Raisin Granola, oil-free, sugar-free.

This raisin granola is crunchy, even without oil. Blended raisins give the sweetness. This cinnamon raisin granola is a healthy and filling breakfast.

Oats are such a perfect breakfast, filling, and nutritious. This oil-free granola takes oats to the next level, this tastes so good it could be eaten as a dessert with some vanilla sauce or nice cream.

Ingredients and replacements

This granola is made of:

• Steel-cut oats. Big steel cut oats make the crispiest granola. If you don't have those, use regular rolled oats.
• Raisins. Raisins are cheap. You can use dates instead. Medjool dates are the best. Deglet Noor is a bit less sweet and dryer.
• Coconut flakes. Use big coconut flakes. Add these after baking.
• Pecan nuts. You can use any other nuts.
• Spices. Cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, and vanilla are all great.
• Other things to add. Dried fruit or berries are a great addition. My favorite is freeze-dried strawberries.

How to get crispy granola without oil?

You don´t need to load up your granola with a lot of oil to get it crispy. Just do a paste of water and raisins, or water and dates to mix up with your oats. Remember to stir around the granola halfway through baking. This prevents soft bits and makes it crispier. Also important to bake long enough in the oven.

Lower the calories

This granola contains quite a lot of natural fat in oats, coconut, and pecan nuts, so if you are trying to lose weight, you might want to reduce the number of nuts and coconut in this and add a little fewer raisins.

What do you eat granola with?

Granola is usually eaten with milk, yogurt, or on top of a smoothie bowl. You can top desserts with granola. A healthy breakfast bowl is made of plant-based yogurt, cut fruits, and berries, and topped with granola.

Is granola high in carbs?

Granola is high in carbs. 1 cup of granola made with oats and dates as a sweetener has 75 grams of carbs. The 12 grams of fiber slows down the absorption of carbs. If you use whole grain oats with no added sugar in the recipe, the GI value will be lower.

Remember, if you follow a plant-based diet, you don´t have to be afraid of carbs. If you don´t eat processed foods and refined fats such as oils, carbs are great and you can eat all you want. You should though think about the quality of your carbs.

Does granola have good or bad carbs?

If your granola has bad or good carbs depends on the recipe or the brand of granola you bought. Many store-bought granolas have added sugar. Then you could say it has bad carbs. Also if granola contains a lot of dried fruits, it can raise your blood sugar levels high.

Carbs in whole grain oats are good carbs. GI-value is around 57. Check here for more values on food items. Oats are also well known for their ability to lower cholesterol levels. This is done by a type of soluble fiber called beta-glucan in oats.

Is home made granola healthier than store bought?

Homemade granola is definitely healthier than store-bought because you can adjust the number of sugars and fats in it. Store-bought granolas are made crunchy with oil. The healthiest granolas are made without sugar or oils. Dates or raisins make the best sweeteners for granola.

In my opinion, if you buy granolas from the store, use it as a dessert or as some crunchy topping to yogurt. If you want to follow a plant-based diet, it is hard to find oil-free granolas, so you have to make your own. Don´t think it is too much work though, you can make a big batch, and it will last you for two weeks as breakfast.