Delicious and Crunchy Chocolate Granola

This delicious and crunchy, refined sugar free Chocolate Granola will be a breakfast hit with the whole family and comes together so quickly. This is a satisfying nut and oat based chocolate muesli with flavours of cinnamon and chocolate, perfectly crunchy from the hazelnuts, pecans and pepitas. 

Who doesn’t love to start the day with chocolate? And this Chocolate Granola is a fabulous way to enjoy breakfast! Nutty and crunchy, this chocolate muesli is a delicious, simple one bowl, quick bake recipe that’ll be a family hit!

Have you made homemade granola before? It is super easy. And this Chocolate Granola comes together so quickly! In no time at all you can be munching down on this muesli, jam packed with nuts, seeds and oats. This delicious vegan, home made muesli can be easily adapted to be nut free and when made with certified gluten free oats it is suitable for those with gluten allergies or Coeliac.

This home made granola recipe is not overly sweet. It definitely has a chocolatey taste and it’s slightly sweetened with maple syrup. And because of this I have include a variation for a sweeter adaption of this chocolate muesli below.

Chocolate Granola Ingredient List: 

This recipe uses pantry ingredients to create this chocolate muesli. You will find the quantity information in the recipe card.

• Rolled oats – these nutritious whole-grains are a fantastic source of fibre and Vitamin B1. They are a pantry staple in my house. You can purchase certified gluten free for a gluten free muesli or replace with an equal quantity of seeds and nuts.
• Pecans – a source of healthy fats, minerals and vitamins. You can substitute with sunflower seeds or more pepitas or oats for a nut free Chocolate Granola. You could also substitute with an equal quantity of other nuts, like more hazelnuts or almonds.
• Hazlenuts – packed with fibre and vitamins these add a delicious flavour to the granola. You can substitute with more pecans or any other nuts or for a nut free Chocolate Granola with sunflower seeds, pepitas or more oats.
• Pepitas – packed full of nutrients and minerals like zinc, iron and copper. If you do not have pepitas you can replace with sunflower seeds or just omit these but I love the colour in this chocolate muesli.
• Cacao – contains fibre, potassium and magnesium. You can substitute with cocoa.
• Cinnamon – adds more flavour and warmth to this vegan granola. You can just omit but I love the additional flavour this brings.
• Maple syrup – I use pure maple syrup as opposed to flavoured maple syrup. I enjoy the depth and caramel-like flavour of maple syrup in baking. If you do not have maple syrup you could use honey, but I recommend to reduce the amount.
• Olive oil – I use a low flavoured extra virgin olive oil. You could use coconut oil too.
• Shredded coconut – this is normally found in the baking section of your supermarket. I have also used coconut flakes which worked beautifully as well. You also could omit coconut from the recipe but I personally I love the taste of coconut and it looks great too!

To Make the Chocolate Granola

Preheat your oven to 175c and line a baking tray. In a bowl add in the dry ingredients and stir the mixture until well combined. Then, add in the maple syrup and olive oil and stir through again, coating the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients.

Next you will tip the mixture on to the lined baking tray and spread the mixture evenly over the tray.

Bake the granola for 4 minutes then remove from the oven and stir, breaking up any clumps. Sprinkle over the coconut and stir it in evenly. Bake for a further 4 minutes then remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Love a Sweeter Granola?

So remember I said that this recipe is not overly sweet. If you are looking for a cocoa pops equivalent this is not it. It definitely has a chocolate flavour and is slightly sweetened. And, I should mention, soooo much better for you than cocoa pops.

I personally love this granola and find that it is sweet enough, especially when served with fruit. But it may not be sweet enough for everyone’s taste or to what you’d expect when you read it’s chocolate flavoured.

So I have tested a sweeter Chocolate Granola variation, which I also loved and found it completely sweet enough without fruit. So I have included this variation for you – just in case!

To make this sweeter version, instead of two tablespoons of maple syrup you will need to use three tablespoons. Pretty simple right? However, you will also need to bake the muesli for longer to make sure it’s crunchy enough.

After baking the granola for four minutes, take the chocolate muesli out of the oven and stir. Then bake for a further four minutes. Finally, remove the granola and stir again adding the coconut at this stage. Then bake for a further 4 minutes and cool. This will result in a sweeter muesli that will still be crisp and crunchy. 

In summary, to make a sweeter version – add an extra tablespoon of maple syrup and bake for an additional 4 minutes before adding the coconut. Simples.

Storing Homemade Granola

The best thing about homemade granola is that it stores really well. You can store the prepared, baked muesli in an airtight container for several weeks or even months. If it will survive your family not gobbling it up within days. Looking at you husband 👀.

Serving Suggestions

I personally love to serve this Chocolate Granola with tart natural Greek yogurt and fruit – especially raspberries and bananas. And this would also be gorgeous served breakfast parfait style with layers of yogurt, muesli and fruit.

If You Love Chocolate Granola You May Also Love:

• This sweet, crunchy Honey Pecan Granola – a stunning way to start the day, this granola is super quick to prepare and so delicious. 
• Gingerbread Muesli a delicious, warm and crunchy granola – perfect to serve as breakfast parfaits with tart Greek yogurt and berries.
• If you love chocolate for breakfast you will also love this Dairy Free Chocolate Smoothie – a dairy free and vegan smoothie that is sweetened only with fruit and so refreshing.
• You can also sneak in more chocolate for your morning meal with these Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Now these are soooo good. So. Very. Good.

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I hope that you enjoy this delicious Chocolate Granola as much as we do. As always, please share your pictures with me – I love to connect! You can reach me on Facebook or Instagram and remember to rate my recipes you love.

Happy breakfasting, 
Bernadette x