Crunchy Quinoa Granola
Updated March 26, 2019
On Saturday morning Josh woke up early to play basketball with some of his neighborhood buddies. Caleb was sound asleep so I hopped on our elliptical downstairs. Caleb was still sleeping when I finished my workout, so I took advantage of the quiet house. I made a cup of tea and was going to enjoy a yogurt with granola, but our granola jar was empty. Boo!
So instead of sitting down to a peaceful breakfast, I made a batch of Crunchy Quinoa Granola. I love making homemade granola, so I wasn’t too disappointed we were out. I love starting my day in the kitchen.
I am obsessed with homemade granola and love creating new recipes. A few of my favorites include: Coconut Granola, Apple Cinnamon Granola, and Pumpkin Granola. I have been on a quinoa kick lately. Ok, the kick has lasted over a year now, I never get tired of quinoa. I decided to create a quinoa granola and I am so glad I did. This Crunchy Quinoa Granola is definitely a new favorite.
You don’t have to cook the quinoa for this granola recipe, just rinse it under cold water and drain it really well. I combined the quinoa with oats, almonds, pepitas, shaved coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. In a small bowl, I whisked together applesauce, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. I mixed everything together in one big bowl and spread the granola onto a large baking sheet.
I put the pan in the oven, set the timer, and heard Caleb talking in his room. I went and scooped Caleb out of his crib and fed him breakfast while my breakfast was baking.
When the granola was done baking, I tossed in dried cranberries and raisins. I let the granola cool for a few minutes and then filled my bowl. I was ready to eat. I enjoyed my granola with Chobani plain yogurt. It was SO good. I don’t know why I’ve waited this long to make quinoa granola. I love how crunchy it is!
And when Josh got home he was excited because the house smelled so good. Unfortunately, I couldn’t share my granola with him because he is allergic to nuts. Oops! I don’t feel too bad though because he stopped at the store and bought a doughnut. The perfect post workout breakfast? I don’t think so! My Crunchy Quinoa Granola is though! It is loaded with protein, fiber, and healthy fats!
I snacked on Crunchy Quinoa Granola all weekend long. I already need to make another batch. It is great with yogurt, a splash of cold milk, or eaten by the handful. Enjoy!
Crunchy Quinoa Granola
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup quinoa
- 2 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup chopped almonds
- 1/2 cup pepitas
- 1/2 cup shaved coconut
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup natural applesauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil melted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup raisins
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- 2. Rinse the quinoa under cold water and drain well. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, oats, almonds, pepitas, shaved coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- 3. In a small bowl, whisk together applesauce, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour the granola onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread into an even layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until granola is golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes or so.
- 4. Stir in the dried cranberries and raisins. Let granola cool completely. Store in an air-tight container for up to one month.
- Note-to make the granola gluten-free, use gluten-free oats. To make the granola vegan, use agave instead of honey.
Have you tried this recipe?
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I still haven’t tried quinoa. I have some in the kitchen, but I’m a bit… scared of it. But this way sounds better than cooking it. Crunchy quinoa sounds much pleasant than soft or soggy or however it comes out cooked. 🙂
The granola looks great! I’m on a granola kick at the moment but have to admit that I prefer the boxed kind with all the sugar. I love how this version uses apple sauce!
Yum! I’ve never thought to put quinoa in my granola, but I love the idea. Sounds delightfully crunchy, but it’s not overly crunchy without being cooked?
I love the idea of quinoa in granola – any extra crunch I can get, the better!
I never thought of putting quinoa in granola, but it’s a wonderful idea!
Looks fantastic! I actually have “make more granola” noted on my schedule on Tuesday ;). I haven’t ever added quinoa, but I like the idea. Nom nom
I love to make granola, too. My last batch didn’t taste like anything, though. Don’t know what was wrong, although, I haven’t made too many batches either!
What a great idea! I never thought of using quinoa in granola! I love it!!!
Ohhh I love when the house is quiet!!!! But eating this granola in a quiet house would be even better!
I saw a recipe for quinoa granola the other day and wasn’t quite sure, but you’ve convinced me. This looks utterly fabulous. I like the idea of incorporating both rolled oats and the quinoa. Must Make List, updated. 🙂
You sound like me – whenever my little guy sleeps late I run around doing as much as possible before he wakes! Sounds like you were very smart with this extra time – looks delish. 🙂
This looks so healthy and absolutely delicious! A big bowl of this for breakfast with some greek yogurt would certainly make my day 🙂
What a great granola recipe, Maria! So healthy and filling. Love it!
What a perfect, healthy breakfast! I love when it’s crunchy too, so can’t wait to try this!
Maria, what a GREAT idea! Extra protein in the granola is always a good thing.
I am so into making granola right now. Quinoa seems to be popular right now, though I have no idea what it even is but it looks yum?
YUM! I was JUST telling the hubs I wanted to make some homemade granola! Love that you added Quinoa!!
What a clever idea! I love homemade granola too and yours looks delicious!
I’m all about crunchy granola and yogurt for breakfast. Probably my favorite breakfast in fact.
Do you know how many carbs in one portion?
Thank you!
Looks so good Maria!!
I’ve never tried quinoa in my granola!! excited to give it a go!
This looks so good Maria! I love how crunchy and pretty it is!
I have always loved quinoa in granola. I have a question, though-please. I live in BFE and am unable to get shaved coconut (I always use shredded in my granola). Even our local co-op does not sell it. Do you buy a coconut in the produce area and shave it yourself, or do you buy it already shaved? I know this sounds like a dorky question, but would love to know how you get it. Thanks!!!!!
I buy it already shaved. Most stores sell it!
I’m always looking for a fun new granola to try. Love the quinoa addition. 🙂
Never thought to put quinoa with granola but I love it!!
Loving this Maria!! Wish I had some to snack on right now 🙂
Wow, Maria, this sounds fantastic! Happy Monday, friend!
I love your granola recipes! my favorite is the maple almond one!
Mmmm…looks delish. I plan on making my first quinoa recipe tonight!
I seriously love homemade granola, and this one looks so good! I’ve never put quinoa in my granola before, I can’t wait to try it!
This looks delicious! I have always wanted to make Granola but keep putting it off. I think I will try this recipe this week!
This recipe sounds so good, but i wonder what the nutritional values are for it?
I am not sure on the nutritional information. Sorry!
This looks so healthy and good, Maria! Ilove all the flavors in there.
I love homemade granola, especially those that contain almonds and coconut. . .love this!
Dangit, woman. This is rad!
I never thought to add Quinoa to granola, what a great idea!
love this Maria!
This is a serious eureka moment!
Such a nice granola ~ love the addition of quinoa!
Love the quinoa and the big bits of nuts!
Mmmm…this looks so good! I love cooking with quinoa, but I’ve never tried it in granola! Gotta try this one out 🙂
Yum. Talk about goodness in a bowl.
I’ve been looking for ways to use up both quinoa AND pepitas! This is such a win/win recipe! And the perfect breakfast.
Thanks so much for this recipe! I actually made it this morning to have this week with greek yogurt. It is incredibly tasty, but I would make one edit to your recipe. The amount of applesauce was a bit much and didn’t allow for my granola to ‘dry out’ in the oven as much as I would have liked. So I left it in a bit longer and it burnt!! It is still delicious and hearty (and I wasn’t throwing out those good and pricey ingredients!), but I would make sure that newbie granola makers (like myself) know that this does tend to dry out and crisp up a bit more once outside of the oven and that beyond 50 minutes it does tend to burn a bit in the oven. Or if you like a bit more dry mixture to use a bit less applesauce. Thanks again for sharing though! I will be making it again and again!
I’m totally intrigued by the quinoa! Plus, you can’t go wrong when your granola is so loaded with ‘extras’!
I love the beautiful colors this has in it and an ingredient list that is easy to find in the grocery store.
I made your pumpkin granola and it turned out better than any granola attempts I’ve tried before! I actually have pepitas, quinoa, & dried cranberries sitting around so I may have to make this! I love having healthy things to snack on in the morning!
I always put quinoa in my granola now! This one looks so delicious… And healthy. I’m excited to make a granola with coconut oil!
I love what you do with quinoa!! I was on such a kick in the summer and haven’t had very much since. This looks fantastic!
Interesting! Now I need to try adding quinoa to my granola!!
All of these healthy recipes is making me ready for summer again! This granola looks so amazing. I love the quinoa and I just love how the chopped almonds look. So pretty! I wish I had all the ingredients on me now… maybe a trip to the store is in order
looks so good! beautiful pictures.
thank you for the wonderful granola recipe! your use of applesauce is revolutionary to me. made it last night – delicious! thank you!
Oh I love quinoa… sounds great!
Linking back to this awesome recipe today 🙂
I like the sound of a quinoa granola and it looks so good!
HI! I don’t have applesauce on hand and need/want to make this ASAP…Is the applesauce sub for more oil or sugar, or both??
Thanks!
This is a great recipe.
The first batch was gone in three days.
For the second batch I swapped out brown sugar with maple syrup.
It was gone in a day.
Made it. Love it. I have learned so much from your blog. Thank you!
I made this granola and love it. I would never have thought to use quinoa this way. I am a school nurse and love to take this for lunch. I also left my almonds in fairly big bits and so enjoy the crunch. Yum, one of my favorite lunches!
I’m almost through the gingerbread granola I made last month (it wasn’t my favorite batch, so it’s taking awhile to get through) and we just gave up meat so what an excellent way to get in extra protein in a method we’re already used to eating lots of! Woohoo! So excited to try this out!
Hi!
What is ”pepitas” in french??
Thanks a lot!!!
Pepitas are pumpkin seeds:)
I would never think to use quinoa in this way! Thanks for the inspiration! This looks AWESOME!
A friend of mine let me try some of this last week and I fell in love and have been craving it ever since! I bought the ingredients today and made a batch cooking for 35 minutes, til it was golden. It is now completely cool but is soggy, not crunchy. Any idea what I did wrong? I was looking forward to having this in my yogurt tomorrow! If it matters, I substituted sunflower seeds for pepitas and added some flax seed. I wouldn’t think either of those would have an effect of the outcome though.
This was my first shot at homemade granola, and WOW! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe! I love that it has applesauce in it, and the quinoa makes it so crunchy! I’ve made it several times now, and just bought a special jar for my granola stash 🙂 Thanks again for sharing!
i just made this today. i’ve never attempted granola before. but miss it so much, because my son has peanut allergies. the only granolas i’ve come across peanut free are loaded with sugar. this is so healthy, and delish! thanks for the recipe. i will always keep this on hand.
This is awesome! I made some last night, but left out the cranberries and raisins. I topped with greek yogurt and fresh blueberries. Yum!
I absolutely love this recipe! I usually tweak recipe to my liking, but this one is perfection!! It was my first attempt at homemade granola and I’ll never go back! My hubby is ready to ditch cereals altogether because he loves this so much. I had to buy a special {huge} jar to keep it in, but the jar never stays full for long 🙂 I’ve found that leaving it in the oven for a while after I turn it off makes the granola extra cruncy and delightful! I love this unique use of quinoa, thanks for an awesome recipe!
I’ve been making a different granola recipe each month or so for a few years, never landing on the perfect one… until now. I’ve made double-batches of it twice now and don’t see a need to try out other granola recipes ever again. 🙂 The crunchy little dots of quinoa are my favorite part!
Hey! I just tried out this recipe, but found it to be a little moist after taking it out of the oven.. should I use less apple sauce?
This happened to me too. I just turned the oven off after 40 min and left the tray in there which dried out the granola.
Your recipes look very appetizing, actually I’m going to try the Slow Cooker Chicken and Wild Rice Soup one. Why don’t you post the nutritional values for your recipes? Just curious… thanks
I made this and its so awesome. Crunchy and healthy addition of quinoa. Thanks for the recipe.
Hi,
So I know with whole flax seed, unless it’s ground it just goes right through your system “unprocessed” and nutritionally intact so our bodies don’t get those nutrients. It sure seems like uncooked quinoa would follow the same rule. Any ideas?
thanks!
I just made this granola and it turned out yummylicious!!! I did have to leave it in the oven for longer than required to dry it out, and next time I’ll just add more spice to suit my sweet tooth.
Thank you for a wonderful, healthy recipe!!!!
Glad you liked the granola!
Best Granola ever and so easy, thanks
Glad you liked it!
What is pepitas
Pumpkin seeds
Could I use olive oil or canola oil rather than coconut oil? If so, how much?
Yes, use the same amount.
This looks delicious! Is the 3/4 quinoa cooked before adding? I guess I’ve never tried crunching on dry quinoa, but I figured it would be hard like rice or barley…
Quinoa is great. I’ll have to try this. Lately I’ve been really into these Quinoa chips that are delicious.
I’ve made this recipe now several times. It’s fantastic and very forgiving – today I didn’t have quite enough oats added more coconut and pecans instead. I also add maple syrup instead of honey for a different flavor. Love it!
Can you tell me serving size and calories?? I am on a weightless program and need to keep track. This sounds wonderful!
The granola looks delicious. What is the calorie count per cup.
This is absolutely delicious. I love the crunch from the quinoa. I have been making granola my whole life and this will certainly be one I add in my rotation.
This was my first attempt at granola and it was very yummy! I also added some wheat germ when mixing ingredients. After 40 minutes in the oven the granola had a little chewy texture, so I turned off the oven and just left it in there for a little while. This seemed to draw out the moisture and dry out the granola.
Looks delicious. I would like to know the nutrition content of the recipe.