Maple Buckwheat Homemade Granola (Refined Sugar Free)

This homemade granola is made with buckwheat groats, nuts, gluten free rolled oats, spices, and is lightly sweetened with maple syrup. It’s a delicious, wholesome anytime snack. Plus, it’s perfect for holiday food gifts! Pair it with whatever you’d like-  yogurt, milk, dried fruit, chocolate, etc. Or, eat it by itself! This granola recipe is vegan and refined sugar free.

This posted is sponsored by Bob’s Red Mill. They know their grains and I trust their products to be the best.

Let the baking festivities continue… all throughout December, mmm k?

Do you enjoy baking for the holidays? I love it, but not just for myself. I like to make unique and delicious food gifts. I mean, who wants to give yet another scented candle as a hostess gift when you gift a bag of sweet Christmas cookies, spicy trail mix, or some homemade granola, am I right?

What makes this homemade granola better than store-bought?

Well, aside from the fact that ANYTHING homemade is usually 100 percent better than convenience products.

• REAL food ingredients – You won’t find chemical fillers or artificial flavors in this sweet treat! Just natural goodness – buckwheat, maple syrup, healthy fats
• NO refined sugar – If you’re making grain free granola and carbs don’t matter as much to you, coconut sugar is my go-to. For anyone needing a low sugar / low carb option, Erythritol or monk fruit sugar are all-natural, low glycemic options. Plus, they measure cup for cup to other granulated sugars.
• Antioxidant-rich
• High fiber
• Good source of protein – The seeds of buckwheat are rich in protein and fiber, as well as a variety of antioxidants and other nutrients. YES YES, to the POWER of buckwheat!
• Less expensive  – Have you taken a look at the cost of organic/ non-GMO store-bought granola lately? Trust me, it’s crazy expensive! You  can make a batch of Maple Buckwheat Homemade Granola for less than half of the cost.

Wait, is buckwheat a wheat product??

Although it SOUNDS like a wheat product by its name, there is no wheat whatsoever in buckwheat. This means, it is completely gluten free! No Grain! Can you believe it?  For this homemade granola, we’re using Bob’s Redmill groats.

Bob’s redmill organic Buckwheat Groats, hulled seeds of the buckwheat plant. Buckwheat groats are gluten free seeds from a plant related to rhubarb. The outer husk is pulled away and the grain-like buckwheat seeds are harvested and eaten. We love toasting groats to give them a nice nutty flavor, hence this granola.Bonus! Each 1/4 cup of buckwheat contains 8% of your recommended daily value of iron. WOOP WOOP!

I’ll have a post up soon with ALL of the benefits of buckwheat (the last part of our super grain series), along with more delicious ways to use it. Stay tuned!

How to make Maple Buckwheat Homemade Granola (Video)

This recipe is SO easy to make that I, Corny Cotter, have a somewhat (haha!) willing volunteer, THE KIWI, to show you how to make it.

Granola Ingredients

Hustle off to the store and/or gather up the following pantry ingredients:

• Old-fashioned gluten free rolled oats – Be sure to use certified gluten-free rolled oats for gluten-free homemade granola.
• Buckwheat groats – I use Bob’s Red Mill buckwheat groats
• Raw nuts and/or seeds – I use pecans, cashews, and pepitas
• Fine grain sea salt
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground ginger or pumpkin spice – For a stronger ginger flavor, you can grate fresh ginger.
• Melted refined coconut oil, or extra virgin olive oil – I found a nice hazelnut oil that works lovely as well.
• Maple syrup or dark agave syrup
• Vanilla extract
• Optional additional mix-ins: dried fruit, dark chocolate, and/or unsweetened coconut. (Coconut may be added during the last 10 minutes of baking for toasted coconut.)

TIPS for making the BEST Granola!

1. Boil maple syrup or agave syrup. This helps to thicken the coating on the granola before baking, since we are not using butter or extra sugar.
2. Sweeten in moderation. Agave is sweeter than maple syrup. As a result, you may want to scale back to 1/2 cup so it isn’t overly sweet. 
3. Use low heat. A low temperature of 300-325 F. will help to dry out the granola.
4. Store at room temperature. If you store the granola in a refrigerator or try to freeze it, it can become sticky.

 

 

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Alright my friends, I have 2 ziplock bags full of granola waiting to be gifted and devoured. Not gonna lie, we’ve eaten 1 bag already. Oops. #sorrynotsorry.

Keep up with the compassionate, fun-loving Bob’s Red Mill on social media. They are full of gluten free inspiration! Facebook, Twitter   Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest

Cheers,

LC