Applesauce Granola

This Cinnamon Applesauce Granola is a must-try topping for your oatmeal or smoothie bowls but tastes just as delicious as a healthy snack. It's vegan, oil-free and can easily be made gluten-free as well.

This healthy granola recipe is quick and easy to make. It's made from pantry staples that you have probably already at home.

Try it as a topping for Applesauce Oatmeal, Vegan Applesauce Pancakes or Apple Smoothie Bowl.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Homemade granola is most often much cheaper than store-bought granola.
• It's an oil-free granola recipe that uses unsweetened applesauce instead of oil.
• It's high in nutrients, protein and fiber.
• It's super quick and easy to make (5 minutes prep time!)

Ingredients & Substitution Notes

• Rolled Oats: I suggest using large flaked oats for this homemade granola recipe. Opt for certified gluten-free oats if you want to make gluten-free granola. 
• Nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds): The nuts help create a crunchy granola and add some healthy fats. We chose a mix of pecans, walnuts and almonds but feel free to replace them with other types of nuts such as cashews, macadamia nuts or brazil nuts.
• Maple Syrup: Acts as a sweetener and helps create sticky batches. Can be replaced with agave nectar or honey. Please don't use brown sugar or any other granulated sweetener of choice because this won't result in a sticky granola.
• Unsweetened Applesauce: Both homemade sugar-free applesauce and store-bought will work. For best results, I recommend using unsweetened applesauce that consists of 100% apples without any additives. 
• Cinnamon (optional): A touch of cinnamon tastes amazing in combination with the warm apple flavors. If you don't like cinnamon you can simply omit it or use pumpkin pie spice instead.
• Dried Apple Slices (optional): Adds even more apple flavor to this granola recipe. Similar to the applesauce, I used unsweetened dried apple rings. Can be replaced with other dried fruit of choice such as raisins, cranberries, goji berries or dried cherries.

How to Make Applesauce Granola

STEP 1: Chop nuts. Put half of the nuts into a food processor and pulse a couple of times until the majority is chopped in half. Make sure not to blend too much, we still want them to be crunchy. Alternatively, you could also simply use a knife to chop up the nuts in case you don't have a food processor. 

STEP 2: Combine. Add all of the dry ingredients (nuts, oats, cinnamon) to a large bowl followed by the wet ingredients (maple syrup, apple sauce).

Top Tips

• Medium Heat: Keep the heat relatively low. It will take longer for the granola to bake but it's less likely to be burned. As soon as you see that the granola turns from crispy brown to dark brown, flip it with a spatula or reduce the heat even more.
• Middle Rack: For best results and an evenly browned granola, I recommend using the middle rack of your oven.

Optional Add-Ins

• Vanilla Extract: Add some delicious vanilla flavors by adding ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract to the granola mix.
• Seeds: Add a handful of seeds such as sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or sesame seeds for more flavors and nutrients.
• Chocolate Chips: I love adding dark chocolate chips but feel free to use any chocolate chips of choice (vegan, low-fat...). Add them to the granola once it's cooled completely.
• Peanut Butter: Add a scoop of natural peanut butter at the same time you would add your apple sauce to turn this into a delicious apple peanut butter granola.

Serving Suggestions

• Topping: This apple cinnamon granola tastes amazing as a topping in recipes such as this Applesauce Oatmeal, Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal, Easy Protein Pancakes, Vegan Salted Caramel Chia Pudding. 
• Plain: It can also be enjoyed straight from the jar as a healthy snack!
• Yogurt: Serve a handful over some plain yogurt or with milk. I prefer natural Greek yogurt but soy yogurt works as well.
• Smoothie Bowls & Smoothies: Try this granola with our Apple Pie Smoothie Bowl or this Healthy Salted Caramel Smoothie!
• Ice Cream: Makes an amazing ice cream topping!

Storing

Once it's cooled completely, store this granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.