If you’re looking for a go-to classic granola recipe look no further than this healthy cinnamon and honey granola. And unlike most granola recipes, this honey granola recipe uses no nuts.
You just need one bowl, six ingredients and 30 minutes!
Even better, this healthy cinnamon granola recipe produces the biggest clusters you’ve ever seen. I’m talking giant clusters so big you’ll have to break them in quarters.
Plus, each cluster is super crispy, crunchy and packed with cinnamon and honey flavor. You’ll find yourself just snacking on the granola as if it’s so good!
Ok ok, enough said. Let’s get into how to make this cinnamon granola recipe.
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Cinnamon and Honey Granola Ingredients
As you scan the ingredients, you’re probably wondering why you need both rolled and quick oats. Well, the quick oats help bind the clusters together while the rolled oats help create crisp in each cluster. So yeah, use both!
- Rolled oats
- Quick oats
- Honey – feel free to use maple syrup if you want to make this vegan
- Sunflower butter
- Cinnamon
- Salt
Tips and Tricks for Giant Clusters
- Raw Mixture Should Look Sticky: Once all of the ingredients have been mixed together, the raw mixture should look sticky and very wet. This is essential, otherwise the snacking granola won’t form any clusters. And that would be tragic! If the mixture looks dry, I recommend adding in an extra 2-3 tablespoons more honey/date syrup to hydrate the mixture.
- How to Get Giant Clusters: the ultimate question, and I’m spilling all the secrets. First, you want the mixture to be super wet and sticky, this will help the clusters stick together. Next tip, make sure that any dry ingredients (think oats, chopped nuts, cereal, coconut etc) are all the same size, this helps them all stick together better. Different shapes will not stick together as well and will result in small or no clusters at all. Additionally, while the snacking granola bakes, do not stir it! I repeat, do not stir the granola, resist the urge. It may seem counterintuitive, but every time you stir granola, you break up any clusters that are forming.
Cinnamon and Honey Granola Ingredient Benefits
I think we can all acknowledge that grocery store granola isn’t the healthiest, for example here’s some of the ingredients in a generic grocery store granola.
Unlike the stuff above, this easy cinnamon and honey granola is not only made from whole-foods, but it’s also packed with nutrients and minerals. So you’ll be filled up and fueled to tackle the day!
- Rolled Oats: Oatmeal is also rich in antioxidants and avenanthramides. Avenanthramides have been shown to help lower blood pressure by producing nutria oxide which helps dilate blood vessels and increase blood flow. Additionally, avenanthramides and antioxidants. are also anti-inflammatory. Furthermore, oatmeal also contains a type of soluble fiber called beta-glucan that can increase growth of good bacteria in the gut!
- Sunflower Butter: Besides tasting exactly like PB, sunflower butter provides over half the RDI of Vitamin E in just 1 tbsp. Vitamin E is amazing for your skin and helps produce collagen, keep your skin moisturized and wrinkle-free! Additionally, sunflower seeds have a host of vitamins and minerals, like magnesium, manganese and zinc.
- Honey/Date Syrup: I love using honey or date syrup in these clusters as it’s the perfect natural sweetener. Meaning that these syrups won’t spike insulin and blood sugar levels too high. Additionally, unlike cane sugar, honey and date syrup contain a host of essential minerals and vitamins – making them both a sweetener and a mini multi-vitamin!
Even More Healthy Oat and Cereal Recipes
Looking for even more recipes like this homemade oil-free granola? Here are MWM community favorites:
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Healthy Cinnamon and Honey Granola
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: American
Description
If you're looking for a go-to classic granola recipe look no further than this healthy cinnamon and honey granola. And unlike most granola recipes, this honey granola recipe uses no nuts.
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup Honey
- ⅓ cup Sunflower butter ((sub with peanut butter))
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 tsp Ceylon Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 ½ cups Quick oats
- ½ cup Rolled oats, ground into flour
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, add in the honey, sunflower butter, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt. Whisk well, until the mixture looks creamy.
- Pour the quick oats and rolled oats, and mix gently with a spatula. I recommend using a fold and press motion with your spatula to avoid breaking the oat grains. Continue to mix until the oats are thoroughly coated with the honey mixture.
- Dump the granola mixture out onto the prepared sheet pan and gently spread into a ½" layer, leaving some air pockets between the granola. Make sure most of the mixture is touching to ensure that you get giant clusters.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, the time will depend on how hot your oven runs. But I recommend checking it around the 15 minutes mark. The granola is done when the edges just start to get golden brown.
- Once the granola is done baking, let it cool on the counter for 20 minutes. This is important as it'll ensure the sugar in the honey crystallized and forms clusters in the granola by binding the oats together.
- Once the granola has cooled, gently break it into clusters. Store in an airtight, glass container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Hi 👋🏽
As someone allergic to all nuts and most seeds as well, is there any other recommendation you might make as a replacement for the Sunbutter? If not I totally understand. Thanks for your help and this recipe. Looks great.
You could try using avocado or melted coconut oil, however I haven’t tested either one so unsure if you’d get the same big clusters. Hope this helps!!