This Banana Granola is an easy 4-ingredient breakfast recipe with a crunchy texture, made with minimal ingredients, no oil, and perfect for using the ripe bananas sitting on your kitchen’s benchtop. It’s naturally packed with 4 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber, and half the sugar of store-bought granola.
I love making my own granola instead of buying it, like I did for my Grain-Free Granola, Nut-Free Granola, or Steel Cut Oats Granola but today I wanted to make one that uses my bananas. This granola is absolutely delicious with a soft banana taste, a sweet crunch, and the flavors of all the nuts.
Ingredients and Substitutions
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this recipe, here’s how to pick them.
- Mashed Banana – This is both a natural sweetener and binder, eliminating the need for oil. You can swap it with unsweetened applesauce.
- Rolled Oats – The base of the granola, providing fiber to keep you full. Use quick oats or gluten-free certified oats as needed.
- Maple Syrup – A natural sweetener with less sugar than store-bought granola. It’s needed because the bananas won’t bring enough sweetness. It can be replaced with agave syrup.
- Mixed Nuts – Add crunch, protein, and healthy fats. Use cashews, walnuts, almonds, or swap for seeds like hemp, flax, or chia for a nut-free version.
- Vanilla & Cinnamon – These are optional but enhance the flavor, making it taste like banana bread.
How to Make Banana Granola
It’s very easy to make granola, here’s how in pictures.
Mash the banana in a large bowl and measure the quantity after mashing.
Add all the other ingredients and stir the batter until well mixed.
Spread the mixture on a large baking pan lined with parchment paper.
Bake the granola for 20 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C), stir at the halfway point.
Carine’s Tips
Let me share a few more tips to make the best granola.
- Stir While Roasting – Stir the granola halfway through baking to ensure even crisping and prevent sogginess.
- Golden Brown = Done – The granola is ready when it turns golden brown and fragrant.
- Too Soft? Bake Again! – If it cools too soft, bake for 5-10 more minutes to restore crunch.
- Customize It – Stir in chocolate chips, dried fruits, shredded coconut, or pumpkin seeds once cooled.
- Storage – Stays fresh up to 1 month in a sealed container at room temperature.
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Banana Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats - (note 1)
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup - (note 2)
- 1 small Banana - equivalent 1/3 cup mashed banana (note 3)
- 1 cup Mixed Nuts of Choice - (note 4)
Optional
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 2 teaspoons Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F (180 °C).
- In a large mixing bowl, mash banana with a fork until smooth – you need 1/3 cup of mashed banana. If you have too much, freeze leftovers for another recipe, because adding too much banana makes the granola softer and longer to bake.
- Stir in maple syrup, oats, nuts, vanilla extract, and cinnamon if used.
- Stir until all the dry ingredients are wet and coated.
- Spread the ingredients in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the granola on the center rack of the oven for 10 minutes at 350 °F (180 °C). Use a wooden spoon to mix and stir the granola and return for an extra 10 minutes until golden brown and fragrant.
- Remove from the oven and cool down on the baking sheet for an hour.
- If you like, stir in 1/3 cup of mini chocolate chops or dried fruits like dried cranberries, raisins, chopped dates, or apricots.
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