Check out this clumpy, clustery, vegan & gluten free Vanilla Spiced
Coconut Granola for the perfect start to your morning.
This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my disclosure policy for details.
I’ve been chasing after the clumpy-clustery granola unicorn ever since I made my first batch. So many recipes promised the clusters, but none have delivered. It usually ends up dried out and crunchy, but almost too much so. Oh, and did I mention that it wasn’t clumpy?
You could say I was holding a food grudge. I'm crazy like that.
The Stars Align
Yesterday, however, as fate would have it, another “mistake” of my poor time management in the kitchen ended up being my unicorn.
Cooking too many recipes at once (who me?), I ran out of time to cook the granola before I had to leave for an appointment. So, I covered it and let it rest in the fridge for about 2 hours before I could bake it.
Having time to soak in the moisture from the honey and coconut oil, the oats had a delightful light crunch and stuck together in type of clusters that I’ve come to only fantasize about in my kitchen.
Delightful on top of yogurt and drizzled with honey or just in a bowl with some bananas and milk, here’s to mistakes that turn into epiphanies and recipes that turn into unicorn status.
Cooking Notes
- If you want your granola gluten free, make sure to use certified gluten free oats. Also, parchment paper is key here to helping the granola stick to itself, not the pan.
- To make this vegan, substitute maple syrup for the honey!
- After all this waxing on about clumps, make sure to not stir the granola after you remove it from the oven if you’re fanatical about all of this like I am. You will want it at 100% room temperature before you pick it off the parchment with your hands and break it into clusters.
- The freshness of cardamom really affects the flavor and potency of the spice. For best results, use cardamom that is less than 6 months old. Bonus tip: I like buying my spices in the bulk section of the supermarket to get the best deal and to buy only the amount I know I will use before it goes bad.
- I chilled my oats for about 2 hours, but you can chill them up to 12 hours. Whatever fits your schedule.
What to serve with this crunchy, healthy granola:
This granola is delicious in so many ways! Use it to top a smoothie bowl, serve it over granola with some strawberry chia jam, or simply top it with some milk!
Looking for other easy granola recipes? Check out my Crunchy Turmeric Granola for another lightly spiced and nutty treat!
If you made and liked this recipe, don't forget to rate the recipe and let me know how it went for you in the comments! It always makes my day to hear from you!
Please share your recipe comments and feedback. It helps us create better content and helps other readers find what they're looking for.