Cashew Chocolate Granola
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If chocolate is your thing, you will love this Cashew Chocolate Granola. The cocoa powder is added to delicious healthy granola, giving it a bitter chocolaty taste that kinda hard to resist.
Back to another granola recipe. Have you checked out the Honey Granola recipe? If you do, this Cashew Chocolate Granola is a great way to elevate your plain granola.
The base is oats, nuts, seeds, and coconut. All the chocolate flavor comes from both cocoa powder and chocolate chips. The cocoa powder gives the granola a slightly bitter and chocolaty taste that you will love.
I also add some coconut sugar to reduce the bitterness of cocoa powder. If you do not have coconut sugar in your pantry, you can substitute it with white sugar, cane sugar, or brown sugar. But to keep things on the healthy side, I recommend using coconut sugar. Coconut sugar is unrefined, so it retains all its vitamins and minerals, and does not lead to fluctuations in blood sugar.
This healthy Cashew Chocolate Granola is perfectly rich, decadent, and chocolatey without being overly sweet. This would make the perfect quick breakfast or grab-to-go snack. I love adding this chocolate granola with some milk or yogurt for an easy meal when I do not feel like cooking. How about you?
Chocolate Granola Ingredients
This recipe is super flexible and you can easily customize it with whatever add-ins that sounds the best to you. To make this chocolate granola recipe, you will need:
- Rolled oats or old-fashioned oats. Make sure to use rolled oats, not quick oats or instant oats. They are precooked and pressed thinner than rolled oats, so they will not retain their texture as they cook.
- Nuts. My favorite is almonds and cashews in my granola. But feel free to use your favorite nuts or you can replace them with seeds.
- Seeds. The benefits of eating seeds are very similar to those of nuts. I like adding seeds for extra flavor. More importantly, they are much cheaper than nuts. Commonly used seeds in granola include pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, and sunflower seeds. But feel free to replace them if you prefer.
- Coconut oil. You can use neutral oils like canola or grapeseed, but I prefer to use virgin (unrefined) coconut oil which is delicious, aromatic, and healthier.
- Honey. It offers several health benefits and is particularly healthier than using refined sugar. If you are a vegan, you can also replace this with maple syrup.
- Additional sugar. Because of the addition of unsweetened cocoa powder, you will need an additional sweetener to balance its bitterness. You can actually use granulated sugar or brown sugar, but I prefer using coconut sugar or raw cane sugar which is not nearly as processed and more nutritious. Don’t use a liquid sweetener because it will make the granola soggy and wet.
- Sea salt. To help bring out the flavor. Do not skip it.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder. Oh yes, this is where the chocolate flavor comes from.
- Additional mix-Ins. I love adding unsweetened coconut flakes for more flavor. You can add it 5 minutes before you finish baking to ensure they are nicely toasted and not burnt. I also add chocolate chips for a chocolate flavor but make sure to add them after the granola has completely cooled. If you want to give the granola extra sweetness and tanginess, feel free to add some dried fruits, such as dried cranberries or cherries. Make sure to add it after the cooked granola has cooled down to prevent it from getting burnt.
How to Know Chocolate Granola Is Cooked
For this recipe, I used cashews, flaxseeds, chia seeds, coconut flakes, and chocolate chips. If you do making this, please make sure to keep your eye on your oven during baking. The color of chocolate granola can confuse you if it is done or not.
It can be hard to know when the granola is done as it should still appear wet when it comes out of the oven, but it will finish drying as it cools. Therefore, you should look for oats and mix-ins that are slightly toasted, and granola should have a delicious sweet and buttery aroma. If when it cools, the granola is still slightly chewy, then simply heat it again for another 5-10 minutes in the oven.
Make Your Granola Clumpy
If you like big clumps in your granola, press down the granola with the back of a spatula after stirring the mixture at the halfway baking point. Then, put the pan back into the oven to finish baking. Keep in mind that the granola will not be dry right out of the oven. It will dry as it cools down. After the granola is lightly golden and fully cooked, let the granola cool completely before breaking it up. If you do not love clumpy granola, stir the granola occasionally after it cools done completely.
More Granola Recipes
Do you love making homemade granola? If so, try out also these granola flavors.
- Honey Granola
- Matcha Cranberry Granola
- Lemon Cranberry Granola
- Chocolate Orange Granola
- Chocolate Espresso Granola
Ingredients
- 4 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 6 tbsp flaxseeds
- 2 tbsp chia seeds
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, virgin coconut oil is preferred, melted
- 1/2 cup honey/maple syrup
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F/180°C. Line a baking sheet with a baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix coconut sugar, salt, coconut oil, honey, and cocoa powder until well incorporated. Stir in the oats, nuts, and seeds until well coated.
- Pour the granola onto your prepared pan and use a large spoon to spread it in an even layer.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until golden brown. Add coconut flakes 5 minutes before the granola finishes baking.
- Let the granola cool completely undisturbed for clumpy granola or stir occasionally if you do not want clumpy granola. Top with chocolate chips. Store granola in an airtight container.
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