The Simplest Chocolate-Banana Granola (Oil-Free!)
Ingredients
Instructions
-
1Preheat oven to 350° F (176° C). Prepare a parchment-covered baking sheet.
-
2Mash the bananas in a large bowl until smooth. Add the maple syrup, vanilla, cacao, and a generous pinch of sea salt, and mix until smooth. Add the rolled oats and walnuts/other nuts to the bowl and mix to coat.
-
3Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet, flattening it out with the back of a spoon and spreading it out somewhat evenly over the entire sheet.
-
4Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip the granola, breaking it up into smaller clusters (so that the pieces have a chance to dry out). Bake for another 20-25 minutes, mixing periodically, until the granola is dry and crispy. It will crisp up even more once it cools. Let cool and keep in an airtight container.
Think of this super minimal granola recipe as a great introduction to the vast and delicious world of homemade granola. It’s a world of endless possibilities and really long ingredient lists, so this 7-ingredient recipe is here to bring everything down to earth for a second. This granola gives off some solid chocolate banana bread vibes, and can easily be customized to meet all your granola needs :)
Mashed bananas and maple syrup act as the glue that creates those irresistible granola clusters and eliminates the need for any oil in this recipe. Cacao counteracts the sweetness of the bananas and maple with its earthy bitterness and brings some decadence to the otherwise modest ingredients. The bulk of the granola is made up of two parts rolled oats to one part walnuts, and this is where you can start playing around with whatever ingredients you want to use. Maintaining the ratio of nuts to oats the best you can, add other nuts or seeds instead of or in addition to the walnuts. You can also add other superfood powders, dried fruit, or desiccated coconut. It’s a great pantry clean out option.
Just yesterday, I did a mini clean out using this recipe. I swapped out some of the oats for dried coconut, and added pumpkin and chia seeds along with the walnuts. It came out totally delicious, and I really can’t be trusted around a freshly baked tray of this stuff.
Hope you’ll give it a try! And we’d love to hear about your customizations :)
- 3 very ripe bananas (1 cup banana puree)
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup cacao powder
- pinch of sea salt
- 2 cups rolled oats (gf if needed)
- 1 cup chopped untoasted walnuts or other nuts/seeds (or a mix of a few)
- Preheat oven to 350° F (176° C). Prepare a parchment-covered baking sheet.
- Mash the bananas in a large bowl until smooth. Add the maple syrup, vanilla, cacao, and a generous pinch of sea salt, and mix until smooth. Add the rolled oats and walnuts/other nuts to the bowl and mix to coat.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking sheet, flattening it out with the back of a spoon and spreading it out somewhat evenly over the entire sheet.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip the granola, breaking it up into smaller clusters (so that the pieces have a chance to dry out). Bake for another 20-25 minutes, mixing periodically, until the granola is dry and crispy. It will crisp up even more once it cools. Let cool and keep in an airtight container.
Recipe Gallery
Reader Comments (5)
See what other home cooks are saying about this recipe