Cinnamon Cashew Granola (gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free)

Coated in a cashew butter and cinnamon mixture, this Cinnamon Cashew Granola is one of my FAVORITE homemade granola recipes!

Have you ever had granola made with a nut butter before?

Like, Peanut Butter Granola… sounds amazing right?

Only problem is, it can be a little tricky to make homemade granola with a nut butter. When you add nut butter to the granola mixture, you have to be sure to bake it just right, because it adds an extra thick coating to the granola. If baked incorrectly, you’ll have chewy clumps or confetti granola with no chunks at all. Yikes!

But I’m a huge DIY fan, and I don’t want to buy nut butter granola at the store – I want to be able to make a simple recipe in my own home!

So, do you wanna know the secret to crunchy granola with clusters, that contains nut butter?

First, it’s the ratio of nut butter to coconut oil to honey. You’ll need just the right amount to ensure that you can still taste the nut butter and honey after baking, but not too much to overwhelm your granola mixture.

Second, here’s the real secret, you’ll need to flip your granola in the middle of baking. Sounds a little weird, but it’s a simple trick to help your granola still have chunky clusters.

Here’s the deal: You need to stir your granola in the middle of the bake time to make sure it bakes through, because of the thicker nut butter mixture it’s coated in. But, when you stir your granola mixture then you end up breaking up your granola and ruining any chance of having big chunky clusters.

Grab a big spatula, flip in as big of sections as possible, and solve the problem! You won’t end up with huge clusters, as you’ve still disturbed your granola while baking a bit, but you will still have some nice, crunchy clusters of Cinnamon Cashew Granola. Yay! 🙂

Is making a nut butter based granola worth it?

Oh my goodness. This granola is my absolute favorite granola. I really thought my gluten-free Cinnamon Sugar Roasted Nut Granola was my favorite. Oh, and I absolutely loved my gluten-free Lemon Honey Granola too (it’s a great summer granola!).

But… I’m a total sucker for this Cinnamon Cashew Granola. Filled with cashew flavor, extra vanilla extract, and double the typical amount of cinnamon, this simple yet flavorful combination is the perfect healthy breakfast, easy snack, or great yogurt topping!

How do you make this Cinnamon Cashew Granola?

To begin, preheat your oven to 300 and line a pan with parchment paper.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add your oats and nuts and stir them together.

In a small, microwave safe bowl, add your coconut oil. Microwave till liquid, then add in your honey and microwave again till very hot and a little bubbly. Finally, add in your cashew butter, vanilla and cinnamon and stir till smooth.

Pour your wet ingredients over your oats and nuts, and coat entirely. Spread your Cinnamon Cashew Granola out on your pan and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Then what? That’s right: flip your granola! Bake another 15 minutes, or till the edges of the granola are just starting to gain color.

Let your Cinnamon Cashew Granola cool entirely and then, devour! 🙂

I hope I’ve inspired you to make some homemade granola in your own home. Looking for other flavors maybe though? I also love my gluten-free Chai-spiced Granola and my gluten-free Orange Turmeric Granola!

5 from 2 votes

Print

Cinnamon Cashew Granola (gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free)

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

 

Servings: 16 servings

Calories: 206 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 cups oats, certified gluten-free
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (unsalted)
• 1 cup cashews, chopped (unsalted or lightly salted)
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup cashew butter, drippy
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

1. To begin, preheat your oven to 300 and line a pan with parchment paper.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add your oats and nuts and stir them together.

3. In a small, microwave safe bowl, add your coconut oil. Microwave till liquid, then add in your honey and microwave again till very hot and a little bubbly (in small increments, of about 20 seconds each). Finally, add in your cashew butter, vanilla and cinnamon and stir till smooth.

4. Pour your wet ingredients over your oats and nuts, and coat entirely. Spread your granola out on your pan and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

5. Now, using a spatula, flip your granola over so the other side of your granola can bake. Bake another 15 minutes, or till the edges of the granola are just starting to gain color.

6. Let cool entirely before eating, and then devour!

Recipe Notes

Stored in an airtight container, this granola should last a couple months.