bulk that way I can always keep a steady supply of this granola in the pantry ready to top on my Stripped Green Smoothie bowls, which hands down, is my favorite way to eat this granola. Smoothie bowls basically contain more frozen bananas/ice or less liquid making it thick enough to eat with a spoon!
Most people when they think of granola they think parfait or granola with yogurt. Since I have a dairy-free lifestyle, I first missed this combination as well- the granola with yogurt- but I soon found my new and much improved alternative, topping it on my green smoothies in the morning! The thick, creamy, cool green smoothie topped with crunchy, sweet, and nutty granola is a perfect combination of flavors and textures. It’s a completely satisfying meal! Although you can use non-dairy yogurts such as almond, rice, coconut milk yogurts, I prefer the green smoothies because they are more nutrient dense and easier to digest first thing in the morning.
How to use |
- Cereal // in a small bowl, add about 1 cup of the granola + 1 cup of homemade almond milk
- Topper // sprinkle on top of your Stripped Green Smoothie bowls (which is just a thicker variation of the smoothie, you can add more frozen bananas or ice)
- Parfait // in a bowl or large tall glass, layer granola, your favorite fruit, nond=-dairy yogurts and repeat until glass is full
- Dessert // add dark chocolate chips to the granola and have a sweet dessert snack
- Snack // pack about 1/2 cup in a small snack size bag and bring it with you on the go!
Granola is one of the top “health” foods that are…well… not that healthy! Store bought granola often contains a lot of extra refined sugars, fats, sodium, preservatives, artificial sweeteners and coloring, and also typically contain an ingredient list full of “food items” you may not even know how to pronounce. I’m hoping that with this recipe you’ll rarely if never purchase another process granola from the store again! So let’s move on to this deliciously simple recipe and what I hope will be your new favorite homemade granola, Maple Banana Nut Granola.
- 3 bananas, very spotted and ripe
- 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons of tahini
- 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
- 1 1/2 cup rolled oats, gluten free
- 1 cup raw almonds
- 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup raw walnuts
- 1/3 cup flaxseeds
- 1/4 cup amaranth (optional)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
- In a large mixing bowl, combine bananas, maple syrup, coconut oil, and mash with the back of a fork until smooth.
- Next, add in all dry ingredients and stir until everything is well coated.
- Spread evenly on a lined baking sheet (or well greased with remaining coconut oil)
- Bake for 15 minutes, stir very well (if you don’t you’ll have large clusters), bake for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
- Let cool completely before you store the granola in an air tight container at room temperature (will keep for weeks).
- Enjoy!
TIP // Amaranth is a gluten free grain that can be typically found at your local health food store in the bulk bins or in the “natural” sections of your grocery stores. If you can’t find this gluten free grain, you can use additional oats or replace it with another nut you enjoy!
I hope you all enjoy this granola recipe as much as I do! I’d love to hear how you like it, comment below and let’s chat!
Have a great day everyone,
xo McKel
