Bring a little festivity to your breakfast with this chocolate orange granola! It's super easy to make and is made with just 8 tasty ingredients. Woohoo!
This chocolate orange granola is naturally sweetened with maple syrup, contains real orange juice, is packed with lots of good-for-you ingredients like oats and almonds, and best of all, is laden with hunks of dark chocolate. Actually most of all, IT MAKES THE MILK GO CHOCOLATEY. Life = complete.
Making your own granola at home is super simple and super rewarding for 3 reasons:
- You can control exactly what goes in it, so your breakfast is not only healthier but tailored to your taste preferences,
- The granola in the oven will make your house smell AMAZING.
- See no. 2 😉
How to make chocolate orange granola:
To make this chocolate orange granola recipe, start by mixing together the orange juice, almond butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup, and a little cinnamon if you wish. What's not optional is a pinch of salt, which helps to bring out the flavours.
Then we'll mix in some rolled oats (NOT porridge oats - we want the whole form of the oat here for extra texture) and roughly chopped almonds. Then we bake this mixture and leave it to cool before mixing in the chocolate!
Tips for baking perfectly cluster-y granola:
- First, bake the granola as one mass. This allows it to form clusters as it dries in the oven.
- Halfway through cooking, break up the granola to form clusters. Move the crispy edges towards the center of the tray and the softer middle parts towards the outside to ensure even cooking.
- Cook the granola on low heat (160°C/ 320°F) to ensure it doesn't burn.
- Leave the granola to cool completely after baking, so it becomes extra crispy. You'll also want to wait for the granola to completely cool before stirring in the chocolate chunks so they don't melt. I know the wait is hard, but trust me, it's so worth it!
FAQ
Feel free to sub peanut butter (although the flavour may overpower the orange a little) or sunflower-seed butter to make it nut-free.
Agave syrup or honey are both good options. You can also use golden syrup, however this is not a natural sweetener.
The possibilities are endless! You could add sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flaxseeds, cocoa nibs, nuts, white chocolate or orange-flavoured chocolate (if you want to go the extra mile!)
Prepared granola will store in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 weeks.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, please leave a rating + review below and share your photos on Instagram tagging #shivanilovesfood!
Chocolate Orange Granola (vegan and gluten-free)
LEAVE A REVIEW PRINT RECIPEIngredients
- 1 Clementine juiced - I had about 3 tablespoon of juice
- 2 tablespoon Almond Butter or nut/seed butter of choice
- 2 tablespoon Cocoa Powder
- 3 tablespoon Maple Syrup or agave
- pinch Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Cinnamon optional
- 2 cups/ 160 grams Rolled Oats
- ⅓ cup/ 40 grams Raw Almonds roughly chopped
- 2oz/ 60 grams Dark Chocolate roughly chopped into chunks
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160°C/ 320°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the clementine juice, almond butter, cocoa powder, maple syrup, cinnamon and a pinch of salt.
- Stir in the oats and almonds and mix well to combine.
- Press the mixture onto a half sheet pan, keeping all the granola as one mass to allow clumps to form.
- Bake for 20 minutes, breaking up the granola halfway through cooking to ensure cluster formation and even browning.
- Leave to cool COMPLETELY on the baking tray before stirring in the chocolate chunks. Enjoy!
Notes
- The granola can be stored in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks at room temperature.
Stacy
This was great. It was my first type making granola and it was so easy. I substituted some oats with oat bran because it was about to expire and I wanted to use it up. I only wish I had orange extract because that would have really made it pop!
Shivani Raja
So glad you enjoyed it Stacy!