Healthy Chocolate Granola Recipe (2024)

August 16, 2013

posted by Marina Delio | 44 Comments

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Healthy superfood ingredients like raw organic cacao powder, coconut, and chia seeds come together to create a decadent tasting breakfast or snack. Who says you can’t have chocolate for breakfast?!

I’ve made this delicious granola twice in the past week. The first time I made it, planning to send it off to friends as a housewarming gift, it disappeared. Yummy Hubby really loved it. Like, a little too much. So I made the chocolate granola a second time, but was smarter this time a put a “hands off!” sticky note on the container until I had it out of the house. Homemade granola is fun and simple to make, and uses everyday ingredients that you may already have in the pantry. If you’d like to make gluten free homemade granola, be sure to buy certified gluten free oats.

I absolutely love this granola with almond milk, but I love it just as much on a peanut butter smoothie bowl. It tastes like the most wonderful dessert, but is loaded with nutrition.

Chocolate granola is best with cold milk. The milk quickly turns into chocolate milk and reminds me so much of the chocolate rice krispies cereal I only got to have on vacation as a kid for that chocolate milky reason. And that reason only – this one is loaded with nutrients without all the sugar.

Have I mentioned I have horrendous handwriting? Slapping on labels is more my thing. Thank goodness the kindergarten teacher included glue sticks on the supply list! And don’t tell my big girl I sneaked her new glue stick from her backpack in the middle of the night. I created this one in Photoshop and you’re welcome to print it out and use it. Click here to download the jpg file.

I got the ice cream containers on Amazon and use them for everything from storing actual ice cream to gift packaging to holding popsicle stick games for the kids. This is an Amazon affiliate link, so I make a small commission if you purchase through it – thanks!

Update 9-30-2016
This chocolate granola recipe has been a popular one on the blog for years now. When I made it this week I felt it was a little too dry, so I reduced the amount of oats from 4 cups to 3, and increased the coconut oil and honey. If you loved the recipe the way it was you can find the original printer friendly recipe hereprinter friendly recipe.

Yield: about 6 cups

Prep Time10 minutes

Cook Time30 minutes

Total Time40 minutes

Healthier superfood chocolate granola is delicious with milk and berries.

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup raw walnuts (or any other nuts you have on hand)
½ cup chia, flax, or hemp seeds (I like a combination)
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup unsweetened cacao or cocoa powder
2/3 cup melted coconut oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup honey (agave or maple syrup if vegan)
1/3 cup coconut sugar (or light brown sugar)
1/4 cup chopped chocolate (optional for extra decadence)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a large bowl, stir together the oats, coconut, walnuts, seeds, salt, and cacao. In a medium bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, vanilla, honey, and coconut sugar until smooth. Pour coconut oil mixture over the oat mixture and stir until oats are coated. I find using two rubber spatulas at the same time to mix the ingredients works best. If you like your granola very clumpy, add more honey.
Coat one large or two small rimmed baking sheet(s) with cooking spray or rub with a little more coconut oil. Press granola into the bottom of the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Stir and bake another 10-15 minutes. Cool completely in the pan without stirring. Granola will crisp up, clump, and harden as it cools. Gently stir in chocolate chunks, if desired. Store in an airtight container.
Serve over milk and topped with raspberries or bananas. Yum!

Notes

Vegan option: Use agave syrup or maple syrup instead of the honey. Use only vegan chocolate chips. Gluten Free option: Make sure your oats are gluten-free. Oats are naturally gluten-free, but are often contaminated during processing. Also check that the chocolate you use is gluten free.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 469Total Fat: 30gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 104mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 8gSugar: 21gProtein: 9g

Breakfast Chocolate Gluten Free homemade gifts snacks Vegan

posted August 16, 2013 by Marina Delio

44 Comments//Leave a Comment »

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44 comments on “Healthy Chocolate Granola Recipe”

Margaret — August 16, 2013 @ 5:05 pm Reply

I love the label!
Rachel @ Bakerita — August 16, 2013 @ 7:28 pm Reply

This looks so delicious, and OMG that label is so cute!! Definitely gonna make some of this to bring back to school with me 🙂 Pinned!

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Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar — August 16, 2013 @ 7:37 pm Reply

This sounds like an absolute delight!
Sue — August 16, 2013 @ 7:39 pm Reply

This is meant to be…I have all the ingredients! Thanks, Marina!
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe — August 16, 2013 @ 10:32 pm Reply

Oh Marina, this granola sounds so delicious! I love the idea of enjoying a bowl topped with cold milk – yum! Definitely pinning this recipe!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) — August 16, 2013 @ 10:35 pm Reply

I've been making homemade granola lately but have yet to try a chocolate version – looks like I found my next batch!
Barbra Mousouris — August 16, 2013 @ 11:38 pm Reply

wow… the label is over the top! beautiful and professional looking…and i'm sure delicious.
Heidi @ Food Doodles — August 17, 2013 @ 12:09 am Reply

Oh my this granola looks delicious! And what a fun label to go with it 🙂
Monica McGuiness — August 17, 2013 @ 2:24 pm Reply

Lovely recipe. I am going to make this gluten free. Thanks.
Alley M — August 18, 2013 @ 2:02 am Reply

I have been eating parfaits every morning for the past couple weeks. Making my own granola would make it even better!
Tricia — August 18, 2013 @ 3:58 am Reply

I'm totally going to try this…it sounds mmm, mmm good! Beautiful photos 🙂
Jola — August 18, 2013 @ 1:53 pm Reply

Mmmmh! Sounds delish!
Have a nice Sunday!
Janel — August 18, 2013 @ 5:39 pm Reply

That looks absolutely delicious – people forget that dark chocolate is actually quite good for you, the trick is to keep the sugar to a minimum – honey is the classic, I have never used coconut sugar but am going to put it on my list. This looks like a fantastic recipe, and I can’t wait to eat it with milk and berries like the picture shows!
Marina Delio — August 18, 2013 @ 10:38 pm Reply

Thanks Janel! You're right, chocolate (without the sugar) IS really good for you!
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I have been loving coconut sugar as a natural alternative to sugar. You can always omit it in this recipe and just use the honey if you would like 🙂
Cate @ Chez CateyLou — August 19, 2013 @ 5:29 pm Reply

I love any recipe that has healthy and chocolate in the title! This sounds delicious, a perfect way to start the day!
Kitchen Belleicious — August 21, 2013 @ 3:05 am Reply

yum! I need a handful or rather bowlful of that
Connor Harley — August 21, 2013 @ 2:22 pm Reply

I love chocolates of all kinds. And I love this most because this is really healthy and will really satisfy my cravings for chocolates.
Heidi Fuqua — August 22, 2013 @ 5:26 am Reply

This looks so yummy! How can you go wrong with chocolate?
Heidi’s Wanderings
Rachel Cooks — August 23, 2013 @ 11:22 am Reply

This looks SO good — an those labels are adorable!
Nancy — August 24, 2013 @ 8:15 pm Reply

What does the salt do for the granola? Debating whether to use it or leave it out.
Marina Delio — August 24, 2013 @ 8:55 pm Reply

Hi Nancy, either way is totally fine. Doesn't make much of a difference. Some people like little salt bite 🙂 It tends to bring out sweet flavors.
Nancy — August 26, 2013 @ 8:35 pm Reply

Oh my goodness! I made this (with the salt) and my son just loves it. Was not hard to make at all. Just had to be careful not to burn it. Hard to tell with the chocolate. Thanks for all the great recipes. Made several from your cookbook and they all have been hits!
🙂
Alissa — September 1, 2013 @ 4:07 pm Reply

I am eating mine right now with greek yogurt and bananas! I can't wait to send this with the kiddos to their first day of school this week as a gift to their teachers! Thank you Marina! So yummy!!!!
cecile — September 11, 2013 @ 2:38 am Reply

It looks lovely ! I will try it tomorrow.
Oats are not gluten-free… Rye, wheat, barley and oats all contain gluten.
Marina Delio — September 11, 2013 @ 7:01 pm Reply

Hi Cecile.
Actually oats are naturally gluten-free, but they often are contaminated in processing facilities. There are many gluten-free oats available.
Here's a good article explaining it:
http://www.thekitchn.com/the-oat-conundrum-are-oats-glu-137074
Ashley — September 12, 2013 @ 9:06 pm Reply

This looks wonderful!! I love all the variation options you've included.
Kitty — September 14, 2013 @ 5:45 pm Reply

I'm having a problem finding Cacao powder, do you think a good quality dutch coco powder would work?
Marina Delio — September 14, 2013 @ 6:20 pm Reply

Hi Kitty, you could use any cocoa powder, it just won't have all the nutritional benefits.
Most any natural or health food store will have raw cacao though.
Megan Reed — September 21, 2013 @ 10:30 pm Reply

WHat could i use as a substitue for coconut oil? I am excited to try this!
Kimber — September 22, 2013 @ 4:36 pm Reply

This looks delicious and I have all the ingredients. Guess what I'm making after church today!!!
Marina Delio — September 22, 2013 @ 10:09 pm Reply

Hi Megan, any kind of oil 🙂 I'd choose walnut oil next.
Anonymous — September 23, 2013 @ 8:13 pm Reply

Hello wonderful gorgeous Yummy Mummy!
Your site is beautiful and inspiring, both your writing and your pictures make me feel so calm and blissed-out – your children and yummy hubby are so lucky 🙂
I've noticed that you recommend agave in a lot of your recipes, and it saddens me seeing that your recipes are so healthy that you recommend agave as it is very unhealthy! and not many people know about this – please read these articles about agave:
http://kimberlysnyder.net/blog/2012/08/15/what-everyone-ought-to-know-about-fructose/#i.18otf35x6hdk
http://kimberlysnyder.net/blog/2010/08/30/syrup-alternatives-to-agave/#i.18otf35x6hdk
I hope you read them and substitute the agave (and maybe the other sweeteners…) in your recipes – I have just made your coconut ice cream using dates which I most often use as a vegan natural sweetener – wish me luck 🙂
– Louise Emma
Marina Delio — September 24, 2013 @ 12:42 am Reply

Hi Louise Emma! Thanks so much for your comment. I actually don't use agave anymore either. I now recommend coconut nectar instead. I personally use local honey, but many vegan readers do not use honey.
Anonymous — September 24, 2013 @ 6:22 pm Reply

We've made this recipe twice and it is delicious. We had to substitute the cacao powder with regular cocoa powder, since we haven't been able to find it here in Zambia, and the flavor is good. I found I did have to cook the 2nd batch a little longer to make it a little more crunchy to our liking. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Rebecca — October 18, 2013 @ 6:33 pm Reply

Oh my goodness, I made this last week and it was like a flood of oxytocin and also felt really great in my body. LOVE the coconut oil kick, even though I have a crush on butter, this was delicious. Thank you for sharing!
XO
Rebecca — October 18, 2013 @ 6:34 pm Reply

Made this delectable recipe last week, fell in love with the coconut oil addition (even though I ave a huge crush on butter). Think I'll use it more often in my granola recipes, since I put it in everything else. Thank you for sharing this recipe! XO
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FAQs

Why are homemade granola not crunchy? ›

Bake low and slow.

Cook at 300 degrees F slowly for about 30 minutes or until it is golden brown and toasty. Cooking at too high of a temperature will likely burn the honey coating, the oats, and the nuts. A lower temperature ensures even baking for crispy, crunchy granola.

Get More Info Here ›

Is homemade granola healthier? ›

YUM! More reasons to obsess over homemade granola: Healthier: it has less sugar and is lower Calorie than anything you'll find at the store. Freezer Friendly: It will keep for months in the freezer, stored in a freezer safe bag.

View Details ›

What are the ingredients in simply nature dark chocolate granola? ›

INGREDIENTS: Whole grain blend (gluten free oats, amaranth, millet), cane sugar, chocolate chips (cane sugar, unsweetened chocolate, cocoa butter), honey, brown rice, coconut oil, cornmeal, almonds, cocoa powder, brown rice syrup, chia seeds, natural flavors, coconut, sea salt, sesame seeds, soluble corn fiber, corn ...

How to make big clumps of granola? ›

Here, a full cup of hot tap water is stirred into the dry oats, then left to sit for 15 minutes before you proceed with the recipe (which also skips any stirring during baking). The idea is that the water softens the oats, and stickiness from the starch will create more clumps, which won't be broken apart by stirring.

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What ingredients should you avoid in granola? ›

Check the ingredient list, avoiding products that list sugar or sweeteners —including natural sweeteners like honey — within the first few ingredients. Instead, the first few ingredients should be whole foods, such as oats, nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. You may also want to look for varieties high in protein and fiber.

Read On ›

What ingredient makes granola stick together? ›

Add an egg white.

The whites act as a kind of glue that binds the ingredients together. To ensure that the egg whites coat all the ingredients, I beat them with a whisk until foamy and increased in volume, which makes it much easier to fold into the granola.

Get More Info Here ›

What was the downside to granola as a food? ›

On the downside, granola can be high in added sugars, hidden calories, and saturated fat, making some options less healthy.

Does homemade granola spike blood sugar? ›

Because granola contains carbohydrates, it can spike blood sugar levels in some people with diabetes. However, whether or not granola spikes your blood sugar levels, and how quickly it may cause a blood sugar spike, will vary depending on what type of granola you eat and what you pair it with.

Learn More Now ›

What is chocolate granola made of? ›

The Ultimate Chocolate Granola with almonds, oats, coconut flakes, chocolate chips, topped with crunchy sugar and sea salt.

Read On ›

Is granola dark chocolate healthy? ›

With no refined sugars or artificial colours added, Dark Chocolate and Orange Granola can satisfy your sugar craving and is the perfect healthy option for any day with chocolate in mind.

What is in Kellogg's granola? ›

Granola clusters are perfectly oven-baked combination of wheat, rice, oats and corn, to bring you a multigrain breakfast that is a source of fibre. It is generously loaded with 24% real almonds & yummy cranberries. Get the multi-grain goodness and energy to kick-start your active day.

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What keeps granola together? ›

Make sure that whichever granola recipe you use, it calls for some liquid, typically oil of some kind (I recommend olive oil for a subtle earthy, floral flavor, or melted unrefined coconut oil for subtly coconutty flavor). The liquid will help the chia seeds to gel, ensuring the granola sticks together.

Find Out More ›

How do you keep homemade granola crispy? ›

Whether it's homemade or store-bought, properly storing granola will help extend the shelf life and maintain crunchiness. Store granola in an airtight container or tightly sealed zip-top bag in a dry, dark place away from heat.

Tell Me More ›

Why is my homemade granola soft? ›

I aim to let it hit room temperature, whatever that may be; the real point is to give it ample time to shed excess heat and steam. This should take about 45 minutes; if left out indefinitely, the granola can turn sticky or soft, so do try to put it away as soon after cooling as you can.

How to keep homemade granola crunchy? ›

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How to make granola crunchy again? ›

If you're re-crisping a larger batch for several people, spread it out on a plate and microwave in 10 second bursts until it's crispy again. This is really just a temporary solution. If you let the re-crisped granola sit out for too long, it goes back to its limp and stale state.

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Does homemade granola harden as it cools? ›

NOTE: The granola will clump and harden while cooling - not during baking. Allow to cool before stirring in the raisins, cranberries, or craisins. If stored in an airtight container, your granola could last for 2 weeks.