This homemade Steel Cut Oat Granola recipe is an easy, healthy, crunchy granola packed with proteins and fiber. Plus, it’s vegan, refined sugar-free, and easy to prepare in less than 30 minutes to meal prep weeks of healthy breakfasts.
You know my passion for healthy homemade breakfast! You might have tried my many baked oatmeal recipes, homemade granola bars or homemade granola blends in the past. But, this is the first granola recipe using steel-cut oats.
Since I made my steel-cut oats oatmeal I am in love with this oats version. So crunchy, packed with so much more nutrients and it makes my tummy feel good. So if you are after a healthy homemade cereal blend that is gut-friendly, try this new granola recipe with steel-cut oats.
How To Make Steel-Cut Oats Granola
It’s super easy to make a crunchy granola using steel-cut oats. Let me share with you how to start.
Ingredients and Substitutions
First, gather the healthy ingredients below.
- Steel-Cut Oats – Steel-Cut Oats are relatively unprocessed oats that are crushed into small chunks.
- Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats – That’s the one I use in my other oatmeal recipes, you can also use quick oats or more steel-cut oats, but the blend has less texture.
- Maple Syrup or liquid sweetener of choice.
- Chopped Nuts – I used cashew or almonds, walnuts or pecan but any nuts you love works well.
- Seeds – Use hemp seeds for a boost of proteins or sunflower seeds, flax seeds, or pumpkin seeds to add healthy fats.
- Cinnamon
- Avocado Oil or melted coconut oil, but I like avocado oil for its high smoke point.
- Almond Butter
- Vanilla Extract
- Salt
Baking
Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C).
Next, line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper and lightly oil with cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, add all the dry ingredients: steel-cut oats, rolled oats, cinnamon, chopped nuts, and seeds. Stir to combine evenly.
Then, fold in the liquid ingredients: maple syrup, avocado oil, almond butter, and vanilla extract.
Stir to evenly combine or until all the oat mixture is well covered with the liquid ingredients.
Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it on a single layer.
Bake the granola on the center rack of the oven for 15 minutes at 300°F (150°C) or until toasted, golden brown, and crispy.
Cooling
Let the granola cool down completely on the baking sheet at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
During the cooling process, the granola forms clusters and firms up.
Now that the homemade granola has cooled, break it into pieces of different sizes.
Storage Instructions
Store the Steel Cut Oats Granola in a glass mason jar or airtight container in the pantry in a cool dark place for up to one month.
Serving
Serve the granola for breakfast along with:
- Plant-Based Milk of choice, like soy milk, coconut milk, or oat milk.
- On top of a smoothie bowl like my acai bowl, pitaya bowl, or strawberry banana smoothie bowl.
- Protein Shake
- Plant-Based Yogurt
- Over Frozen Yogurt Bark
Allergy Swaps
Feel free to adapt this recipe, using different ingredients based on any food allergies you have.
- Gluten-Free – Pick a gluten-free certified oat brand.
- Nut-Free – Swap the almond butter for sunflower seed butter and use seeds instead of chopped nuts.
- Seed-Free – Swap the seeds for more nuts or coconut flakes.
- Sugar-Free – Feel free to use sugar-free monk fruit syrup. Avoid sugar-free pancake syrup that is mainly made of water.
- Oil-Free – Use mashed banana or unsweetened applesauce instead of oil. Remember that the granola won’t crisp as much and lasts only a week. It is better to store it in the fridge and keep it for one week.
Flavor Ideas
After the granola has been baked, you can stir in some delicious dried fruits, or coconut to create a range of flavors.
Try adding 1/2 cup of:
- Dried Cranberries with coconut flakes
- Chopped Dried Dates and freeze-dried raspberries
- Chopped Dried Apricots and shredded coconut
Frequently Asked Questions
Here my answers to your common questions about this recipe:
In most recipes, you can swap one by the other but watch out! Steel-cut oats have way more proteins and fiber; therefore, the ratio of dry to liquid ingredients in your recipe will change.
You will need way more liquid in oatmeal, for example, or way more steel-cut oats in a granola recipe because it has a smaller cut than rolled oats.
Steel-cut oats are the most nutritious version of oats.
It’s made from raw, uncooked oat groats pulsed into small pieces.
Compared to rolled oats that are steamed and rolled, steel-cut oats have more proteins and fiber, particularly beta-glucans, a soluble fiber that improves heart function.
Yes, but the best is to use a combination of both rolled oats and steel cut oats to keep texture and form clusters.
Yes, you can, but it will absorb a lot of liquid and, as a result, you need to add more oil or maple syrup to bring the ingredients together.
More Homemade Granola Recipes
Below are my favorite homemade granola recipes for you to try.
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Steel-Cut Oats Granola
Ingredients
- 2 cups Steel-Cut Oats
- 1 cup Old-Fashioned Rolled Oats
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ cup Chopped Nuts - almonds, cashew or pecans
- ½ cup Seeds - hemp seeds, sunflower seed, pumpkin seeds
- ½ cup Maple Syrup
- 3 tablespoons Avocado Oil
- 3 tablespoons Almond Butter
- 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract
Add on
- ⅓ cup Dairy-Free Dark Chocolate Chips
- ½ cup Dried Cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set it aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir the dry ingredients: steel-cut oats, rolled oats, cinnamon, nuts, and seeds.
- Stir in the liquid ingredients: maple syrup, oil, almond butter, and vanilla extract.
- Stir until all the ingredients are well coated, then spread them in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 300°F (150°C) on the center rack of the oven until fragrant.
- Cool down at room temperature on the baking sheet without touching it. The granola clusters will form after 20 minutes of cooling down.
- Serve 1/4 cup with plant-based milk or vegan yogurt.
Storage
- Store for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container, in the pantry, or in a dark, cold place.
I haven’t made this yet but it looks and sounds delicious. I was just wondering if there was a substitute for the maple syrup. I have a ton of oats and everything else but I’m out of maple syrup. Would coconut sugar or plain white sugar work?
The thing is, the liquid sweetener stick to the cereals and form clusters as it cool down. If you use sugar, it will taste good, but it won’t stick and cluster.