Strawberry Coconut Granola is so incredibly pretty and easy to make! If you’ve never made your own granola before you will be so impressed at how quickly you can pull this together to make your own nutritious, hearty cereal.
My 6 year old son Charlie was the first to taste test this granola and gave it a rave review (each time he passed by the pan he would grab another handful). Once you have homemade granola you’ll have a hard time going back to the store bought varieties, and I love how much control you can have over the level of sweetness and exactly what goes into it!
You can truly use your imagination when it comes to granola. If you have other nuts and seeds that you want to use you can easily substitute that in or you can add in a different type of dried or freeze dried fruit in place of the strawberries if you like (handy if you are stuck inside on a cold day like today and are missing an ingredient or two). Just keep the proportions of ingredients the same (volume of dry ingredients: volume of wet ingredients) and you’ll be fine.
I got my freeze dried strawberries from a company called Thrive Life [1] but you can find them online at other places too. If you don’t have access to freeze dried strawberries you can simply substitute 1 cup of dried fruit of your choice or just skip the fruit and top each bowl with fresh sliced strawberries before serving.
If you love making granola try some of my other combinations like my Apple Crisp Granola [2], Pumpkin Pecan Granola [3], or my original Top Secret Granola! [4]
Strawberry Coconut Granola
Make this pretty Strawberry Coconut Granola to take your Valentine's brunch to a whole new level! Be sure to use certified gluten free ingredients (ie: oats) if making this for someone who can't tolerate gluten. If you don't have access to freeze dried strawberries just substitute 1 cup of dried fruit of your choice or top with fresh sliced strawberries before serving.
Ingredients
- 5 cups old fashioned oats (use certified gluten free if needed)
- 2 cups blanched sliced almonds
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 2 cups unsweetened ribbon coconut
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup hemp hearts
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 2 cups freeze dried sliced strawberries
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 325F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, coconut, pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine.
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In a separate medium bowl, combine the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, vanilla and almond extract. Stir to combine. Add the coconut oil mixture to the dry ingredients and stir well to combine.
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Transfer the granola to the prepared baking sheets, dividing it between the two sheets equally. Spread it out evenly on the baking sheets and bake, stirring occasionally, until it is light golden brown, between 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely.
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Once cool, add the strawberries. Store at room temperature for up to 2 months in a sealed container.