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Dark Chocolate Quinoa Granola

Dark Chocolate Quinoa Granola is an easy homemade granola recipe that is perfect to snack on or enjoy on a yogurt bowl.
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Keyword breakfast granola
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 18 (1/3 cup) servings
Calories 244kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 3 cups rolled oats the old-fashioned kind, not quick oats
  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 medium banana, fresh, mashed
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar optional
  • 3 Tbsp Avocado oil*
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 2 Tbsp. nut butter I use peanut butter
  • 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped
  • 5 oz. dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325° F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
  • Combine the mashed banana, brown sugar, oil, honey, nut butter, unsalted butter and vanilla extract in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until combined and melted; remove from heat.
    1 medium banana, fresh, mashed, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 3 Tbsp Avocado oil*, 2 Tbsp. honey, 2 Tbsp. nut butter, 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • Combine the oats, quinoa, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Pour the banana/honey mixture into dry ingredients and stir well to combine.
    3 cups rolled oats, 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, 1 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. salt
  • Spoon onto the prepared baking sheet; pat down with a fairly firm press and spread evenly. Make sure the sheet is pretty full otherwise you'll end up with some burnt oats maybe around the edges. You will add the fixings in at the end once granola has cooled so set those aside for now.
  • Bake granola for 30-35 minutes. No need to stir just flip pan around the 15-20 min mark. I always pull the oats out a little early around 33 minutes because they will continue to harden and form clusters as it cools. Overall, trust your own intuition when judging if it’s ready to come out of the oven. :)
  • To get the bug chunks of granola, refrain from stirring once you remove from the oven. Let cool and then add in the dried cranberries, almonds and chocolate pieces. Place in air tight container or big zip lock baggie for up to 5 days. I like to store mine in the fridge, and enjoy with Greek yogurt or by the hand full for a snack.
    1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1 cup almonds, roughly chopped, 5 oz. dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Notes

May sub olive oil or melted coconut oil for avocado oil. 
Slow and low is the key to dry-not-burnt granola. You can safely bake your granola to golden-brown perfection between 300 and 350 degrees (I have found the 325° works best) but any hotter and you risk burning parts of your mix before it's ready.

Nutrition

Calories: 244kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 232mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg