Crunchy Double Chocolate Quinoa Granola Recipe (GF)
Jan 30, 2020 • Updated Aug 28, 2024
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A delicious double chocolate, crunchy quinoa granola. This protein-packed, delicious granola is made with healthy fats and whole-food ingredients. It’s vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, nut-free, and refined sugar-free.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Quinoa Granola
There’s just something about granola that never gets old. Especially when you double down on chocolate and turn it into Double Chocolate Quinoa Granola. If you’ve been a Veggiekins Blog reader for a while, you’ll know that I’m a huuuuuge fan of homemade granola and have recipes for several varieties here on the blog.
Recently I’ve been playing around with popped quinoa, which is a delightfully crunchy, grain-free bite of protein. It’s delicious atop salads and most dishes, really, but in my mind, it most resembles a cereal. You know, like a puffed grain? Except it’s not a grain, it’s a seed!
I figured it could be an incredible addition to a muesli, but then my mind went to granola because, well, I love granola. I wanted to create a new flavor of granola, so I went full-on chocolate–this crunchy granola is a chocolate-coated, chocolate chip studded granola with bites of crunchy cashew and popped quinoa. It’s the perfect oatmeal, coconut yogurt, or smoothie bowl topper and is a healthy breakfast and a great way to start the day strong. It also makes a great afternoon snack option.
Ingredient Notes
This Double Chocolate Quinoa Granola is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, refined sugar-free, and nut-free. It can be meal-prepped (I recommend doubling the recipe!) and stored for a decent amount of time.
Unlike most store-bought granola, this recipe is made without oil and refined sugars. We’re using only whole foods, plant-based ingredients, maple syrup to sweeten, and optional (but highly recommended) vegan chocolate chips. Making your own granola is so easy!
- Popped quinoa → is the secret crunch boost in our granola. It’s mildly nutty, delicious both sweet and savory, and rich in fiber and iron. It’s like Rice Krispies cereal, but a little bit smaller and more nutritious. If you don’t have access to popped quinoa, it can absolutely be substituted with crisp rice cereal!
- Rolled oats → the base of our granola–pretty standard! I like to use a certified gluten-free oat brand (Like Bob’s Red Mill, because I am intolerant to gluten), but if you aren’t, feel free to use any old regular oats. Be sure you don’t use a “quick cooking” variety (rolled oats is what you want)
- Raw cacao powder → adds the chocolate flavor to our granola base. Cacao is rich in polyphenols (which improve brain function and blood flow), and antioxidants. You can also use cocoa powder, which comes from the same cacao plant but is made with beans that are roasted before grinding. You can also use unsweetened cocoa powder if that’s what you have on hand.
- Maple syrup → is our sweetener of choice. It adds a light sweetness and is a wonderful unrefined sugar alternative to conventional sweeteners. As an alternative, you can try agave syrup or another liquid sweetener of choice.
- Vegan chocolate chips → This is where the “double” comes in. I like to use chips sweetened with coconut sugar (I really love this brand), but you can also use your favorite chocolate bar of choice, chopped up.
- Sunflower butter → is the source of healthy fat we’re using in place of processed oils. I used sunflower butter to keep this recipe nut-free. You can substitute any nut or seed butter of your choice (peanut butter, almond butter, etc.). Just be sure to use a single ingredient butter (no added oils or sugars) as it can have an effect on the bake. The fat is essential for getting a good crisp on the granola without instant burning. I find that it helps to create those chunky granola clusters we all love.
- Raw Cashews: Hazelnut halves also work really well with chocolate.
- Sea Salt
- Vanilla Extract
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 320F while you prepare the granola.
- In a large bowl, whisk wet ingredients together sunflower butter, maple syrup, and vanilla extract until smooth. Add cacao powder and salt and whisk again.
- Add rolled oats, cashews, and popped quinoa then mix with a spatula until everything is evenly coated.
- Transfer the granola mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet pan or nonstick baking mat and spread it out in an even layer. The more spread out, the more evenly the granola will cook.
- Bake in the preheated oven 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!
- Once you remove the tray from the oven, sprinkle in vegan chocolate chips. Let melt slightly and toss to form crunchy clusters, or let chips remain whole. Let the granola cool completely before storing it.
- Let the quinoa granola cool completely before storing in an airtight container or mason jars with lids.
Secrets to Success
- Making this granola is really simple and it can all be prepared in one bowl and then baked in the oven. For best results, I would highly recommend using a nonstick baking mat. I like to use a reusable silicon mat to reduce waste or parchment paper. Since we’re not using added oil, doing this will make sure the granola doesn’t stick to the baking pan and it’ll be WAY easier to clean up later!
- My best tip for ultimate chocolate deliciousness is to hold off on adding the chocolate chips until the granola is out of the oven. It seems odd but trust me–the heat of the granola even as it cools will be enough to melt the chocolate chunks just a tad. I find that this way, they cling onto a cluster of granola which means even bites of chocolate instead of all of the chips falling to the bottom of the jar. I know you know what I mean.
- Since the granola is dark in color, it can be more difficult to tell when it’s burning. As a rule of thumb, err on the side of caution and underbaking. You can always pop the granola back into the oven, but you can’t un-burn it! Keep in mind that granola continues to bake once the oven is off, even as it’s cooling on the tray. Sometimes, when I feel my granola is about 95% baked to perfection, I’ll turn the oven off and let it sit. Or just let it continue to cook as it cools.
- Feel free to add additional ingredients like dried fruit (cherries!), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or coconut flakes, if desired. You can really make this your own.
Storage Tips
- For proper storage and perfect crunch, make sure you let the quinoa granola cool completely. I know, I know! Waiting for things to cool is honestly the most difficult cooking step sometimes. But if you don’t let it cool, you’ll end up with soggy, steamy, soft granola. Store this at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or longer!
More Granola Recipes
If you make this recipe, be sure to let me know what you think with a star rating and comment below! Follow me on Instagram for more delicious recipes!
Crunchy Double Chocolate Quinoa Granola Recipe (GF)
Ingredients
- 2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
- 1/2 cup raw cashews hazelnut halves also work really well with chocolate
- 1/3 cup popped quinoa
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 1/3 cup creamy sunflower butter Trader Joe’s also has a great one with no added sugar/oil
- 3 tbsp raw cacao powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3-1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips I like this brand of coconut sugar sweetened chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 320F while you prepare the granola.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sunflower butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract until smooth. Add cacao powder and salt and whisk again.
- Add rolled oats, cashews and popped quinoa then 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.
- 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!
- Once you remove the tray from the oven, sprinkle in vegan chocolate chips. Let melt slightly and toss to form clusters, or let chips remain whole. Let granola cool completely before storing.
- Let cool completely before storing in an airtight container.
Notes
Secrets to Success
- Making this granola is really simple and it can all be prepared in one bowl and then baked in the oven. For best results, I would highly recommend using a nonstick baking mat (I like to use a reusable silicon mat to reduce waste), or parchment paper. Since we’re not using added oil, doing this will make sure the granola doesn’t stick to the baking pan and it’ll be WAY easier to clean up later!
- My best tip for ultimate chocolate deliciousness is to hold off on adding the chocolate chips until the granola is out of the oven. It seems odd but trust me–the heat of the granola even as it cools will be enough to melt the chocolate chunks just a tad. I find that this way, they cling onto a cluster of granola which means even bites of chocolate instead of all of the chips falling to the bottom of the jar. I know you know what I mean.
- Since the granola is dark in color, it can be more difficult to tell when it’s burning. As a rule of thumb, err on the side of caution and underbaking, because you can always pop the granola back into the oven, but you can’t un-burn it! Keep in mind that granola continues to bake once the oven is off, and even as it’s cooling on the tray. Sometimes, when I feel my granola is about 95% baked to perfection, I’ll turn the oven off and let it sit in the oven or just let it continue to cook as it cools.
- Feel free to add additional ingredients like dried fruit (cherries!), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, or coconut flakes, if desired. You can really make this your own.
Storage Tips
- For proper storage and perfect crunch, make sure you let the granola cool completely. I know, I know! Waiting for things to cool is honestly the most difficult cooking step sometimes, but if you don’t let it cool, you’ll end up with soggy, steamy, soft granola. Store this at room temperature for up to 2 weeks or longer!
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This post may contain affiliate links.
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