Paleo granola is a hearty, delicious homemade breakfast cereal that is made from nuts, coconut, and chocolate! This gluten free, dairy free, and lower carb paleo granola is irresistible!
Your answers to the reader survey are totally making my day (another gentle reminder to please fill it out if you haven’t already. It takes less than 5 minutes and will be so helpful in planning 2017 content!) but the one that made me laugh the hardest was the overwhelming number of you that say you skip the article and go straight to the recipe.
So that means…. I could say anything here…. and no one will ever know.
I ONCE KILLED A MAN IN RENO.
Kidding, kidding. I don’t even like killing bugs, but I just wanted to see how many of you who say you read actually do.
What was I saying? Something-something-sleep-deprivation-is-making-me-looney? Oh, yes: paleo granola! (<—how’s that for a transition? :-p)
If there’s one thing this paleo granola has to offer – and there are many, but I’ll get to that in a second – it’s clusters.
Life is too short for flimsy, weak, crumbly paleo granola that sits in your bowl like a pile of dirt.
My method for making grain free granola (including the original version and this tropical version) always involves baking it in a thick slab on a cookie sheet so that it breaks apart in giant clusters, and then breaking it apart as much or as little as you like, depending on your tolerance for clusters.
As you can see in the pictures, I broke this one ???? apart a little more, and – for comparison – this one a little less. It’s totally up to you.
But there’s much more to love about this paleo granola.
???? If you make really giant clumps, they are great for snacking. They’re basically little energy clusters that you can eat with your hands when hunger strikes.
???? It has 2 kinds of chocolate built in (cocoa powder and cocoa nibs) and you can even add chocolate chips after baking if you need more chocolate. Who doesn’t?
???? Well, I know who doesn’t need more chocolate: those of you who are detoxing from the holidays. I’m sure this would be frowned upon by you Whole30-ers but technically, if you remove the maple syrup (replace it with an equal amount of nut or seed butter), it is compliant. Make sure you’re using natural nut or seed butter, great quality cocoa powder, and unsweetened cacao nibs. I highly recommend this kind.
???? You can, but don’t have to, add more chocolate (either chips or chunks) and dried fruit after baking if you’d like, but you don’t have to. In one test version, I added dark chocolate chips and dried sweet cherries, (<—definitely not Whole30 compliant) but use what you have around the house! Just make sure you are mixing it in **AFTER** baking, not before.
And since most of you probably are looking for the recipe anyway, I’ll quit yapping and let you get to it!
Chocolate Paleola
Paleo granola is a hearty, delicious homemade breakfast cereal that is made from nuts, coconut, and chocolate! This gluten free, dairy free, and lower carb paleo granola is irresistible!
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw walnut halves
- 1 1/2 cup whole raw almonds
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cacao nibs
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, or to taste
- 1/2 cup almond butter, or your favorite nut/seed butter
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 Tablespoons melted coconut oil
- Dried cherries or other fruit, optional
- Dark chocolate chips or chunks, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a nonstick pad and set aside.
- Chop the walnuts and almonds (the easiest way is to pulse them in the food processor 10-15 times).
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the nuts together with the cacao nibs, cocoa, shredded coconut and salt.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the almond (or other nut/seed) butter, maple syrup, and oil.
- Pour the wet (nut butter, etc.) mixture over the dry and stir to combine.
- Turn the mixture out onto the prepared baking pan and pat into a solid, thick slab. Do your best to avoid the slab thinning out at the ends to avoid burning.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes, then remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pan, during which time the granola will crisp up.
- Once cooled, use your hands to break the granola slab into bite sized chunks.
- If you are adding dried fruit or chocolate, simple sprinkle the add-ins over the granola once it has been broken up, and use your hands to gently mix everything together before serving or transferring it to an airtight container to store.
Notes
- Warm your nut butter slightly (20-30 seconds in the microwave) to make it easier to stir, if necessary.
- If you remove the maple syrup (replace it with an equal amount of nut or seed butter), it is Whole30 compliant. Make sure you're using natural nut or seed butter, great quality cocoa powder, and unsweetened cacao nibs.
- If you don't like big clumps, spread your paleola out on the tray (instead of packing it tightly in a thick layer) and bake for about 15 minutes.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Yield: Approximately 6-7 cups. Serving size (according to nutrition info) = 1 cup.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 7Amount Per Serving: Calories: 620Saturated Fat: 14gSodium: 90mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 11gSugar: 16gProtein: 16g
Ashli Cryderman says
Hi! I absolutely love this granola 🙂 and how healthy it is. I was wondering what the serving sizes please? Thanks!
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
The serving size calculated by the nutrition info is per cup!
Michele says
Has maple syrup not Whole 30 compliant.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
Please read the recipe before commenting. It clearly states that you must remove the maple syrup for Whole30 compliance.
Laura says
Absolutely gutted! Made this, stuck it in the oven for 20 mins and it came burnt ? where did I go wrong?
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
The likely culprits are either 1) your oven may run hot. Do you have an oven thermometer? It burns easily if the oven is too hot. 2) did you add dried fruit before baking? That could burn easily too.
K says
Any suggestions for almond substitution?
I am mildly allergic to almonds, stomachaches, etc. are no fun but I have a ton of cocoa nibs and want a healthier snack around the house.
Nora (A Clean Bake) says
In this case, you can use any nut you tolerate in place of almonds. Cashews would be wonderful!