Vegan Cinnamon Toast Crunch Granola Recipe
Apr 15, 2019 • Updated Nov 07, 2023
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A healthy and delicious vegan granola recipe that tastes like cinnamon toast crunch! All you need is 7 ingredients and 30 minutes to make the most tasty batch of homemade granola!
What Makes This Recipe Great
Everyone needs a good Vegan Granola Recipe in their back pocket, and I’m happy to report that this Cinnamon Toast Crunch flavored version is absolutely divine. I’ve shared this granola with 4 friends, and I almost wish I hadn’t because it’s that good. They all asked me for more!
This is the first granola recipe I’ve been sharing on my blog since I updated my site, and it’s perfectly crunchy and clustery but also vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and refined sugar-free! Yes, that’s right, granola can be made healthy!
We’re replacing oil with a healthy source of fat: almond butter, and also tossing in some cashews for additional texture and creaminess, which really adds to the cinnamon toast flavour. The result is chunky granola with a perfect crisp. It completely beats any store-bought granola I’ve ever had!
I’m warning you in advance: this granola won’t last long in your kitchen because it’s that good. P.S. If you’re into cinnamon, you’ll LOVE these Tahini Teddy Grahams I shared last week!
Ingredient Notes
- Gluten-free rolled oats: Use your favorite brand. Bob’s Red Mill makes certified gluten-free oats conveniently found in most grocery stores’ baking aisle.
- Cashews: Or pecans. Or a mix of both nuts will work, too!
- Maple syrup: This is my favorite liquid sweetener that is vegan and all-natural. You could also try agave syrup if desired. Let me know if you try and how it turns out in the comments.
- Roasted almond butter: Try to find one that doesn’t contain added sugars or oils. The ingredients should be just almonds and salt.
- Ground cinnamon
- Vanilla extract
- Sea salt
How to Make Vegan Granola
- Preheat oven to 320F while you prepare the granola.
- Whisk together almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl until smooth.
- Add rolled oats and cashews and stir with a spatula until everything is evenly coated.
- Transfer the mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet or nonstick baking mat and spread out into an even layer. The more spread out, the more evenly the granola will cook. Try to avoid tall stacks of granola mixture, as it will result in uneven baking.
- Bake for 10 minutes, flip or toss the granola, and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the granola is golden brown. Mine was perfectly cooked at about 25 minutes!
- Let cool completely to room temperature before storing in an airtight container.
Secrets to Success
- Before you store, please make sure you allow the vegan granola to cool completely. It’s important so that you don’t end up with condensation and, ultimately, a soggy batch of granola. This is the jar that I used (26oz for reference), and it made a little more than the full jar.
- This recipe is oil-free, gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free! That’s right, no melted coconut oil, no dairy, and no cane sugar!
- I kept the ingredients and spices simple in this recipe to really bring out the cinnamon toast crunch flavor. Feel free to add additional nuts, seeds, or dried fruit as desired.
How to Serve Vegan Granola
Use this homemade vegan granola recipe in a number of ways. Here are some ideas:
- Cereal: Add to a bowl with some milk, and this becomes a gluten-free cinnamon toast crunch cereal!
- Yogurt Parfait: Top your favorite vegan yogurt with this granola, berries, and coconut flakes to make a parfait.
- Ice Cream: This makes the perfect vegan ice cream topping. Add this along with other favorite mix-ins to your next icy treat.
- Smoothie Bowls: Add some to your favorite smoothie bowls for extra crunch and flavor!
- Plain: Grab a handful and eat it plain! This gluten-free granola makes the perfect snack. It’s full of fiber, protein, and absolutely delicious.
Storage Tips
Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container or jar and eat within a week or two for optimal freshness. But really, I doubt it will last that long!
Recipe FAQs
Super simple dry ingredients: rolled oats, cashews, cinnamon, and salt. And wet ingredients: maple syrup, almond butter, and vanilla extract.
In this recipe, the almond butter and maple syrup serve as the binding agent.
More Healthy Granola Recipes
Vegan Peanut Butter Cup Granola
Double Chocolate Quinoa Granola
If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know what you think with a comment below! Follow me on Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Vegan Cinnamon Toast Crunch Granola Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten free rolled oats
- 1/2 cup cashews or pecans, or a mix of both!
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/4 cup roasted almond butter aim to use one with no added sugars, oils etc.
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 320F while you prepare the granola.
- In a large bowl, whisk together almond butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, cinnamon and salt until smooth.
- Add rolled oats and cashews and mix with a spatula until everything is evenly coated.
- Transfer mixture onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet or nonstick baking mat and spread out evenly. The more spread out, the more evenly the granola will cook–try to avoid tall stacks of granola mixture as it will result in uneven baking.
- Bake for 10 minutes, flip or toss granola and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until granola is golden brown. Mine was perfectly cooked at about 25 minutes!
- Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Notes
Expert Tips
-
- Before you store, please make sure you allow the granola to cool completely. It’s important so that you don’t end up with condensation and, ultimately, a soggy batch. This is the jar that I used (26oz for reference), and it made a little more than the full jar.
-
- This recipe is oil-free, gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free! That’s right, no melted coconut oil, no dairy, and no cane sugar!
-
- I kept the ingredients and spices simple in this recipe to really bring out the cinnamon toast crunch flavor. Feel free to add additional nuts, seeds, or dried fruit as desired.
How to Serve Vegan Granola
Use this homemade vegan granola recipe in a number of ways. Here are some ideas:-
- Cereal: Add to a bowl with some milk, and this becomes a gluten-free cinnamon toast crunch cereal!
-
- Yogurt Parfait: Top your favorite vegan yogurt with berries and coconut flakes to make a parfait.
-
- Ice Cream: This makes the perfect vegan ice cream topping. Add this along with other favorite mix-ins to your next icy treat.
-
- Smoothie Bowls: Add some to your favorite smoothie bowls for extra crunch and flavor!
-
- Plain: Grab a handful and eat it plain! This gluten-free granola makes the perfect snack. It’s full of fiber, protein, and absolutely delicious.
Storage Tips
Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container or jar and eat within a week or two for optimal freshness. But really, I doubt it will last that long!Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love & crunch granola,
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