I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of granola UNTIL I made this Gluten Free Strawberry Almond Granola on my own. Homemade granola is a Game. Changer.
When you make your own granola, you can control the cluster size (I prefer larger chunks), and the ingredients. Most store-bought granolas have high fodmap sweeteners like honey, dates, molasses, or erythritol. But the only sweetener you’ll find in this granola is pure maple syrup!
Making this Strawberry Almond Granola has truly changed my perspective and has hooked me on making gluten free granola! I’ve been eating it with yogurt, on smoothies, on pancakes, and straight out of the bowl.
Steps to Make Gluten Free Strawberry Almond Granola
Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees. When it comes to granola, you want to bake it low and slow.
Add the oats (make sure they are certified gluten free if you have celiac or an allergy!), slivered almonds, ground cinnamon, and salt to a large bowl, and stir to combine.
Next, if your coconut oil is solid, add it to a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 15 second intervals until melted. Then add the peanut butter, maple syrup, and almond extract, and stir to combine.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and stir until everything is evenly mixed.
Then take a baking sheet and cover it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Pour the granola mixture onto the baking sheet, and spread the ingredients out with a spatula, BUT make sure it’s all still one solid piece!
Pop the baking sheet in the oven on the middle rack, and bake for 20 minutes or until the top starts to turn golden brown. Then, take it out of the oven and let it cool before breaking it into pieces. Lastly, mix in the freeze-dried strawberries, and enjoy!
Here’s my biggest tip for making homemade granola: after baking, let it cool completely before breaking it into clusters. If you start breaking the granola up before it cools, you won’t get as many large clusters. I know it’s hard to wait to dive in when it’s fresh out of the oven, but trust me, it’s worth it!
Gluten Free Strawberry Almond Granola
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups oats certified gluten free if needed
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup peanut butter
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1/2 cup freeze-dried strawberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Add the oats, almonds, cinnamon, and salt to a large bowl, and stir to combine.
- Melt the coconut oil in a medium microwave safe bowl.
- Add the peanut butter, maple syrup, and almond extract, and stir until totally combined.
- Then add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir well.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the mixture onto the pan.
- Spread the mixture out with a spatula, but make sure it's all still one solid piece!
- Bake for 20 minutes or until it's starting to lightly brown on the top.
- Then let it cool completely before breaking it into pieces.
- Lastly, add the freeze dried strawberries, and enjoy!
