Back to School Granola with Cranberries + Coconut
This nut-free granola is a perfect back-to-school mix of spiced crunchy oat clusters, chewy sweet cranberries and tropical shredded coconut! A great addition to any packed lunch or snack for your little one!
These school lunches have all of my normal go-to lunch recipes flipped up side down.
In a good way.
I always enjoy a challenge and now that Ellie’s lunches have to be nut free, I have to think outside the box – her lunch box that is <—- sorry had to!
As much as I kinda joke around about the nut free thing, I now realize how hard it must be for parents who have kids that cannot have any nuts – because nuts are in EVERYTHING!! And I find that I toss nuts into EVERYTHING!
When I went to make Ellie a fun Breakfast–>for–>Lunch box the other day, I realized my standard granola wouldn’t do – it was loaded with nuts.
So I quickly tossed together (as quickly as one can move at 6 in the morning with only half a cup of coffee in them) this granola and loved the mix of spiced crunchy oat clusters, soft chewy cranberries and tropical shredded coconut!
This granola is perfect for breakfast, lunch or even a quick snack. You can pour milk over it for a fast cereal, sprinkle of yogurt or eat it straight out of the container.
The key to make granola clustery without the nuts is the egg white! Super serious here! Egg whites make the oats into clusters. Kinda cool!
Without it, the granola would be more like toasted oats flakes and not clumpy granola. So as random as it might seem, go ahead and add the egg white in.
This recipe is beyond easy – all you have to do is mix the ingredients together in a medium bowl, dump everything onto a baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes, stirring every so often. It’s easy-peasy baking at this time of day!
Now that we got this granola made, lunches are packed and the kiddos are at school, let’s all collapse on the floor and call it morning yoga – this back to school thing is exhausting!
At least we have some yummy granola to snack on for the rest of the day:)
Get the recipe: Back to School Granola with Cranberries + Coconut
Ingredients
- 3 cups oats
- 1 egg white whisked
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup*
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp cardamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup coconut flakes divided
- 1 cup dried cranberries or cherries
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 300 degree F. Spray or line baking sheet with tin foil, parchment paper or silicon mat.
- In a medium bowl, add the oats, egg white, olive oil, honey, chia seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, salt and 1/2 cup coconut flakes and mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Pour oats onto baking sheet and spread evenly.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
- Let cool, making sure not to stir once you take the granola out of the oven. Add the remaining coconut flakes and dried cranberries and stir.
- Store in air-tight container.
Notes
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8 Comments on “Back to School Granola with Cranberries + Coconut”
That looks like something the kids enjoyed having. How long did it take to prepare?
It took maybe 3 minutes to put together and then 30-40 minutes to bake. It lasts for a long time, so I usually make a couple different batches of granola at a time and then keep/use them all month long:)
That looks like something the kids enjoyed having. How long did it take to prepare?
It took maybe 3 minutes to put together and then 30-40 minutes to bake. It lasts for a long time, so I usually make a couple different batches of granola at a time and then keep/use them all month long:)
Have you ever soaked the granola overnight? I really like this recipe, but was just curious about adding that step to it and any thoughts about the amount of liquid that may be necessary. Thanks!
Hello Laura,
No, I haven’t ever soaked my oats overnight before making granola. I love the idea of trying to soak my oats and grains overnight before I use them, but I just can’t get my act together on this one:)
This recipe looks pretty tasty – http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/the-best-soaked-granola-gluten-free-option/
xo, Michele
Have you ever soaked the granola overnight? I really like this recipe, but was just curious about adding that step to it and any thoughts about the amount of liquid that may be necessary. Thanks!
Hello Laura,
No, I haven’t ever soaked my oats overnight before making granola. I love the idea of trying to soak my oats and grains overnight before I use them, but I just can’t get my act together on this one:)
This recipe looks pretty tasty – http://thenourishinghome.com/2012/04/the-best-soaked-granola-gluten-free-option/
xo, Michele